Installation of the Frigidaire FGPC1244T1 Portable Air Conditioner
in the Windseeker, our Forest River Forester 3041DSF

Why use a Portable Air Conditioner? Class C Motorhomes are generally built with a 30 Amp system, unlike their big brothers, the Class A's, which are typically built with a 50 Amp system (50A on each leg or 100A total). Class A Motorhomes often have 2 or 3 roof air conditioners to handle the cooling chores, but the Class C's like our 2019 Forest River Forester 3041DSF can only handle the load of a single roof air. This is generally adequate in temps up to about 90 degrees, but above that they just cannot keep up with the heat generated inside the coach in full sun. After much research we decided to add a Frigidaire 12,000 BTU Smart Portable Air Conditioner.

This top of the line unit has all digital controls including a wireless remote as well as wifi functionality to control the unit away from home with a smartphone. The louvered output directs air up into the room, and the 6" exhaust vent is designed to vent the hot air out a window. It comes with a slick adjustable mount for a home window (as shown at the left), but we had to fashion our own exhaust out of a small upper level window in the forward cabover bunk area. And we bought an additional full replacement 3 year warranty with the unit so we have years of trouble-free use ahead.

In order to reach the small vent window in the cabover bunk area, we needed a hose extension of about 2'. So we purchased on Amazon a Kraftex Portable Air Conditioner Exhaust Vent Hose.

We also purchased on Amazon a Portable A/C Exhaust Hose Coupler/Coupling to join the hose extension to the original. And we picked up a Portable AC Exhaust Hose Wall Mount Flange for the final installation later on. These pieces are perfectly designed to thread onto the hose and hose extension with a secure airtight fit.

With the lack of tools at the RV Park, we did a temporary installation into the window with a piece of dense foam mat cut to fit the window opening snugly and a hole in the middle to press the 6" exhaust hose into. We then secured a piece of plastic screen over the hose end with black Gorilla Duct tape We also got an inexpensive Brown Plastic Louver Vent for the final installation. Then I'll fashion the permanent window insert out of wood back at my workshop in September with a foam gasket for an airtight fit and use the Wall Mount Flange pictured above to do a nice clean mount on the inside. For now the temporary foam insert will do fine for this summer in the spot we have rented until September.

The tricky part was the AC power for the unit. It plugs right into a home 110 outlet, but the coach only has 30 Amp service and cannot handle two AC's. So we ran a 25' 12/3 extension cord out the same vent window and over to the RV Park Pedestal. We also have a 50' 10 gauge cord to use for longer distances. The pedestals will almost always have 30A, 50A and 20A outlets on 3 separate circuits. So we can plug the coach into the 30A outlet, and the extension cord for the A/C into either the 20A or, if not so equipped with all three, then into the 50A outlet using the pictured 50A-to-15 amp adapter. These connections are fine if you are only pulling 11 amps for the A/C from the 50A circuit.

Here's a photo of the coach interior of our 2019 Forest River Forester 3041DSF showing the placement of the Frigidaire when in use, just behind the passenger seat. When underway, it has rollers on the bottom and will roll easily to the kitchen area where we have set up a stiff bungree cord to secure it firmly for the road. The house detaches easily from the back of the unit and can be coiled up in the loft above. The coach originally came with a jackknife loveseat behind the passenger seat, which we removed so I could have my king size recliner, a small computer side table and still have room for the second A/C.

Here's a final shot more closeup showing clearly the routing of the A/C exhaust hose as it leads up to the small vent window in the cabover bunk. Frigidaire provides a nice grey fabric sleeve which fits over the exhaust hose for a more finished look. You'll also note our little Westie Corey comfy in his little dog bed right up next to the A/C. He loves his BTU's and likes to stay cool, and this Frigidaire really does the job!

To monitor the success of our installation, I pulled out a useful tool I bought a few years back, a Raytek MT6 Mini Temp IR Thermometer. Point the little little laser at any wall, window, ceiling, whatever, and get an instant digital readout of the temperature on that surface. So the ceiling in our coach with a WHITE fiberglass roof, in an area well away from any A/C vent reads 89° today... sunny with outside temp of 85. The back wall of the coach in the bedroom reads 105 and is warm to the touch. Like the ceiling, it is in direct sun right now... so this just illustrates the difference between a painted fiberglass wall in darker colors, and a white fiberglass wall (roof). 20° . The ceiling directly above our Frigidaire portable unit which blows upwards is 62°!

We also installed a MarCELL Pro monitor to keep an eye on heat conditions inside the coach using a built-in reliable cellular network. Once it is set up you can receive custom phone calls, emails and/or text alerts when conditions are out of safe ranges. We bought this unit for the dogs' safety just in case the coach or the RV Park should lose power and the coach starts to heat up to potentially dangerous levels. Besides the purchase price, you pay $14.95 per month only for the months you need it. Worthwhile protection for the dogs who have to stay back in the Motorhome a lot.