How I vented a portable air conditioner exhaust through my Class A RV (motor home) wall

Disclaimer: The advice provided in this video is based on personal experience and should not replace professional consultation. Always seek the help of a qualified professional for complex projects. Always wear appropriate safety gear, such as gloves and goggles, when working on DIY projects. Follow all safety guidelines and use tools and materials according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Many RV owners find it necessary to use a portable air conditioner in their motor home to supplement the main air conditioner at some point.

In my case, the separate bedroom at the rear of the RV rarely cools down to a comfortable temperature during the hottest days of summer with the main air conditioner running.

There are probably other solutions but the only apparent one to me is to install portable air conditioner like the Ecoflow Wave 2 in the bedroom area. This will also have the advantage of lowering my overall energy cost since the portable air conditioner consumes less energy and will be the only one running at night when there's no-one occupying the main living area.

This sounds like a good plan but the thought of cutting a hole in my Class A RV's fiberglass body to vent the portable air conditioner sends shivers down my spine! My trepidation stems from the fact that I have not been able to find an example of what it really looks like to make a giant 6 inch hole in the fiberglass body of a motor home or a fifth wheel. I worry that I might create a spreading crack or something like that.

In this post, I documented my installation process - which turned out not to be a big deal. In fact, it wouldn't take me more than 20 minutes if I had to do a similar installation another time.

The tools and items I used are listed at the end of the post. The most important being Intulon's Portable Air Conditioner Exhaust Vent Kit (Type G).

First, use a stud finder to ascertain that the installation areas is free of electrical wires and internal frames. The area should be large enough to accommodate the 5 and 6 inch diameter vent kits.

Next, determine the approximate thickness of your RV wall through an open window on the same wall the vent kit is to be installed to be sure the chosen kit is of the appropriate depth. I chose the type G kit that accommodates walls up to 2 inches thick since my RV wall is slightly under 2 inches thick. If my wall was 2.6 inches thick for example, I would have chosen the vent kit that accommodates walls up to 3 inches thick.

Use the vent kit as a template to draw a circle where the holes will be cut.

Use a circle center finder to mark the center of the holes.

Start cutting the hole from inside the RV and then stop once the pilot drill bit breaks through to the outside.

On the outside, use the pilot holes to position the hole saw and complete the cut.

Voila! Holes cut.

Installing the exhaust vent kit does not require any screws but requires two people.

From outside, one person inserts the main component of the vent kit while the second person stays inside to screw on the locking ring. Caulking the outer flange with Dicor or similar product is advisable to prevent any water seepage into the wall.

Most portable air conditioner exhaust tubes can be screwed directly to the vent kit.

In this installation, the magnetic mount component of the exhaust kit is used to make connecting and disconnecting the air conditioner faster and more convenient.

During the winter, or when the air conditioner is not needed, the exhaust vent can be covered with Intulon exhaust vent kit plug or the magnetic vent cover.

Despite my trepidation, this turned out to be a really easy DIY installation. Now it's time to enjoy hot summer days in the RV!