RV10flyer
Solar Wizard
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My Fujitsu Mini HP, 9000BTU, 33 SEER, consumes a max of 700W cool, 1,600W heat.
I am always fantasizing about having a energy efficient air conditioner for van life, anyone seen any concepts in tech news or anything?
- Thread starter oldspice
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timselectric
If I can do it, you can do it.
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Much more efficient.
timselectric
If I can do it, you can do it.
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The only thing that the other unit has going for it. Is the compact size.
It's a non inverter type, with low efficiency.
It's a non inverter type, with low efficiency.
eXodus
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I noted that it's not inverter. I've chatted with Pioneer and mentioned that.
My 13500 BTU roof A/C 20 year old antique consumes 1200-1300w. So about the same per watt.
But it's inside and doesn't have an large exterior part - which is a problem for my application. I don't have the space on the back of the RV to mount a condenser.
Still waiting for a 24V or 48V direct DC driven variable roof or undermount (basement) RV A/C unit. Inverter would be OK, but direct DC would be ideal.
These guys are in my backyard, Chesapeake, VA. Are either of these unit compatible with a 24v system? I haven't found a mini split online yet.
or this: https://www.chiltrix.com/documents/FCU-fan-coils.pdf
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eXodus
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Reach out to them!! I found that 230V AC A/C water heater unit.
Which would be amazing for a RV, when it would be DC lol.
I always hate when I have to burn Propane to get warm water. Because I create so much heat in the RV already - the A/C blows hot on the outside, the Engine is hot and Refrigerator produces hot. There are so many heat sources which are not used.
I communicated with Matt Angelo at Hotspot and he said, "It is a stretch to install one of these AC units on a 40 ft RV, not a realistic option for a van." So, I'm back to the units I was looking at online trying to find one with a high SEER value, and a light compressor unit that would fit on my bumper. It is slow going around here. Had one HVAC company through "Angi" just not show up for the appointment but called and texted me 20+ times. It was pathetic.
What DC to DC (B2B) charger do you recommend for a 13K watt hour LiFePO4 battery and what should be the maximum rate of charge from a B2B charger? If the B2B charger is 12v is that going to work to charge a 24v battery or do I need a 12v to 24v converter? The batteries will be set up 24v and the Samlex EVO 2024 is 24v.
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DerpsyDoodler
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This is a thread about air conditioning. That said, I'll answer your question quickly. If you have follow-up questions, start a new thread or post in one the other alternator/b2b battery charging threads.
I don't have any recommendations, but there is a thread with a decent list stickied somewhere on this forum, IIRC.
If you want to charge 24V from 12V then you will need a 12 to 24 stepup B2B charger. They do make these. Note that to charge at 24V with 30A you would be pulling ~60A from a 12V system.
About the max charge current I've seen for a single 24V b2b charger is 35A. If you seek more, the solution seems to be to get parallel-able chargers and install multiple.
robstrom
New Member
Not here to bust your bubble, but, no.
The unicorn you seek is not out there.
Sorry for being real.
Minisplits are are as close as you get, withought kicking up the fossil fuelled gen as needed.
Simply physics, friend.
The unicorn you seek is not out there.
Sorry for being real.
Minisplits are are as close as you get, withought kicking up the fossil fuelled gen as needed.
Simply physics, friend.
Noted. I was really looking for some "how to" so I could "do it yourself" but there is a sticky somewhere on the site.
GSXR1000
Solar Enthusiast
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I world not pull more then 30% to 50% of your alternator output
Here is what is going to happen as soon as possible. I bought four used 250W solar panels. I am havng a new rack fabricated for the four panels. I don't know if the Epever MPPT 40A SCC will handle 1000 nominal watts or if I will have to buy another SCC. I am going to buy this: Orion-Tr Smart DC-DC 12/24-15 (360W). I have a mini split "air conditioner" arriving second week in May and that is the other project. And we will see if physics is on my side. I hope to be on the road by the end of May at the lastest and we will have air conditioning in that van. I'll talk to an alternator shop tomorrow or Tuesday and welding shop Tuesday or Wednesday. Try not to pull too much juice out of the alternator; a switch to turn it off when we hit the hills or mountains would be a good thing.
GSXR1000
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1000w solar is 42 amps which you will never get especially flat mounted so 50 amp SCC would work.
30amps sounds very reasonable for your alternator to output
So, the plan is to drive all day, park, turn the AC on for night, get up and repeat. The batteries will be full when I leave the house and will charge all day on the road. So, there is a chance that the panels might exceed the SCC rated limits? If the new rack holds tight I might be able to change out the used panels for some 315W panels depending on the size.
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DerpsyDoodler
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Which EPEVER SCC do you have? is it the BN series? They can handle the little bit of over-paneling in your plan. Connect them in a 2s2p configuration. I can't speak for the AN series controllers.
With your plan to upgrade, you can add a second controller at that time.
DerpsyDoodler
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They can handle it. Will did some videos on the EPEVER BN series. He used to use them extensively and over-paneled them pretty significantly.
The solar panel limit calculation is what led me to buy a stepvan with 18' cargo area rather than a regular full size van. You can get enough panels on the roof to do things with a rig the size of a stepvan. I have room for 6 440w (26000w) panels on the roof and the panels add shade making it easier to cool and the van is easier to insulate and insulate well like a thermos, effectively making it much easier to cool than a normal van even though you have much more space inside.
I chose one powered by a cummins 4bta diesel so it gets 16mpg highway, better than many regular vans. A rig like this gives the room for either undermount window a/c or a mini split compressor on the back bumper. You are limited by roof space on a normal van which isn't enough to run an a/c. Most people with normal size vans seem to end up using window a/c 5kbtu which draws about 500w and can run on a 1kw generator.
If you don't want to rock a ghetto looking stepvan, there are those nice extended length Mercedes diesel vans you can find used, neither of these options is cheap any more though with prices tripling since I bought mine.
I chose one powered by a cummins 4bta diesel so it gets 16mpg highway, better than many regular vans. A rig like this gives the room for either undermount window a/c or a mini split compressor on the back bumper. You are limited by roof space on a normal van which isn't enough to run an a/c. Most people with normal size vans seem to end up using window a/c 5kbtu which draws about 500w and can run on a 1kw generator.
If you don't want to rock a ghetto looking stepvan, there are those nice extended length Mercedes diesel vans you can find used, neither of these options is cheap any more though with prices tripling since I bought mine.
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That is what the big question is on this string, how much does it take to run an air conditioner. So, how much does it take to run an air conditioner? How much solar; how much battery, etc. People I've talked to seem to think there is a way to do it; I personally think 1200 watts of solar power plus 300 watts of alternator power and a 13,000 Ah battery is enough. I guess I'll find out.