What do you recommend for AC?

I have a small SUV and want to know what it would take to have AC that can run while the car isn't running. I'm looking for this for my pet. What BTU do you recommend? I need advice on how to power it also, since I'm not very familiar with solar.

I have not seen or heard of any conventional vehicle where it is possible to run the AC without the engine running. There’s just not a Solar system big enough to handle that. I think I have heard that something like this is possible with an totally electric vehicle. I’m sure there are others on here that know more about the electric vehicles. But in my experience running a AC, especially if you’re talking about doing it for hours, ain’t gonna happen without a truckload of solar. But you can run several very efficient fans with a decent solar system.

a small SUV doesn't have enough roof space for enough solar to run an AC. you will need a gasoline/propane generator or plug into shore power.

tell us about the situation,

why does the pet need to be in the vehicle with AC and the vehicle not running?
while you are at work?
while you shop?

highdesertranger

I have 400 watts on the roof, 300 AMPS of batteries, and a 13500 BTU AC and I wouldn't even attempt to run the AC on anything except shore power or the generator.

I recommend going to Bob's YouTube channel and entering "air conditioning" in the search engine.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAj7O3LCDbkIR54hAn6Zz7A

A Toyota Prius makes it possible.

highdesertranger said:

a small SUV doesn't have enough roof space for enough solar to run an AC.  you will need a gasoline/propane generator or plug into shore power.

tell us about the situation,

why does the pet need to be in the vehicle with AC and the vehicle not running?
while you are at work?
while you shop?

highdesertranger

Click to expand...

I might become homeless soon and I don't want to lose my cat. I would try to keep my outings as short as possible, no more than an hour and preferably even shorter than that. But I know temperatures inside the car can rise 20 degrees in just 10 minutes. I really want to find a simple solution that will keep him safe, if one even exists.

Simple solution: If you have a pet in the car then you need to time these hour-long 'outings' (during warm weather) for those hours of the day when the sun is not a factor...as in before sunrise or a little while before sunset.

That can help for some things, but it's not always possible. For example, if I have to go to a doctor appointment.

Put it in a shaded locked carrier with water on the roof locked with a cable lock to a roof rack.

garlicbread said:

I have a small SUV and want to know what it would take to have AC that can run while the car isn't running. I'm looking for this for my pet. What BTU do you recommend? I need advice on how to power it also, since I'm not very familiar with solar.

Click to expand...

To answer your question, a 5000 Btu window unit stuck in a window with a Honda EU2000i generator in a receiver hitch basket with lock and chain. Good for about 8 hours on 1 gallon fill.  Cost gen = 1000, ac = 150,  basket =70 , window fit gadgetry  and misc. = 100 total   <$1400. If you stay within 100' of  SUV you can get a battery powered  "high temp alarm" that will notify you that something has failed and the SUV  is at XX temp and  you need to respond promptly.

Thank you. So this is one possibility. Pros are that it's real, actual AC and that I wouldn't have to deal with solar for it, since it's gas powered. Cons are that I would have to make permanent alterations to my car and that it would look very strange.

I'm open to other options for cooling if anyone knows of any.

Is there anyone who just leaves the car running with the car's AC (not added AC) while they're not in it? I know there are small solar panels for the dashboard designed to keep the car's battery topped off.

The toyota hybrids can do it.

Sounds like a good way to get your cat (unless it is a very mean large cat) and car stolen and possibly not replaced by insurance depending on your policy. What about dropping it off at a vet or groomer?

It's illegal in some cities. For short periods you'd be alright.

For longer periods you risk the car stalling or for some other reason the A/C to stop working. Mechanical failures can happen.

What about taking your cat with you?
https://yourcatbackpack.com/collections/the-original-cat-backpack

Yes, that's what I plan to do when possible! But with a pet stroller, since he's pretty heavy. There are actually a lot of pet-friendly stores, and even with the ones that aren't, I can still ask an employee if I can bring my cat in. Or I can ask someone to babysit my cat for a bit.

At this point, I'm thinking AC may be more than what I need. But I might get a swamp cooler since it's easy enough, and stay in a dry climate where they're more effective. That way I'll have that extra assurance that I can keep my cat safe.

^
Research swamp coolers. They will work in dry climates but they use up a lot of water.

Carrying a lot of water in a small vehicle can be problematic.

garlicbread said:

That can help for some things, but it's not always possible. For example, if I have to go to a doctor appointment.

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Not trying to be nosey but how often will you be visiting a doctor? Think about having a friend watch the cat for an hour or two when you have an appointment, or maybe drop-off the cat at a groomer....either for actual grooming, or a simple 2 hour boarding service...some groomers will do that for a small fee.

There are other options. You can rent a motel room, the night before, that takes pets (bring fluffy's litter pan) have a nice shower, get a good nights rest,  then schedule your doctor appointment for 8 am, and if check out time is say, 11 am, this should give you time to visit the doctor and be back in time to pick up fluffy and check-out of the room. Yeah, it will cost a few bucks...but still cheaper than spending thousands on some fabbed up A/C system hanging out your window with a genset running on the back bumper.

And BTW...such systems are not 100% reliable, even if you could hang a residential window A/C unit in a small SUV window.