AC requirements for a heat wimp...???

[wagoneer]

I will chime in once again, my time in the north African desert observed how the locals dealt with 110. They were not removing clothing they were adding clothing counter intuitive YES I get that but it does work you are not able to run ac on a Camel back. all the German tourists were getting burned the locals cooled off with sweat. You protect yourself with adding clothing when cold? It does the same thing in heat...

 

[IGBT]

I will chime in once again, my time in the north African desert observed how the locals dealt with 110. They were not removing clothing they were adding clothing counter intuitive YES I get that but it does work you are not able to run ac on a Camel back. all the German tourists were getting burned the locals cooled off with sweat. You protect yourself with adding clothing when cold? It does the same thing in heat...

   
That is not dealing with 110, that is just surviving it.

They also eat dirt to fill their stomachs when they are hungry and don't have access to food.   Well that might be more Somalia than NA.

I think the OP was wanting a more first world solution.

 

[sushidog]

I tap off one of the 12V batteries in my 24V system and you could do similar in a 48V system.  I use a Vanner Equalizer which provides 60 amps at 12V.

You could have a simple rotary switch and change banks daily so as not to unbalance the system, but a better approach would be to use one of these for your 12v needs. http://www.ebay.com/itm/48V-to-12V-...0af09f5&pid=100009&rk=1&rkt=1&sd=222127847212  It is 97% efficient.

If you don't need that much 12v power, like just for LED lights or a small fan then here's a 20 amp model that is only $20, but it's only 96% efficient. http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-GOLF-CA...529531?hash=item41c7a7aefb:g:gaQAAOSwHnFVxXRl

Chip

 

[akrvbob]

It really isn't rocket science no matter what they tell you. 2 inches of polyiso on the roof and walls will be plenty of insulation.

800 watts of solar and 6-8 golf cart batteries will let you run a window AC intermittently through the night.

However, in your situation of just traveling its hard to justify that expense. If you will be living in it for many years, an abundance of power over winter and long storms is worth the cost of a huge system anyway, but not for a few trips a year. A better idea might be to get a 1000 watt Honda generator which should run a small window AC. If it won't, a 2000 watt Honda certainly will and still not burn much gas.

 

[CityWoman]

I know the upfront expense is rather high, but there is a couple that travels in a Travato who switched over to a lithium battery setup, and one of their goals for doing so was specifically so they could run the A/C for several hours without having to turn the vehicle on. They're quite happy with it. They blogged about it here: www.thefitrv.com/rv-tips/our-generator-free-rv-lithium-battery-solar-alternator-and-inverter/

He goes into great detail about it. Maybe that will help to give you some more ideas.

 

[Scott7022]

Darn that link is forbidden here? I wonder why...I will be using lithium as well, power pack and system already built and awaiting install. But as Bob points out the cheaper, easier option is a honda. While I couldn't get to the article to read it he probably goes into great detail as that is required for Lithium systems. While all battery systems should be viewed in a systematic interconnected manner with Lithium it is a must. Errors are very expensive. Cooked alternators, damaged Battery Management Systems (BMS), or a cooked battery.
Climate right makes some small units 2500 5000 10000 btu and an interesting split system 4000 120000 btu. Have to see what fits the bill. But once the space in cooled a little honda will keep it cool all night long for a gallon of gas. For infrequent trips I would go that way.

 

[mpruet]

It really isn't rocket science no matter what they tell you. 2 inches of polyiso on the roof and walls will be plenty of insulation.

800 watts of solar and 6-8 golf cart batteries will let you run a window AC intermittently through the night.

However, in your situation of just traveling its hard to justify that expense. If you will be living in it for many years, an abundance of power over winter and long storms is worth the cost of a huge system anyway, but not for a few trips a year. A better idea might be to get a 1000 watt Honda generator which should run a small window AC. If it won't, a 2000 watt Honda certainly will and still not burn much gas.

I'm coming to pretty much the same conclusion.   Thanks

 

[mpruet]

I know the upfront expense is rather high, but there is a couple that travels in a Travato who switched over to a lithium battery setup, and one of their goals for doing so was specifically so they could run the A/C for several hours without having to turn the vehicle on.  They're quite happy with it.  They blogged about it here: www.thefitrv.com/rv-tips/our-generator-free-rv-lithium-battery-solar-alternator-and-inverter/

He goes into great detail about it.  Maybe that will help to give you some more ideas.

Thanks.  One of the things that I am thinking about is getting a Travato 59K when I sell my class-A.  I'm going between that and a van conversion.   Most class-Bs seem so cluttered because there is so much that they try to squeeze into them, but the 59K seems to have a really nice lay out.  It's just that they are still so expensive, but at 67 I'm not sure that I want to tackle a conversion. 

I'm a bit nervous about lithium batteries.  They started out with fire issues and I thought that those problems had been resolved.  Then in recent months it seems that the fire issues have started up again.

 

[Scott7022]

Proper lithiums don't burn.

Think of it like ammunition replace ammunition with lithium.
I am thinking about going hunting for moose and want to use Gun. Tons of posts replies are going to be about the type/weight/style of ammunition you'll need to hunt big angry, sexually frustrated, swamp cows.

Lithium is the same. Many different types and advantages over different chemistries. Battle Born are the easiest, but not the cheapest. I've bought 6 and I've done a ton of research and for me it came down to replacement under warranty and they are in Nevada. I could have saved about 15% by using a different source and I know this stuff backwards and forwards as I've been following it for years. But 15% is cheap insurance. Battle Borns are safe chemistry Lithium so no fires. You can still smoke one, as we know you can't fix stupid but it won't catch fire unless you toss it in one.

 

[wagoneer]

   
That is not dealing with 110, that is just surviving it.

They also eat dirt to fill their stomachs when they are hungry and don't have access to food.   Well that might be more Somalia than NA.

I think the OP was wanting a more first world solution.

If your ready to spend some money It is for sure doable . For myself I tend to avoid unnecessary radical climates I will accept up to 95 dry heat and not so much below 45. Good luck and good post by the way.

 

[debit.servus]

OK - I admit that I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to having air conditioning - and that's pretty bad for a boy that grew up in Alabama and vividly remember scraping tar off of my feet at night from walking barefoot in the summer on asphalt roads that had melted in the southern sun...

I currently have a class-A that I'm trying to sell and have been car camping in a Prius this summer.  It's simply too much of a hassle to get the class-A set up for a trip.  I like the spontaneity and freedom to just get up and go. I'm not a full time nomad, but am retired and want to be able to travel all around the nation. It's rather difficult to be stealth in a class-A and I like to boondock - both in the country as well as in the city.  The Prius is ideal at being stealth, but is a bit tight when it comes to getting dressed.  Also I'd like to be able to cook indoors - especially when boondocking and the bugs are in attack mode...

So I'm contemplating doing a cargo van conversion.  However, I really like that I can keep the Prius on at night and run the AC.  I love being able to sleep in a cool room.  I've thought about the possibility of getting a swamp cooler for a van.  As long as I'm in the southwest that would work fairly well, but would also require access to more water which could be an issue in the desert.  Also, I want to be able to go to the southeast without melting and swamp coolers are kinda worthless there.  I still remember those hot nights from my youth and doubt that a fan system would work.  So I feel that I need to explore what kind of solar/battery/AC unit I would need to at least be able to sleep through the night. 

I know that some folks in this group have been successful at setting up AC running on battery power.  Since I am still in the 'dreaming/thinking' stage, I'd like some input into what type of battery bank/ solar system I'd need to make this sort of thing work.  The only other overnight power usage that I would need would be to power my fridge - 18 L dometic compressor fridge which uses less than 1 amp an hour.  (I already have that in my Prius camping and would like to continue to use.)

Thanks

You are not a heat wimp, don't listen to those who are writing their posts while sweltering in August 2017.

 

[Technomad]

You could have a simple rotary switch and change banks daily so as not to unbalance the system, but a better approach would be to use one of these for your 12v needs. http://www.ebay.com/itm/48V-to-12V-...0af09f5&pid=100009&rk=1&rkt=1&sd=222127847212  It is 97% efficient.

If you don't need that much 12v power, like just for LED lights or a small fan then here's a 20 amp model that is only $20, but it's only 96% efficient. http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-GOLF-CA...529531?hash=item41c7a7aefb:g:gaQAAOSwHnFVxXRl

Chip

FYI- if you have a 48v system and want 12v power, a switching power supply would be much more efficient than a Linear Regulator.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk