Air conditioning in a minivan - any thoughts??

[ringobarnum]

Greetings all - long time listener, first time caller here. I've been lurking on these forums for awhile now and using the excellent information to help plan a lifestyle transition. First off, I just want to say THANKS for creating such a great community and for sharing such great information. I've learned more here in a few weeks than I would have in years on my own.

A little about my plans - I am fortunate enough to work as a instructor teaching software development related classes. This means I can work from anywhere I like as long as I have a good internet connection on the days I teach (all of our classes are live, conducted over Zoom). Right now I am looking at outfitting a minivan, most likely a Dodge Grand Caravan / Chrysler Town & Country. I think I can setup a nice little studio in the van and just teach from there on the days I'm working but one concern I have is heat. I don't want to be on camera all day sweating profusely in front of students in the hot weather. Of course, I could just use the van's A/C system, but I DO NOT want to idle a van for 8+ hours a day multiple days a week. Since I'm going to need a solid internet connection on the days I teach my plan is to stay at RV parks or improved campgrounds on the those days, so getting shore power should be a non-issue.

I've been looking at portable air conditioner units to help keep me cool on those days, but I wanted to ask the group if anyone has any experience setting something like this up. I'd really prefer to avoid a roof-mounted unit as I'd like my minivan to be somewhat stealthy, and a rooftop AC unit kind gives away what the vehicle is all about.

Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts, comments, suggestions, insults, jokes, or otherwise. Any and all feedback and input is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
-Ringo

 

[PeterPiper]

I'd also like any good recommendations. also have a Dodge Grand Caravan.
I'm on other forums dealing with vehicle AC and the consensus is that it's still a very difficult and costly proposition.

ANY AC unit simply uses so much power that it's hard to provide power for it in the constraints of a minivan.

This is about as close a solution as I have seen....
https://www.alibaba.com/product-det...spm=a2700.galleryofferlist.0.0.15d1512fYt4CRh

 

[bullfrog]

Basically it just isn't possible. Any solution will be visible. If you are in an RV park a window unit could be set outside and ducted to the van so little noise then set inside while traveling so not visible. Even with grid power available the fan noise would be a problem I would think unless it were several feet away. Anything you mount on the outside can be seen, anything you can not see on inside takes up space, there is not a magic solution yet, staying in cooler climates at higher elevations is the best so far.

 

[PeterPiper]

I went looking for a link to give you and by the time I found it and got back the edit period had timed out.

This.... and a fairly robust fan.
https://shadeclothstore.com/product-category/aluminet-shade-cloth/

 

[PeterPiper]

As far as noise.......

I sleep every night with a 8000btu window AC unit about 4 feet from my head and to be honest, I don't think noise is an issue.

IF....you could find the power a 5000 btu window AC could work if done properly.  But you'd need a LOT of power to run it.
But if you always have shore power available that might not be an issue.

On the other hand, for people in very dry climates, I hear the swamp coolers work well and are very quite and low energy.

 

[ringobarnum]

Wow! You guys ROCK! Half a dozen great replies in just a few minutes, I love this place!!!

I should have done a better job of explaining, my bad... Regarding the stealth factor, I don't care if anyone sees an AC unit when I'm parked, but I also want the option to hide it away in a rooftop cargo box when I'm not using it and just look like a regular ol' minivan. A true roofmount RV unit wouldn't work for this requirement.

Power is zero concern for this use case as I'll always be running it off shore power, and I have no need (or desire) to use AC at any other times, other than when I'm running a class from a campground with shore power.

I thought about the swamp cooler route, but those need to be refilled periodically. Most of my classes are 8+ hours, so running out constantly to refill the cooler just isn't an option for me.

I guess I'm really asking a few different questions here:
-- Has anyone had any good luck using a portable air conditioner (single or double hose) in a minivan or small cargo van?
-- Does anyone else work remotely with a need to do videoconferencing on the road? If so, what's your solution? Any good tips or tricks for another digital nomad? I can tether to my phone for data (and have an unlimited data plan), so what I really need is a comfortable place to lead classes from for ~8 hours or so...

 

[bullfrog]

There is a pretty good discussion going on about the new small battery powered portable Zero Breeze here but it would need the extra battery pack and probably require insulating your van much better than factory plus the price is north of $1800. A small window unit with some home made ducting can be seen on YouTube in a Dodge minivan to be used as a portable unit and is much less expensive and several times more cooling.

 

[ringobarnum]

[quote pid='534589' dateline='1619804305']
There is a pretty good discussion going on about the new small battery powered portable Zero Breeze here but it would need the extra battery pack and probably require insulating your van much better than factory plus the price is north of $1800. A small window unit with some home made ducting can be seen on YouTube in a Dodge minivan to be used as a portable unit and is much less expensive and several times more cooling.
[/quote]

Thanks bullfrog! I'll go take a look on YouTube and see if I can get some ideas! Was that on the CheapRVLiving channel, or somewhere else on YouTube?

 

[highdesertranger]

First off welcome

Second if you can work from anywhere why stay where you need AC. I would go to where you don't need AC.

Third Why stay at a campground? campground internet is notoriously unreliable.

my 2 cents

Highdesertranger

 

[ringobarnum]

First off welcome

Second if you can work from anywhere why stay where you need AC.  I would go to where you don't need AC.

Third Why stay at a campground?  campground internet is notoriously unreliable.

my 2 cents

Highdesertranger

Thanks Highdesertranger! I've learned a LOT from your posts and contributions here, so a BIG THANK YOU from me to you!

I'm only considering the AC option because a big part of my job entails being really flexible with my schedule. It's not too uncommon for another instructor to have something come up last minute and for me to get a single day's notice that I have to teach (I'm the lead instructor, so when this happens it all falls in my lap). That may not always give me enough time to pack up and relocate to someplace cooler.

To be honest, I haven't really committed to the AC solution yet, I'm really just investigating whether it's even a viable approach. Sorta doing a cost v benefit analysis of the whole idea so when I find the right van I have a gameplan for getting it outfitted and on the road. 

As for the campgrounds, it seemed like a way to get a good wifi connection and shore power in one shot. If the wifi isn't that good though, maybe I need to rethink the whole plan. FWIW on the days when I'm not working, I have ZERO desire to be in a campground...

I've thought about teaching classes outside the van, but my options there seem pretty limited.
- I could get a motel room, but that's expensive and I need something from 9 am EST to 5 pm EST which is before the check in time for most motels. So I'd be paying for two nights to use a room for one day. This doesn't seem like a very good option...
- I could get free WiFi and AC at a Starbucks (or similar retail store). But Starbuck's isn't going to be happy with me running a live Zoom session for 8+ hours and disturbing all their other customers. Plus, there's going to be a lot of background noise that would be distracting and annoying for my students. 
- I looked at workspace and office space rental solutions, but those are setup for people who are always in the same place, and they are VERY EXPENSIVE! The cost of this option makes the motel option look cheap in comparison...
- I could just idle the engine all day and run the van's AC. My biggest concern here isn't burning the gas, it's the extra wear & tear on the engine, having to change fluids 4x as often, and the possibility of overheating the oil, transmission fluid, etc from the excessive idling. Since my teaching responsibilities can range anywhere from zero hours per week to 40+ hours per week this could be a LOT of idling and unnecessary engine wear.

In the programming world, we have a saying. "You can have fast, you can have cheap, and you can have good. Pick two." This may be a corollary situation - "You can have freedom, you can have air conditioning, or you can have low costs. Pick two."

 

[highdesertranger]

Welcome Ringo to the CRVL forums! To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started.

Most of our rules boil down to two simple over-riding principles: 1) What you post should provide good information (like your introductory post), and 2) Any response to someone else's post should make them feel glad they are part of this forum community.

We look forward to hearing more from you.

I just realized you haven't received an official welcome. So here you go.

Highdesertranger

 

[Happy Camper]

One very important thing to remember since you said the AC would be stored on the roof. If you tilt ANY Item that has a compressor in it, you need to wait for many hours before you can use that unit without quickly killing it. Fridges, ACs, and the like have use a compressor have coolant that has oil in it, and it keeps the compressor bathed and cooled. When tilted the fluid goes into the lines, and can take quite a while to come back into the compressor itself.

Tbh, having a very small portable stored in the van upright wouldn't be bad. If you're not using the front passenger area it might be able to fit there. You'd have to run the exhaust hose out of the window, but you would be cool. They are pretty quiet also overall.

Depending on where you're located, you might be able to get great cell internet and use that. Then get a little backdrop or a popup tent with sides and work out of that. There are a lot of ways to do the same thing with all of this. Depends on which ones work for your situation, budget, capabilities, and desires.

 

[Happy Camper]

One solution that would cover your cooling needs so get an inverter generator and have the portable. That would save you from worrying about cooling, and possibly give you other options for your build and places to be.

Can you do Zoom from your phone or a tablet? If so, figure out which providers have the strongest internet for your desired areas and get a tablet or extra phone specifically for work. The more information we have, the better we can help.

 

[Cammalu]

Campgrounds can also be expensive. There are also many that require you to have an RV.

 

[ringobarnum]

HAPPYCAMPER -- I never knew that about compressors! Thank you, you likely just prevented me from making a costly mistake! I don't see any reason why I couldn't store it upright somewhere, the ones I'm looking at aren't all the big.

Because I'm teaching developers, we have a lot of coding and hands-on labs, so I really need a laptop. I get great service through Verizon, and I can tether my laptop to my phone anywhere I get service, so I'm not too concerned with that issue. I just don't want to be a sweaty mess on a hot day in a closed van.

I did come across this video of a guy using one in a ProMaster, so at least it validates the idea a bit. --

 

[ringobarnum]

CAMMALU - I never knew that, I just assumed if you paid them for the spot they really didn't care...

 

[highdesertranger]

Yes private campgrounds can get quite finicky about who gets to camp there. A lot of them will not allow vehicles that don't have a RVIA sticker or are more then 10 years old. Some allow tent camping but most of the time there is no electrical at tent sites. May I suggest you pour though the forum and watch the you tube videos on Bob's channel to gain a better understanding about how all this works. Highdesertranger

 

[Happy Camper]

Ringo, what are your bandwidth requirements for when you're teaching?

Do me a favor and try this. Turn on your hotspot and throttle it to 5mbs download/upload. Connect to your laptop and see how that works.

If it works well, awesome! You can get a cheap iphone and visible service for $25/mo that uses verizon service. They have unlimited hotspot limited to 5mbs in some cases. You and read up more about them in the internet/mail forums. You might need more than one solution depending on how far you decide to travel. Again, that forum is your friend.

Get some of these for the front windows. Wind deflectors are great for the ability to leave windows down without people knowing.
https://www.amazon.com/Topline-Auto...=wind+deflector+caravan&qid=1619821577&sr=8-3

Push your front passenger seat back, set the exhaust up to vent out the window. You can have a hitch cargo rack for a permanent mount box for a generator. That would be the only concern. But you would be self contained.

 

[Travelingknowmad]

I'd also like any good recommendations. also have a Dodge Grand Caravan.
I'm on other forums dealing with vehicle AC and the consensus is that it's still a very difficult and costly proposition.

ANY AC unit simply uses so much power that it's hard to provide power for it in the constraints of a minivan.

This is about as close a solution as I have seen....
https://www.alibaba.com/product-det...spm=a2700.galleryofferlist.0.0.15d1512fYt4CRh

Nope. The Zero Breeze is just right for Dodge/Chrysler minivans- firs veteran front seats. Love mine! Also acts as heater and dehumidifier…

 

[Travelingknowmad]

There is a pretty good discussion going on about the new small battery powered portable Zero Breeze here but it would need the extra battery pack and probably require insulating your van much better than factory plus the price is north of $1800. A small window unit with some home made ducting can be seen on YouTube in a Dodge minivan to be used as a portable unit and is much less expensive and several times more cooling.

No zero breeze 2 can also run on shore power with the included 24v adapter or your house batteries if you convert 12v -> 24v. I have one in my town and country – it fits right between the front seats perfectly. Did you know it can also be reversed to heat your space a little? And it dehumidifys. I got mine open box for $649.