How's your stealth with an A/C hanging out the back of your van?

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How about just using the spare tire carrier like that to hide the House hold window style AC unit coming out the back door?
 
BradKW said:
For stealth purposes I will be mounting a 5k btu window unit inside, and then ducting the exhaust away and out. This will eliminate any visible evidence, and should go some ways to mitigating sound volume. 

That's what I have.  My deep cycle battery bank runs the AC without a generator for the first few hours in the morning when the sun is up and the heat becomes intolerable.  I then charge the bank back up again with the generator while I'm driving around during the day.  

The AC is loud.  I think a lot of people designing their vehicles don't realize how loud even a small fan is.  The bass lines of this type of equipment travels quite far, especially when emanating from a metal vehicle.  I don't think it's practical to try to make a sound-proof stealth vehicle... one would lose so much valuable space to ducting and I'm not sure an AC can handle being that enclosed.
 
Y'know, someone made the comment about meat/flower vans. One could park a plain white van with a roof air in a lot next to a bunch of those types of vans and nobody would be the wiser... It would look like one that hasn't gotten its graphics yet.

There are several around my house that have open lots. You may even be able to work out a deal where you pay a wee bit or act as security and get to plug in...

One could also get a bunch of magnetic signs made to more look the part.
 
I believe my A/C is rated for 50 db, that's the same as a Honda EU3000is at idle and believe me when I say it can be heard from a distance.
 
ZoNiE said:
Y'know, someone made the comment about meat/flower vans. One could park a plain white van with a roof air in a lot next to a bunch of those types of vans and nobody would be the wiser... It would look like one that hasn't gotten its graphics yet.

There are several around my house that have open lots. You may even be able to work out a deal where you pay a wee bit or act as security and get to plug in...

One could also get a bunch of magnetic signs made to more look the part.

This seems like a great idea.  Bakeries use them as well, I live about 4 blocks from a large bakery that makes tons of wedding cakes and they have about a dozen of these vans with the refers on top in an open lot.  They do start baking early in the morning though so depending on the business you might have to leave early in the AM
 
BradKW said:
I remember reading a book called Mosquito Coast, where a crazy scientist moves his family into the Amazon...anyway, he builds an ammonia based chiller that makes the first ice the natives ever saw. What I took from the ending was that ammonia refrigeration can be a bit explosive...but maybe that was just drama.

Not drama.  Ive worked the past several years in a poultry processing plant and we used ammonia in a closed loop system to freeze the chicken to -10.  On way too many occasions weve experienced accidental releases (or the occasional redneck that didnt drive a forklift as well as they thought they could) and had to evacuate being sure to stay downwind until the situation was resolved.  NOT something to play with.
 
While our vehicle is not a van, we did duct a standard $100 6000 BTU window unit A/C so that it is completely inside the vehicle with only a vent screen on the outside, flush mount.  It keeps the inside at 68 degrees in 90 degree temps.  It isn't hard to build.
 
Bster13 said:
I guess as a sheltered guy from the NE (with humidity!), after watching this video:  I was under the impression that either a) the heat is unavoidable or b) it's avoidable, but you're going to be pretty restricted at the end of July trying to stay in the 70s.  Haha.


Elevation is your friend. It's easier and quicker to go up in elevation (mountains) than go north if seeking cooler weather. 

A 1000 feet increase in altitude = temp drop of between 5.5F (low RH) to 3.5F (high humidity) or approximately 300 miles north.

Here's where I got this info from: http://www.wrds.uwyo.edu/sco/climateatlas/climate_change.html (the end of paragraph 1.2)

Here's an example: Yesterday at Big Bend NP the highest temperature in the Chisos Basin (5400ft elevation) was only 74 degrees F. While at the Rio Grande village (1850 ft elevation, about 20 miles away at roughly the same latitude) the high was 106 degrees F.
https://www.nps.gov/bibe/upload/DAILYREPORT-18.pdf

Chip
 
Good luck gaining elevation in some places, like Illinois, where the highest point is like 900 feet.
 
IGBT said:
While our vehicle is not a van, we did duct a standard $100 6000 BTU window unit A/C so that it is completely inside the vehicle with only a vent screen on the outside, flush mount.  It keeps the inside at 68 degrees in 90 degree temps.  It isn't hard to build.

I would love to see how one does this oneself, did you make a thread on it?
 
sushidog said:
Elevation is your friend. It's easier and quicker to go up in elevation (mountains) than go north if seeking cooler weather. 

A 1000 feet increase in altitude = temp drop of between 5.5F (low RH) to 3.5F (high humidity) or approximately 300 miles north.

Here's where I got this info from: http://www.wrds.uwyo.edu/sco/climateatlas/climate_change.html (the end of paragraph 1.2)

Here's an example: Yesterday at Big Bend NP the highest temperature in the Chisos Basin (5400ft elevation) was only 74 degrees F. While at the Rio Grande village (1850 ft elevation, about 20 miles away at roughly the same latitude) the high was 106 degrees F.
https://www.nps.gov/bibe/upload/DAILYREPORT-18.pdf

Chip

Thanks for the data chip.  Usually for historical data I go to weather.com and look at the monthly averages but because the Chisos Basin doesn't really have a nearby town, I can't find historical data.  Might you have a link to historical averages as opposed to recent days?

I know there are a few places in the US to hide away from the hot weather during July/August, but I worry about feeling limited by the weather.  If there is a festival I want to attend in Georgia in July... I want to go.  Haha.
 
I would put it in a box large enough to allow for circulation around the sides and top, with the back butted up to a register vent so that the exhaust blows straight out.
 
Honestly the 12,000 BTU inverter portable listed in the other thread is pretty much the cats meow. Pricy but after it gets going it uses less power than my high efficient 5000 BTU window unit or even the replacement rated to use 400w.
 
I left the house this morning and it was 70 degrees F. Everyone out was wearing a jacket. I guess we got accustomed to the heat.
 
DannyB1954 said:
I left the house this morning and it was 70 degrees F. Everyone out was wearing a jacket. I guess we got accustomed to the heat.

And I had the windows down at 65mph when it was in the low 50s/high 40s earlier this year.
 
I feel as though I can add my .25 cents because I feel I have much more than .02 cents to offer :)

So, to start off I should say that I'm doing exactly what is being discussed...Using my AC while living in a van on the "streets". Personally, I'm finding that I'm really not interested in staying stealthy. I get the concept, but honestly I feel as though it matters very, very little. I can say that because my van is becoming "not-so-stealthy" and I'm staying/living in an area that has a $91,000 median income here in Utah with no problems so far...although that could change but lets hope not! I have about 5 different places where I stay throughout the week and I'm always changing it up. I am certain that I am not fooling any of the cops that are on the night shift around here. But, in all my travels (extended road trips) I've never had a problem so that is why I feel stealth is an illusion. Personally I'd rather spend the time having a well put together rig that says that I'm not just some homeless bum barely surviving in my van on the streets than trying to look like some commercial van trying to fit in. Plus!...I hate my van not having windows because it's creepy looking! And the girls in my nursing class always tease me. LOL. When funds allow I will be adding windows...near top priority!

But, on to the AC. Currently I have the smallest window AC that Lowes sells. 500 or 600 watts. I simply removed the window from the door and welded up a mount to set the AC unit in. I'm sure some people realize what it is, most probably don't pay that much attention, but who really cares. 
I run it on my Honda EU 2000. It has the power to run it on "eco mode" so if I top off the generator I get a solid 8 hrs of run time. In the middle of the summer in Az its not that great but partly because my van is not fully insulated. Plus, the windshield needs to be completely covered because otherwise you have a green house competing with the AC. 

I have seen some installations of the AC put in the bottom of the door area which looks good but I don't want the AC blowing air under my bunk when I'm on top of the bunk. As you'll see in the pictures, my bunk is at the back of my van and I've made a curtain to separate the bunk area from the front of the van so it can hold the cold air in just a little better as I sleep. 

A roof AC would be cool but in my application wouldn't be ideal as I plan to have solar, roof rack, Yakima box up there. I think Coleman does make a roof AC that can be run by the Honda 2000 but not sure if it'll do it on eco mode. If you can't run it on eco mode I feel its not ideal either because of gas consumption. 

The theory of going north, or into the mountains for summer is not a very good answer because so many people don't have the means to do that. I mean, if you work in Illinois, you can't go to the mountains of Colorado. You'd have to be totally free to do that. I'm just saying it's not that easy. 

The Honda Gen is about $1000. Not cheap but one of the best things you can spend your money on...so many other uses!
I've had my set up on my van for 5 yrs now. Second AC unit. No doubt there is some weight on that rear door but so far it seems to be handling quite well. With gas the Honda is about 60l bs?. Ac is probably 40 lbs? Plus my racks I built...10-15lbs. But, I really don't open that door that much in my daily living at this point. I'm just not worried about it at this point. 

I'll post my pics sometime today. If any questions just pm me and I'll pass my number along if you have detailed questions.

Matt
 
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