Running a 5,000 watt AC with solar and batteries

[SoulRaven]

What would a setup look like, for running a 5,000 watt window ac on solar ? This would be in a small travel trailer. Is it possible to do it from the new deep cycle batteries like this

http://www.amazon.com/Sealed-Golf-C...8&sr=8-1&keywords=12+volt+golf+cart+batteries

And what would be the size of the solar panels have to be to keep up?
Would it be better, and maybe more cost effective,  to just get a portable inverter generator, like a Honda or Kawasaki, and not waste time and money? 

 

[Seraphim]

generator.

 

[Seraphim]

If the AC pulls 5000 watts to run, you need to provide 500 amps every hour it runs. (Divide wattage by 10)

If you run it for 6 hours a day you'd need 3000 amps per day. (6 hours x 500 amps)

You'd need 6000 amp/hours of storage (twice what you'd actually use) and a solar setup that could replace 3100 amps ( over 32000 watts) a day, each and every day. Regardless of weather. At a rough guess, if you had four hours of direct sun every day, that would be theoretically an 8000 watt solar system.

These are rough figures. If you know the actual wattage the AC runs at, you'll get a more accurate figure.

 

[Seraphim]

A 5000 BTU unit will probably pull about 550 watts an hour ( from some online checking), so that would be about 55 amps an hour, 330 amps a day at 6 hours usage, so 660 amps of storage and a solar setup that delivers over 6600 watts a day (1200 watts with four hours of sun every day). You'll still need a generator, IMO, for the bad weather days.

 

[Seraphim]

There are others here better than I who may correct my thoughts...

 

[Wabbit]

It you can fit 1000w of solar panels on the trailer that would get you close. Prob not there there, but with some tweaking...

Those batteries you would prob want 10+ sets of them.

Didn't run numbers but just to get you to the answer of "generator" quicker and also to squash any hopes you might have had doing it with solar.

 

[LeeRevell]

35AH batteries are small. Intended for scooter chairs and wheelchairs. NOT enough grunt for serious van house use.

 

[SoulRaven]

Wow, you guys are brutal.......LOL But I, DO, want the real life facts and not the sugar coated answers. Thanks for putting me straight. If there are anymore reasons pro or con, not mentioned yet please let me know. Just the facts.

 

[SoulRaven]

LeeRevell, I was just wanting to know if a 5,000 watt small ac could be used with a solar battery setup. It would be the only thing I would want to run at any one time. Sorry, I guess I should have made that clear in the beginning.

 

[Wabbit]

Wow, you guys are brutal.......LOL But I, DO, want the real life facts and not the sugar coated answers. Thanks for putting me straight. If there are anymore reasons pro or con, not mentioned yet please let me know. Just the facts.

Lol sorry!!!

Solar powered air conditioning is a home based thing, however, if there's a will, there's a way. What model air conditioner where you thinking of? I have some downtime and can get some harder numbers for you. Although, even with thehardest numbers, there are still variables with solar power. From the panels, to the wiring used, to what kind of batteries used. Then there's mother nature to contend with. Hopefully that sounds better!

 

[SoulRaven]

It's a 5,000 BTU Frigidaire. It's in a small Runaway brand camping trailer. I am trying to outfit it and was wondering if solar is the way to go with running the ac or the generator. It seems to be pointing towards the generator route. I am not real good at sizing solar. Thanks, I appreciate your help.

 

[Seraphim]

Just FYI - 5000 BTU is not 5000 watt. So use the second set of numbers I ran.

 

[SoulRaven]

Just to add to the mix.....even if this can be done, what are the chances of doing harm to the AC unit? I mean, if the power is not clean and or too low, or hard start up because of the uneven battery, inverter etc. , would that be hard on the compressor motor or even the blower fan on the AC?

 

[Canine]

Go with the genny.No question.You can buy a nice honda genny for a thousand bucks.Or if you're cheap like me,get a HF 800watt for $90.

 

[VanGirl]

It's a 5,000 BTU Frigidaire. It's in a small Runaway brand camping trailer. I am trying to outfit it and was wondering if solar is the way to go with running the ac or the generator. It seems to be pointing towards the generator route. I am not real good at sizing solar. Thanks, I appreciate your help.

My 5,000 BTU uses around 900 watts. I can run it almost all night on a full tank of fuel using my Honda 1000e generator. It does not run long at all on my small solar system.

Van Girl

 

[jimindenver]

You can run a energy star Frigidaire 5000 BTU window shaker directly off of solar if you have enough, we do. Our 5000 BTU unit pulls 410w once the pressure has built up.

Just take three huge 24v panels tracking the sun, a lot of cabling, controller or controllers, a big PSW inverter and a bunch of battery and you can have a good ol time, well as long as the sun is shining. It would be a lot cheaper, easier to handle and convenient to pick up a refurbished Champion 2000i inverter generator for under $400 and a none energy star A/C for $100 and run it as needed. I didn't build our system just to run the AC, I got the AC after I realized we had enough power to do so. All in all the new system will cost a few grand and I had damn well better be able to do some stuff with it. lol

 

[Almost There]

You can run a energy star Frigidaire 5000 BTU window shaker directly off of solar if you have enough, we do. Our 5000 BTU unit pulls 410w once the pressure has built up.

Just take three huge 24v panels tracking the sun, a lot of cabling, controller or controllers, a big PSW inverter and a bunch of battery and you can have a good ol time, well as long as the sun is shining. It would be a lot cheaper, easier to handle and convenient to pick up a refurbished Champion 2000i inverter generator for under $400 and a none energy star A/C for $100 and run it as needed. I didn't build our system just to run the AC, I got the AC after I realized we had enough power to do so. All in all the new system will cost a few grand and I had damn well better be able to do some stuff with it. lol

Just out of curiosity, not because I ever plan to do it, but just how big are those panels? How big a roof do you need to be able to put them up there?

 

[Free Range Chicken]

Wow, you guys are brutal.......LOL But I, DO, want the real life facts and not the sugar coated answers. Thanks for putting me straight. If there are anymore reasons pro or con, not mentioned yet please let me know. Just the facts.

http://www.technomadia.com/2015/02/the-almost-fantasy-of-solar-powered-rv-air-conditioning/

This article is solid and convinced me that running ac on solar is a stretch and not an option for most van dwellers

 

[Canine]

900 watts seems very high for a 5000 btu ac.Best I remember,mine pulls around 4 amps ac.

 

[SoulRaven]

You can run a energy star Frigidaire 5000 BTU window shaker directly off of solar if you have enough, we do. Our 5000 BTU unit pulls 410w once the pressure has built up.

Just take three huge 24v panels tracking the sun, a lot of cabling, controller or controllers, a big PSW inverter and a bunch of battery and you can have a good ol time, well as long as the sun is shining. It would be a lot cheaper, easier to handle and convenient to pick up a refurbished Champion 2000i inverter generator for under $400 and a none energy star A/C for $100 and run it as needed. I didn't build our system just to run the AC, I got the AC after I realized we had enough power to do so. All in all the new system will cost a few grand and I had damn well better be able to do some stuff with it. lol

Just so I can get an idea of what it would take to run that 5,000 watt BTU, how much is exactly huge in watts on the panels, how big of a inverter, and finally how many batteries would that bunch be? Just trying to nail this down to be certain of the real life example. Just for the 5,000 BTU ac only. Maybe running a few hours a day.
Thanks