Van Life & Air Conditioning

[AaronCatolico1]

So glad I am not stuck living in a city or in a hot summer climate! These threads about AC make me very grateful for my relative simplicity of nomadic life where I can function in a state of “less is way more”.

Oh gee, Thanks for rubbing it in!

 

[maki2]

Oh gee, Thanks for rubbing it in!

Rubbing it in would mean telling you I manage very nicely with a 150 watt solar panel and a 160ah AGM battery! I do have an Engel fridge, a commercial grade vinyl cutter, laptop, tablets, a Scandinavian diesel heater/cooktop and of course LED lighting, etc. and fans. I have an online storefront for products I design cut and ship. It does not take $$$$ and tons of ️️️ to live a good nomadic life. Rethink, focus, do not try to exactly recreate and force your old habits into a new lifestyle. I can run a 500 watt AC with my 1,000 watt Honda generator but decided to try my new life without bringing one along. On my 5th year without it and rarely ever use the generator unless I want to use a couple of corded power saws I brought with me.

But if you are stuck working a job in a very hot humid place I can see wanting and needing for health reasons to run an AC.

 

[BlueMarkOhio]

If you are starting from scratch, you may want to consider a hybrid van. The climate control systems will be electric and built-in. Right now in the US that pretty much limits you to the Chrysler Pacifica and the Toyota Sienna. Ford has hybrid Transit vans in Europe, but they don't seem to be bringing them to the US.

Hybrids can run in "camper mode" to keep the AC running off the battery when not on the road - they can also provide heat in cold weather. In the Sienna when the battery runs low the engine will kick on for a while to recharge the battery (like the Prius). Note that in the Pacifica camper mode requires a modification to keep the system running overnight - but a plus is that the Pacifica is also available as a plug-in hybrid with a larger battery.

Kia may be bringing a hybrid version of its Carnival van to the US next year.

Pacifica climate control mod: https://relentlessoptimizer.com/pacifica/circuit/

 

[frodo2222]

So glad I am not stuck living in a city or in a hot summer climate! These threads about AC make me very grateful for my relative simplicity of nomadic life where I can function in a state of “less is way more”.

I moved to Nicaragua lol doing more with way less

 

[frodo2222]

If you are starting from scratch, you may want to consider a hybrid van. The climate control systems will be electric and built-in. Right now in the US that pretty much limits you to the Chrysler Pacifica and the Toyota Sienna. Ford has hybrid Transit vans in Europe, but they don't seem to be bringing them to the US.

Hybrids can run in "camper mode" to keep the AC running off the battery when not on the road - they can also provide heat in cold weather. In the Sienna when the battery runs low the engine will kick on for a while to recharge the battery (like the Prius). Note that in the Pacifica camper mode requires a modification to keep the system running overnight - but a plus is that the Pacifica is also available as a plug-in hybrid with a larger battery.

Kia may be bringing a hybrid version of its Carnival van to the US next year.

Pacifica climate control mod: https://relentlessoptimizer.com/pacifica/circuit/

When I drove cab Prius it would keep me warm or cool as the temps needed it and I drove about 200 a day and it cost 15 bucks each day..One could do a large tent setup and have the bed in the Prius and be totally cool or warm and spend almost no gas

 

[KarlH]

...a Scandinavian diesel heater/cooktop

What brand did you go with? Something similar to the Dickinson stove/heater combos?

It does not take $$$$ and tons of ️️️ to live a good nomadic life.

+1 It's simpler if you can follow the good weather. And for anyone who can't, insulating well and eliminating windows can cut down the power requirements a lot.

 

[KarlH]

I moved to Nicaragua lol doing more with way less

Now I know why you need A/C!

In Managua and Rivas it seems like it's always hot except for right after the mid-morning rain

 

[maki2]

What brand did you go with? Something similar to the Dickinson stove/heater combos?

Wallas DT 85

 

[frodo2222]

Now I know why you need A/C!

In Managua and Rivas it seems like it's always hot except for right after the mid-morning rain

Going to matagalpa tomorrow lol

 

[KarlH]

Wallas DT 85

Not cheap, but it looks really nice!

 

[maki2]

Not cheap, but it looks really nice!

It was about half the current price whenI purchased mine 9 years ago on special price reduction at the Seattle Boat Show. It sat in the box on a shelf until I installed it in June of 2020. Various things such as odds and ends of heath issues kept getting in the way of getting the just right sized, lightweight, little vintage fiberglass trailer found and renovated.

The USA dealer was just under a 5 minute drive from my live/workshop, so I got special pricing with no shipping needed and all my question answered in person. My workshop partner who is a 30 + year fulltime live aboard on a 40 foot sailboat talked me into buying it. At the boat show he dragged me over to that sales booth and said “buy this”. I had recently sold my house so I had the funds but it by far the most expensive item I put into my build. I do not regret the purchase and my fuel cost for heat per year is very small.

 

[KarlH]

Going to matagalpa tomorrow lol

Have fun

I've never been up there. The only places I've set foot outside of Managua are Grenada and the area from Rivas to Popoyo (which was almost devoid of tourists during the COVID scare, so everything was dirt cheap and peaceful).

 

[frodo2222]

Have fun

I've never been up there. The only places I've set foot outside of Managua are Grenada and the area from Rivas to Popoyo (which was almost devoid of tourists during the COVID scare, so everything was dirt cheap and peaceful).

Being in Leon for 45 days, have apartment I rented but want to check it out...cooler so

 

[KarlH]

It was about half the current price when I purchased mine 9 years ago on special price reduction at the Seattle Boat Show... I do not regret the purchase and my fuel cost for heat per year is very small.

I like that it's sealed combustion and leaves you room underneath for storage. And being liquid-fueled gives you a lot more energy to work with if you ever get stuck in someplace really cold. (Reading @AMGS3's fish-house thread several years ago really drove that home for me.)

 

[Lance22]

I have been struggling with this myself for YEARS.. here is what I have come to so far.

A hybrid such as Toyota Sienna where you can have it "always on" and use limited A/C during the day. That's my next minivan after my Honda Oddy kicks the bucket.

Also be realistic about your lifestyle and build it around what you want to be doing. I work so I am switching from overnights to day side by summer so I don't have to be in the minivan sleeping during the day. Plus I will be transferring up north during the summer and then back south for the winter. Every 6 months I can transfer with my employer so will give that a go and see how long I can make that work.

Have places to go, gyms, malls, librarys or other public places during the day that are fun places to be.

If it's to hot during the summer or year round to make it work then go somewhere else.

Winters in Texas are pretty mild.. Summers around the great lakes are rather cool.. better yet the Pacific North West or even Alaska! It's a dream of mine to spend summers in Alaska!! and I think I could even transfer with my job there go! (big box store, I know half of ya park at every night! hahah!)

For me summers in Oklahoma are just waaaay to hot to even pretend to still be living out of my minivan. Not sure how I ended up staying here as long as I did but I needed to settle down for a bit.. It's OKAY to say I just can't do van life here.. I think the most scary time I my life was trying to find a job in the summer in Texas going from truck stop to truck stop with my dog in the minivan. I would NOT recommend that..

If you have online work then you can go anywhere you want within reason I guess. Tons of bigger town in the north during summer and towns in the south for winter to help balance out the temps. Others will suggest elevation if you are more of the boondocks person which I think is far more common as city van lifers are not as well represented here I think.

Another option I been thinking about is a bus with tons of solar on top so then you could power an AC unit. OR you get an RV trailer and park it at a RV park that accepts monthly rents and live there. Although that kinda defeats the purpose but if you want to stay in the same place it might work for some..

Lots of different options but you really need to describe more about your specific lifestyle and wants and needs to get a better solution given A/C in van life is really hard to use unless you got an endless amount of electricity from an extension cord.

of which did you in Alaska many parking lots just have outlets where you can plug in your car like to keep the oil from getting to cold so it starts easy and you can just plug in and use endless power from them like a heater during winter perhaps? hmm.. Got you thinking about Alaska now too huh? haha!

 

[frodo2222]

I have been struggling with this myself for YEARS.. here is what I have come to so far.

A hybrid such as Toyota Sienna where you can have it "always on" and use limited A/C during the day. That's my next minivan after my Honda Oddy kicks the bucket.

Also be realistic about your lifestyle and build it around what you want to be doing. I work so I am switching from overnights to day side by summer so I don't have to be in the minivan sleeping during the day. Plus I will be transferring up north during the summer and then back south for the winter. Every 6 months I can transfer with my employer so will give that a go and see how long I can make that work.

Have places to go, gyms, malls, librarys or other public places during the day that are fun places to be.

If it's to hot during the summer or year round to make it work then go somewhere else.

Winters in Texas are pretty mild.. Summers around the great lakes are rather cool.. better yet the Pacific North West or even Alaska! It's a dream of mine to spend summers in Alaska!! and I think I could even transfer with my job there go! (big box store, I know half of ya park at every night! hahah!)

For me summers in Oklahoma are just waaaay to hot to even pretend to still be living out of my minivan. Not sure how I ended up staying here as long as I did but I needed to settle down for a bit.. It's OKAY to say I just can't do van life here.. I think the most scary time I my life was trying to find a job in the summer in Texas going from truck stop to truck stop with my dog in the minivan. I would NOT recommend that..

If you have online work then you can go anywhere you want within reason I guess. Tons of bigger town in the north during summer and towns in the south for winter to help balance out the temps. Others will suggest elevation if you are more of the boondocks person which I think is far more common as city van lifers are not as well represented here I think.

Another option I been thinking about is a bus with tons of solar on top so then you could power an AC unit. OR you get an RV trailer and park it at a RV park that accepts monthly rents and live there. Although that kinda defeats the purpose but if you want to stay in the same place it might work for some..

Lots of different options but you really need to describe more about your specific lifestyle and wants and needs to get a better solution given A/C in van life is really hard to use unless you got an endless amount of electricity from an extension cord.

of which did you in Alaska many parking lots just have outlets where you can plug in your car like to keep the oil from getting to cold so it starts easy and you can just plug in and use endless power from them like a heater during winter perhaps? hmm.. Got you thinking about Alaska now too huh? haha!

The solution I found that worked great was a $500 12 volt AC minisplit from China 4 old lead batteries and a charger ($40)1 way from the car running, I could leave the AC running for a couple of hours in AZ 100 to 110 degree days and my mutt was cool as a cucumber..I have a pickup so it was easy to just throw the batteries on bed...in a car lithium would be better but then you need a much more expensive charger from the engine