Mini Split Air Conditioner / Heat pump
Has anybody boondocking adopted this techno to there RV to have cold air in summer and heat in winter 24/7 while using solar?
Forum Discussion
DrewE wrote:
The mini splits generally use more modern motor and compressor designs, with variable speed compressors and fans. (I think these are multiphase induction motors with variable frequency drives, usually...but that's rather immaterial). I think a good part of their better efficiency comes from being able to modulate the amount of cooling, rather than being always full-on or full-off, which I suspect lets the condenser work more efficiently--a lower coolant flow means greater cooling in the condenser, and hence more cooling for the energy input. There's no inherent reason why a traditional RV air conditioner could not incorporate many of these features, but at present they do not do so.
What you say above is what I thought that the situation might be. As usual, many aspects of "modern" RV's still wind up being old technology.
FWIW, our stick house single package heat pump has a variable speed scroll compressor - which runs at 100% volumetric efficiency - and a variable speed air distribution fan, both of which in combination leads to reduced energy consumption. It's sound out the registers varies from whisper quiet to a rushing wind, all automatically controlled.
There's no reasons, beyond cheaping out, that RV heat pumps and air conditioners couldn't be made the same way .... thus MAYBE allowing an EU2000i Honda generator to power an RV's 13.5K heat pump at nearly all altitudes.
