Using Power Inverter to Run Air Con?

Hitech and PT covered most of it. I'll add a simple list.

1. 2nd alternator designed for continuous high amp output dedicated to your battery bank. There are plenty, the marine guys use them.

2. Stout inverter. Some of the cheaper one's will burn out with continuous high amp draw even through they're rated for that type of draw on paper. Again there are good one's to choose from. PT mentioned a very good one. Hint: the heavier the better.

3. AGM battery bank. I say AGM because they have less voltage drop under heavy loads (same goes with Lithium Ion but they're stupid expensive). You want to run the A/C long enough to not trip the low voltage alarm on the inverter. Three or four AGM batteries around 300 amp-hour each should do the trick. See Lifeline batteries.

Hi,

It can be done, but it is not easy to do.

Start with a quality inverter such as the new Magnum hybrid series.

Add AGM (or if your pockets are incredibly deep LI) batteries.

Use 12 volt jars.

Add a second alternator

Add as much solar as will fit on the roof.

Most 13500 btu air conditioners come in about 1300 watts. For each hour you wish to run two hundred amp-hours of storage are needed. So running while "in camp" is not too easy.

Assuming there is room for 800 watts of solar (derated to 500 watts because it has to be flat install when trundling down the road). The alternator needs to pick up the other 700 watts. 700/12 =~ 60 amps. That should be easily met by an auxiliary alternator.

It is doable but not cheap.

BTW I DO run my water heater (1121 watts) from my alternator/solar/inverter/battery bank.

Yes, with the inverter you cited and let's see. about 3 pair (Six total) GC-2 Golf Car batteries or 3 8-D 12 volt deep cycles you can indeed run the air conditioner.... For about 30 minutes if you are lucky

Each pair can deliver about 1 KWH over a 20 hour period.. The AC draws that much every hour.. So you get far less from the batteries.

If you added a second high capacity alternator along with the right inverter, you could do it for less gas and maintenance than running the genset. Batteries are possible but problematic.

Jim

The Dometics and Colemans I measured drew as many amperes from the batteries as operating the starter motor. Can your battery bank power a starter motor for hours and hours?

Thanks for the answers guys. I was just wondering if it would be feesable and according to your answers it would not be so I will stick with just running the generator while going down the highway.
MKIRSH, my constitution is just fine thank you however, I prefere to be comfortable when driving my MOTORHOME (MH) and the dash air just does not do it.
Besides me being comfortable I like to make my wife happy and she is happy when not sweating as we drive. Yes, I could handle an hour or so but most of our trips are a few more hours than that.
Thanks for the tip about the evaporative cooler but we have really high humidity.

POPPACLAY - Don't depend on being able to run your GENERATOR any place you think you should be able to use it. Most camp grounds that allow the use of generators all seem to have generator run time restrictions. These are usually only from 8AM-10AM in the morning and then again from 4:30PM to 7:30PM in the early evening. At some Natl Parks they will allow the use of generators from 8AM to 8PM but not all Natl Forest area do this. I have not found any public place that will let you run a generator after 8PM let along all night night long.

This does not give you much time to cool down your trailer running from a generator.

You need to check with your planned camp grounds on when you can run a generator.

If you are on the side of the road or at a private camp ground you can probably get away with running one. Out West some of places allow the use of generator anytime you want to run one at dispersed camp sites. Not many of those areas here on the East side of the US... Maybe a NASCAR camp site...

Just passing along for your info...

Roy Ken

eric1514 wrote:
I've you're camping where the humidity is low, (it's only 5% here today), you can use one of these.

Turbokool Evaporative Cooler

It runs on 12v. I use a monster one to cool my house. Works very well and economically.

Eric

Water is usually at a premium. What's the consumption?

Sure, no problem. All you need add to that is an 18 wheeler full of batteries.

Your standard single house battery will power that AC for all of about 7 or 8 minutes before being completely discharged, although given that they have decreased capacity when drained too fast, you might actually only get about 3 minutes out of it. Thus the need for the entire trailer full of batteries.

Actually, if you look around this forum, you will find that this question gets asked on a weekly basis, and some of those threads contain replies by folks who actually walk you through the math describing in great detail why this is a non-functioning idea.

Put simply - a good inverter can handle it, but the number of batteries you'd need makes it impractical.