Forum Discussion

adamis's avatar
adamis
Nomad II
Aug 16, 2021

Anyone with 12v Air Conditioning Experience?

Having spent the better part of a week in a hot, dry and smokey campground that doesn't allow generators to run (I posted previously about this issue in another thread) it got me to thinking about some possible options... From what I can figure, the only real need for a genset is to run the Microwave and the AC unit. My problem with this however is that the generator isn't allowed in many places, is loud and sucks propane. That got me to thinking about eliminating the genset entirely and just using the space to house more LiFePo4 batteries. I think I could probably get 4 100AH batteries in the same space, coupled with the current 100AH battery that would get me 500AH of batteries to play with.

From a previous post and article discussing different air conditioning options, it seems that the van life community has created some interesting options for us that were not available even a few years ago. One potential contender is the Nomadic Cooling 3000 12v. Now it is pricey, nearly $4290! I guess these digital nomadic van life millennials have cash to burn.

Anyway, for the princely sum of ~$9k, one could have a 12v DC air conditioning that will run for hours on battery. Throw on 400w to 600w of solar and now you can stay cool in just about any situation. If money wasn't an option, I would probably do this in a heartbeat but sadly it is so it is hypothetical for now. One thing I could do is to space out purchasing of batteries and add to the capacity a little each year. Even with 200AH to start with, that should be enough for 30 minutes to an 1 hour of cooling, good enough for a quick lunch on the road side. The best thing about this is that unlike propane which requires refueling at a station, I can charge that battery bank through solar or DC to DC from the truck.

I know some of you have already done similar setups, being able to run AC off of batteries. I am however not aware of anyone who has ditched their genset entirely and gone with a 12v AC unit. Has anyone taken this extra step or contemplating it?