AC question
Hi newbie here. I am going to buy a travel trailer and have been doing research on all the extras I'm going to need. Is it possible to use an ac unit with the 12v battery that comes with a traile...
Forum Discussion
Many people tie together a pair of 2000 watt portable Honda generators. This is two easy to carry 47 pound packages. Most 3000+ watt generators are more than 150 pounds!
The Honda 2000 is very quiet. Problem is that the 120 volt air conditioner will consume about 1,400 watts per hour, and most run them from 2 pm to 7 pm, or later. Each battery might hold as much as 1,000 watts, but really you should only deplete a battery by about 50% before recharging it. So it would take a minimum of 4 heavy golf cart batteries to power a inverter that can run the rooftop A/C unit. Then even 4 golf cart batteries will only hold about 4,000 watts, or enough for 3 hours of use.
To recharge the batteries, most people who camp a lot without hookups are now buying solar panels. I have a 400 watt system that cost me about $3,000 back in the 90's. Now I could replace that system for less than $800.
140 watt 12 volt solar panel from this place is about $229. SunElec.com
The biggest problem to running a rooftop A/C from a inverter is cost. To buy a 2,000 watt rated pure sine wave inverter, you might be spending $900 and a additional $300 in wiring and other things to install it. And you would need space on your roof for those 10 panels to keep up with the 1,400 watt load, and also some more for the in-efficiency of the inverter and batteries.
So much easier to charge the batteries with 1 or 2 solar panels, and run the A/C with either a 150 pound generator or pair of Honda's. Mayberrys.com has them, and has sold many to RV'ers who have 30 amp RV style plug in. They are also quiet, about 60 Db.
If you buy a typical generator from Home Depot, it might come with a 30 amp plug, likely twist lock, not the kind that you can plug in the RV directly to it. Also that Home Depot generator will be heavy and loud! More than 85 Db is typical!
Good luck!
Fred.
The Honda 2000 is very quiet. Problem is that the 120 volt air conditioner will consume about 1,400 watts per hour, and most run them from 2 pm to 7 pm, or later. Each battery might hold as much as 1,000 watts, but really you should only deplete a battery by about 50% before recharging it. So it would take a minimum of 4 heavy golf cart batteries to power a inverter that can run the rooftop A/C unit. Then even 4 golf cart batteries will only hold about 4,000 watts, or enough for 3 hours of use.
To recharge the batteries, most people who camp a lot without hookups are now buying solar panels. I have a 400 watt system that cost me about $3,000 back in the 90's. Now I could replace that system for less than $800.
140 watt 12 volt solar panel from this place is about $229. SunElec.com
The biggest problem to running a rooftop A/C from a inverter is cost. To buy a 2,000 watt rated pure sine wave inverter, you might be spending $900 and a additional $300 in wiring and other things to install it. And you would need space on your roof for those 10 panels to keep up with the 1,400 watt load, and also some more for the in-efficiency of the inverter and batteries.
So much easier to charge the batteries with 1 or 2 solar panels, and run the A/C with either a 150 pound generator or pair of Honda's. Mayberrys.com has them, and has sold many to RV'ers who have 30 amp RV style plug in. They are also quiet, about 60 Db.
If you buy a typical generator from Home Depot, it might come with a 30 amp plug, likely twist lock, not the kind that you can plug in the RV directly to it. Also that Home Depot generator will be heavy and loud! More than 85 Db is typical!
Good luck!
Fred.
