Running AC on battery power

[drillagent]

For those days when the pets have to stay in the RV, and the CG charges extra for electricity. Is it safe to unplug the shore power while you're out while leaving the AC on for the pets and then plugging back in when you return? Or will the batteries drain before the end of the day?

[MarshaNichols]

I would pay the extra to make sure pet is ok...I even have a portable battery powered fan...just in case (Ryobi)

[msiminoff]

Since we're talking about extreme examples...

What the OP asked is possible. There are plenty of expedition vehicle owners that use a small-ish A/C unit (typically a household window-mounted type) in combination with large solar array, a bank of batteries, and a 2-3kW inverter to keep their rigs cool... and they never plug into shore power or run a generator.

I can and often do operate my roof-top A/C without starting the (gasoline) generator or connecting to shore-power... I just power it from my inverter. Of course, due to the modest size of my solar and battery systems, I am limited to about 3 hours of A/C run-time. After that I have no choice but to re-charge my batteries from a 115Vac source.

Unfortunately any the solar/battery/inverter solution is going to be far more expensive than the extra charge campground is going to have for power use.

-Mark

[HiTech]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Of course it could be a troll, but that isn't the point. Learning is the point. Using extreme examples at times allows for amplified perspective and sometimes that is exactly perfect to illustrate a point.

X100 in Enterprise Architecture we call that an alternate viewpoint. Boundary conditions are extremely useful for learning purposes.


I have seen Natural gas AC. LP microwave needs an LP genset in the middle.

Jim

[2oldman]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Using extreme examples at times allows for amplified perspective and sometimes that is exactly perfect to illustrate a point.

So what did you think of the LP/wood MW post?

[penguin747]

You have to pay for electricity? Is this not in your rate price? Just a crazy question

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Of course it could be a troll, but that isn't the point. Learning is the point. Using extreme examples at times allows for amplified perspective and sometimes that is exactly perfect to illustrate a point.

[mena661]

HiTech wrote:
Need some kind of grid tie or similar paralleling/fast switch technology to get the financial benefit I would think.

I was just thinking about this.

[2oldman]

joebedford wrote:
I think the OP thought the A/C ran on 12 volts - no mention of inverter.

Unfortunately, yes. I'm wondering if it's another leg-pulling post, along with the refer light out and the LP microwave.

[HiTech]

BFL13 wrote:
Some people on meters have looked at using inverter/battery/ solar as well to reduce costs. Very situational if you can ever "pay" for the solar by reducing meter costs.

Makes the most sense to me to skip the batteries all together in this kind of scenario. Need some kind of grid tie or similar paralleling/fast switch technology to get the financial benefit I would think.

Jim

[mena661]

smkettner wrote:
How do the 20 GC2 batteries get recharged?.

That's the real problem. Getting enough battery bank is the easy part. I think there was a thread last year that actually explored this question seriously. The consensus was, I think, two battery banks. One being charged while the other was in use.

[time2roll]

How do the 20 GC2 batteries get recharged? More efficient to use the electric to power the air directly vs inverter/batteries/recharge all night.

[joebedford]

I think the OP thought the A/C ran on 12 volts - no mention of inverter.

[BFL13]

Some people on meters have looked at using inverter/battery/ solar as well to reduce costs. Very situational if you can ever "pay" for the solar by reducing meter costs.

[HiTech]

Honestly it's not that big an inverter. 3600 watts or smaller. It's just being able to do it for any period of time.

A small AC on a dog crate might not be impossible.

But I am confused. So you are paying for electricity? If so, it would cost you more to run from batteries even if you could, than just running from the AC line, because you would need more electricity to recharge the batteries than it takes to run the air conditioners.

Jim