true 12 volt air conditioner

pianotuna wrote:
Hi Almot,

I hate my generator. It can meet needs that my solar can not. Such as 20 kwh per day in October.

Almot wrote:
I can't think of any other explanation of why and how 1K spent on generator + 2K in fuel over 2 years of fulltiming is better than 3K spent on solar. Again, I don't mean you Mex - I'm sure there are logical reasons for you to do what you do.

A generator is a necessary evil. Should I ever HAVE to run ours it will be with the biggest charger the generator will handle so that I can turn it back off ASAP.

Don

The fact that the A/C is 12v is neat. The 12v compressor could be adapted to a roof unit or even a window unit. Built into a MH it would be connected to the systems just like the truck.

As for the practicality. I would think that most that would have a bank big enough to run this would also have a big inverter to run a microwave, coffee pot etc. Would the additional expense for the unit and the wiring be justified in the energy savings over just plugging in a high efficiency 120v unit. The eer on my window shaker is over 11 and there are much more efficient mini splits.

With a big bank you either have the solar to support it or a generator, alternator, FHU plan to keep it charged. The need of A/C, where or how you camp has nothing to do with this being 12v.

Hi Almot,

I hate my generator. It can meet needs that my solar can not. Such as 20 kwh per day in October.

Almot wrote:
I can't think of any other explanation of why and how 1K spent on generator + 2K in fuel over 2 years of fulltiming is better than 3K spent on solar. Again, I don't mean you Mex - I'm sure there are logical reasons for you to do what you do.

Gimme an ESSSSSS

Gimme a HHHHHHHH

Gimme an AAAAAAA

Gimme a DDDDDDD

Gimme an EEEEEE

"Gotta park out here in the sun and raise the interior temperature 30 degrees so's there's enough solar to run a 500 watt A/C unit to lower the temperature 15 degrees in the bedroom".

"I outsmartted 'em I made the panels portable so I could park in the shade and put the panels right over ther... (!) (!) (!)"

To get back to the subject system, I'd hazard a guess it works well for what it is intended for, possibly less well for other uses.

Just like everything else :)

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Some folks could care less what -anything- in their life, costs. Just slap it on their American Express Black Card. What are the odds that anyone at all on this forum fits that criteria?

Those odds are greater than you think. They do slap everything on the credit card - because they can - and start worrying when the bill comes :)... Many wouldn't worry even then, as long as the number on the "minimum payment" line is within their comfort limit. Let the sales and marketing people ponder over this all (and make their living).

Homework not done. I can't think of any other explanation of why and how 1K spent on generator + 2K in fuel over 2 years of fulltiming is better than 3K spent on solar. Again, I don't mean you Mex - I'm sure there are logical reasons for you to do what you do.

Yes, it is different - extrapolation extremus.

Regardless, the basic structure must remain cast-in-concrete. Watts are watts, dollars are dollars, and hauling energy sources and storage is the same in Tibet as it is in Timbuktu.

"What? Me RV where it's hot and have no hookups? I have people that do that for me" isn't a valid condition to impart on subjects. Understanding valid components of complex energy systems means learning then deciding if a particular regimen or product is right for you. Your neighbor can't decide, nor can a salesman (but he'll warp reality to the point of becoming an inverse matrix, in an attempt).

Some folks could care less what -anything- in their life, costs. Just slap it on their American Express Black Card. What are the odds that anyone at all on this forum fits that criteria?

Hard, ice-cold information and numbers deduced into a practical/impractical for-me format for a decision is impossible to surpass.

What "works-for-me" may work as well for perhaps as much as 1% of the general population. The problems arise when the Herb Tarlek syndrome arises and "persuasiveness" attempts to influence folks too lazy to try and learn the basics.

Dometic sells hard-start boosters for 120V units. They call it "soft starter" because this is what it does - softens the start current.

Inverter type 120V is better - it always starts soft, and mostly it doesn't "start" at all, only variable speed goes up and down.

12V inverter type (i.e. variable speed) is better yet, because there is no DC-AC inverter.

The cost of solar sufficient to run 5000 BTU window A/C 8 hrs a night vs generator - yes, solar will cost more and will return the investment in approximately 2 years. For most RV users it is not really about cost - even when they think it is - because the whole thing is a leisure time expenses. The problem is that many can't install a solar because don't know how and don't want to hire an installer, or don't have enough space for panels. OTH, generator they (often) already have, makes a sort of excuse.

For permanent campsite I would "think" it is about both cost and comfort, and here we come to the same old question - who really "enjoys" running his generator, especially in the night. For some people it is still a question, so I'll leave it there. Mex's situation is different in many ways.

To run the Little AC day and night I would need twice as much solar. Half to run it during the day and the other half to replace what the batteries used the night before.

IMHO the bottom line is not the discipline(s) needed to engineer a 12-volt system, it's the relevance of the product versus the cost. A 12-volt system is the least of the hurdle, the real question arises when a person inquires "How am I going to feed this?"

I have a 10.7 EER LG 5,000 BTU window unit acting as a bedside night stand in Quicksilver. It manages to reduce night time temperature from 85 to 78 but more importantly, it reduces humidity from the high eighties to the low sixties. The bedroom door is insulated as are the windows, ceiling, floor and walls.

Solar for this system alone would cost more than a top quality generator and a couple years of fuel full-time boondocking (9-hours use per night). Add the price differential between the 12-volt and 120 volt system, and things really get out of hand. And yes, a person can configure and install a "hard-start" booster inside a window air conditioner.

Hi 2oldman,

And if they had been LI with 50% of the existing capacity you may have gotten 4 or more hours.

2oldman wrote:
I ran my 13.5 air on my 8-12v 80ah AGMs, 4k Cotek inverter @ 48v yesterday, and it did quite well. I got almost 2 hours (of run time) from it before we hit 12.0v (48v) with a bit of solar help. Nothing melted, and the batteries didn't get hot.

If I'd get up there and clean my panels I could've done a bit better!