Inverter technology RV air conditioner

[stationaryfullt]

To start off, NO, I am NOT asking if I can run my air conditioner off of an inverter and batteries.

The compressor on the air conditioner on my camper is starting to sound like it's getting old (those nasty groans when the compressor starts up) and so I've had my mind on what to replace it with if it bites the dust. It still does the job well. The current a/c is a Coleman-Mach 15k BTU roof unit.

The hot new craze in household a/c units has been inverter technology that are more power efficient and less of a hard start. Is there a 15k rooftop a/c unit that utilizes inverter technology and has a nice SEER rating?

Since I do have to pay the electric bill, I'm willing to spend a little more cash up front for a nice power-efficient unit that will save me in the long run. Bonus points for a lightweight unit and/or a unit that is compatible with one of the popular smart thermostats. (Ecobee, Nest, Honeywell, etc)

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[CavemanCharlie]

Ol'Soldier wrote:
Did some quick internet searching this morning. One person installed a unit on his small fiberglass trailer. Another person did an install on the back of a truck camper (no interior photos), and a third was considering an install. See links below:

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f56/using-a-mini-split-a-c-heat-pump-on-your-unit-58009.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHDT5ZEpKkw

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/26848976/srt/pa/pging/1/page/1.cfm

http://forum.solar-electric.com/discussion/7899/rv-a-c-system-would-sanyo-mini-split-work

Very , Very , interesting

[Ol_Soldier]

Did some quick internet searching this morning. One person installed a unit on his small fiberglass trailer. Another person did an install on the back of a truck camper (no interior photos), and a third was considering an install. See links below:

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f56/using-a-mini-split-a-c-heat-pump-on-your-unit-58009.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHDT5ZEpKkw

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/26848976/srt/pa/pging/1/page/1.cfm

http://forum.solar-electric.com/discussion/7899/rv-a-c-system-would-sanyo-mini-split-work

[stationaryfullt]

Ol'Soldier wrote:
I have seen one posting on the internet where a TT owner installed a 110 volt mini ductless A/C unit. Don't know if he updated his posting as to how it performed. I installed a 12,000 BTU Pioneer 110 volt mini ductless in my double garage (480 SQ FT). It is quiet and very efficient in the uninsulated garage. My TT has a 13,500 btu Coleman Mach which is too noisy. Although it cools well, the RV industry once again needs to get their collective act(a$$) together and do better. My garage unit also has a heat pump but is only good down to the 40'sish. I know Pioneer has a cooling unit which mounts on the ceiling instead of on the wall like most of their mini ductless do. My mini ductless uses about 9 amps and runs off a regular 15 amp household service and it is not the only item on that circuit. Would be nice to replace that RV A/C unit with the Pioneer unit.

This could be a good idea, just don't see much experience with mini ductless units in the U.S. and the RV industry appears to have no experience with them. Might be a good experiment!!!!!

I've also seen the ceiling mount units on the web. The issue is it still uses the "standard form-factor" outside unit. About the only place it could be mounted would be off the front or rear wall of the camper, and while it would probably work, wouldn't be visually pleasant. You'd also have to figure out how to route the freon lines.

I also hadn't thought about the condensate line that runs off the inside unit, but I imagine that could also be piped away. I'm not certain how that's handled with the ceiling mount units.

[stationaryfullt]

Bummer. I have a 12K BTU split a/c with heat pump in my shop that I estimate costs less than $20 a month to keep the room at 75 degrees. I was doubtful about the inverter technology split units until I bought it instead of a window shaker. Now I'm totally sold on them. But then again, still no smart thermostat compatibility. I have to use a remote to control it.

[Ol_Soldier]

I have seen one posting on the internet where a TT owner installed a 110 volt mini ductless A/C unit. Don't know if he updated his posting as to how it performed. I installed a 12,000 BTU Pioneer 110 volt mini ductless in my double garage (480 SQ FT). It is quiet and very efficient in the uninsulated garage. My TT has a 13,500 btu Coleman Mach which is too noisy. Although it cools well, the RV industry once again needs to get their collective act(a$$) together and do better. My garage unit also has a heat pump but is only good down to the 40'sish. I know Pioneer has a cooling unit which mounts on the ceiling instead of on the wall like most of their mini ductless do. My mini ductless uses about 9 amps and runs off a regular 15 amp household service and it is not the only item on that circuit. Would be nice to replace that RV A/C unit with the Pioneer unit.

This could be a good idea, just don't see much experience with mini ductless units in the U.S. and the RV industry appears to have no experience with them. Might be a good experiment!!!!!

How often do units park on uneven surfaces and run their appliances? I level the unit first and all sorts of condensation rolls across the roof and off the ends of the TT. My mini ductless has a hose which diverts condensation from the inside unit out the wall and to the ground.

[Golden_HVAC]

Inverter technology is mostly used in ductless heat pumps and air conditioners.

However they do not build a ductless unit that would work well on a RV, because in the RV it might not be level most of the time, and the drain would overflow onto whatever is below it.

To bad someone has not come out with a good unit. It probably would have a 16,000 Btu's rating, and stay running all the time, running on a much lower amperage and speed while the load is small, but can run up beyond 60Hz when the load is greater.

The Mitsubishi 'City units" at my work have one compressor for about 10 indoor coils. Each indoor coil is about 1 ton of capacity, and the compressor is about 7.5 tons. It can run from 15 Hz to 120Hz. They work great in the summer time and keep all the rooms cool, but when below about 15F, the City unit does not keep up well with the heat loads placed on it.

I would recommend a heat pump if you have to provide electricity for your heater too. To produce 80,000 Btu's you could run the furnace and burn 1 gallon of propane, or use 22 KW in a electric heater, or use about 8 KW with a heat pump to put out the same amount of heat. Cost? Here the propane is about $2.50 not delivered, or $2.20 for the electric (Portland OR has low electric rates due to hydroelectric power) or $0.80 for the heat pump.

Personally I would pay a little more for the electric heater because I would not need to deal with refilling the tanks. . .. But it is really nice to have a heat pump.

Good luck with your search!

Fred.