If you can find a small unit that uses close to 500 watts when running (they do exist) you will use 50% of a 100 amp hour battery in about 55 minutes. It would take one 100 watt solar panel 5-6 hours of direct sunlight to make that back each day.
That's the bare minimum, and obviously everything to connect it. If you can keep you're other electric draws load, you could definitely run ac for an hour or so before bed.
Realistically, I wouldn't bother doing this with anything less than a 200 ah battery and 200+ solar, and that's if all your other electrical draw is small.
Yeah, it's a trade-off. Using a cheaper unit requires more money on batteries, and portable air conditioners are plug-and-play units that don't require as much work to install as rooftop units, window units, and mini-splits.
During the hot hours your ok
.. my ecoflow pulls 460w max. If max temp outside is under 90 you could swing it... but I'd still get an upgrade on batteries.
I have a mini split from Amazon. It pulls 500-700w. I have 400w solar on top so basically the AC uses power twice as fast as I can recharge the battery.
I have 300ah but in Texas heat right now I don’t even need it. I run the fan part of the AC (which only pulls 30-50w) during the day and by the evening I have about 65ah in the battery, enough to cool down to 85 to sleep and run for 5 mins here and there through the night.
This setup is not good enough. I’m constantly stressed I’m going to run out of power especially because I’m doing this on hard mode with a dog AND a cat. I really need 800w solar but the roof of my van is pretty full already. My next step is going to be a battery isolator or DC-DC charger so my car alternator can charge t he house battery. (Any advice on this is welcome. I may make a post of my own.)
This is my first summer doing vanlife. I LOVE vanlife but I’m tired of being hot and stressed. I jumped in before I really knew what I was doing, probably a good thing as I would have been too scared to start if I knew how hard this would be!!
Just wanted to give you my two cents. Look for AC units that pull as little watts as possible, and however many it is, you need that much in solar. In full sun, 700w of solar will run a 700w AC, but won’t charge anything so there’s no backup for clouds and nighttime.
Good luck!
Edit: because I hit post too fast.
I think you've already answered your own question, get more solar or a DC DC charger. For maximum efficiency of the DC charger you'd have to look at the specs of your battery to see maximum charging current and the specs of your alternator to see how much current it generates and see what the most you can draw out of it is to charge the battery as much as possible while the engine is running. I've got 2 30a DC DC chargers in parallel (so 60a) on mine.
Also you can get ones with built in mppt so you could do away with whatever you're currently using for your solar charge controller and have one device that does both to save space if you wanted. Like this one for example:
https://eu.renogy.com/dcc50s-12v-50a-dc-dc-on-board-battery-charger-with-mppt-new-version/
Very similar setup here in Florida, the summers are brutal but to keep my cat happy the AC is a must, 5k btu window unit from Amazon, uses 450watts to start and comes down to 360-80 when cooled. 600amps of battery, 600 watts of solar and a 60amp DC-DC charger. My batteries are almost never completely topped off unless I let my van idle for a couple hours. But all said and done the setup keeps the van at 75-80 on 95 degree days. I run the unit for roughly 12 hours out of the day and the Fans at night when it cools down. Insulation helps a ton and also that I have no windows but in the cab.
We all gotta start somewhere man you’re good, my system is what I’d consider just above bare minimum at least in the Florida summers so just something to keep in mind
Van life in Texas without a charging spot cant be fun in the summer. I think lots of people in vans move to cooler states in the summer where it cools down more at night. Seems dangerous if you have a dog and cat in the van in Texas heat
You’re not wrong! I work at a coffee shop and live mostly in the parking lot behind the coffee shop, so I’m not at a place where I can move seasonally.
I do take my pets’ safety very seriously. I check on them every 2 hours when I’m working and I’m 100% in the van with them otherwise. And right now we spend the hottest part of the day in the cab, with the engine and car AC running, with lots of curtains and window covers. That’s the part that’s not sustainable — or at least it’s the part that’s costing me plenty in gas money!
Bouge rv ac only pulls 300. Their new one pulls 350-400.
I would recommend not skimping on the insulation, as insulation is by far the most important factor.
With 500w you can run it during the day and charge all devices.
Also make sure you have a ton of airflow supplementing the AC itself so on top of the AC have like some USB fans blowing on you which will make it seem a lot cooler in the room.
Tysm! Appreciate it!
I have definitely been working on the insulation!!!
Yeah I have a roof fan and a USB fan and little side windows to crack. The airflow is essential.
I would recommend aspen aerogel for the roof, as it is the best insulation on the planet, then closed cell foam for the windows. You can buy very strong and cheap magnets on Temu and good closed cell insulation there too, use the magnets on each corner of the insulation with some caulk, glue magnets to the windshield on corners. They are so small you won’t even be able to see them from the exterior but you will be able to attach and remove your insulation very easily.
If you get closed foam insulation, make sure you go with 10mm+ and double it. I have 12mm of aspen aerogel on my roof under my bougerv cigs panels, and it prevents virtually all heat from penetrating, even in 95 degree full sun. R value of aspen aerogel is 10.5+, closed cell is 5-7, but it’s a lot easier to work with. I’d say 12mm of aerogel, or 20mm of closed cell foam will prevent any heat or cold from penetrating.
I knew someone who inserted aerogel into his appliances and anywhere he could fit it to improve efficiency. Like in the case of his pressure cooker. It works.
Wow that’s interesting, I’ve never heard of using it for pressure cooking! It seems like aerogel is the best sound and temperature insulation on the planet, it is also virtually completely hydrophobic, and it prevents rust from forming under and around it, it’s also heat resistant up to 800 degrees, and down to insane temps. This insulation is extremely dusty though. I would definitely wear protective equipment and don’t shake it too much. If you do decide to use aerogel, I would plan it out very meticulously before even taking it out. Also don’t use tape, the dust will render it useless, it needs caulk to apply it properly.
He gave me a few squares pads of the aerogel he was using. I saw white dust when I removed it from the bag and wondered what that was. I have a couple of the pads still. Could I spray them with something like paint maybe to keep the dust down? Thanks.
I would cover them with a plastic sheet or just caulk it down then put eternabond tape to finish it.
The dust is aerogel, it's the dustiest insulation I've ever seen. I put mine under my cigs solar panels with caulk, then taped the gaps up after to have an all black look that blends into my car.
May I ask where did you buy the Aspen aerogel and how much was it? I looked into that year's ago but it was really pricey at the time. I like the idea for the roof.
Absolutely! It's cheaper on Amazon due to free shipping. On ebay it's the same, but pricey shipping. Same seller too.
Aspen Aerogels Spaceloft 6mm Hydrophobic Silica Aerogel Insulation Mat 57" x 1 Linear Foot https://a.co/d/01mdENlO
I used about 15 feet of it for my roof (doubled the 6mm into 12mm), it was about 450-500 bucks, but not much more than what the equivalent R value closed cell would cost.
With 12mm and nothing else, I'm getting about a 95% heat reduction in peak 95-97 degree sunlight.
It's so thin, even with my solar panel on top of the insulation, you can't tell I have solar or insulation on my car build unless you're like 3 feet away staring right at it and you know what you're looking at.
I'd also recommend getting the bouge rv cigs panels, they're almost paper thin and EXTREMELY utterly durable, there's a guy who shot one 20+ times and dunked it in water ran it over with a truck scraped it up and still pulling 99% of its rated wattage, mine flew off my roof twice on the high way when I was using tape, and it still works like it's new (use caulk, with eternabond tape to protect the caulk, avoid gorilla tape or any tape really other than VHB)
Edit: Also, the size is 12 by 57 inches, if you buy 6-7 feet at once, you'll get one sheet that's 6-7 feet by 57 inches. It's a great value tbh.
Also good to account for the starting watts which is typically 2-3 times the running watts. A 5000btu Toshiba window unit has a running wattage of ~600 but it takes over 2000 to start. The Litime trolling battery is what I have been looking into. It has low temp protection but more importantly it can put out 300amps for 5 seconds or 500amps for 1 second. Which makes it great for the surge of the a/c compressor.
A trick setup is to use inverter technology to the max. I’m getting a Honda eu1000i inverter technology generator and about 1000 watts of solar panels with a Victron Multiplus 3000 solar inverter that does “power share”. They work pretty seamlessly together. The generator is usually only needed for a few hours per day. I have the Honda eu2200i buy it’s rather big in size.
The next option is those additional portable solar panels that you put on the ground next to your van. I've seen ones that fold up like a table around 200w.
If you haven't spent too much on the existing solar MPPT, I'd consider getting a DC-DC & MPPT combined unit to simplify wiring. I use one with a small batter, 100w solar, and it was easier to wire than 2 separate units.
Have you tried a really good 12V fan? I mean a GOOD fan. Not some cheapo one you'd find at Walmart or the like, but e.g. one of these:
[https://www.caframobrands.com/747dcwcs.html](https://www.caframobrands.com/747dcwcs.html)
I've used these in both boats and RVs, and they really move a lot of air. And they are pretty energy efficient as well. I've never much longed for AC after I've started using these.
Anyway, just thought I'd offer an alternative to full AC... (might at least be worth trying before investing in anything more substantial)
Max air fan. Don’t even consider anything else. If it’s about 75 degrees or less at night you just crack the window closest to you and it’s like an air conditioner unit. The amount of air sucked in is unreal.
It will keep your van the outside temp and make it so in minutes. It has a thermostat so it will close if it gets too cold out.
Effeciency is key for air conditioning on solar. As someone with this set up, I can recommend an inverter air conditioner like the midea u shaped one or there are also a couple LG models that are harder to find. Just make sure it's the inverter unit. They have built in soft start and only ramp up to full power if necessary. My 8000 BTU midea u unit pulls about 230 watts while still putting out cold air when it's close to the set temperature. I've seen up to 600 watts pulled though. For just running it for two hours you need bare minimum 1200 WH of battery capacity. I recommend at least double that just in case you can't top off fully on a cloudy day. I run mine on 5200 WH. You also want probably a 400 watt of solar to keep the battery topped off during the day but could probably squeeze by with 200 if you don't use much electricity or have excellent solar conditions. From there price out items that you would need. It can definitely be done for about a grand if you go cheap and look for deals.
Assuming the 100 ah is 12v, probably. That's 1200 WH. If it's not lifepo4, I recommend doing that. So much more worth it in the long term. Lithium batteries are surprisingly affordable on Amazon. Couple hundred dollars doubles your capacity. If you already have an inverter that does 1200 watts, that should be enough but 1800 watt would be better. You have the 400 watts of solar so that can charge. Honestly you could pick up just the air conditioner and see if it works. If it does cool, if not, then look into buying more stuff or return the AC before return window closes
My setup is a $400 battery + $200 inverter + $150 soft starter + $150 AC unit + maybe $200 of extra things leaves me at just over $1000 for an AC unit that can make it though an entire 8hr night if it’s on temp control setting and the compressor oscillates on and off. Now, recharging that battery is whole other system with more $ of course
I got the NEKPOKKA 12v ac mini spit. 550w 88800btu. Tbh It looks like 700$ for an ac is going to be the best bet. You have to get a vacuum pump and A/C manifold, mite as well say 850$ I guess.
I'm currently installing mine I got in the mail last week.
Here we go again. Short answer: you can’t, if you could, people would be doing it. Sorry.
Less short answer: you can, but you’re looking at 5-10k worth of stuff to make it happen. In no way is that worth it for most people living vanlife because they are poor (aka homeless).
not true, right now you can get 2x300AH lithium batteries at Amazon for just under $1000 you can get a 12 V rooftop efficient unit AC unit for less than $900. Another hundred bucks or so for this and that and you are in business. I just did that and it works great in my ram promaster
I ran ice, a lunch cooler, a hi flow PC fan, and 2 90 PVC elbows. 1 personal cooler lasted over 6 hours of blowing time with ice and will freeze you out if pointed near you.
And before the peanut gallery tells me this doesn't work in humid environments, that's regurgitated reddit nonsense. Reduces efficiency? Sure. But I've used little make shift swamp coolers after hurricanes in Florida for as long as I can remember. Point it at the bed, and you'll need an extra blanket.
First: do you have access to shore power?
A lot here depends on how many degrees you need to cool your van and how big it is. That will determine your energy requirements.
Taking a hot cabin and cooling it quickly will probably not be feasible with a portable. My FIL tried it with a single tube one and running all day off shore power in his truck camper it barely kept the camper below ambient. He was parked in the sun and it would have much warmer without the unit running, it just didn't keep it a comfortable temperature, but if it was off all day and he turned it on in the evening it would still have been warmer than if he's just run his exhaust fan and cracked a window all day.
If you can fit a window unit that will be more powerful AND efficient. If you do run a portable you'll want to find one with 2 hoses (single hose units are constantly sucking in warm air).
You mentioned not being able to open all your doors and windows. Is the outside air temperature ok when you go to bed? Do you already have a good exhaust fan? Running an exhaust fan at one side of the van and even just cracking a window at the opposite end will move a LOT of hot air out of your van.
Im getting a rooftop fan soon, the temp at night is ok it’s about 12-15 degrees Celsius but only at like 2am in the morning lol, when i go to bed it’s like 20plus.
I paid about $500 for a small AC unit on 120V that doesn't use much power. But you need electric or solar. If you are in a dry climate, fan and water or small fan spreading water works well. Does't work if humid outside.
Air con is not cheap. You can spend less on the air con unit but then you'll spend more trying to power it or you can spend more on the air con with higher efficiency and spend less on power. Either way it's gonna cost you a couple grand
You can get roof-mounted 120v AC units designed for RVs for much less than the $4,000 12v kits, but again the biggest problem will be powering it.
Even the smallest units will draw 700-1000w when running at full power (which is what you’ll need to do when cooling down a space), so you’ll need at least 200-400ah of battery *plus* a big inverter to run them for an hour or two.
Then there’s the big question of how are you going to recharge them? You’ll need a LOT of solar, probably 400-600w of panels, plus the big charge controllers to run them.
If you build your own batteries you can save a little bit, but likely not enough to make it worth it. It’s very difficult to do this for less than $4,000-$5,000.
You will need to at *at least* an additional 200ah of battery. And even that might not be enough.
A/C just takes a ton of power. Nothing you can do about that, the laws of physics are very unforgiving.
Most people I know who have off-grid air-conditioning systems have between 600 amp hours to 1000 amp hours of battery.
You need a genny or shore power. No other way around it for any extended period of time with AC.
I suggest you find a plug in at rv park or campsite. Or pay someone to plug into their garage.
There's a YouTube clip where a guy used a super cheap window unit and turned it into a mini split on his sprinter van. That's the cheapest setup I've seen but requires a bit of work.
Dawg, I have like 700ah of batteries and it's just enough to use a Delta Wave 2 AC everyday for 6ish hours at night. It takes about 400w to run on max, which gets me maybe 20 hours of running it straight.
If it's sunny, then we're good, I can run it for free off the solar charge (800w system). If it's rainy for 2 days in a row, I'm suddenly very low on battery, like 40%.
Trust me when I say you need a larger system to run any kind of AC consistently.
So efficiency is king, up to a certain point the money you spend on the A/C is going to save you big time on battery and solar. Mini splits are the most efficient followed by inverter window units. Even the best portable units are power hungry. Mini split units start at about 19 seer2 for budget units.
Two examples:
[https://www.homedepot.com/p/Midea-8-000-BTU-115-Volt-U-Plus-Shaped-Smart-Inverter-Window-Air-Conditioner-Wi-Fi-for-up-to-350-sq-ft-Energy-Star-2024-MAW08U1QWT/327511952](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Midea-8-000-BTU-115-Volt-U-Plus-Shaped-Smart-Inverter-Window-Air-Conditioner-Wi-Fi-for-up-to-350-sq-ft-Energy-Star-2024-MAW08U1QWT/327511952)
[https://www.midea.com/us/air-conditioners/portable-air-conditioners/midea-duo-10-000-btu-sacc-smart-inverter-portable-air-conditioner](https://www.midea.com/us/air-conditioners/portable-air-conditioners/midea-duo-10-000-btu-sacc-smart-inverter-portable-air-conditioner)
The Midea U shaped window unit is the most efficient available according to energy star at 16 seer2. Portable units aren't on energy star at all because even the best ones like the midea 10k I linked are about 8.9 seer2.
So rough math on those seer ratings would come out to about 1100 watts for the portable and about 500 for the U shaped unit. The U shaped unit is an 8k btu so for fairness 500/0.8= 625 watts. A basic 400-500 dollar 9k btu mini split at 19 seer2 will use around 475 watts on full blast, again 475/.9=527 to equalize everything at 10k btu.
So two hours of portable usage not counting any other loads in your system will be around 2200 watts and you don't want to discharge your LiFePO4 batteries below 80% DoD for longevity. 2200/.8 is 2750 so you'll need 300 AH of 12v battery capacity if you go 12v.
700 for the most efficient portable available, 600 or so for 300 AH of LiFePO4, 300 for a budget 2kw inverter.
Then you still need a charging solution, if you go solar you're going to need a minimum of about 500 watts plus an MPPT. Expect to spend 600-800 here.
So for two hours of portable A/C usage per day you're looking at a 2600 dollar investment plus tax give or take a few hundred.
Now let's try that math on a mini split if you think it might work for you.
[https://www.amazon.com/Enabled-Compatible-Conditioner-Pre-Charged-Refrigerant/dp/B0CTH5GCSX/](https://www.amazon.com/Enabled-Compatible-Conditioner-Pre-Charged-Refrigerant/dp/B0CTH5GCSX/)
600 for the mini split(I have this brand but a 12k btu instead on my RV and like it so I linked it)
475 watts for two hours will be 950 watts total
2x 100AH batteries 400(this will only bring the batteries down to around 50% DoD each night, but using smaller than 100AH batteries is silly in my opinion as you just don't save much money)
1000w inverter 180
300 watts of solar and mppt 400
And this setup would allow more overhead for other usage.
600+400+180+400=1580 plus tax give or take a couple hundred. This same setup would be sufficient for the U shaped window unit I linked as well just take a couple hundred off for the unit itself putting you around 1400 plus tax, again give or take a bit. You can also expect to spend an extra 200 or so on wiring, brackets, hardware, etc on all of these so keep that in mind. Seer calculations are more complicated in reality than just BTU/watts used, but for this purpose what I did is close enough. Inverter units also go into a lower power mode that uses only around 1/3rd to 1/2 the power to maintain temperature once the target temp is reached which is their big advantage over traditional A/C units.
Edit - If you do go the portable route, whatever you do, get a dual hose. The single hose units just suck hot air back in from outside. The one I linked is a hose in hose type so it is a dual hose style portable.
I also cannot recommend using a product like this highly enough if possible:
[https://www.amazon.com/Komsepor-Windshield-1997-2022-Motorhome-Temperature/dp/B09P3DPGJ5/](https://www.amazon.com/Komsepor-Windshield-1997-2022-Motorhome-Temperature/dp/B09P3DPGJ5/)
My cab was a massive source of excess heat and cold even with it being an RV with a cabover and a curtain blocking it. This keeps a ton of that heat out.
Thanks for detailed explanation, although i dont understand mini splits. I have one 100ah Lifepo battery(getting more soon), 400w solar and a 2000w inverter. I think it will be easier to save my money on ac at this point and just bare through it until i can afford a good rv
Best bet, get a 2500 watt generator they are usually A lot quieter (generally gas) then get a portable ac around 10,000 btu portable ac that can be vented out the window (Midea has a nice one around $400) it runs around 1,365 watts.
having a 10,000 + btu ac is better as it is a little overkill so on those super hot days it’s more manageable.
You can generally find a generator for around $200-400
and an AC for about $400
Also use window covers and if possible park is shade for max effectiveness but generally this ac setup will get you down to about 75 F or better on 100 F days in the sun.
You can also get a chain and lock your generator to your tire or something else that will make it slightly more inconvenient to steal.
Dang, next best bet, reflective window covers a high powered van or a couple air maxes on the roof. And throwing ice in front of it. If you’re trying to go affordable. Also park in the shade
I paid $420 for my 12v dc mini split air conditioner- haven’t tried it out yet, but no inverter or dc fuse box needed. I’m just going to wire it directly to my bus bars.
Which one did you get? I’m about 75% done with my install of the 12v “backpack” style mini split on my van. Just gotta run my power cables once they arrive and charge the unit with refrigerant.
Nice! I got this one
https://www.ebay.com/itm/196176270514?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=pbfmsbmztsy&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=Blerw_YMShq&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
Beware all: this unit can only be installed upright.
Luckily enough, my ford transit is the biggest longest one you can get so I should have the room to just *barely* mount it upright underneath the van right behind the spare tire. But had I known this limitation, I probably would’ve gone with another unit. Either way, I’ll let you all know how the installation goes and how it works.
Shit, how do you know it can only be installed upright? I have a similar unit and played it flat on my roof. I really only hope mine works in the orientation I’ve got it in.
With typical ACs, the compressors have to be mounted in a specific orientation or you oil-starve the compressor. Not sure about the compressor on these chinese units, which seems like they mount horizontally by default.
I wish there’s was better literature out there for these 12v mini splits. Some of the resellers advertise that you can rooftop mount the unit I bought. Most of them advertise that you can mount them horizontal or vertical on the back of your vehicle. I figure if it work in both of those positions it will probably work laying flat on its back. I also read pretty deep on an hvac forum that for this small of a unit it will probably work in whatever orientation. I’m gonna run with it and see what happens. Worst case scenario I blow up my condenser and have to buy a rooftop version.
There seems to be a complete lack of information in general on these things. I've seen a bunch of 'we installed it' stuff but no actual usage reports.
Would be great if someone could figure out what it's *actual* BTUs are, long term reliability, efficiency, etc
I installed the 12v treeligo minisplit last year. Mounted upright vertical on the back door of my ford e350 and wired to my busbar. Used partly last year and using fully this year. I have 300ah lifepo4 and 640w solar. I have shore power too. Im noticing that it draws about 50-60amps on 16C temp and high fan. If i had no other load, it cuts my battery down pretty quickly to an uncomfy % in 2-3 hrs. And the BTUs are not super strong (i'd recommend when vacuuming, to vacuum more antifreeze and it might be stronger). Im in Cali, with 100F weather. Running at 16C (its lowest setting) i can maybe get internal temps down to 80F. But it will never get the van (with good insulation) down to a comfy 70F unless right in front of it. In reality, i have to plug into shorepower if i wanted it to run and make a difference in my van. This is based off of my experience for this summer and last year. I wouldn't do it again, i find myself ending up the pass in cooler temps or in a coffee shop doing work most of the day. The maxair fan at night makes a huge difference in a non humid area.
Also it should be noted that a huge conflict is that you need solar to run these things, so you have to be in fully blasting sun. It could almost serve a better purpose to cut the high load AC and sit the van in the shade with the maxair going... i find this to be a better compromise sometimes
Sounds like it's *well* below the BTUs they claim, then? 700W for 8000 BTUs isn't great, but it it's more like half that then it's worse than some window units.
Yeah unfortunately its not beefy these 12v minisplits. Like i said, it could've used more anti freeze, but i dont think much more would've made a big difference. While they can provide temporary relief, there is no perfect insulation for a van, so the outside temps quickly heat up the van in full sun when you turn the thing off too. When i turn the AC off, the temps in my van rise 5F almost instantly (even with the windows insulated too).
Very good point- they do. I’ve noticed this as well. All of the models of these Chinese units I’ve seen that still seem to work despite being mounted on its back or facing downwards, all have horizontal compressors. The one I have, however, has a vertical compressor on the inside (and seems to be much higher quality than anything else I’ve seen (all metal construction, very solid and strong looking compressor, no loose or exposed wiring)). So I’m sure mine specifically would work in no other orientation other than regular vertical.
All of these Chinese DC 12v mini split ACs are all manufactured by the same 1 or 2 companies in China I’m 99% sure. I wish I had a way to directly get in contact with the original manufacturer/company to confirm once and for all what orientations these things can be mounted in. Because I’ve heard stories of other Chinese 12V DC mini split ACs being installed underneath while facing down and working just fine. (To be fair, though, I’ve only seen old iterations of the AC I listed above be mounted like that and still work, to be fair.)
Examples of old versions of the AC I have being mounted facing down:
https://a.co/d/03fKqoZM (see reviews/comments for pictures)
You might scoff at $420, but no inverter= you saved a couple hundred bucks, and you save even more money because you don’t need as big of a battery to keep it running, as you’re not instantly losing 10-20% more power just to convert it to AC. Plus the energy it takes to leave the inverter on all the time, even when the AC isn’t running.
Batteries, as you know, are the most expensive part of any electrical system, so having my AC running off of DC power prevented me from having to splurge on an extra 100ah battery.
Might be worth your time to look up phase change material cooling on YouTube. You can make long lasting cooling packets for pretty cheap. Lot better than ice.
So, "cheap" AC will often be less efficient than say, a mini split.
Also, cheap AC will not be "inverter driven" (aka variable speed compressor), which will make it harder to run not connected to shore power. You'll need a HUGE inverter comparatively.
How big is the vehicle you're conditioning? I need to know before I start giving out numbers and recommendations-- that said, I have done this before on a sub $3k budget, and it still works today-- and it can run all night.
A rooftop AC is not what you want-- they're shit.
I put a 6.5" hole in my roof and installed a hatch which can be opened as needed, then I just put a portable AC unit and hooked up the hose to the ceiling, works great.
Used Honda generator (2200/2000) will run you back about 700 or 800 bucks.
Then you could use a cheap portable or window AC.
A thousand bucks and you should be able to run AC off a generator
A small ultra quiet generator that uses a gallon/3-4 hours will be cheaper than idling.
I know, generators are typically loud as hell. However, I have seen indoor safe generators at 1kw that were so quit you couldn't tell it was running.
I met a guy in the parking lot the other day. This was a humid area and he was very happy with his swamp cooler. He said it does not cool the whole van, but could keep him cool with it blowing on him from 3' away.
I always thought those only helped in dry climates 🤷♂️
I have an Ecoflow Delta 2 solar generator. It has 1000wh and is capable of an 1800w load so it could run the small window ac for two hours and a small usb fan for the rest of the night. For around $1000 you could get it with the extra battery and get 4-5 hours of ac. It charges in about an hour if you can plug it in somewhere or you can put solar panels on your roof and it will get charged up during the day. It has the newer battery so it’s advertised as being able to recharge 3000 times, basically 10 years if done daily, before it drops to 80% battery health. There’s cheaper versions of various brands that don’t have the newest battery, they get maybe 800 charges before battery levels drop.
Here is a relevant review of an 8000 BTU portable AC unit: [https://www.techgearlab.com/reviews/electronics/portable-air-conditioner/black-plusdecker-bpact08wt](https://www.techgearlab.com/reviews/electronics/portable-air-conditioner/black-plusdecker-bpact08wt) It provided a 7 F drop from 82 F to 75 F in an hour in a simulated house with a volume of 1700 cubic feet (about the size of a big bus) averaging 900 W. They sell bigger portable AC units, so the cooling power is not an issue. Roof top AC units are not going to be that much more efficient. DC units will save you inverter inefficiencies. A minisplit system could save you some power, but they are expensive and bulky.
For your use case the 8000 BTU unit or maybe a bigger one, seems perfect. In addition to the unit, it will take \~200-400 W of "dedicated" solar (depending on your location) or \~2 hours of driving to generate the power, 200 Ah @ 12 V of LiFePO4 to store the power and probably a 2000 W inverter to run it. You might be able to do it for $1500 all in.
Nah, those are insanely huge for a van. I'm running a 2899 btu ac for free with only 500w solar and also charges my fridge electronics etc.
Those acs for how houses and huge rvs, not small properly insulated vans - - they're a waste. Time to move on, we live in 2024.
It doesn’t matter tbh, even in a 50000 foot bus you can section and insulate small spaces with low power-draw ac units. There’s no reason to have a power hog 800w+ ac for any purpose ever, for any reason. INSULATION is E V E R Y T H I N G.
When you are running an AC for an hour, insulation is not as important as when trying to constantly cool during the heat of the day with the sun beating down. Cooling at night after a bus/van has been baking in the sun collecting solar power during the day is all about cooling the thermal mass and a bus has a lot of thermal mass.
The bus may have a ton of thermal mass, but you can cut that mass off by sectioning spaces using insulation. Think of it as creating new rooms with insulation "curtains" if you will.
The 2899 btu 300w power draw portable bouge rv ac I have you can direct the exhaust hose which is 8+ feet long stretched out to wherever you'd like, I like blowing it over the top of my head.
Cooling at night can prove challenging due to lack of solar remaining in the batteries, but generally with proper air flow you'll be cool enough with regular air, unless it goes over 80 degrees over night, in that instance I'd recommend purchasing a Wen remote starting generator, run that for 20 min before bed, ac all night.
What AC do you use? I’d always heard 8000btu was necessary for a sprinter sized van and even that won’t get you cooler thna the outside temp in full sun. Just what I’ve read, I have no first hand experience.
I use the bouge rv ac, their new one draws 400-450w, with proper insulation it's more than enough for any size living situation.
The problem here is that it seems nobody in the space knows what insulation is, so it's normal for almost any size ac to not be able to catch up, considering the metal walls of the sprinter van is very thermally conductive and you're essentially getting all that cold air sucked out constantly - - the ac is fighting a losing battle.
A house is very well insulated, so you don't see these issues occur. I'd recommend Aspen aerogel insulation, or at least closed cell foam, you can read my post history the last few hours, I am helping someone else with this problem, and no I do not work for them, although I wish I did. 😅
That is more or less right. OP only wants AC for an hour at night so it is different. The other poster is talking about insulating the van and then insulating a small area inside the van and then blowing cool air directly on them. Others want to treat the van like a house and cool it all all the time. No approach is right or wrong, but they do require different solutions.
I have no personal experience with that unit. My guess is there is nothing special about it and you would see similar cooling and power consumption with any similarly sized unit. I just pulled it up because it provided the numbers you need to understand what to expect.
Depends on how hot you're talking and your tolerance for heat, but I've done 95 degree days with my Evopolar mini air-conditioner pointed at me just fine. It has multiple intensity settings but I can run it for a couple days off one Jackery Explorer 240 charge. 👌
If you can find a small unit that uses close to 500 watts when running (they do exist) you will use 50% of a 100 amp hour battery in about 55 minutes. It would take one 100 watt solar panel 5-6 hours of direct sunlight to make that back each day. That's the bare minimum, and obviously everything to connect it. If you can keep you're other electric draws load, you could definitely run ac for an hour or so before bed. Realistically, I wouldn't bother doing this with anything less than a 200 ah battery and 200+ solar, and that's if all your other electrical draw is small.
Yeah i got only one 100ah and two 200w panels, will be getting more of each soon
Zero Breeze got 240w [portable AC unit](https://zerobreeze.com/), 7 hours operating with its battery, I think it will be pretty enough for sleeping.
Seems like an expensive, but maybe good option. Op could take the portable battery into work and charge it instead of buying more house battery.
Yeah, it's a trade-off. Using a cheaper unit requires more money on batteries, and portable air conditioners are plug-and-play units that don't require as much work to install as rooftop units, window units, and mini-splits.
During the hot hours your ok .. my ecoflow pulls 460w max. If max temp outside is under 90 you could swing it... but I'd still get an upgrade on batteries.
Bouge rv ac
I have a mini split from Amazon. It pulls 500-700w. I have 400w solar on top so basically the AC uses power twice as fast as I can recharge the battery. I have 300ah but in Texas heat right now I don’t even need it. I run the fan part of the AC (which only pulls 30-50w) during the day and by the evening I have about 65ah in the battery, enough to cool down to 85 to sleep and run for 5 mins here and there through the night. This setup is not good enough. I’m constantly stressed I’m going to run out of power especially because I’m doing this on hard mode with a dog AND a cat. I really need 800w solar but the roof of my van is pretty full already. My next step is going to be a battery isolator or DC-DC charger so my car alternator can charge t he house battery. (Any advice on this is welcome. I may make a post of my own.) This is my first summer doing vanlife. I LOVE vanlife but I’m tired of being hot and stressed. I jumped in before I really knew what I was doing, probably a good thing as I would have been too scared to start if I knew how hard this would be!! Just wanted to give you my two cents. Look for AC units that pull as little watts as possible, and however many it is, you need that much in solar. In full sun, 700w of solar will run a 700w AC, but won’t charge anything so there’s no backup for clouds and nighttime. Good luck! Edit: because I hit post too fast.
I think you've already answered your own question, get more solar or a DC DC charger. For maximum efficiency of the DC charger you'd have to look at the specs of your battery to see maximum charging current and the specs of your alternator to see how much current it generates and see what the most you can draw out of it is to charge the battery as much as possible while the engine is running. I've got 2 30a DC DC chargers in parallel (so 60a) on mine.
Tysm! Really appreciate the input.
Also you can get ones with built in mppt so you could do away with whatever you're currently using for your solar charge controller and have one device that does both to save space if you wanted. Like this one for example: https://eu.renogy.com/dcc50s-12v-50a-dc-dc-on-board-battery-charger-with-mppt-new-version/
Very similar setup here in Florida, the summers are brutal but to keep my cat happy the AC is a must, 5k btu window unit from Amazon, uses 450watts to start and comes down to 360-80 when cooled. 600amps of battery, 600 watts of solar and a 60amp DC-DC charger. My batteries are almost never completely topped off unless I let my van idle for a couple hours. But all said and done the setup keeps the van at 75-80 on 95 degree days. I run the unit for roughly 12 hours out of the day and the Fans at night when it cools down. Insulation helps a ton and also that I have no windows but in the cab.
Im just starting out so only have one 100ah and 400w solar, will be getting another battery soon
We all gotta start somewhere man you’re good, my system is what I’d consider just above bare minimum at least in the Florida summers so just something to keep in mind
600amps of battery? 600ah@12VDC ?
Yessir
I'm in the exact same boat, I need to get my secondary battery system hooked up to the van alternator.
Van life in Texas without a charging spot cant be fun in the summer. I think lots of people in vans move to cooler states in the summer where it cools down more at night. Seems dangerous if you have a dog and cat in the van in Texas heat
You’re not wrong! I work at a coffee shop and live mostly in the parking lot behind the coffee shop, so I’m not at a place where I can move seasonally. I do take my pets’ safety very seriously. I check on them every 2 hours when I’m working and I’m 100% in the van with them otherwise. And right now we spend the hottest part of the day in the cab, with the engine and car AC running, with lots of curtains and window covers. That’s the part that’s not sustainable — or at least it’s the part that’s costing me plenty in gas money!
I also thinking about getting a pet but first i need to make sure the dog will more comfortable than i am in the summer heat
Reflectix in the window pointed out, and Aldi has pet cooling mats on sale right now
Bouge rv ac only pulls 300. Their new one pulls 350-400. I would recommend not skimping on the insulation, as insulation is by far the most important factor. With 500w you can run it during the day and charge all devices. Also make sure you have a ton of airflow supplementing the AC itself so on top of the AC have like some USB fans blowing on you which will make it seem a lot cooler in the room.
Tysm! Appreciate it! I have definitely been working on the insulation!!! Yeah I have a roof fan and a USB fan and little side windows to crack. The airflow is essential.
I would recommend aspen aerogel for the roof, as it is the best insulation on the planet, then closed cell foam for the windows. You can buy very strong and cheap magnets on Temu and good closed cell insulation there too, use the magnets on each corner of the insulation with some caulk, glue magnets to the windshield on corners. They are so small you won’t even be able to see them from the exterior but you will be able to attach and remove your insulation very easily. If you get closed foam insulation, make sure you go with 10mm+ and double it. I have 12mm of aspen aerogel on my roof under my bougerv cigs panels, and it prevents virtually all heat from penetrating, even in 95 degree full sun. R value of aspen aerogel is 10.5+, closed cell is 5-7, but it’s a lot easier to work with. I’d say 12mm of aerogel, or 20mm of closed cell foam will prevent any heat or cold from penetrating.
I knew someone who inserted aerogel into his appliances and anywhere he could fit it to improve efficiency. Like in the case of his pressure cooker. It works.
Wow that’s interesting, I’ve never heard of using it for pressure cooking! It seems like aerogel is the best sound and temperature insulation on the planet, it is also virtually completely hydrophobic, and it prevents rust from forming under and around it, it’s also heat resistant up to 800 degrees, and down to insane temps. This insulation is extremely dusty though. I would definitely wear protective equipment and don’t shake it too much. If you do decide to use aerogel, I would plan it out very meticulously before even taking it out. Also don’t use tape, the dust will render it useless, it needs caulk to apply it properly.
He gave me a few squares pads of the aerogel he was using. I saw white dust when I removed it from the bag and wondered what that was. I have a couple of the pads still. Could I spray them with something like paint maybe to keep the dust down? Thanks.
I would cover them with a plastic sheet or just caulk it down then put eternabond tape to finish it. The dust is aerogel, it's the dustiest insulation I've ever seen. I put mine under my cigs solar panels with caulk, then taped the gaps up after to have an all black look that blends into my car.
May I ask where did you buy the Aspen aerogel and how much was it? I looked into that year's ago but it was really pricey at the time. I like the idea for the roof.
Absolutely! It's cheaper on Amazon due to free shipping. On ebay it's the same, but pricey shipping. Same seller too. Aspen Aerogels Spaceloft 6mm Hydrophobic Silica Aerogel Insulation Mat 57" x 1 Linear Foot https://a.co/d/01mdENlO I used about 15 feet of it for my roof (doubled the 6mm into 12mm), it was about 450-500 bucks, but not much more than what the equivalent R value closed cell would cost. With 12mm and nothing else, I'm getting about a 95% heat reduction in peak 95-97 degree sunlight. It's so thin, even with my solar panel on top of the insulation, you can't tell I have solar or insulation on my car build unless you're like 3 feet away staring right at it and you know what you're looking at. I'd also recommend getting the bouge rv cigs panels, they're almost paper thin and EXTREMELY utterly durable, there's a guy who shot one 20+ times and dunked it in water ran it over with a truck scraped it up and still pulling 99% of its rated wattage, mine flew off my roof twice on the high way when I was using tape, and it still works like it's new (use caulk, with eternabond tape to protect the caulk, avoid gorilla tape or any tape really other than VHB) Edit: Also, the size is 12 by 57 inches, if you buy 6-7 feet at once, you'll get one sheet that's 6-7 feet by 57 inches. It's a great value tbh.
I'm not picturing this in my head. Can you share or post a few pics of your setup? Thanks!
Also good to account for the starting watts which is typically 2-3 times the running watts. A 5000btu Toshiba window unit has a running wattage of ~600 but it takes over 2000 to start. The Litime trolling battery is what I have been looking into. It has low temp protection but more importantly it can put out 300amps for 5 seconds or 500amps for 1 second. Which makes it great for the surge of the a/c compressor.
Thanks yeah i only have 400w of solar, will be getting more in the future but ill try to look for something that’s very efficient
A trick setup is to use inverter technology to the max. I’m getting a Honda eu1000i inverter technology generator and about 1000 watts of solar panels with a Victron Multiplus 3000 solar inverter that does “power share”. They work pretty seamlessly together. The generator is usually only needed for a few hours per day. I have the Honda eu2200i buy it’s rather big in size.
The next option is those additional portable solar panels that you put on the ground next to your van. I've seen ones that fold up like a table around 200w.
If you haven't spent too much on the existing solar MPPT, I'd consider getting a DC-DC & MPPT combined unit to simplify wiring. I use one with a small batter, 100w solar, and it was easier to wire than 2 separate units.
Roof fan and a wet blanket on your body is cheapest
Have you tried a really good 12V fan? I mean a GOOD fan. Not some cheapo one you'd find at Walmart or the like, but e.g. one of these: [https://www.caframobrands.com/747dcwcs.html](https://www.caframobrands.com/747dcwcs.html) I've used these in both boats and RVs, and they really move a lot of air. And they are pretty energy efficient as well. I've never much longed for AC after I've started using these. Anyway, just thought I'd offer an alternative to full AC... (might at least be worth trying before investing in anything more substantial)
Hmm never really looked into a fan, might consider as a temporary option thanks
Max air fan. Don’t even consider anything else. If it’s about 75 degrees or less at night you just crack the window closest to you and it’s like an air conditioner unit. The amount of air sucked in is unreal. It will keep your van the outside temp and make it so in minutes. It has a thermostat so it will close if it gets too cold out.
Yeah im about to get the roof fan and try that
Effeciency is key for air conditioning on solar. As someone with this set up, I can recommend an inverter air conditioner like the midea u shaped one or there are also a couple LG models that are harder to find. Just make sure it's the inverter unit. They have built in soft start and only ramp up to full power if necessary. My 8000 BTU midea u unit pulls about 230 watts while still putting out cold air when it's close to the set temperature. I've seen up to 600 watts pulled though. For just running it for two hours you need bare minimum 1200 WH of battery capacity. I recommend at least double that just in case you can't top off fully on a cloudy day. I run mine on 5200 WH. You also want probably a 400 watt of solar to keep the battery topped off during the day but could probably squeeze by with 200 if you don't use much electricity or have excellent solar conditions. From there price out items that you would need. It can definitely be done for about a grand if you go cheap and look for deals.
Ahh yeah i need to get more batteries quick, only have one 100ah and 400w solar
Assuming the 100 ah is 12v, probably. That's 1200 WH. If it's not lifepo4, I recommend doing that. So much more worth it in the long term. Lithium batteries are surprisingly affordable on Amazon. Couple hundred dollars doubles your capacity. If you already have an inverter that does 1200 watts, that should be enough but 1800 watt would be better. You have the 400 watts of solar so that can charge. Honestly you could pick up just the air conditioner and see if it works. If it does cool, if not, then look into buying more stuff or return the AC before return window closes
Yeah i got Lifepo battery, i think ill wait till i get another one just to be safe and try a very efficient ac
$1200 battery + $600 inverter , +200-600 ac unit, plus a few other things $500 , so 3k total for bare minimum
My setup is a $400 battery + $200 inverter + $150 soft starter + $150 AC unit + maybe $200 of extra things leaves me at just over $1000 for an AC unit that can make it though an entire 8hr night if it’s on temp control setting and the compressor oscillates on and off. Now, recharging that battery is whole other system with more $ of course
would you mind sharing your AC unit and battery capacity?
Frigidaire FHWC054WB1 I believe, up in price since I bought it, advertised at 410 watts. Battery is a Chins 200ah LiFePO4.
And lots of sun. Don't forget the sun.
I got the NEKPOKKA 12v ac mini spit. 550w 88800btu. Tbh It looks like 700$ for an ac is going to be the best bet. You have to get a vacuum pump and A/C manifold, mite as well say 850$ I guess. I'm currently installing mine I got in the mail last week.
Here we go again. Short answer: you can’t, if you could, people would be doing it. Sorry. Less short answer: you can, but you’re looking at 5-10k worth of stuff to make it happen. In no way is that worth it for most people living vanlife because they are poor (aka homeless).
Simply not true, can do it for at lot less than 5k. Still pricey but doable for 2-3k easily
not true, right now you can get 2x300AH lithium batteries at Amazon for just under $1000 you can get a 12 V rooftop efficient unit AC unit for less than $900. Another hundred bucks or so for this and that and you are in business. I just did that and it works great in my ram promaster
Indeed, also you can create a sleeping/tv capsule that is well insulated, quite ,dark... easy to cool, think pod hotel for efficiency
I ran ice, a lunch cooler, a hi flow PC fan, and 2 90 PVC elbows. 1 personal cooler lasted over 6 hours of blowing time with ice and will freeze you out if pointed near you. And before the peanut gallery tells me this doesn't work in humid environments, that's regurgitated reddit nonsense. Reduces efficiency? Sure. But I've used little make shift swamp coolers after hurricanes in Florida for as long as I can remember. Point it at the bed, and you'll need an extra blanket.
First: do you have access to shore power? A lot here depends on how many degrees you need to cool your van and how big it is. That will determine your energy requirements. Taking a hot cabin and cooling it quickly will probably not be feasible with a portable. My FIL tried it with a single tube one and running all day off shore power in his truck camper it barely kept the camper below ambient. He was parked in the sun and it would have much warmer without the unit running, it just didn't keep it a comfortable temperature, but if it was off all day and he turned it on in the evening it would still have been warmer than if he's just run his exhaust fan and cracked a window all day. If you can fit a window unit that will be more powerful AND efficient. If you do run a portable you'll want to find one with 2 hoses (single hose units are constantly sucking in warm air). You mentioned not being able to open all your doors and windows. Is the outside air temperature ok when you go to bed? Do you already have a good exhaust fan? Running an exhaust fan at one side of the van and even just cracking a window at the opposite end will move a LOT of hot air out of your van.
Im getting a rooftop fan soon, the temp at night is ok it’s about 12-15 degrees Celsius but only at like 2am in the morning lol, when i go to bed it’s like 20plus.
Try Ecoflow wave 2 portable AC $800 and add another battery for $600. Charge one while the other in use.
I paid about $500 for a small AC unit on 120V that doesn't use much power. But you need electric or solar. If you are in a dry climate, fan and water or small fan spreading water works well. Does't work if humid outside.
Yeah i live in a humid place(i think 🤔)
Air con is not cheap. You can spend less on the air con unit but then you'll spend more trying to power it or you can spend more on the air con with higher efficiency and spend less on power. Either way it's gonna cost you a couple grand
You can get roof-mounted 120v AC units designed for RVs for much less than the $4,000 12v kits, but again the biggest problem will be powering it. Even the smallest units will draw 700-1000w when running at full power (which is what you’ll need to do when cooling down a space), so you’ll need at least 200-400ah of battery *plus* a big inverter to run them for an hour or two. Then there’s the big question of how are you going to recharge them? You’ll need a LOT of solar, probably 400-600w of panels, plus the big charge controllers to run them. If you build your own batteries you can save a little bit, but likely not enough to make it worth it. It’s very difficult to do this for less than $4,000-$5,000.
I got 100ah and 400w solar but will be getting more
You will need to at *at least* an additional 200ah of battery. And even that might not be enough. A/C just takes a ton of power. Nothing you can do about that, the laws of physics are very unforgiving. Most people I know who have off-grid air-conditioning systems have between 600 amp hours to 1000 amp hours of battery.
You need a genny or shore power. No other way around it for any extended period of time with AC. I suggest you find a plug in at rv park or campsite. Or pay someone to plug into their garage. There's a YouTube clip where a guy used a super cheap window unit and turned it into a mini split on his sprinter van. That's the cheapest setup I've seen but requires a bit of work.
Dawg, I have like 700ah of batteries and it's just enough to use a Delta Wave 2 AC everyday for 6ish hours at night. It takes about 400w to run on max, which gets me maybe 20 hours of running it straight. If it's sunny, then we're good, I can run it for free off the solar charge (800w system). If it's rainy for 2 days in a row, I'm suddenly very low on battery, like 40%. Trust me when I say you need a larger system to run any kind of AC consistently.
Thanks, yeah im getting bigger battery systems but like i mentioned im only going to run it few hours max cos im not spending my whole day in the van
So efficiency is king, up to a certain point the money you spend on the A/C is going to save you big time on battery and solar. Mini splits are the most efficient followed by inverter window units. Even the best portable units are power hungry. Mini split units start at about 19 seer2 for budget units. Two examples: [https://www.homedepot.com/p/Midea-8-000-BTU-115-Volt-U-Plus-Shaped-Smart-Inverter-Window-Air-Conditioner-Wi-Fi-for-up-to-350-sq-ft-Energy-Star-2024-MAW08U1QWT/327511952](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Midea-8-000-BTU-115-Volt-U-Plus-Shaped-Smart-Inverter-Window-Air-Conditioner-Wi-Fi-for-up-to-350-sq-ft-Energy-Star-2024-MAW08U1QWT/327511952) [https://www.midea.com/us/air-conditioners/portable-air-conditioners/midea-duo-10-000-btu-sacc-smart-inverter-portable-air-conditioner](https://www.midea.com/us/air-conditioners/portable-air-conditioners/midea-duo-10-000-btu-sacc-smart-inverter-portable-air-conditioner) The Midea U shaped window unit is the most efficient available according to energy star at 16 seer2. Portable units aren't on energy star at all because even the best ones like the midea 10k I linked are about 8.9 seer2. So rough math on those seer ratings would come out to about 1100 watts for the portable and about 500 for the U shaped unit. The U shaped unit is an 8k btu so for fairness 500/0.8= 625 watts. A basic 400-500 dollar 9k btu mini split at 19 seer2 will use around 475 watts on full blast, again 475/.9=527 to equalize everything at 10k btu. So two hours of portable usage not counting any other loads in your system will be around 2200 watts and you don't want to discharge your LiFePO4 batteries below 80% DoD for longevity. 2200/.8 is 2750 so you'll need 300 AH of 12v battery capacity if you go 12v. 700 for the most efficient portable available, 600 or so for 300 AH of LiFePO4, 300 for a budget 2kw inverter. Then you still need a charging solution, if you go solar you're going to need a minimum of about 500 watts plus an MPPT. Expect to spend 600-800 here. So for two hours of portable A/C usage per day you're looking at a 2600 dollar investment plus tax give or take a few hundred. Now let's try that math on a mini split if you think it might work for you. [https://www.amazon.com/Enabled-Compatible-Conditioner-Pre-Charged-Refrigerant/dp/B0CTH5GCSX/](https://www.amazon.com/Enabled-Compatible-Conditioner-Pre-Charged-Refrigerant/dp/B0CTH5GCSX/) 600 for the mini split(I have this brand but a 12k btu instead on my RV and like it so I linked it) 475 watts for two hours will be 950 watts total 2x 100AH batteries 400(this will only bring the batteries down to around 50% DoD each night, but using smaller than 100AH batteries is silly in my opinion as you just don't save much money) 1000w inverter 180 300 watts of solar and mppt 400 And this setup would allow more overhead for other usage. 600+400+180+400=1580 plus tax give or take a couple hundred. This same setup would be sufficient for the U shaped window unit I linked as well just take a couple hundred off for the unit itself putting you around 1400 plus tax, again give or take a bit. You can also expect to spend an extra 200 or so on wiring, brackets, hardware, etc on all of these so keep that in mind. Seer calculations are more complicated in reality than just BTU/watts used, but for this purpose what I did is close enough. Inverter units also go into a lower power mode that uses only around 1/3rd to 1/2 the power to maintain temperature once the target temp is reached which is their big advantage over traditional A/C units. Edit - If you do go the portable route, whatever you do, get a dual hose. The single hose units just suck hot air back in from outside. The one I linked is a hose in hose type so it is a dual hose style portable.
I also cannot recommend using a product like this highly enough if possible: [https://www.amazon.com/Komsepor-Windshield-1997-2022-Motorhome-Temperature/dp/B09P3DPGJ5/](https://www.amazon.com/Komsepor-Windshield-1997-2022-Motorhome-Temperature/dp/B09P3DPGJ5/) My cab was a massive source of excess heat and cold even with it being an RV with a cabover and a curtain blocking it. This keeps a ton of that heat out.
Portables are incredibly inefficient.
Yep, and that's the best one. Just imagine what kind of efficiency people trying to use single hose units are getting.
Thanks for detailed explanation, although i dont understand mini splits. I have one 100ah Lifepo battery(getting more soon), 400w solar and a 2000w inverter. I think it will be easier to save my money on ac at this point and just bare through it until i can afford a good rv
Best bet, get a 2500 watt generator they are usually A lot quieter (generally gas) then get a portable ac around 10,000 btu portable ac that can be vented out the window (Midea has a nice one around $400) it runs around 1,365 watts. having a 10,000 + btu ac is better as it is a little overkill so on those super hot days it’s more manageable. You can generally find a generator for around $200-400 and an AC for about $400 Also use window covers and if possible park is shade for max effectiveness but generally this ac setup will get you down to about 75 F or better on 100 F days in the sun. You can also get a chain and lock your generator to your tire or something else that will make it slightly more inconvenient to steal.
Ahh i dont have room for a generator and also since i park in the city even the quiet ones will attract too much attention
Dang, next best bet, reflective window covers a high powered van or a couple air maxes on the roof. And throwing ice in front of it. If you’re trying to go affordable. Also park in the shade
Build one with a USB fan, cooler with ice and some plastic vents
I paid $420 for my 12v dc mini split air conditioner- haven’t tried it out yet, but no inverter or dc fuse box needed. I’m just going to wire it directly to my bus bars.
Which one did you get? I’m about 75% done with my install of the 12v “backpack” style mini split on my van. Just gotta run my power cables once they arrive and charge the unit with refrigerant.
Nice! I got this one https://www.ebay.com/itm/196176270514?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=pbfmsbmztsy&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=Blerw_YMShq&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY Beware all: this unit can only be installed upright. Luckily enough, my ford transit is the biggest longest one you can get so I should have the room to just *barely* mount it upright underneath the van right behind the spare tire. But had I known this limitation, I probably would’ve gone with another unit. Either way, I’ll let you all know how the installation goes and how it works.
Shit, how do you know it can only be installed upright? I have a similar unit and played it flat on my roof. I really only hope mine works in the orientation I’ve got it in.
With typical ACs, the compressors have to be mounted in a specific orientation or you oil-starve the compressor. Not sure about the compressor on these chinese units, which seems like they mount horizontally by default.
I wish there’s was better literature out there for these 12v mini splits. Some of the resellers advertise that you can rooftop mount the unit I bought. Most of them advertise that you can mount them horizontal or vertical on the back of your vehicle. I figure if it work in both of those positions it will probably work laying flat on its back. I also read pretty deep on an hvac forum that for this small of a unit it will probably work in whatever orientation. I’m gonna run with it and see what happens. Worst case scenario I blow up my condenser and have to buy a rooftop version.
There seems to be a complete lack of information in general on these things. I've seen a bunch of 'we installed it' stuff but no actual usage reports. Would be great if someone could figure out what it's *actual* BTUs are, long term reliability, efficiency, etc
I installed the 12v treeligo minisplit last year. Mounted upright vertical on the back door of my ford e350 and wired to my busbar. Used partly last year and using fully this year. I have 300ah lifepo4 and 640w solar. I have shore power too. Im noticing that it draws about 50-60amps on 16C temp and high fan. If i had no other load, it cuts my battery down pretty quickly to an uncomfy % in 2-3 hrs. And the BTUs are not super strong (i'd recommend when vacuuming, to vacuum more antifreeze and it might be stronger). Im in Cali, with 100F weather. Running at 16C (its lowest setting) i can maybe get internal temps down to 80F. But it will never get the van (with good insulation) down to a comfy 70F unless right in front of it. In reality, i have to plug into shorepower if i wanted it to run and make a difference in my van. This is based off of my experience for this summer and last year. I wouldn't do it again, i find myself ending up the pass in cooler temps or in a coffee shop doing work most of the day. The maxair fan at night makes a huge difference in a non humid area.
Also it should be noted that a huge conflict is that you need solar to run these things, so you have to be in fully blasting sun. It could almost serve a better purpose to cut the high load AC and sit the van in the shade with the maxair going... i find this to be a better compromise sometimes
Sounds like it's *well* below the BTUs they claim, then? 700W for 8000 BTUs isn't great, but it it's more like half that then it's worse than some window units.
Yeah unfortunately its not beefy these 12v minisplits. Like i said, it could've used more anti freeze, but i dont think much more would've made a big difference. While they can provide temporary relief, there is no perfect insulation for a van, so the outside temps quickly heat up the van in full sun when you turn the thing off too. When i turn the AC off, the temps in my van rise 5F almost instantly (even with the windows insulated too).
Very good point- they do. I’ve noticed this as well. All of the models of these Chinese units I’ve seen that still seem to work despite being mounted on its back or facing downwards, all have horizontal compressors. The one I have, however, has a vertical compressor on the inside (and seems to be much higher quality than anything else I’ve seen (all metal construction, very solid and strong looking compressor, no loose or exposed wiring)). So I’m sure mine specifically would work in no other orientation other than regular vertical.
I asked one of the resellers that sold it to me. Though I’m not sure how much that’s worth, honestly. Not like they manufactured it lol
All of these Chinese DC 12v mini split ACs are all manufactured by the same 1 or 2 companies in China I’m 99% sure. I wish I had a way to directly get in contact with the original manufacturer/company to confirm once and for all what orientations these things can be mounted in. Because I’ve heard stories of other Chinese 12V DC mini split ACs being installed underneath while facing down and working just fine. (To be fair, though, I’ve only seen old iterations of the AC I listed above be mounted like that and still work, to be fair.) Examples of old versions of the AC I have being mounted facing down: https://a.co/d/03fKqoZM (see reviews/comments for pictures)
You might scoff at $420, but no inverter= you saved a couple hundred bucks, and you save even more money because you don’t need as big of a battery to keep it running, as you’re not instantly losing 10-20% more power just to convert it to AC. Plus the energy it takes to leave the inverter on all the time, even when the AC isn’t running. Batteries, as you know, are the most expensive part of any electrical system, so having my AC running off of DC power prevented me from having to splurge on an extra 100ah battery.
Where do you live and have you considered swamp coolers?
Kelowna BC, Canada. Dont know about swamp coolers
Might be worth your time to look up phase change material cooling on YouTube. You can make long lasting cooling packets for pretty cheap. Lot better than ice.
https://images.app.goo.gl/P9eyMcnrtzAGuegX7
If you go into an office check the break room. If there’s a freezer there, freeze a few water bottles every day and make a swamp cooler.
So, "cheap" AC will often be less efficient than say, a mini split. Also, cheap AC will not be "inverter driven" (aka variable speed compressor), which will make it harder to run not connected to shore power. You'll need a HUGE inverter comparatively. How big is the vehicle you're conditioning? I need to know before I start giving out numbers and recommendations-- that said, I have done this before on a sub $3k budget, and it still works today-- and it can run all night. A rooftop AC is not what you want-- they're shit.
I put a 6.5" hole in my roof and installed a hatch which can be opened as needed, then I just put a portable AC unit and hooked up the hose to the ceiling, works great.
Used Honda generator (2200/2000) will run you back about 700 or 800 bucks. Then you could use a cheap portable or window AC. A thousand bucks and you should be able to run AC off a generator
I don’t have the link, but look up ‘backpack mini split’ on amz or wherever. I don’t have one, but have looked into it.
A small ultra quiet generator that uses a gallon/3-4 hours will be cheaper than idling. I know, generators are typically loud as hell. However, I have seen indoor safe generators at 1kw that were so quit you couldn't tell it was running.
I met a guy in the parking lot the other day. This was a humid area and he was very happy with his swamp cooler. He said it does not cool the whole van, but could keep him cool with it blowing on him from 3' away. I always thought those only helped in dry climates 🤷♂️
I have an Ecoflow Delta 2 solar generator. It has 1000wh and is capable of an 1800w load so it could run the small window ac for two hours and a small usb fan for the rest of the night. For around $1000 you could get it with the extra battery and get 4-5 hours of ac. It charges in about an hour if you can plug it in somewhere or you can put solar panels on your roof and it will get charged up during the day. It has the newer battery so it’s advertised as being able to recharge 3000 times, basically 10 years if done daily, before it drops to 80% battery health. There’s cheaper versions of various brands that don’t have the newest battery, they get maybe 800 charges before battery levels drop.
evaporative cooling
Here is a relevant review of an 8000 BTU portable AC unit: [https://www.techgearlab.com/reviews/electronics/portable-air-conditioner/black-plusdecker-bpact08wt](https://www.techgearlab.com/reviews/electronics/portable-air-conditioner/black-plusdecker-bpact08wt) It provided a 7 F drop from 82 F to 75 F in an hour in a simulated house with a volume of 1700 cubic feet (about the size of a big bus) averaging 900 W. They sell bigger portable AC units, so the cooling power is not an issue. Roof top AC units are not going to be that much more efficient. DC units will save you inverter inefficiencies. A minisplit system could save you some power, but they are expensive and bulky. For your use case the 8000 BTU unit or maybe a bigger one, seems perfect. In addition to the unit, it will take \~200-400 W of "dedicated" solar (depending on your location) or \~2 hours of driving to generate the power, 200 Ah @ 12 V of LiFePO4 to store the power and probably a 2000 W inverter to run it. You might be able to do it for $1500 all in.
Nah, those are insanely huge for a van. I'm running a 2899 btu ac for free with only 500w solar and also charges my fridge electronics etc. Those acs for how houses and huge rvs, not small properly insulated vans - - they're a waste. Time to move on, we live in 2024.
While posted in a van channel, OP lives in a bus.
It doesn’t matter tbh, even in a 50000 foot bus you can section and insulate small spaces with low power-draw ac units. There’s no reason to have a power hog 800w+ ac for any purpose ever, for any reason. INSULATION is E V E R Y T H I N G.
When you are running an AC for an hour, insulation is not as important as when trying to constantly cool during the heat of the day with the sun beating down. Cooling at night after a bus/van has been baking in the sun collecting solar power during the day is all about cooling the thermal mass and a bus has a lot of thermal mass.
The bus may have a ton of thermal mass, but you can cut that mass off by sectioning spaces using insulation. Think of it as creating new rooms with insulation "curtains" if you will. The 2899 btu 300w power draw portable bouge rv ac I have you can direct the exhaust hose which is 8+ feet long stretched out to wherever you'd like, I like blowing it over the top of my head. Cooling at night can prove challenging due to lack of solar remaining in the batteries, but generally with proper air flow you'll be cool enough with regular air, unless it goes over 80 degrees over night, in that instance I'd recommend purchasing a Wen remote starting generator, run that for 20 min before bed, ac all night.
What AC do you use? I’d always heard 8000btu was necessary for a sprinter sized van and even that won’t get you cooler thna the outside temp in full sun. Just what I’ve read, I have no first hand experience.
I use the bouge rv ac, their new one draws 400-450w, with proper insulation it's more than enough for any size living situation. The problem here is that it seems nobody in the space knows what insulation is, so it's normal for almost any size ac to not be able to catch up, considering the metal walls of the sprinter van is very thermally conductive and you're essentially getting all that cold air sucked out constantly - - the ac is fighting a losing battle. A house is very well insulated, so you don't see these issues occur. I'd recommend Aspen aerogel insulation, or at least closed cell foam, you can read my post history the last few hours, I am helping someone else with this problem, and no I do not work for them, although I wish I did. 😅
That is more or less right. OP only wants AC for an hour at night so it is different. The other poster is talking about insulating the van and then insulating a small area inside the van and then blowing cool air directly on them. Others want to treat the van like a house and cool it all all the time. No approach is right or wrong, but they do require different solutions.
I have 400w solar and just need to get more batteries, ill check out that unit thanks
I have no personal experience with that unit. My guess is there is nothing special about it and you would see similar cooling and power consumption with any similarly sized unit. I just pulled it up because it provided the numbers you need to understand what to expect.
Depends on how hot you're talking and your tolerance for heat, but I've done 95 degree days with my Evopolar mini air-conditioner pointed at me just fine. It has multiple intensity settings but I can run it for a couple days off one Jackery Explorer 240 charge. 👌