Window Units Another option is to re-purpose a window-mounted air conditioner. Call us now or request a quote to get started! My van has 2x 200 amp hour AGM batteries for a total of 400 amp hours. This means that you need an inverter with an adequate “surge” capacity to “start” the AC. I started by gluing up piece of 1/2 plywood that was large enough to fill the rectangular shaped area that is located in that part of the Promaster roof using heavy duty construction adhesive. This was both glued and screwed into the base. The fan runs continuously when the air conditioning is on and the compressor kicks on and off as needed to keep the temperature where you’ve set the thermostat knob. Evaporative coolers are traditionally mounted on the roof. Running the air conditioner from the inverter consumes about 1 amp hour every 30 seconds. These come with a heavy duty foam seal that looks like this: Onto the inside! Portable Units Save On Bundled Orders, we sell a few of what I consider the best 12 volt alternatives, extensive You’ll also be following the manufacturer’s instructions, but begin by placing the air conditioning unit inside the window (you may need to recruit a friend to help lift the unit into the window for this part). You start this by connecting p the electrical wires inside a junction box built into the ceiling assembly. Lithium batteries could make this possible but they are around $1,000 per 100 amp hours which would make your battery bank very expensive ($6,000 – $7,000). Next I prepared the ceiling panel for that first (front most) section of the ceiling. May 31, 2016 - Explore Anomaly Ilenedotter's board "Van Conversion Air Conditioning" on Pinterest. In any case, you can jump to that section of this post. Your air conditioning expert will help you decide whether installing your chosen system is the right project for you. Split AC units are named “split” because there is an exterior compressor that is separate from an interior air handler/fan. The most common type of air conditioner unit in vans and other RVs is the roof type. Because the condenser is outside, up on the roof, all the water from the condensation that occurs in the cooling process simply runs off the roof onto the ground. You simply tighten these bolts to secure the rooftop unit to the van. Air conditioners come in many different shapes, sizes, and styles. This AC unit is quite heavy (about 90 pounds), so I wanted to provide some extra rigidity to metal van roof. Finally the ceiling assembly “shroud” (the part that you see in the interior) with the controls and vents is secured to the metal frame with 4 bolts. Most of the examples I’ve seen have vented through the van floor. It’s not particularly quiet but it’s not ridiculously loud either. I generally only run the AC when I’m in hot and humid locations like the south or here in Florida during the summer. Interest free options available **. You can see that in the photo below with the 14″ x 14″ opening cut out. Cold air will get into your van through the front because of the windshield and windows. These tend to be as expensive as a rooftop AC so I suppose the advantage is not taking up any roof space or improved aerodynamics? Benefits of Window Air Conditioning Units. If you are looking for the index page of this project, click here.If you want to see the new build, click here. 3. What About Solar Panels We’re reviewing many of these 12-volt units! I wanted to wait until I was at a point of putting in all the finishing touches where things were not going to be super messy and dusty. Generally the outdoor unit is installed either underneath the van or on a hitch-mount behind the rear doors and the interior unit is, of course, inside the van. I have never used any of these myself and I don’t really recommend it but, here’s what I’ve seen. The first thing I did was to build an wooden frame and support system inside the van. The rest of the time the vent fan and an open “t-vent” window in the slider door keeps things plenty cool and uses considerably less power. “It’ll be forced to work harder.” Look for a window that's shaded by trees, an awning, or another building. One notable alternative to the standard rooftop units are the ones that run of 12 volt DC. The following tips will make the process of installing a window air conditioner a breeze. This means that if you wanted to run the AC for 8-10 hours – such as overnight – you’d need an awful lot of battery power – something like 600 or 700 amp hours. However, a portable air conditioner can be tricky, as it must be vented to the outdoors to allow heat to escape. Have sufficient space to house air conditioner AND supporting plenum. Here’s how you install a window air conditioner. The ceiling assembly comes with a metal frame and 4 super long bolts. I did a pretty extreme stress test with this air conditioner in June in Southwest Florida. Then you have to cut the flexible fabric duct material to the correct length and couple it to the ceiling assembly using the included VHB tape. Ram ProMaster RV Camper Van Conversion - Air Conditioner This is the original conversion we did. Installation requirements for window mounted air conditioners When it’s time to install a window air conditioner, most people simply put it on the window sill, close the window and use that to lock it in place. There are white “tabs” inside – located in front of the foam gasket) that indicate when you’ve tighten these bolts enough. If you can't install a window air conditioner or don't have the room, a portable air conditioner might be right for you. The ambient temperature was around 78 degrees but quite humid. Again, the combined depth of these framing materials matched the other roof supports so that when the ceiling panels are installed they can be fastened to the van ceiling supports as well as this wooden AC frame. So, a simple way to think about the consumption is 2 amp hours per minute when the compressor is running. For instance, this Nomadic Cooling rooftop unit that we sell has all the advantages of a standard rooftop unit but is considerably more energy efficient (up to half the energy draw) so that you can run it from your batteries for much longer periods of time. These air conditioner units are mounted onto the roof and direct air-conditioned air down into the van from the ceiling. So, even when the AC unit is not cycling on, there is a roughly 18 amp (12 volt DC) draw. All the walls and ceiling panels were made from 1/4” luan type plywood that came sanded and primed which I eventually painted. Camper Van Electrical System with Lithium Batteries – September 2019. Portable air conditioners are designed to be moved from room to room as needed, so they are the simplest type of air conditioner to install. With a helper if necessary, lift the AC unit. With local Adelaide temperatures regularly soaring to 35C or more, and humidity that often exceeds 60 percent, an air conditioner can make a huge difference in your summer comfort. Can I Run It From My Batteries Using The Inverter? Or opt for a north-facing window… Great Things for Vanlife. I wanted to finish up all the ceiling panels, have them painted and also complete som other projects before continuing the AC installation. These are fairly inexpensive and generally use less energy than the rooftop options. It helps to keep cold air outside and warm air inside a room. For that, we covered the side of the van with a heavy blanket to prevent any body damage then, my tall friend stayed on the ground guiding one side of the back side of the unit while I slowly lifted up the front side to get it up there. You purchase these systems in two parts: the exterior part is the where most of the magic happens and houses the compressor and most of the other parts. Even this “low BTU” unit is plenty powerful to cool the van. I’m often asked if I could run the AC off my batteries if I had more solar panels. DIY Campervan Window Unit Air Conditioner Installation Most RVs come with a roof mounted A/C unit and they work very well. My van has 2x 100 watt Renogy solar panels. It has 4 settings. My van is well insulated with Thinsulate in the walls and ceiling and in hot (but reasonable) conditions the unit only runs the compressor for about 3 minutes and then turns off for about 10 minutes until repeating the cycle. It's full of relevant news, featured campsites, DIY build tips, events/meetups and more! For travel, you take it off and store it inside the RV. Anyone who is doing a van conversion must get comfortable cutting large holes into a perfectly nice van. I knew that I needed this frame to line up with the structural ribs in the van where I would be attaching my ceiling panels. This can be tricky and dangerous, depending on the height and construction of your roof. Ram ProMaster RV Camper Van Conversion - Portable Air Conditioner This is the original conversion we did. In AGM batteries that would be way to heavy. This video provides a step-by-step guide on how to properly install your new LG Window Air Conditioner. Some are relatively easy for a fit homeowner with reasonable DIY skills to install, while others require highly complex installations by a trained professional. It’s “standard” in the sense that almost all rooftop vents, vent fans or AC units use this same sized and shaped opening. I’ll cover what I used and why, how the installation went, running the AC off my battery bank and some power consumption tests from real world use. They are equally energy efficient. Also they are reasonably affordable. The frame fits up against your ceiling paneling and the four bolts go through this frame and up into threaded nuts built into the rooftop unit. Insert the color-coded multi-conductor wire through the inlet hole at the back of the air handler. Repair the Window: Since the window will support the weight of the air conditioner, make sure it is in good condition. Install the support base on the window sill, and then set up the platform assembly included in the package of the AC on top of the aforementioned base. Finally, all air conditioners create condensation and you need a way for this to drain somewhere – either outside or into your grey water holding tank. Once the window air conditioner is secure, keep the warm air outside and the cool air inside. Slide it into the … These units are “tried and true” since they are installed on just about every RV ever made. The answer is essentially, no. WINDOW WALL AIR CONDITIONERS. In fact, there are (were?) Window Air Conditioner. The bottom line on those 120 volt AC-powered rooftop air conditioners is that you really need shore power or a generator to run them consistently for any length of time. 12:38. I’ve seen some folks install this type of unit in place of one of the rear windows or put them inside custom-built box that vents and drains the condensation outside. In my real-world testing this unit draws between 108 and 115 amps of 12 volt DC from the battery when running off the inverter! I drilled 4x holes from the interior (one in each corner) of the 14” opening as a guide. Mike Roorda Mike Roorda, Reviewed.com. 1 Many are upgrades, but new installations also prevalent. .swp-form-cont-11012{width:90;}.swp-form-cont-11012 label {}.swp-form-cont-11012 input[type="text"] {color:#5e5e5e;width:100%;}.swp-form-cont-11012 .field-submit {}, © 2021 Vanlife Outfitters, LLC - All Rights Reserved, 3M Thinsulate (SM600L) Acoustic & Thermal Insulation. Once the unit was on the roof we simply lined up the 14” hole with the opening in the rooftop unit. Even small air conditioners are heavy and awkward to lift. I have seen a few people install these into a camper van. Another option is to re-purpose a window-mounted air conditioner. 1. Pull the wire some inches through to the other side. The biggest challenge is simply lifting the air conditioner into place. Ideally someone is operating a shop vac just behind the saw during the cut and then you can use a magnet and the vacuum to clean up any remaining shavings. Use your legs, not your back muscles! Our website uses cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. The biggest challenge is simply lifting the air conditioner into place. Determine the Space to Cooled. Then there is low cool and high cool that control the air conditioning function. Here you can see that first panel installed. In fact, we sell a few of what I consider the best 12 volt alternatives to standard rooftop air conditioners in our store. Read the manufacturer’s instructions for specific guidelines, as every model is slightly different. Identify the central point of the window opening, and drive a screw in the afferent point of the platform assembly, sinking it into the support base as tight as you can. Next I ran the 120 volt AC wiring from my load center to the AC unit location. Even though the 120 volt AC draw for the unit is only around 1270 watts you need a pretty hefty inverter to “start” the unit. The straightforward instructions are detailed enough, yet even newbies can install it. using a MPPT solar controller (highest efficiency) this yields around 7-8 amps. Installing a window air-conditioner is best done with two people. It is rated for 2,000 watts “continuous” power with a 6,000 watt surge capacity which does the trick for starting up my air conditioner. With the wiring in place I continued building the support for the AC unit by adding two longer supports directly in front and behind where the 14” opening would be from 1” x 6” lumber. So, realistically you can get about 60 to 90 minutes of use per 100 amp hours of battery capacity depending on conditions. Personally, I don’t like the idea of idling the van engine for long periods of time. To find the perfect window air conditioner for your needs, check out our top window air conditioners page. 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