12 Volt Cab A/C

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12 Volt Cab A/C

Postby jrice4760 » Wed Jun 12, 2019 1:05 pm

Does anyone have any experience using this type of 12 volt A/C system? I did try to search on this site before submitting this question, but nothing of this sort seems to have been discussed.

https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/ ... 4567oFQRdr

It seems to be used for truck cabs, and perhaps RVs as well.

Full Disclosure: I'm a complete newb :) . I've never built a camper of any kind, much less a teardrop.

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Re: 12 Volt Cab A/C

Postby GuitarPhotog » Wed Jun 12, 2019 4:39 pm

Even at the minimum rated power (300W), it would run a typical teardrop battery (120Ah) down to zero in a little over 4 hours and at max rated power (3000W) it would kill the battery in 1/2 hour.

Diesel trucks have lots of battery capacity, and often idle the engine to keep the heat/AC running all night.

:beer:
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Re: 12 Volt Cab A/C

Postby Socal Tom » Wed Jun 12, 2019 4:44 pm

Looking at the pictures it has an engine drive compressor, so it appears you need to have your engine running to use it.


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Re: 12 Volt Cab A/C

Postby Aguyfromohio » Wed Jun 12, 2019 7:09 pm

When we started our builds I too searched for a low power air conditioner that runs on a 12 volt battery.
It does not exist. We could run through the physics and engineering but instead we can just look at what sells in the marketplace.

If such a unit existed it would be standard equipment on every small boat and small camper - they would sell like hot cakes; every owner wants one. But no boat or RV offers one.

The best we can get is what we see in little manufactured RVs; the smallest window air conditioners that run on 120 VAC tucked into a cabinet, powered by shore power or a generator. The units for the sleeper cabs in big trucks are using the big truck diesel engine’s alternator for power.
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Re: 12 Volt Cab A/C

Postby Atomic77 » Wed Jun 12, 2019 11:31 pm

We did a lot of research on this subject... what the Others here have said is 100% correct. Here's our version:

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Re: 12 Volt Cab A/C

Postby Pinstriper » Thu Jun 13, 2019 8:21 am

Fans and shade are a pretty effective combination, and in really hot conditions, a fan with a mister takes it up another notch. We bought one at Home Depot a few years ago, sits atop a 5 gallon bucket and runs on Ryobi One+ batteries. Best money ever spent.

Grab an extra popup shade for $65 at HFT. Buy two, one for outdoor living space, and one to shade the teardrop. Heck, buy a third.


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Re: 12 Volt Cab A/C

Postby jrice4760 » Thu Jun 13, 2019 9:01 am

I appreciate all the replies. The small, under-counter unit seems to be a good option.

Can anyone tell me about the Dometic unit shown at 2:30 in this video? https://youtu.be/eqE9ZxLB7RU

It seems to be a split unit, and the Conqueror website indicates that it's an option for an additional $3800.00. Seems kinda steep. Also, it doesn't appear on the Dometic website.

Thanks again for indulging a newb.

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Re: 12 Volt Cab A/C

Postby Atomic77 » Thu Jun 13, 2019 9:31 am

The thing we have adjusted to is, if there is electricity available we will have A/C. If there is no electricity available we have two Coleman fans that run on DC power. I can run them off my battery bank or D size batteries. Seems to work for us.

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