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Old 04-09-2021, 10:08 AM   #1
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DC air conditioning

We have the ETI-installed Dometic Penguin II, model 640310C451C0 (11000 BTU) air conditioner. The noise is so loud it is hard to use the phone when inside. This is a continuing complaint in the forum that has lead to several creative solutions, such as the mini-split installations.

I searched the forum and find no reference to anyone using a 12VDC air conditioning unit, often called a truck cab cooler. From what I've found, they are more quiet and much more efficient than any mains-powered RV air conditioner.

Has anyone tried or seen the truck cab DC air conditioners in an RV? There are many brands, but we are most interested in the:
- Dometic RTX 2000 (6800 BTU-hr)
- Nomadic Cooling 2000 (6800 BTU-hr) or 3000 (10000 BTU-hr)
These mount into a standard 14x14" opening, and they are single housing units.

Seems the "ECO" modes would be plenty adequate for quiet, overnight cooling in our 19'. We would change our DC system to handle the additional load.

73/gus
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Old 04-09-2021, 11:32 AM   #2
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It'd be an interesting application. Truck parking coolers have been around for awhile, but I've not heard of one being used as an RV AC.
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Old 04-09-2021, 12:07 PM   #3
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12V Power?

How would you power this? Lot's of amps required, I assume.
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Old 04-09-2021, 12:20 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by gklott View Post
We have the ETI-installed Dometic Penguin II, model 640310C451C0 (11000 BTU) air conditioner. The noise is so loud it is hard to use the phone when inside. This is a continuing complaint in the forum that has lead to several creative solutions, such as the mini-split installations.

I searched the forum and find no reference to anyone using a 12VDC air conditioning unit, often called a truck cab cooler. From what I've found, they are more quiet and much more efficient than any mains-powered RV air conditioner.

Has anyone tried or seen the truck cab DC air conditioners in an RV? There are many brands, but we are most interested in the:
- Dometic RTX 2000 (6800 BTU-hr)
- Nomadic Cooling 2000 (6800 BTU-hr) or 3000 (10000 BTU-hr)
These mount into a standard 14x14" opening, and they are single housing units.

Seems the "ECO" modes would be plenty adequate for quiet, overnight cooling in our 19'. We would change our DC system to handle the additional load.

73/gus
https://www.campervan-hq.com/product...RoC8N4QAvD_BwE
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Old 04-09-2021, 12:23 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by HABBERDABBER View Post
How would you power this? Lot's of amps required, I assume.
Proper batt this unit 48 amps @ 12 volts dc.

https://www.campervan-hq.com/product...RoC8N4QAvD_BwE
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Old 04-09-2021, 01:12 PM   #6
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As you probably know I've done the mini-split mod and researched many others. I'll be brutally honest - nothing can come close to how quiet they are - both inside and outside.

These DC units referenced are very expensive (even before battery and charging upgrades) and I don't think they are as quiet as you think. The website for Nomadic units says, "All Nomadic Cooling battery powered air-conditioners operates at or below 60dBA." The Kingtec unit reference by GeorgeDoesIt says, "even at maximum, fan noise is no more than 65dBA". These figures are not very inspiring. Unfortunately most manufacturers don't provide sound data for all operational modes of their units but the high end is usually indicative of the low end. For perspective my mini-split is 43dBA on high and 23 on quiet mode.

In my opinion if you want to stick with a rooftop unit you would be better off with the quieter Houghton 9,500 BTU 120V AC rooftop unit (available through Rec Pro - but currently out of stock). Bolt-on replacement. Only if you decided you wanted to run it off-grid you could then wire it to an inverter and upgrade your battery bank. Not cheap but I am in the middle of this right now. Yes, you will have some inverter inefficiency but I think overall it would give you a quieter unit with greater operational flexibility at the lowest overall cost.
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Old 04-09-2021, 01:27 PM   #7
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Requires DC wiring

Quote:
Originally Posted by HABBERDABBER View Post
How would you power this? Lot's of amps required, I assume.
A truck cab cooler requires an ETI DC system modification. Would not consider without ≥ 4 kW•h lithium batteries, preferably 6 kW•h.

The Nomadic Cooling 3000 is 12VDC, and specs say:
100 Amp Compressor
Eco Mode: 35A-55A @ 85F
Powerful Mode: 65A Max Cool @ 85F; 120A Max Cool @ 100F
Cooling Capacity: 11,830 BTU

The Nomadic Cooling 2000 is 12VDC, and specs say:
75 Amp Compressor
Eco Mode: 30A-40A @ 85F
Powerful Mode: 55A Max Cool @ 85F; 72A Max Cool @ 100F
Cooling Capacity: 9830 BTU

Dometic RTX2000 is 12VDC and claims"only 19A power consumption in Eco mode" and 2000W (6,824 BTU), 12 V.

These DC units are becoming pretty popular in the VanLife conversions. They are also pretty pricey, but if much quieter as claimed, it is a possibility to consider.

73/gus
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Old 04-09-2021, 01:55 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rubicon327 View Post
...and I don't think they are as quiet as you think. The website for Nomadic units says, "All Nomadic Cooling battery powered air-conditioners operates at or below 60dBA." The Kingtec unit reference by GeorgeDoesIt says, "even at maximum, fan noise is no more than 65dBA"
Agree - which is why I am checking here and on some van customization forums. We must hear it in operation before purchasing.

We've been looking at the Australian-made Houghton as you mention, but it has been out of stock for more than a year.

73/gus
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