Custom Air Conditioning Retrofit

[BobG-ESC]

careful of dB ratings... you can get HUGE differences in dB depending on how they were measured.

I just looked at the manufacturer's info for the Houghton 3400. Some of the manufacturer's dB specs are quite a bit higher than the YouTube video measurements. I also noticed that the watt ratings are only given for the high setting which are about 50% higher than what my Coleman runs at on Low setting. The other thing is that the Houghton fan runs continuously. The Coleman fan can run only when the compressor is running if set on Auto. This would be a significant energy savings for boondockers. I wish I knew how many watts the Houghton pulled on Low setting.

 

[John in Santa Cruz]

i only ever run my AC when I have shore power.

 

[BobG-ESC]

i only ever run my AC when I have shore power.

I am just different. I hardly ever camp where there is shore power, but I like it where it is warm.

 

[Thrak]

Has anybody messed with one of THESE? Supposed to be very quiet, great cooling, and it runs on 12 volts.

 

[Thrak]

i only ever run my AC when I have shore power.

For the past 10-12 years or so we've camped in a teardrop. It had a fan like the ones in the Escapes but that's it. We've camped in Death Valley and various other desert locations and never had any cooling other than that fan. Having AC seems like a great luxury.

 

[GinoandLinda]

Has anybody messed with one of THESE? Supposed to be very quiet, great cooling, and it runs on 12 volts.

Those seem to be popular in the van-life and adventure van communities.

 

[BobG-ESC]

We've camped in Death Valley and various other desert locations and never had any cooling other than that fan. Having AC seems like a great luxury.

We camped at Furnace Creek every March from 1955 to 1962. Didn't have AC. Parents slept in the trailers, kids on cots outside. Some of my most memorable memories. Now I sleep in the trailer at Furnace Creek in April for a week or so on my way north and sometimes enjoy the air conditioning in the evening before bedtime. I prefer the non-shore power sites because they are less expensive.

 

[Thrak]

We camped at Furnace Creek every March from 1955 to 1962. Didn't have AC. Parents slept in the trailers, kids on cots outside. Some of my most memorable memories. Now I sleep in the trailer at Furnace Creek in April for a week or so on my way north and sometimes enjoy the air conditioning in the evening before bedtime. I prefer the non-shore power sites because they are less expensive.

We tend to stay at Mesquite Springs. No hookups. Of course we've camped there with a truck tent and then with a teardrop. The E19 is going to be a very different type of experience. The last time we were there everything was blooming. Pretty flowers on the little cactus. That time one of the park roads was closed so it was maybe 30 miles from the visitor center to the campground but there weren't a lot of folks there. We loved it that way.

 

[meassick]

Has anybody messed with one of THESE? Supposed to be very quiet, great cooling, and it runs on 12 volts.

Just keep in mind that the optional heating is just a heat strip, only producing 4500 BTU/hr. It is not a heatpump that would produce about three times the heating capacity for the same input power.

 

[BobG-ESC]

We tend to stay at Mesquite Springs. No hookups. Of course we've camped there with a truck tent and then with a teardrop. The E19 is going to be a very different type of experience. The last time we were there everything was blooming. Pretty flowers on the little cactus. That time one of the park roads was closed so it was maybe 30 miles from the visitor center to the campground but there weren't a lot of folks there. We loved it that way.

I will visit Mesquite Springs next time in the area. Maybe run into you guys. I have been grounded for the past year. Finally diagnosed as needing a new hip which I just got. We made friends with the Shoshone kids in the area and actually attended school for a week every year in their one room schoolhouse. They have passed and their adobe homes are gone too. Their adobe neighborhood has been replaced with a paved road and stick built homes.

 

[Teresa G]

Are these two discussion threads 'sticky' for everyone or just me?
I can't figure out how to 'un-stick' them. Does anyone know how to un-stick them?
Thank you,

 

[iamunique127]

Are these two discussion threads 'sticky' for everyone or just me?
I can't figure out how to 'un-stick' them. Does anyone know how to un-stick them?
Thank you,
View attachment 1930722

I believe Stickies are Stickies for everyone and are there at the top as helpful threads for easy reference.
I’ve never known they could be unstuck.

 

[CharlesinGA]

Has anybody messed with one of THESE? Supposed to be very quiet, great cooling, and it runs on 12 volts.

I cannot imagine how big the cables need to be to run a unit like this, or how much battery you need to run it for very long.

Charles

 

[John in Santa Cruz]

per their specs (*), in turbo mode its 58 amps at 12V, and requires AWG 6 cable. Thats 700 watts, so my 2 x 206AH LFP batts, totalling 5260 watt*hours, would be 7.5 hours of turbo. More importantly, my 360W (peak) of Solar, can provide about 2000 watt*hours a day, or 2.8 hours of 'turbo'.

* RV Air Conditioner, 12V 10000 BTU Top Mounted Heating and Cooling Park

 

[John in Santa Cruz]

Just keep in mind that the optional heating is just a heat strip, only producing 4500 BTU/hr. It is not a heatpump that would produce about three times the heating capacity for the same input power.

meh, i have propane for heat.

 

[iamunique127]

per their specs (*), in turbo mode its 58 amps at 12V, and requires AWG 6 cable. Thats 700 watts, so my 2 x 206AH LFP batts, totalling 5260 watt*hours, would be 7.5 hours of turbo. More importantly, my 360W (peak) of Solar, can provide about 2000 watt*hours a day, or 2.8 hours of 'turbo'.

* RV Air Conditioner, 12V 10000 BTU Top Mounted Heating and Cooling Park

Wow, that price seems cheap if a person has enough juice to be able to run them.