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Simple setup for truck camper A/C

TravelSolar

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Jul 20, 2024
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Hello! I’m looking to build a simple 12v system to run a 5000btu window unit in my foamie (r10 insulated ) truck camper.
A little background , I love to take my kids stealth camping places ..we sometimes bounce down the coast in FL or visit Colorado . We usually do 4-7 days with one night in a hotel in the middle to refresh (charge batteries)
So ill need enough charging or wh to have Air conditioning at night (8hrs but eco
Mode. It’s super insulated)) for preferably 3-4 nights or indefinate



Here’s what I’m thinking

-

-Litime 12V 400Ah LiFePO4 Lithium Battery 3200W Max. Load Power Group 8D Battery Built-in 250A BMS 5120Wh Usable Energy $1020​

Maybe 2?
-__________

-LiTime 3000W Pure Sine Wave Inverter Charger, 12V DC to 120V AC Inverter w/LCD Remote Panel, 5A to 45A Adjustable Charging Current, Surge 9000W Inverter.​

Or
Giandel

3000 Watt Pure Sine Wave Power Inverter ETL UL458 listed 12 V to 110/120 Vac 4 Outlets plus a 40 Amps Hardwire Terminal​

Then add a quick charger? What do you recommend?

- for solar panels I’m looking for recommendations (they’ll be on top a smaller
Foamie) wanting stationary as we stealth camp a lot.so those fold outs are a no
Go

- can I use an inverter off the truck battery to charge while driving ?

I would love to have a system that charges when I drive , has solar (400W?), and a way to quick charge when shore power is available or on nights I get a hotel etc

Thank you for recommendations!
 
What is the starting amperage of the window air conditioner?

I run a 24V inverter in my truck camper and ran the 11K BTU roof air off the battery with no solar panels in this video.

With the compressor running, the roof air load on high was 55A at 26V. That is 1400W. A 5K BTU window unit will probably draw around 600 to 700W which on a 12V system would be around 25A. The run time on the 400Ah battery might be around 6 hours.

It is the starting amps that will matter on whether the inverter and battery can power it. The initial surge can be as much as 3 times running amps. With an inverter type unit there isn't any high initial surge, later in the video I show the inverter heat pump ramping up on amps and speed. I would suggest looking for an inverter type window air like the Midea if possible.

As for using the inverter to charge, I do have such a setup.

But unless you have a need for really high amperage charging or need to convert from 12V to 24V, it would be more efficient to charge using just the alternator. Each time a conversion takes place, there is power loss.

Battery choice should be bluetooth capable so data can be pulled from the BMS. I own a few batteries that do not have BT communication but these are in applications where I never run hard or utilize most of the capacity on a regular basis. I would not use a battery that doesn't have any ability to monitor in a critical application such as running a freezer/fridge.

As for inverters, even though the second video shows the Giandel mounted in the truck, I do not use that inverter on a regular basis.
 

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