Chinese 48V DC mini-split air conditioning - any thoughts?

[Quattrohead]

For a 240V only device, AIUI, 240VAC RMS is 240VAC RMS, and the only difference is in the US, each leg is referenced 120V relative to ground, while in the UK one leg is referenced to ground. The US device requires isolation on both legs, rather than theoretically just one on the UK device, so on this count, I'd be surprised if there's an issue.

HOWEVER, there's the pesky 60Hz/50Hz issue, and I would not want to install something like that without ensuring the motor and the rest of the system are ready to handle it. 

The ac voltage is immediately rectified to DC voltage and smoothed, so 50/60hz is not an issue.

 

[Plum Crazy Rob]

And as well to make it official, 50/60hz operation is literally on the cut sheet


Doesnt sound like what you want Dave, but just to provide info for others..

 

[jameshowison]

With approx 6000W and an EER of 6, power would be something like 1000W for the 18kBTU unit. which is like 20A. Thats managable.

However, if the wires are over a few feet you need to upscale pretty fast, especially if there is an inrush current, which is going to be expensive (long / thick copper wires)...

But in reality, that efficiency is not all the way, so either the current require goes up significantly, or the output power is much lower than stated.

FWIW, when my hotspot 48v system is running full tilt (like just after turning it on arriving at a campsite in 100°F weather (thanks texas), it does run at just over 1000W. So that is about 20amps (batteries are usually at ~51 or ~52v). Fairly quickly (20 minutes?) it scales back to running at about 500W, with cycles on and off (fan keeps blowing inside, just the compressor turns on and off). We have everything wired for 30amps (10 gauge here in the USA). This is in a 19' camper, so it's pretty small.

 

[Dtpmatt]

This looks good, although I don't see that Growatt being sold in the UK anywhere... Any idea why?

GROWATT SPF 5000 ES Inverter, 5KW, 48V, Big PV Input, Includes WiFi dongle – ELP Energy Ltd

www.elpenergy.co.uk

 

[electrostasis]

I'd like to install a 48V DC air conditioning system.

The Hotspot Energy system sounds great, but it's very expensive at $2,000 USD, and Hotspot can't organise the shipping (I'm in the UK) so I'll have to get a shipping company to pick it up from their warehouse and organise all the export / import paperwork. This will probably be very expensive. Here's some chat about the Hotspot system.

Recently I've found a similar solution from a Chinese manufacturer that's being resold by various Alibaba merchants. I'm not 100% sure who the original manufacturer is, but I've been speaking to Candice Tian at Supergreen Tech (www.supergreensolar.com / www.solar-air-conditioner.com) who seems to be very knowledgable about the systems. Here's their product page. (Here's another alibaba merchant selling the same device).

Candice quoted me $418 for the aircon unit, plus $780 for door-to-door shipping to the UK, including import tax.

Has anyone had experience with these units?

My thought on Chinese CCP hardware is a big NO. You are directly supporting communism and slave labor.

 

[dpd]

Not exactly the thread topic, but I've been putting one of these through tests:

Midea DUO Smart Inverter 14K BTU Portable Air Conditioner with Heat

The Midea Duo Smart 14,000 BTU (12,000 BTU SACC) portable air conditioner has the power to cool, dehumidify, circulate, or heat up to 550 square feet with a unique hose-in-hose design that delivers 20% better cooling. In addition to that, this product is engineered with variable-speed inverter...

www.midea.com

Inverter driven, mini-split-like efficiency. Easier to install than a mini split, and at $500 USD it's cheaper to replace than an HVAC tech repair visit.

It soft-starts, no inrush power spike. Runs at 250-500W in lower cooling mode, 1100W max cooling, 1300W in heat pump mode. These are power figures reported by the JBD BMS app.

Heating mode is putting out a lot of heat! Total guess but I think it's putting out around 3:1 COP, it's a lot more output than electric resistive heat at that power level.

Because it's an inverter unit, it doesn't cycle on and off. It settles down to 250W to keep my 25ft travel trailer liveable. Power consumption scales up and down depending on the temp gradient. I ran it for over 48H straight on my 48V/280AH battery in low mode, super impressed.

A cheap AC unit that can basically run on a 450W solar panel, ultra quiet, and no soft-start-capacitor-kit needed!

 

[Groscout]

I'd like to install a 48V DC air conditioning system.

The Hotspot Energy system sounds great, but it's very expensive at $2,000 USD, and Hotspot can't organise the shipping (I'm in the UK) so I'll have to get a shipping company to pick it up from their warehouse and organise all the export / import paperwork. This will probably be very expensive. Here's some chat about the Hotspot system.

Recently I've found a similar solution from a Chinese manufacturer that's being resold by various Alibaba merchants. I'm not 100% sure who the original manufacturer is, but I've been speaking to Candice Tian at Supergreen Tech (www.supergreensolar.com / www.solar-air-conditioner.com) who seems to be very knowledgable about the systems. Here's their product page. (Here's another alibaba merchant selling the same device).

Candice quoted me $418 for the aircon unit, plus $780 for door-to-door shipping to the UK, including import tax.

Has anyone had experience with these units?

You have my blessing ?? buy one. My carrier/Toshiba hotspot has performed flawlessly!