More efficient 12 Volt DC Air Conditioning unit

[inetblue]

Recently I test drove a Coachman Galleria. I was very intrigued with the Air Conditioning. With the upgrade of 600 Amp hours of Xantrex lithium batteries in lieu of a propane generator they claim you can run the 20,000 BTU, 12-volt, DC Air Conditioner for 10 hours. With this upgrade package, their is no generator on the RV. I recently reached out to the HVAC unit manufacturer (ProAir) and I can purchase it for $2,200. Per my request, Proair sent me a spec sheet (see attached) showing unit size and power requirements. My question is, why are people putting in mini-split units which draw less power and thus able to run AC on Batteries (but still not super efficient)? Seems like the better option is the ProAir 12Volt DC unit.
I am purchasing a Leisure Travel Van Unity and I'm hoping I can replace the rooftop Dometic HVAC with the ProAir unit. I need help with sizing the wire from the 12 volt Lithium batteries to the rooftop HVAC unit. any assistance is greatly appreciated.

 

[Lt.Dan]

100 amps at 100* is not efficient at all. It's about what my regular coleman mach 15 draws. Mini split ACs can use half as much power as that, making them twice as efficient.

 

[inetblue]

Thank you!

 

[richard cabesa]

If you could keep the wire length to 15' each way (doubtful) you would need to run 2-2/0 wires up there.

Good luck with that

 

[jwelter99]

Recently I test drove a Coachman Galleria. I was very intrigued with the Air Conditioning. With the upgrade of 600 Amp hours of Xantrex lithium batteries in lieu of a propane generator they claim you can run the 20,000 BTU, 12-volt, DC Air Conditioner for 10 hours. With this upgrade package, their is no generator on the RV. I recently reached out to the HVAC unit manufacturer (ProAir) and I can purchase it for $2,200. Per my request, Proair sent me a spec sheet (see attached) showing unit size and power requirements. My question is, why are people putting in mini-split units which draw less power and thus able to run AC on Batteries (but still not super efficient)? Seems like the better option is the ProAir 12Volt DC unit.
I am purchasing a Leisure Travel Van Unity and I'm hoping I can replace the rooftop Dometic HVAC with the ProAir unit. I need help with sizing the wire from the 12 volt Lithium batteries to the rooftop HVAC unit. any assistance is greatly appreciated.

That is not efficient as pointed out. The spec sheet also doesn't give SEER which tells me they are hiding this data.

You can compute SEER with:

Total BTU rejected / watts = SEER

20,000 / 1200W (12V*100A) = 16.7 SEER.

A good Minisplit will be around 22 SEER, and the best can get as high as 33.

So:

20,000 BTU / 22 = 900W.

20,000 BTU / 33 = 606W.

Avoid the dealer installed solar/power packages -- they are always overpriced and usually garbage compared to a well built aftermarket system.

Also avoid LTV - they have a lot of leaks and quality issues. Used to be good but have really gone down hill in past couple years. I have a BIL with a Wonder which is a wondrous pile of crap.

 

[apcorob]

I have a BIL with a Wonder

What is a BIL and a Wonder???
Thanks

 

[richard cabesa]

What is a BIL and a Wonder???
Thanks

Brother In Law

 

[patrance]

The mini-split does not require much space, does not take up a window opening, and does not interfere even in the smallest rooms. Its components are very compact and connected by a thin tube that goes through a separate hole in the wall. In addition, this system is virtually silent. They can use half the energy, which makes them twice as efficient. A couple of months ago, I had a contractor do a free ac estimate I bought cheaply from someone else for my garage. I liked how the mini-split performed and am considering buying one for my house.

 

[inetblue]

I did end up installing a small 12,000 BTU 12 volt DC mini split in my Sprinter. It only draws 35 amps and can run over 30 hours on my 912 Amp Hour battery bank. The compressor is mounted under the chassis of the Sprinter near the rear bumper and the blower is small enough to go inside one of the upper storage cabinets.

 

[S Davis]

I did end up installing a small 12,000 BTU 12 volt DC mini split in my Sprinter. It only draws 35 amps and can run over 30 hours on my 912 Amp Hour battery bank. The compressor is mounted under the chassis of the Sprinter near the rear bumper and the blower is small enough to go inside one of the upper storage cabinets.

Which one did you go with?

 

[inetblue]

Mabru out of Florida. They are well known for Marine systems which the RV shares a lot in common with. I've attached a couple of photos that shows the finished product both the compressor and blower

 

[S Davis]

Do you know the model? I can’t seem to find it on their website.

 

[inetblue]

Give them a call Omar is very helpful