| Author | Message | ||
| Jim Wilkerson (Wagwar)
Registered Member Username: Wagwar Post Number: 22 Registered: 12-2009 Posted From: 12.158.159.57 Rating: N/A |
I'm trying to evaluate the relative differences between rooftop A/C and basement units especially for 'over the road' conditions and the potential for running some A/C while dry camping. Is one system preferable to the other? Can a bus w/ all basement A/C use a unit for OTR A/C? I've been looking at professionally converted buses and they all seem to have basement A/C, but I plan to do a lot of boondocking and I want to have A/C on the road w/o having to run the genset all the time. Thanks | ||
| john daniels (Big_john)
Registered Member Username: Big_john Post Number: 24 Registered: 3-2007 Posted From: 75.109.199.63 Rating: N/A |
Jim, I have a pd4905 with 8-71 engine. I kept my overroad air until condensor ruptured. I then started using my roof air with my Honda generators. Two 3000su linked paralel. Ran 12 hrs on 8 gal. gas, but my fuel milage on bus went up 2 miles per gallon. Cheaper than bus air. | ||
| Jim Wilkerson (Wagwar)
Registered Member Username: Wagwar Post Number: 23 Registered: 12-2009 Posted From: 12.158.159.57 Rating: N/A |
Big John, Can you run an A/C unit while boondocking w/o running genset? Thanks! | ||
| Don Evans (Doninwa)
Registered Member Username: Doninwa Post Number: 250 Registered: 1-2007 Posted From: 208.81.157.234  Rating: N/A |
There won't be much difference in power required to to run either system if they are similar BTU rated. You can run them going down the road with a large enough true sine wave inverter. Another option is a smaller engine drive system with the evaporator in the dash. This is my goal for new bus. Given the choice, roof air would be the last thing I would want. After the S&S days and our first bus I never want to listen to another roof air. I also prefer cleaner roof. Don 4107 | ||
| Jim Wilkerson (Wagwar)
Registered Member Username: Wagwar Post Number: 24 Registered: 12-2009 Posted From: 12.158.159.57 Rating: N/A |
Doninwa, One drawback I noticed w/ basement units is they take up a lot of space in the bays. Most of the pro-conversions have 3 units. I don't have a bus yet, so I didn't know the rooftop units were noisy. Is that brand/model specific or just the nature of the beast? Jim | ||
| Tim Brandt (Timb)
Registered Member Username: Timb Post Number: 489 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 74.244.14.221  Rating: N/A |
Nature of the beast but it's all relative some people are less bothered by the noise. It drives my wife crazy but I don't notice it. THat said since I have basement heat at some point I will add a cooling circuit to the same air handler and remove the rooftop units to keep mama happy. | ||
| Glenn Williams (Glenn)
Registered Member Username: Glenn Post Number: 248 Registered: 6-2006 Posted From: 216.163.57.219  Rating: N/A |
As far as I understand for boondocking, you will need to run a generator with either system. They draw too much power to be run on batteries for any real length of time. For over the road, a 4kw inverter powered by a 50dn alternator ( the usual alternator in a bus) or by a combination of smaller alternators, will run 2 roof airs. No generator needed when traveling. That is what I have done and it works great. I have 3 roof airs. I wish they were quieter, but I need the bay space. Food for thought! Glenn G | ||
| Jim Wilkerson (Wagwar)
Registered Member Username: Wagwar Post Number: 25 Registered: 12-2009 Posted From: 12.158.159.57 Rating: N/A |
Thanks Glenn, I'm a little confused about the ability to run basement A/C units from an inverter powered by the engine alt. Some say that is OK others say you have to run the genset. Depends on the actual A/C basement unit? or just not doable? I have read other posts from folks who say that they do run a rooftop unit off inverter/batts while drycamping? So, does that also apply to a basement unit? Again, I guess it depends on the basement unit, # of batts, etc. | ||
| Glenn Williams (Glenn)
Registered Member Username: Glenn Post Number: 249 Registered: 6-2006 Posted From: 216.163.57.219 Rating: N/A |
Some coaches have had the original charging system changed, and therefore couldn't run roof airs from inverters. Or perhaps they did not want to put the money into a pretty expensive inverter. Many reasons. However, with the original equipment or a plan that gives you the right charging capacity, you can do this. I don't know how much electricity the basement units use, and I expect someone who knows more about those to chime in. As for running the basement airs while boondocking, I'm not sure, but I would be surprised to hear about them using just a battery bank. Either way, you will still need to run a generator to recharge the batteries if you are boondocking. Solar will just not cut it for air conditioning, but will help reduce the amount of time you run the generator to recharge the batteries. Great questions Jim! Glenn | ||
| David Dulmage (Daved)
Registered Member Username: Daved Post Number: 278 Registered: 12-2003 Posted From: 142.46.199.30  Rating: N/A |
I have basement heating and the nicest feature is how quiet it is, but I went with roof air because of the simplicity of installation. I do find the noise somewhat annoying. Dave D | ||
| john daniels (Big_john)
Registered Member Username: Big_john Post Number: 25 Registered: 3-2007 Posted From: 75.109.199.63 Rating: N/A |
Jim, I have set up my bus to boondock with the ability to hook up if possible. I have plugged in twice out of my yard. I used the Honda generators for their quietness and low fuel consumption. I,m very happy with this set-up. I use generators while boondocking.Others don,t and can tell you how they do it. | ||
| Mike Truitt (Michael_e)
Registered Member Username: Michael_e Post Number: 5 Registered: 8-2009 Posted From: 75.166.13.246 Rating: N/A |
It will be awhile before my actual construction begins but i believe i want a basement setup. Now my question is what device or procedure is needed when pulling off the highway and parking and shutting off the bus engine with the ac operating? Is there some automatic transfer type of switch that will switch required power from the bus gen/alt to a aux generator? Do i manually start the aux generator a couple minutes prior to bus engine shutdown? I don't want to damage the ac motors by removing electricity and then re applying it. I hope you can understand what i'm trying to type. | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 1008 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 71.41.239.226  Rating: |
Jim, This is one of those religious discussions. It really comes down to personal preference. Professional converters used to use basement airs strictly because they did not want roof units marring the roof line appearance of the coach. Now that most professional converters have gone to roof-mounted awning systems, they have all switched to roof airs, because they are no longer visible from the ground (hidden by the awnings). Roof airs are more efficient and take up no bay space. They can be very quiet if ducted (noise complaints are generally related to unducted units). Basement air will give you a cleaner roof line and perhaps a lower overall height (assuming you don't put satellite dishes or similar systems on the roof). As far as running on inverter and batteries, the key issue is unit size. By definition, roof units only go up to about 15,000 BTU/h, whereas basement units are available more than twice that size. A 4kW inverter will run one or two 13,500 BTU/h roof units, but may have trouble starting a 30,000 BTU/h basement unit. You won't run anything larger than 13,500 BTU/h for very long on batteries; we can run a single unit that size all night. If you really want to run A/C on batteries, my recommendation would be to stick with 13,500 BTU/h roof units. HTH, -Sean http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com | ||
| marvin pack (Gomer)
Registered Member Username: Gomer Post Number: 780 Registered: 3-2007 Posted From: 71.53.153.91  Rating: N/A |
I have a 4104 and it has two 18,000 btu Cruise Air heat pump units in it and take up space in the basement as well as the cabinet. They are no bigger that a 20 gal water heater in the basement and will take up very little space top side. They keep it cool and warm without much problems. I also have a 12 kw genset which is way too big but I am totally electric inside. Gomer | ||
| R.C.Bishop (Chuckllb)
Registered Member Username: Chuckllb Post Number: 1096 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 75.210.15.209 Rating: N/A |
"we can run a single unit that size all night." So Sean...what,exactly, are we talking about (not size--method)...  Thanx, RCB | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 1009 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 71.41.239.226 Rating: |
Not sure what you are asking, Chuck, but I will give it a shot: We have a bank of eight size 8D Trojan AGM batteries, 230AH each (20-hr rate). That gives us 920 amp-hours total (at 24 volts nominal), and we have no qualms about drawing down to 80% DoD on this type of battery. Assuming we stop for the night with full batteries (and a day's drive on the big 50DN alternator will charge them fully), that gives us 736 amp-hours to work with. I have a rotary selector switch on my electrical panel that lets me choose one of my three Penguin 13,500 BTU/h roof units to be run from the inverter. Usually, we will set that to run the front unit while we are still in the salon, then switch it to the bedroom unit when we turn in. These units draw about 1,600 watts when they are running. We set them to cycle off as needed to maintain a comfortable temperature; in the dark of the night they seldom run more than about 60% duty. That's about 960 watt-hours per hour. At 24 volts, that's 40 amp-hours. Allowing for the inefficiency of the inverter, wiring, yada yada, figure even 50 amp-hours every hour. So we could run one roof air for over 14 hours if nothing else was running. In practice, other stuff is always running -- internet, laptops, lights, water pump, etc. etc., so I realistically expect no more than eight or ten hours of A/C before the generator will auto-start. This is all using a Xantrex SW-4024 true sine wave inverter. I have the genny set so that it will shut down long before the batteries are full. So once we've passed the first night, the usable amp-hours per charge drops to around 550 (60% of total capacity), which is only good for perhaps eight hours of air conditioning in real world conditions. That's at least enough to get us through "quiet hours" most places, or a full night's sleep without listening to the genny. If we need to do this steady-state for several days while boondocking, I make sure the genny runs for a full bulk charge before we go to bed. During the day, I just let the genny come on as needed. When the generator starts, the other two air conditioners also come on automatically, cooling down the rest of the coach and reducing the work load on the remaining unit once the generator stops. If we need air conditioning 24/7 (seldom, but it does happen), the generator will run about six hours a day. If we don't need any air conditioning at all, the generator runs an average of an hour a day. It never gets a chance to start automatically in this case; we start and stop it based on when we want hot water. If we drive more than two hours or so every day, we usually don't need the generator at all. -Sean http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com | ||
| FAST FRED (Fast_fred)
Registered Member Username: Fast_fred Post Number: 1069 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 66.82.9.92  Rating: N/A |
"from an inverter powered by the engine alt." An inverter with this capability (big 24V Trace)will run almost the cost of a small noisemaker , $4000 or so. FF | ||
| NH BIll (Nh_wanderer)
Registered Member Username: Nh_wanderer Post Number: 43 Registered: 11-2008 Posted From: 75.76.62.246  Rating: N/A |
We have three Cruisair (basement)units in our 83 BB Wanderlodge. Need to run the gen if we want to run them off the grid. However,I can run one of them off a 20AMP circuit. I suppose an option for boondocking would be to use a small portable generator to run one. This might be more economical, but would have to carry gas. Those tiny Honda and the like gas gens are VERY quiet and that is a nice feature.I wonder if it would be worth it? Running only one Cruisair is often adequate if used with a barrel style floor fan Lasco). NH Bill (Message edited by Nh_wanderer on February 05, 2010) | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 1010 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 71.41.239.226 Rating: |
I paid $1,900 for my SW4024, seven years ago. Since then, they've come down to $1,500. They can still be found for this amount, although now that they are discontinued they are harder and harder to find, and most likely you would be looking at a reconditioned used one. Models without the load-support feature (only found on utility-interactive, "grid-tie" inverters) are still widely available, and 3-4kW units, brand new, can be found for $2,000 or so. That's for top-quality brands such as Xantrex and Magnum; other brands like Samlex and Go Power can be had for less than $1,500. FWIW, If I only had enough money to buy an inverter and batteries, or a generator, but not both, I would buy the inverter. A generator can always be added later, or one of those portable units can be had for a song and carried along. Retrofitting an inverter-charger into a finished electrical system is more difficult. Besides which, without an inverter, you'd likely need a stand-alone battery charger anyway, which is a fair portion of the cost of a modern inverter. -Sean http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com | ||
| Debbie and Joe Cannarozzi (Joe_camper)
Registered Member Username: Joe_camper Post Number: 199 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 99.23.143.198 Rating: N/A |
All converters have not switched to roof air. Liberty is still using cruisair (basement)and there are others. Something no one has mentioned. We have cruise air and on very hot summer days while underway the condedsing units can not sufficiantly cool themselves down with the superheated air comming off the pavement and they will overheat and shut down. This does not happen often but is has happened to us once and I know others who have experianced this too. We also have OTR a/c so it is a non issue for us BUT if you do not have OTR a/c off the engine and need to cool the cabin with your house a/c units while underway then you should hands down without acception be going with roof air units. Moving to another previous question I have friends that cool the bedroom, with the door closed, with a cruisair off inverter and go all night w/o the autostart kicking on. Not cheep 2 4024 trace and 6 8-D batteries to get there. I can run 1 air off inverter but only underway with the 240 amp alt on the 8-V suppling juice. If I tried that while parked my autostart would start almost imidiatly as we do not have a very large or expensive bank of batteries. Again if you are doing a conversion without OTR a/c you really need to go with roof air cause the basement a/c may overheat on very hot days trying to cool the condenser with the hot air comming off the pavement. While stopped I have never had one overheat only while underway | ||
| Luvrbus (Luvrbus)
Registered Member Username: Luvrbus Post Number: 847 Registered: 8-2006 Posted From: 74.32.83.4 Rating: N/A |
Joe, the problem you are having with the Crusiair liberty,and other converters used the marine units took me 2 years to figure out what was causing that problem. A marine dealer in TX sloved the problem for me 200 bucks 15 years ago and never had a problem since. Fwiw they now ask when buying if the unit is for water or land use. (Message edited by Luvrbus on February 05, 2010) | ||
| NH BIll (Nh_wanderer)
Registered Member Username: Nh_wanderer Post Number: 44 Registered: 11-2008 Posted From: 75.76.62.246 Rating: N/A |
"A marine dealer in TX solved the problem for me 200 bucks 15 years ago and never had a problem since." Well, what was the fix? | ||
| R.C.Bishop (Chuckllb)
Registered Member Username: Chuckllb Post Number: 1099 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 75.210.156.110 Rating: N/A |
Yeah, Luvr....fess up... Sean...was just asking Method....Roof or Basement?...but thanx for a very informative narrative. Think I'll print that one. Eight 8D Trojans...more than some coaches will bring in total, I would guess. Good for you. I have 3 Group 31's for starting (Sam"s Club); 5 Marine Group 27's for house (Sam's) and one group ?? for the genset...no problems since purchase on any of them...but then, I don't attempt to run my A/C with any or all of them. Genset only, three hours +- a day, when we travel. My Trace also not large...2000 watt. No complaints so far, but ....one can always learn..... Thanx. RCB | ||
| FAST FRED (Fast_fred)
Registered Member Username: Fast_fred Post Number: 1071 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 66.82.9.14 Rating: N/A |
"Genset only, three hours +- a day, when we travel." What does the SOC meter (State of Charge) say about how deep you are cycling down , and how far the refill gets with such limited charge times? 50% down to 80% full? Or do you plug in at night? On the Carbunkle VS basement debate , weather you tow a car , or go downtown with your coach while touring is important. Loads of old towns have RR and other bridges to get under , far easier with a 10 ft high coach than a 12 or 13 ft coach. FF (Message edited by Fast_Fred on February 06, 2010) | ||
| R.C.Bishop (Chuckllb)
Registered Member Username: Chuckllb Post Number: 1102 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 75.208.228.157 Rating: N/A |
Yep...when we traveled to Nova Soctia I was particularly glad we did not have the "carbunkles"... The "east" is...different... RCB | ||
| john w. roan (Chessie4905)
Registered Member Username: Chessie4905 Post Number: 1845 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 71.58.71.157  Rating: N/A |
Basement airs may be nice in coaches with lots of space, but on something like a 4104 or 06, the units, ducting complexity, etc, doesn't compare to two roof airs, except for the increase in height or looks. As many add refer vent, tv antenna or dish, roof vents, cb antenna, holding tank vent, solar panels, etc, how mant have a clean roof anyway? If you use the low profile version, it doesn't raise the height that much. On a hot day when you first get back into a hot coach, the roof airs will cool the interior down much faster. We discovered this several years ago as one family member had roof air and the other had bay units. Same model coach and same btu capacity; both running on 10 to 12k generators. The roof air coach cooled down in a few minutes, while the basement units took 30 to 45 minutes. The basement units were soon after removed and roof units were installed instead. Plus, gained part of a bay in storage. As far as noise, cool down coach with both or more airs and turn off the bedroom unit at night and let the front one do the job at reduced noise. BTW, a bedroom unit shouldn't be any noisier than wife yakking, and after she goes to sleep, the AC should sound like peaceful music. What we could really use is a new design ac unit that only protrudes 3 to 4 inches. Maybe a larger foot print, but more like a bulge with gently sloped sides. | ||
| R.C.Bishop (Chuckllb)
Registered Member Username: Chuckllb Post Number: 1103 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 75.208.228.157 Rating: N/A |
JWR.....were these basement units vented (output) low...or high? Your argument is sound....as long as one likes to do it that way...other arguments can be sound, too, or?. What do (did)they say..."different strokes, etc etc"... As our faithful friend says, "do it your way" right? Many perspectives out there...who knows WHO is right?... . (according to my significant spouse,...uh \\\...well,... forget it! RCB | ||
| NH BIll (Nh_wanderer)
Registered Member Username: Nh_wanderer Post Number: 45 Registered: 11-2008 Posted From: 75.76.62.246 Rating: N/A |
"A marine dealer in TX solved the problem for me 200 bucks 15 years ago and never had a problem since." Still wondering about the Luvrbus fix. Humm, for $200 could it be some kind of insulation between the units and the ground? Come on tell us. NH Bill | ||
| FAST FRED (Fast_fred)
Registered Member Username: Fast_fred Post Number: 1073 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 66.82.162.20 Rating: N/A |
"Basement airs may be nice in coaches with lots of space, but on something like a 4104 or 06, the units, ducting complexity, etc, doesn't compare to two roof airs, except for the increase in height or looks." In our Sportscar the basement air fit very nicely into the old screened area that used to hold the condenser.It simply delivers thru the floor , so ZERO is lost to ducting. Air is delivered between the salon and galley where we are during the day , and does cool the entire coach . Day times there IS a temp differential when going to the rear of the coach , not much , no additional fans day.Sleeping at night its plenty cool and were 20+ ft from the basement mounted compressor & fans. "As many add refer vent, tv antenna or dish, roof vents, cb antenna, holding tank vent, solar panels, etc, how mant have a clean roof anyway?" For bus campers this is fine , but if one hopes to be a "movie star" the exterior must look stock , from ground level. In LA, NYC or Toronto there is sometimes movie CA$H for a stock looking coach. For folks that use the noisemaker down the road , the carbunkle is great , faster cooling and who would hear it anyway over the traffic noise? FF | ||
| Luvrbus (Luvrbus)
Registered Member Username: Luvrbus Post Number: 848 Registered: 8-2006 Posted From: 74.32.83.4 Rating: N/A |
NhBill, I am trying to find the invoice on the repairs so I don't misinform you guys on the 3 items he changed out on each unit. good luck | ||
| Debbie and Joe Cannarozzi (Joe_camper)
Registered Member Username: Joe_camper Post Number: 200 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 99.23.137.191 Rating: N/A |
You cannot confuse a marine unit with a non marine unit and I would be very interested to see how it could be installed in a bus because they use lake water to cool the condensor in a marine unit????????????????????????. My units are charged perfectly work wonderfully. I dont care who you are when you are trying to cool down a condensor with 150 degree+ air comming off hot pavement, It ain't gonna happen very good and for too long. The original question for this post was if you do not have OTR a/c what house air is better. ROOF AIR my friends thats the safe ticket for this cenerio, not to mention they are half the price and very redily available. | ||
| Debbie and Joe Cannarozzi (Joe_camper)
Registered Member Username: Joe_camper Post Number: 201 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 99.23.137.191 Rating: N/A |
Cruise air does not have ANY ducting between the basement and the cabin. These units are just like a central air for a home the only thing that connects the condensing unit in the basement and the evaporator in the cabin is freon lines and electrical connections. I guess we should specify here for discussion sake cruise air is very different in this aspect from "true basement type" that DO require ducting. | ||
| Luvrbus (Luvrbus)
Registered Member Username: Luvrbus Post Number: 849 Registered: 8-2006 Posted From: 74.32.83.4 Rating: N/A |
That's not true with the older units Joe and Cruiseair does make a basement type unit now.I just installed 2 | ||
| Tom Christman (Tchristman)
Registered Member Username: Tchristman Post Number: 176 Registered: 1-2006 Posted From: 66.218.33.156 Rating: N/A |
Since my truck conversion is 13ft high then up to 13'6" over the garage, I have to use basement air. I don't like the cost of basement airs, so I'm using Duotherm Penguins (2) since they have a squirrel cage blower for the condenser that can be ducted. Then I'll have the best of both worlds-a basement air that is under $900 each, that everyone that works on a roof air can work on and is easily replaceable if needed. In the cab of the truck where I'll have my office where the old sleeper used to be, I'm using a 7,000btu/hr truck under bunk A/C. In my bus I have three roof airs-that we usually use 2 at a time. I once kicked on all three in 107 degree weather, and looked back to see my wife in a sweater. Good Luck, TomC | ||
| john w. roan (Chessie4905)
Registered Member Username: Chessie4905 Post Number: 1847 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 71.58.71.157 Rating: N/A |
I'm not renting my coach to Hollywood to jump missing bridges; use Fred's. Since when is the space that used to hold a condenser in the past not lost space? Basement air will work, but in a 35 footer, you'll lose valuable space including duct work unless you blow through one hole and have uneven cooling. Whatever you prefer is your choice. | ||
| Jack Conrad (Jackconrad)
Registered Member Username: Jackconrad Post Number: 1216 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 74.4.63.215  Rating: N/A |
We have a basement AC in our 40' MC-8 and it takes up approx. 1/3 of our rear bay The other 2/3 is tanks, pumps, and water heater. Since we did an 8" roof raise, we were able to lower inside ceiling 5" for an overall ceiling height increase of 3" and have a 5" space for all the ductwork as well as for wiring conduit. This was a lot of additional work for us when converting the coach. Our reason to not use roof ACs was becasue of a hearing problem I have, it is very difficult to carry on a conversation or watch TV with the fan noise of a roof AC in the background. Our system was done 10 years ago, the new roof ACs may be better? There is no right or wrong way. You need to look at YOUR requirements and decide what will work best for YOU. If space is more important, definately go with roof ACs, if you have other considerations, only you can make that decision. Jack | ||
| Jim Wilkerson (Wagwar)
Registered Member Username: Wagwar Post Number: 27 Registered: 12-2009 Posted From: 12.158.159.62 Rating: N/A |
Thanks to all for great info. I understand the 'religious' component of this discussion - Thanks Sean! One seller (salesman) has claimed that rooftop A/C is the ONLY way to go. He says that basement A/C including cruise Air are very difficult to repair, no one knows how to work on them and most repair facilities will have not parts for these types of A/C. He says all RV facilities and most RV Sales businesses will have parts and repair facilities for rooftop A/C. Plus they all carry replacement units. Is this generally true or is he just trying to sell me his bus (coincidentally has rooftop A/C!) Thanks! | ||
| R.C.Bishop (Chuckllb)
Registered Member Username: Chuckllb Post Number: 1110 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 75.208.242.186 Rating: |
".....just trying to sell me his bus (coincidentally has rooftop A/C!) "....... FWIW RCB | ||
| marvin pack (Gomer)
Registered Member Username: Gomer Post Number: 792 Registered: 3-2007 Posted From: 71.53.153.91 Rating: |
I have found that if you look around at local supply houses, asking questions,You will find that about 90% can be purchased locally. Sometimes they may have to order it but most of the time will be cheaper than OEM stuff. I have dealt with a supplier[Johnstone supply and Totalline] and found everything that I needed to repair any a/c unit made. The cost is variable from store to store too. My thought Gomer | ||
| R.C.Bishop (Chuckllb)
Registered Member Username: Chuckllb Post Number: 1113 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 75.208.242.186 Rating: N/A |
Agree. Gomer! RCB | ||
| Greg Smith (Pawsbus)
Registered Member Username: Pawsbus Post Number: 18 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 24.109.118.225 Rating: N/A |
I am using a portable air conditioner that exhausts out the window. You can put it anywhere in the bus, out any window. It is on wheels and has 2 exhaust tubes. If we're not in the bus, we use it in the house. It is a Danby DPAC120068. It's a 12000 BTU A/C and a dehumidifier. Works great and good price (about $400 ) Greg | ||
| R.C.Bishop (Chuckllb)
Registered Member Username: Chuckllb Post Number: 1114 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 75.210.141.147 Rating: N/A |
Greg....is that a true A/C (frigid air) or swamp cooler type (water and filter)? The dehumidifier bit I suppose is the answer. 120 volt, I would guess? What size exhaust? (hose, or???) Run off inverter as you "go down the road"? Thanx, RCB (Message edited by Chuckllb on February 12, 2010) | ||
| Cory hart (Chart1)
Registered Member Username: Chart1 Post Number: 2 Registered: 1-2010 Posted From: 64.16.170.170 Rating: N/A |
I have 2 coleman mach 15 rooftops I can cool my whole bus with one of these running in 100 degree weather. I have been using them for 5 years so far and no problems yet...knocking on wood !!! | ||
| Greg Smith (Pawsbus)
Registered Member Username: Pawsbus Post Number: 19 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 24.109.118.225 Rating: N/A |
Hi RC I am guessing that it is called a swamp cooler. It runs on 120v. The intake and exhaust hoses are approx. 4 inch. I imagine it will run off an inverter. When it comes to inverters, I'm as dumb as a hoe handle. Greg | ||
| George M. Todd (George_todd)
Registered Member Username: George_todd Post Number: 4 Registered: 2-2010 Posted From: 99.39.13.50 Rating: N/A |
As an air conditioning contractor, two or three things need to be cleared up! 1. ALL air conditioners have the same major components, eg compressor, evaporator, condenser, start capacitor, run capacitor, contactor, thermostat, and with roof airs, one motor with two shafts. Basement airs usually have seperate condenser and evaporator blower motors. Any reasonably qualified air conditioning company can work on either, period. 2. Its hot on roofs with the sun shining too. Either type of unit will trip if it can't get enough air through its condenser to properly cool it. A basement air will run fine if its properly installed, and the condenser coil is kept clean. 3. The unit described above is a refrigerated air conditioner. Note the two hoses run to the outside for condenser cooling and hot exhaust. You have to drain the condensation out of it every few hours in humid climates. G | ||
| Jack Fids (Jack_fids)
Registered Member Username: Jack_fids Post Number: 11 Registered: 1-2009 Posted From: 166.183.80.78 Rating: N/A |
I like concise & succinct....thanks George! |
