Aircon question (1 Viewer)

[wp1234]

After this summers really hot holiday in Europe with some sleepless nights despite using the endless breeze fan I am thinking seriously about fitting aircon.
The question I have is :- Can an aircon unit if fittted to my van next year be moved to another van should I upgrade in a few years time or am I just expected to pass it on to the new owner ?
Thanks for any advice .

 

[ambulancekidd]

The unit can be removed & installed onto another motorhome with relative ease. Some of the newer Dometic units can be used on the go as well as on mains. The hole in the roof for a skylight is the normal place to mount the unit, then simply replacing the aircon unit with another (or the original skylight). Getting the motorhome nice & cool even before you arrive on site has to be worth it.

 

[EuroTrotters]

Yes it can.

The roof mounted more easily.

But I would fit (if you can) a Truma Ducted type. Only problem may be patching up the holes in the floor.

I am an RAC Engineer (refrigeration and air conditioning (not the AA competitor)). I have fitted roof mounted and Ducted. Ducted are much quieter when fitted correctly.

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[EuroTrotters]

I meant to add....

For use on the move. A powerful alternator/Solar, batteries and a good charger are required. Along with an Inverter that can handle not only the power draw, but also the initial high current draw to start the compressor.

 

[wp1234]

Yes it can.

The roof mounted more easily.

But I would fit (if you can) a Truma Ducted type. Only problem may be patching up the holes in the floor.

I am an RAC Engineer (refrigeration and air conditioning (not the AA competitor)). I have fitted roof mounted and Ducted. Ducted are much quieter when fitted correctly.

Not looked at this option but looks interesting assuming it can be retrofitted to my Rapido , does it use the same ducting as the Trauma air blown heating or is or separate ducting and if so space would be an issue

 

[Hellski]

Not looked at this option but looks interesting assuming it can be retrofitted to my Rapido , does it use the same ducting as the Trauma air blown heating or is or separate ducting and if so space would be an issue

Personally, I can't see why it can't be tee'd into existing ducting.

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[Badknee]

Yes it can.

The roof mounted more easily.

But I would fit (if you can) a Truma Ducted type. Only problem may be patching up the holes in the floor.

I am an RAC Engineer (refrigeration and air conditioning (not the AA competitor)). I have fitted roof mounted and Ducted. Ducted are much quieter when fitted correctly.

I'll second that, super quiet.

 

[EuroTrotters]

Not looked at this option but looks interesting assuming it can be retrofitted to my Rapido , does it use the same ducting as the Trauma air blown heating or is or separate ducting and if so space would be an issue

No, you have to use cold air hose and in some parts I insulate it.

Retro fitting can have its drawbacks and the logistics (if those are the correct terms) can be awkward. But, where there is a will there is a way. I had a problem getting to part of the habitation area around the table. Too tight to get past rear seat belts and other obstacles so went through the bathroom. I will take and post a photo of what I did.

TM

 

[wp1234]

I'm sure loads of folk have been down this road before me having suffered extreme holiday heat abroad .
Of course it will never make financial sense to fit aircon for say 14 days use per year but that's a personal choice. I've made the choice and I'm happy to spend the £2k required for a decent sleep question now is what's the best unit to buy for the buck. The Truma ducted sounds good but retro fitting in my unit looks difficult so it's a roof unit for me so I'm now looking for best value choice and where in the North West to get it fitted.

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[jongood]

Personally, I can't see why it can't be tee'd into existing ducting.

The problem with routing through existing ducting is that truma heating ducts tend to be installed at low level due to the fact that hot air rises. Cold air however falls so you would need to install vents at high level or you would get very cold feet and not much else. Nice idea though.

 

[EuroTrotters]

The problem with routing through existing ducting is that truma heating ducts tend to be installed at low level due to the fact that hot air rises. Cold air however falls so you would need to install vents at high level or you would get very cold feet and not much else. Nice idea though.

Truma call it the "
"Saphir EasySet for eco solution"

 

[Robert Clark]

We had the Dometic Freshjet in a previous van
http://www.jacksonsleisure.com/cara...shjet-2200-motorhome-caravan-air-conditioner/
Picked this website purely as an illustration

Easy to DIY install, as it works on a standard 400mm roof vent opening.
It requires a 230V and a 12V power supply, which easily connect to the unit.
All of the 'gubbins' sits on the roof, with an internal outlet inside the van.

Although the current draw is low, it won't really work off batteries and should be connected to EHU.

Because we mainly wild camp and are seldom on EHU we removed it and replaced it with the original factory fitted fanned roof vent, which we found gave adequate cooling, without draining the batteries.

Edit;
You may get complaints from adjacent campers if you leave your air con running all night as its a bit noisy when it starts/stops.

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[TerryL]

Aircon came with ours when we bought it; at first we thought how lucky we were, but over the 8 years we've had our van, it's been used "in anger" just twice! This is mainly because we tend not to use campsites if other places are available, and on the "cheap" sites we use (including ACSI) the amperage is hardly ever enough, think tripped bollards.

It's now starting to get a little "tired" (it gets tested occasionally) and apparently is not serviceable (well, at a reasonable price). Have thus seriously been thinking of taking it off (gaining a nice chunk of payload) and fitting one of those reversible fans that run off the 12v system.

 

[emjaiuk]

Aircon came with ours when we bought it; at first we thought how lucky we were, but over the 8 years we've had our van, it's been used "in anger" just twice! This is mainly because we tend not to use campsites if other places are available, and on the "cheap" sites we use (including ACSI) the amperage is hardly ever enough, think tripped bollards.

I remember 20/25 years ago at the old Albatross site in Spain paying extra to have an up-rated breaker fitted to run our aircon in the RV each time. Absolute bliss!


Malcolm

 

[EuroTrotters]

I ducted our Truma to

Living / Dining area*
Rear Bedroom
Over door towards cab area.

*The one over the pullman diner had very restricted space for ducting. So as I said, I made a duct with large cable trunking and took it through the bathroom.

See Images.

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[wp1234]

I ducted our Truma to

Are you doing anything this weeekend

 

[EuroTrotters]

Prepping for tip to warmer shores!

 

[Bailey 15]

Does anyone know if Alde heating system is air con as well?

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[Happy1]

underbench is definately quite, had a dometic in previous van - all good, went for truma this time around - all good as i liked the idea of adding air con to the cp timer controller already fitted, supossed to work on bluetooth from mobile but not at the moment - thats another story - and via sms if further away.

 

[pappajohn]

Does anyone know if Alde heating system is air con as well?

No, only works the other way round.
Some Air con units have/can have heater coils fitted to blow warm air.
Proper air con needs a compressor and condensor like in the back of a domestic fridge.

 

[Richard n Ann]

No, only works the other way round.
Some Air con units have/can have heater coils fitted to blow warm air.
Proper air con needs a compressor and condensor like in the back of a domestic fridge.

Don't know about air con in vans but building A/C achieves heating by reversing the flow of refrigerant with a 4 way valve. Thus the evaporator becomes the condenser.
Mind you some Mitsubishi units years ago had a heating element to help out.

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