Is there any such thing as a silent genny?

[Wissel]

As the title says, is a silent, or silent enough not to annoy, genny possible?

I'm planning a build for next year (hopefully) that will be a very high spec, and I'd really like air-con in it.

Trouble is, air-con seems to use around 80a of power per hour, so over 24 hours could draw around 2000Ah. Even if it was a practical solution to add 2000Ah of LiFePO4 (which it isn't as there's nothing else in a motorhome that would ever need that sort of power), charging from solar would need to be crazy to keep up. I'd guess 3000w would be tight, which again, isn't practical.

So if I am going to fit in air-con, and want the van to run off-grid, I'll need another power source. I think? Or a way less power hungry way to cool a van?

Any ideas anyone?

 

[Minxy]

Would you need to run the aircon all the time though?

 

[Jim]

A lot of festivals are moving to silent genny's. Which are of course, massive battery banks the size of a panel van. How much can you tow

 

[Otter Spotter]

Ive seen Gennies in sound boxes but the bigger problem with a genny is the exhaust, so you dont get the smell coming back into the van most position the genny away from from van but then you may be disturbing others with the exhaust.

 

[Jim]

I've had vans with aircons on board for years. Rarely did I run them. A vent fan uses little power, can run all night without annoying neighbours and does a great job.

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[poppycamper]

As the title says, is a silent, or silent enough not to annoy, genny possible

No no no no no absolutely not

 

[Otter Spotter]

David, haven’t you got a Maxxfan fitted in your existing van? Unless your going to the Sahara will that not do?

 

[Dutch 68]

As the title says, is a silent, or silent enough not to annoy, genny possible?

I'm planning a build for next year (hopefully) that will be a very high spec, and I'd really like air-con in it.

Trouble is, air-con seems to use around 80a of power per hour, so over 24 hours could draw around 2000Ah. Even if it was a practical solution to add 2000Ah of LiFePO4 (which it isn't as there's nothing else in a motorhome that would ever need that sort of power), charging from solar would need to be crazy to keep up. I'd guess 3000w would be tight, which again, isn't practical.

So if I am going to fit in air-con, and want the van to run off-grid, I'll need another power source. I think? Or a way less power hungry way to cool a van?

Any ideas anyone?

EFOY fuel cell silent generator

 

[Wissel]

Would you need to run the aircon all the time though?

Unlikely, more exploring whether it's a practical option at the moment.

I've had vans with aircons on board for years. Rarely did I run them. A vent fan uses little power, can run all night without annoying neighbours and does a great job.

Yeah, we have survived with a MaxxFan for the last few years, and as you say, quiet and effective enough usually.

David, haven’t you got a Maxxfan fitted in your existing van? Unless your going to the Sahara will that not do?

Yep - and wouldn't be without it

Just wondered if air-con was a possibility now. Doesn't seem like it is.

EFOY fuel cell silent generator

Sadly nowhere near powerful enough to run air-con. I see they now make a Hydrogen powered version now though, but don't fancy carrying a bomb around

 

[Dutch 68]

Unlikely, more exploring whether it's a practical option at the moment.


Yeah, we have survived with a MaxxFan for the last few years, and as you say, quiet and effective enough usually.


Yep - and wouldn't be without it

Just wondered if air-con was a possibility now. Doesn't seem like it is.


Sadly nowhere near powerful enough to run air-con. I see they now make a Hydrogen powered version now though, but don't fancy carrying a bomb around

Don’t know much about it, what can it deliver and how long do the fuel cells last ?

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[Littlewheels]

EFOY fuel cell silent generator

6/8 amp won’t work.

 

[Wissel]

Don’t know much about it, what can it deliver and how long do the fuel cells last ?

The larger version (210) delivers around 8A charging per hour. And costs c. £4k.

No idea how long the cells last tbh.

 

[Littlewheels]

No no no no no absolutely not

Oddly Generators,Plant,Builders Traffic noise etc doesn’t bother me l just take it as people getting on with their day, but,………..l cannot stand other peoples Music, Radio,TV, it winds me right up.

 

[poppycamper]

Oddly Generators,Plant,Builders Traffic noise etc doesn’t bother me l just take it as people getting on with their day, but,………..l cannot stand other peoples Music, Radio,TV, it winds me right up.

Yes i can understand that.. genny's do same to me... picture scene.. sitting outside njoyn the peace and tranquilty them someone starts a "silent running" genny.
Then what do they do.. retreat inside and put telly on to drown out sound of THEIR genny

 

[Wissel]

So it seems there no such thing (practically) as a truly silent genny that can deliver enough power to run air-con in a van.

I can't find a more efficient version of air-con?

No point running off a huge battery bank if it's not practical to charge.

So the only options that come to mind are:

1. Fitting something like a Honda 22 into a van and somehow making it silent?

Seems tricky as this would involve a soundproof box, a silent exhaust, airflow to the engine and cooling. Seems a faff.

2. Having really efficient insulation so an air-con unit would only need to run say, 10% of the time? (from battery power).

3. Forget air-con.

Whatever, the next van will have some sort of genny inside, but as an insurance policy and not for normal use.

I've carried one in the boot for a few years incase as breaking down and getting snowed in or similar. I've never used it, but in an emergency situation, it's there.

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[Yorick]

Instead of a petrol genny, can't you buy a leccy one?

Will be much quieter

 

[funflair]

Wissel I am not convinced that you will need as much power as you think for AC but of course it depends on the size of the van amongst other things, I have run ours for a few hours and not made too much of a hole in the battery capacity and you need to remember that when you need air con it is usually when the sun is shining so a good lump of power could come from the solar, the compressor does not run all the time so calculations are a little difficult and is the mistake I made when first thinking whether to add it to the Palace.

I wish I could find some post I wrote on the subject as I put some numbers in.

 

[emjaiuk]

Years ago I remember seeing at a RV show an Onan generator running in the back of an estate car (ducted exhaust) which was the quietest I've ever nearly not heard Mind you I think even in those days it was getting on for £4000

 

[Jim]

Due to the intense relentless heat we get 11 months of the year here at Sutton on Sea, we do occasionally see an aircon fired up.

Last year we had someone on our site with an aircon running full belt at 1am, it was so loud we could hear it in the house, the other campers must have been cursing it. Not for long though as I pulled the power to the site.

 

[Raul]

Your figures are to high. A ac will may draw 80a for few mins, but as the temp reaches set point, it will come down considerably. Depending on compressor, but, dc powered compressor is variable. It may only need 300w to maintain the set temp once it got there. I expect 6-7kwh per day if run extensively. You may even get by with 5kwh. A 400ah lfp you can take 5kwh out of them, raising it to 500ah will give you plenty. Run the ac in solar peak production taking less out the battery. That’s the likely time is needed. A 1,2kwp array will yield 6-7kwh of power in summer almost anywhere from 50deg north down. There is a 12v DC air con seen on YouTube available in US that uses about 500w and throttles back as it only maintains the temp. Dometic has a new inverter AC that I have looked at it, very tempting, I could run it on my set up for few hrs. At the moment we do ok with maxxfan and a small tower fan when to hot.
Genny, it’s controversial, the silent bit is seen different by different ppl. You could get a inverter generator at 1/2 load down to about 50 decibels with a acoustic box and a silencer.

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[PP Bear]

Think they’re all quiet, apart from the your wish is my command bit…..sorry, dyslexic

 

[Wissel]

Wissel I am not convinced that you will need as much power as you think for AC but of course it depends on the size of the van amongst other things, I have run ours for a few hours and not made too much of a hole in the battery capacity and you need to remember that when you need air con it is usually when the sun is shining so a good lump of power could come from the solar, the compressor does not run all the time so calculations are a little difficult and is the mistake I made when first thinking whether to add it to the Palace.

I wish I could find some post I wrote on the subject as I put some numbers in.

If you do find those figures, I'd be really interested to see them.

The next van is likely to have 50mm PIR insulation all around, including across the door in the bulkhead. It will also (likely) have 1000Ah of LiFePO4 and at least 1400w of solar. There will also be a sliding door between the bedroom and living area, so only half the van would need cooling at once.

Our current van was designed for 3 days self sufficient use. So without charge, enough fridge capacity, enough water, etc, all without compromise. The next one is being designed for 7-10 days, hence the power increase.

Due to the intense relentless heat we get 11 months of the year here at Sutton on Sea, we do occasionally see an aircon fired up.

Last year we had someone on our site with an aircon running full belt at 1am, it was so loud we could hear it in the house, the other campers must have been cursing it. Not for long though as I pulled the power to the site.

This is a really good point. Is there such thing as silent air-con?

 

[Jim]

If you do find those figures, I'd be really interested to see them.

The next van is likely to have 50mm PIR insulation all around, including across the door in the bulkhead. It will also (likely) have 1000Ah of LiFePO4 and at least 1400w of solar. There will also be a sliding door between the bedroom and living area, so only half the van would need cooling at once.

Our current van was designed for 3 days self sufficient use. So without charge, enough fridge capacity, enough water, etc, all without compromise. The next one is being designed for 7-10 days, hence the power increase.



This is a really good point. Is there such thing as silent air-con?

At night they can be as noisy as any Genny.

 

[Wissel]

At night they can be as noisy as any Genny.

Unless I can find a silent one, it's a non-starter and we'll stick with airflow.

 

[Coolcats]

As the title says, is a silent, or silent enough not to annoy, genny possible?

I'm planning a build for next year (hopefully) that will be a very high spec, and I'd really like air-con in it.

Trouble is, air-con seems to use around 80a of power per hour, so over 24 hours could draw around 2000Ah. Even if it was a practical solution to add 2000Ah of LiFePO4 (which it isn't as there's nothing else in a motorhome that would ever need that sort of power), charging from solar would need to be crazy to keep up. I'd guess 3000w would be tight, which again, isn't practical.

So if I am going to fit in air-con, and want the van to run off-grid, I'll need another power source. I think? Or a way less power hungry way to cool a van?

Any ideas anyone?

Not cheap but silent

EFOY

www.efoy.com

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[John Barrett]

I had a HONDA 2kw 'Silent' for a while. Very quiet at 1/4 revs - as they say in the advertising - but put a load on it and the noise was most intrusive so I sold it. Talking Aircon, these days our three speed roof Omnivent is adequate for for most situations.

 

[funflair]

If you do find those figures, I'd be really interested to see them.

The next van is likely to have 50mm PIR insulation all around, including across the door in the bulkhead. It will also (likely) have 1000Ah of LiFePO4 and at least 1400w of solar. There will also be a sliding door between the bedroom and living area, so only half the van would need cooling at once.

Our current van was designed for 3 days self sufficient use. So without charge, enough fridge capacity, enough water, etc, all without compromise. The next one is being designed for 7-10 days, hence the power increase.



This is a really good point. Is there such thing as silent air-con?

Had a good look and can't find anything concrete but 25ah or 30ah would be closer I think but depends on so many things, remember ours is A class with big windscreen and is 8.7 m although we close the bathroom and bedroom doors so closer to 5m to cool.

"1000Ah of LiFePO4 and at least 1400w of solar." what are you worrying about?

 

[funflair]

This is a really good point. Is there such thing as silent air-con?

We were on a site abroad just after we ordered the Palace and there was a van with air con running and I thought "good god I hope ours is quieter" it is

 

[poppycamper]

intrigued in what you converting as you seem to have a very long and large list to go in/on it ?

 

[funflair]

Not cheap but silent

EFOY

www.efoy.com

EFOY is great for general background battery maintenance but not really up to what is required for the likes of air con, I have one in the garage at home and used it on the Flair to good effect but not fitted to the Palace and don't think I will bother as our power use and requirement is quite different.

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