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  View original topic: AC Kit for vanagon - BTUs?
Harambe Sun May 03, 2009 12:41 pm

Hey everyone! We just bought an ac kit for our 85 vanagon (the ac fits over the drivers cab and blows in through the window in the poptop via a canvas "tunnel") - has anyone tried this, and more specifically is 5000 BTUs enough to cool the whole van when we camp in FL?

Thanks for any insight!!

mightyart Sun May 03, 2009 12:46 pm

Barely, at night yes, but if you are parked in the sun during the day, nope.
That's with the AC in the window and the pop top down.
With the poptop up, I don't think it would do very much at all.

Harambe Sun May 03, 2009 12:47 pm

Thanks so much! How many BTUs do you recommend?

mightyart Sun May 03, 2009 12:54 pm

Well that's kind of the delema more btu's equal more weight, how much are you willing to lift to put on top of your van?

My little AC only weights about 45 pounds, but I ain't wrestling that thing on and off the roof, (getting it off the roof full of water would be real fun).

Harambe Sun May 03, 2009 1:00 pm

Thanks - I guess I'll ask if anyone has used the kit - its from busstuff.net

Cheers

mark

Boegrrl Sun May 03, 2009 1:26 pm

Hi,
Have used the AC sleeve you are asking about. Works fine for me with a couple mods.
I too use a 5000 BTU a/c. I prop the whole unit up on 2x4 right up to the lip of the front tent window. Attach sleeve as instructed. 5000 is minimum for sure.
I have been very comfrotable in terrible Fla beach heat.

This year I have a GW rainfly that will also drape the top for added insulation. If it isnt enough I also have my insulated pop top interior curtains. I prob will also put up the insulated van window covers. I am tempted to find some way to cover the outside of the fabric sleeve- even a plastic garbage bag??
The sliding door and fatal leakage from the poptop are the sisyphian obstacles.
Get the sleeve. Enjoy.
.

levi Sun May 03, 2009 3:53 pm

Or you could do like this Florida guy, and make it permanent. :wink:

Actually, for 1400, even with auto tranny problems, this is a pretty good deal for a full camper.

http://tallahassee.craigslist.org/cto/1108345118.html

wonder how many btu's this one has anyway?

mightyart Sun May 03, 2009 4:44 pm

I think I've seen a picture of that one, or another like it where someone stuck an RV AC up there, the luggage rack was all cut up.

Might be the reason they have no pictures of the front.
Hackity, hack.

levi Sun May 03, 2009 5:13 pm

Yeah it's been for sale at least 4-6 months now.
I've been watching the price as it steadily falls.
Wondering just how far it will drop before someone finally steps forward...

If it's only problem is truly the auto tranny, that might be very easily fixed.
Then again, sellers don't *always* :wink: tell the whole truth.

sbclayton Sun May 03, 2009 8:55 pm

That front a/c unit looks like a standard RV 13,500 BTU unit - plenty of cool (or heat) for a Vanagon. As far as a 5000 BTU unit, it should be fine - if certain modifications are made; you could cool a vehicle with an ice cube if you can control heat transmission through the body and windows.

In 1990, I invented, designed and was prototyping a solid-state climate control system for Riddarproduction AB in Turegatan, Stockholm, Sweden - my client was Volvo. Nice little 6000 BTU unit, the size and confguration of a GM "suitcase", entirely thermoelectric.

One of the mandated vehicle mods was enhanced insulation. See, when you're trying to cool or heat something, you have to deal with thermal radiation; the steel and fiberglass of a Westy all contribute to heat transmission inwards and outwards.

And then there is insolation - the Sun shining in through the windows. If you want to keep your 5k unit and be nicely cool, insulate, insulate, insulate! In addition to better temperature control, you may also benefit from extra sound control.

Use a thermal blocking film on the windows, or at least keep the curtains drawn. Aside from spraying the canvas down with water repellent, there doesn't seem to be a lot you can do with the poptop because the fabric is designed to be breathable, but there are lots of things you can do on the lower level. I strongly recommend a small 12V fan mounted downstairs blowing upwards to try and get some cool up top.

The climate control project died a sudden death when Ford purchased Volvo; I guess the bean counters killed it. GM ended up redesigning the nose of the 92 Corvette to accomodate an R134a a/c unit - if my critter had been allowed to fly, they could have saved a few hundred thousand.

BTW, I still have the parts. And this little critter makes a dandy [email protected] power source when operated in reverse mode - say, inserted in the downstream end of the exhaust pipe of a van. Or a plane (Dogpilot?)

mightyart Sun May 03, 2009 9:35 pm

sbclayton wrote: I still have the parts. And this little critter makes a dandy [email protected] power source when operated in reverse mode - say, inserted in the downstream end of the exhaust pipe of a van. Or a plane (Dogpilot?)

Well let's take a left turn since you brought it up, I've had this in the back of my head for a while, seemed like it might work well lots of waste heat, I wonder how much power you could generate thermoelectricly, by placing a few devices on the outside of the heat exchangers of a aircooled? :-k

Yes you are right about the insulation, my van is pretty well insulated, so if we parked in the shade like here it was fine:

But when we parked in the Texas sun:

Notice the blankets on the windows, still didn't help much.
But when the sun when down, it worked almost to good, had to turn in off in the morning cause it was like 60, but by about 11:00 it only was about 10 degrees cooler then outside.

Terry Kay Mon May 04, 2009 3:59 am

I don't know if the AC unit you've got isn't working right Art, or ???

My window unit ( 5500 btu) plus the unit's I've built & sold are able to keep the inside of the Van down to 60--65 degree's all day , all night.

The only thing I did to the interior panels ( and this wasn't for keeping the Van insulated, it was to quiet the inside of the Van down) was to stick Q-pads on all of the interior inside panels.
I do have limo tint on all of the back window's , and have all of the curtains closed.

I also made a roof Reflectux cover, that radiates off 99% of the suns heat.
This may make a big difference in keeping the heat getting sucked in of the top.

The tube set up's on the luggage rack lose too much cold air en-route to the front window of the pop top.

The tube should be wrapped in bubble wrap insulation to keep the cold air from getting lost on the way to the inside of the Van.

The window unit loses nothing.
It's direct drive to the inside.

What I can't figure out is why your AC window unit isn't capable of getting & keeping the temps down durring the middle of the day.

Something's wrong.

Harambe Mon May 04, 2009 1:03 pm

Thanks everyone - really helpful!

GWTWTLW Mon May 04, 2009 1:24 pm

How about one of those portable units on wheels that vents through one of the flexible dryer vent hoses? http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=1...lang=en-US

Terry Kay Mon May 04, 2009 9:02 pm

Where are you going to put it?

GWTWTLW Mon May 04, 2009 10:58 pm

Terry Kay wrote: Where are you going to put it?

I wasn't planning on buying one but between the front seats seems like a pretty good spot if I was.

Harambe Tue May 05, 2009 6:04 am

Yeah, I just looked at a 9500 portable yesterday - might be the way to go . . .

Terry Kay Tue May 05, 2009 6:27 am

The basic idea of an externally mounted AC unit is to give you some more room to spread out inside the Van.

IF you had a Prevost or a Bluebird I'd say --yea-- go for it.

Your almost eliminating the front 1/4 of the Van with that portable unit.

Nice concept-- but the Vanagon is just too small inside to use up any more room.

Go over to wherever your thinking of buying it, and roll it out into the Van for a test fit--

I did this over at Home Depot.

I made a pretty quick U-turn and put it back where it came from.

Too bad the poptop has to be at a almost a 45 degree angle when it's open.

A Colemann permanent mount roof unit would be real nice--but it won't operate at that accute angle.

Good luck with the clostrophobic portable roll around unit.

Don't forget to drill a couple of holes in the floor for eye bolts to rope the thing down when your rolling--
It is on wheels, and will be doing the highway Mambo inside of the Van when your on the road.



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