Cruise n Comfort 12v AC system in Vanagon

[dwdufour]

Plain as the subject

Has anyone put one of these in their van?

https://stores.12voltairconditioning.com/ves-12l-1...-included/

Seems like a great option for traveling with my dogs when it's hot.

By my math, I should realistically expect about 8 hours of run time on my 500ah set up. That's not bad!

It's expensive, but would make my van much more functional.

Any thoughts?

[kourt]

Howdy,

What is your use case? Do you expect to run this from a battery while parked, or run it while driving? What type of 500AH setup do you have? LiIon or some type of SLA battery?

kourt

[dwdufour]

I'm going to run it driving and parked. Subaru swap.

My batteries are AGM.



But has anyone done it?

[MarkWard]

How many BTUs is it rated for? I didn’t see any specs on the page you linked.
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[danfromsyr]

the link states

[MarkWard]

[Abscate]

To get 8000 BTU of cooling will take about 2500 Watts of electrical power, not the 600 watts advertised.

The price is crazy
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.ssS!

[Howesight]

We have seen how low the electrical consumption can be for compressor fridges with the advanced technology now used in 12V compressors. In my rig, when running, the TF65 fridge draws 2.1 amps. (Some have improved the insulation and reduced even this low draw.) But recall that these units are well-insulated and only need to fight the ambient temps inside a Vanagon.

The Vanagon itself, exposed to sun, ambient air, heat from the radiator air heating the floor of the vehicle and the heat ingress from the engine compartment, literally functions like an oven. The BTU demands to cool thios oven are incredible. If the Vanagon were as well-insulated as a fridge, then a 12V battery-powered AC system might be viable. As things stand, it remains a bridge too far, in my opinion. It's worth recalling that the electrical draws from operating the condenser and evaporator fans are, by themselves, quite high.

The Teslas don't have the I.C.E. heat to deal with. They only need to address ambient air temps plus sun heat loads. Plus, they have a huge battery.
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'86 Syncro Westy SVX

[zoti]

8000BTU will not be enough in the van during the day. At night, I think it will work.

here's another option that looks more promising.

https://www.amazon.com/Douglas-D20-Rooftop-Conditi...amp;sr=8-5

[dwdufour]

I've upgraded the insulation quite a bit, limo tint on all the windows, etc. Seems like these are popular in Sprinter conversions as well.

[dhaavers]

Website strikes me as pretty sketch... Just me?

- Dave
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86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS>

[JudoJeff]

Don’t waste your money. Even IF it puts out 8,000 btu, that’s too low. Automotive A/C is closer to 20,000 btu, and we’ve all waited for a car parked in the sun to cool down.

You’d need a wall of batteries, and even then would barely know it’s operating.

Samba really should have a thread: Things that don’t work, save your money....
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1989 Vanagon GL Westfalia Camper, Burned up on 7/31/16.
1987 Vanagon GL Westfalia Camper, Bostig & Rebuilt, sold
1986 Vanagon GL Westfalia Camper, Bostig Sold May 10, 2021
1999 Ford GTRV Westfalia camper (30% bigger Westy layout)

[MarkWard]

We ran our 5000 btu unit all weekend long at a July race in Savanna. Ambient was near 100 and high humidity. With pop top insulation and curtains closed, it kept the van comfortable all weekend. The dog was resting inside during track sessions. I was actually surprised it did as well as it did. Of course that’s plugged in.

Where I get anxious is trying to keep our dog cool when not around. To be honest, I don’t trust anything mechanical. So we go old school, shade, windows down and water. If that’s not enough, the el doggo comes with us or we don’t go. Traveling with a dog has challenges, but worth it to us.

Summer is near. I can always tell when the AC topics comes up again.
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[dhaavers]

IMHO, always overestimate the value of shade...

FWIW: https://smile.amazon.com/Pro-Select-Solar-Canopy-P...mp;sr=8-34



- Dave
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86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS>

[Corwyn]

I just go camping.

A lot of people try to make a Vanagon into a small class A camper.

A/C, blenders, coffee makers, porta-potties, showers and other civilized accessories aren't a part of that for me.
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'90 White Westy ("Knarr")
FAS Gen V 2.0
The Annual Baja Rally
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=604813&highlight=baja

"If anything's" gonna happen, it's gonna happen out there"
~ Captain Ron ~

[MarkWard]

[Corwyn]

. . . thats why I don't camp in Florida
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'90 White Westy ("Knarr")
FAS Gen V 2.0
The Annual Baja Rally
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=604813&highlight=baja

"If anything's" gonna happen, it's gonna happen out there"
~ Captain Ron ~

[dabaron]

[Corwyn]

[MarkWard]