Alternatives to cooling an SMB

[vlamgat]

Originally Posted by andrewpm

I have a 2002 eb-50 w/4k generator with what I believe is the Starcool III (not positive on version though). In the texas heat, its cooling capabilities either don't work very well, or simply can't keep up. I have window screens/reflectors, park in the shade, the whole 9 years, doesn't keep it cool for the wife. I have taken it to sportsmobile several times to make sure its working ok and all the time its "working according to specs", so if thats as good as it gets, its time to either supplement it somehow, or as the wife says, "the van is useless, sell it". So I am looking for a silver bullet that some kind of portable A/C unit or swamp cooler will work and looking for good suggestions that can keep the inside at 75 even if parked in the sun. If you had done something like this and it works, I would appreciate pictures/suggestions as to where to start. Also, how many BTU's does it take to cool an extended van? Gotta save the camper somehow.

Andrew

I have replaced my starcool with a Danhard and the difference is noticeable. For example last week I ran it in 97 exterior heat and it maintained 82 (max) inside with the windscreen covered and all the blinds down. However its really important to keep the temperatire as low as possible for as long as possible. IOW dont let the van get to 80 before the a/c switches on but rather let the a/c try and keep it at 78 or lower. You can occasionally (for 30 mins) or so augment with the engine driven a/c.
And like others I have found the installation lacking robustness. The pipe connections badly formed or weak and prone to leaks. A good vehicle a/c place can correct these but obviously its on your nickle. Sportsmobile is an all service emporium but unfortunately not a master of most!

now if only I could fix my cracked and leaking plumbing this as easily!

[MikewTV]

Daveb, wanted to follow up and say I had CYCLEVAN of New Jersey brace both of the units of the Danhard that hang under my van. There is the larger unit with 2 fans towards the front that had been jiggling pretty bad till my Ford dealer welded a brace to it earlier this Spring. Then, there is a rear unit that was still shaking and therefore broke the metal connections where the freon hoses attach. CYCLEVAN put a simple brace on the rear unit and further braced the front unit. See the picture here. Now, you can also see tons of surface rust. Again, being on a dirt road it is really hard to not have this mostly covered in dried mud all year. Had I known how exposed it was I would have created a cover to protect it while it was new. If I do get it working well later this month, I will find some way to better protect it.

[daveb]

Thanks Mike. Monday it's supposed to around 108 so I'm gonna start the Starcool up in the morning like vlamgat is saying and see what it will do. In the past I tried to cool it down for an hour or two with very poor results. The problem I have is the Starcool partially pulls power off the house system and slowly drains the batteries. The solar can't really keep up and I end up leaving with batteries that aren't fully charged. Starting a charge via the on board charger is not a good idea and can harm the batteries when it's that hot out. I've never seen how far down the AC will take the batteries so I'm going to find out. I'll also see how much cooler it will be from the outside temps.
I have never planned to use the Starcool to camp somewhere hot but wanted it to keep the inside cool during the day before leaving out after work. Right now lowering the temp to 80 in 105 + temps is important but battery drain is a big concern as well. Guess I'll just have to see.

Dave

[vlamgat]

Daveb I think you are trying to squeeze the proverbial quart out of a pint! The Danaher uses nearly all the rated amperage of the system at about 1384 watts for sustainment. So unless you have a massive solar system you are not going to be able to run this system for more than 3 or 4 hours and as the temps get higher the battery output will also decrease. You will need to find another power source. I use a Honda i2000 with an extended run tank when I am at the race track where there is absolutely no shade, ever, until the sun goes down. I set the initial temp at 72 and the Danaher kicks in by about 9:30 am and runs almost continuously until 7 pm when it starts to cycle again for most of the night. Even though I raise the sleep temp to 76 or 77.

A couple of other things I do is close my curtain between the drivers compartment and the rest of the van and whenever the wind lets me I get the awning out to keep the sun off that side of the van. I have also tried to to put a space blanket over the driver side anchored to the roof rack and the undercarriage. But the wind really messes with it forming as it does, a sail! Fact is that these vans have negligible insulation for plus 100 deg and less than 20 deg temps..yo pay your money and you get....etc.

Another thing that helps is to run a larger fan inside the van to circulate the air better than the Danaher can manage. Of course this will eat into your battery capacity and is another reason why the Honda is essential. BTW I chain my Honda to the hitch when I use it at public rest areas or in my company parking lot to try and limit the temptation that sticky fingers always feel. I similarly chain the long run tank.

[daveb]

No, I'm talking while I'm on shore power.

For whatever reason, the Starcool is partially ran off AC and part DC. So the problem is, that while on shore power, the Starcool will slowly pull my house batteries down even when on shore power. Yes I can flip on the charger but dumping a heavy charge into the batteries on a hot day is bad for the batteries and once they reach a certain temperature the inverter reads the high battery temps and automatically shuts down the charge. Catch 22; the only time I need to run the starcool is when it's hot, but I can't run it because of the battery situation due to the heat.

I need to isolate the starcool from the battery system...I need a converter.

BTW, I was totally surprised that the Starcool did hold a mid 70 degree inside temp with the top down, windows covered, while the van was sitting in full sun on a 100 degree day. The key was what you posted...start the Starcool while the van is cool. In the past I always tried to cool inside temps of 115 by running the starcool for 3 or 4 hours before leaving out on the road. It never worked, but if I start it in the morning while its cool out, it preforms OK.

[Roonie]

I must have the earlier danhard system (installed late 06) since my rear AC only works when the van is running. It is separate from the van AC and has separate controls but only works when the engine is running? Almost like an extra AC for the rear which acts just like the van AC. It only comes out the rear vents and has its own fan control. Also the main box is under the bench seat similar to where the espar heater would be if I had one... instead the danhard is in its place. It has hoses running to the engine.

[KTMRIDER]

I have the Underbunk Espar D2/AC system in my van which is really designed for 18 wheeler big rig cabs. The Air Conditioning portion runs off of AC only. I believe the unit I have is 9200 BTU for the AC portion and sits under my bench/bed. It is fairly wide so my build was planned around it. In the desert in direct sunlight it took the van down from 100-105 inside down to 84 on its own, with outside temps right around 100. The fan inside the unit is mean, it puts out some serious air and I would not say it is quiet but nor is any AC I have had heard in RVs. Currently it is only venting out one vent located below where my head is when I sleep so that part of the van is cool. Since I have an EB van I am going to try using a 12v fan to help circulate the air a little better, or make some thermal curtains to divide the front part of the van from the rear. I can also add another vent to the actual unit.
Once the temps outside cooled down to 90 and then the low 80s and the sun wasn't right overhead it was in the 70s in the van and I had to shut it off as it was getting too cold. My next test will be to start the van and have both the van AC and the underbunk running to cool the van down first and then shut the van off and see how well the Underbunk does. The van is pretty well insulated from the Quietride kit, which should make a big difference in holding temps.
When looking for my model on the http://enviro-fleet.com/underbunk.php site it appears they went to a higher output model. That is probably the reason I picked up mine so cheap last year on eBay, they were probably just dumping stock. One other forum member bought one as well but has not installed it yet. I want to say it was right around 1K for the whole thing, you can barely get the Espar D2 for that so I took a chance and went for it. Not sure if the newer model has the same dimensions, or if it even has the same Espar D2 inside as mine. Derek from Co Camper Van did the install and I have some photos if anyone is intersted. Overall it is a pretty cool setup to have it all self contained. It did require Derek to make some cut-outs under the van.
Eric

[witoke]

Listen to Vlamgat! His screen name translates as "burning assh**le so if anyone should know about cooling things down it will be him....

Reading this again I realize it might be taken as a pejorative, as in "you etc" but that's not how it translates. A vlamgat is the feeling you get the day after eating too much red chile. So no harm or insult intended Mr. VG.

[jage]

Originally Posted by daveb

I need to isolate the starcool from the battery system...I need a converter.

Is you're inverter set to share power? I've got mine set to "assist" at 15 amps, so that if I draw more it will pull from the battery to provide amps instead of drawing them from shore power. Left over from my old garage with bad wiring, and I haven't bothered to set it differently.

[daveb]

I'll have to check. I'm seeing about a 5-7 amp draw from the batteries with the Starcool on shore power.