Off grid air

[86Scotty]

Originally Posted by daveb

Yep ain't that the truth. Big battery bank... It would be large and expensive.

It is, and the problem is that it would be a constantly, heavily abused battery bank, meaning it would require replacement often and provide the owner with constant frustration. I hate to dance around the issue as I also want it to be true but no one I know has ever pulled it off. Earthroamer or the like might do it, but their owners probably don't care about occasionally replacing a huge multi-thousand dollar lithium bank.

[daveb]

I guess we're trending back into pros/cons of lithium systems which is not really what the OP was after. SMB said it would take 3000 watts to run my Starcool. Maybe apples and oranges but load is load. What is the startup load on that air conditioner unit? I'd never want to use my inverter at or close to 100% while supplying a high amp load. I understand that the start surge current is momentary but while flat out running for long periods in time, supplying a current close to max for the inverter might be an issue. There is a reason inverters have fins and fans. If that bike seat is rated for 300 lbs it might take some blows from my 300 lb fat ass but for how long.

[DCHitt]

Originally Posted by Scalf77

Eric is correct, the amount of time that you could run the air has been extended by adding battery capacity, but not really enough to make it worth while.

Now it seems that Sportsmobile does say that their air conditioners can run off of their 2000 watt inverter, which I do believe is Magnum.

So have you talked to Sportsmoble? The magnum 2000 does have pretty good surge power specs. Dometic is not very good at listing their specs.

You need to make Magnum and Sporstmobile talk to each other. One is saying one thing, and the other the opposite.

What error is your Magnum displaying?
I see this as a option for someone with pets, that need to provide cooling for short breaks , as they are away.

I have a 13.5kbtu AC from Sportsmobile and 200 AHours AGM battery.

The 2000 watt Magnum will NOT start both the fan and the compressor at the same time but if I wait for the fan to come up (in the heat position) before switching to AC then the Magnum is able to start the compressor.

I have used the AC from battery for a short peroid (1 hr) to keep the cat cool while we had lunch.

So it is possible but I have a white van. It was cooled down already from the dash and rear evaporators when I stopped for lunch.

The roof compressor was cycling and the fan runs all the time.

I think it is a better idea to just leave the motor running with the dash AC on. I have a gas engine in my Promaster.

[COkid]

Originally Posted by DCHitt

I have a 13.5kbtu AC from Sportsmobile and 200 AHours AGM battery.

The 2000 watt Magnum will NOT start both the fan and the compressor at the same time but if I wait for the fan to come up (in the heat position) before switching to AC then the Magnum is able to start the compressor.

I have used the AC from battery for a short peroid (1 hr) ...

I'll echo DCHitt's experience. We have the same battery/inverter setup and it definitely will run the 13.5k BTU AC. So, SMB's claim is legit with the caveat that you can't run for very long.

[Kelp]

I installed a soft start (not a hard start) from
Micro-Air. I have not tried it on a hot day but it seems to run fine now.

[4x4sporty]

I was reading this post the other day and then I stumbled across this
2013 CarMate 100% Solar Heated and Cooled Over The Top Cargo Trailer : August 2014

I thought it would be fodder for some interesting discussion.

[ShuttlePilot]

Originally Posted by 4x4sporty

I thought it would be fodder for some interesting discussion.

Our language…you might say our language lacks a word.
We have the word impossible, but we need to differentiate between two sorts of things.
The impossible is that which by definition can never be done.
We need another word: unpossible.
That which can’t be done just yet.

- kaleidoscope jukebox

I still think the application of house/grid level electricity and appliances is in the near future. The current obstacle I see is the available equipment needs to break it's bonds of being designed around 1950's 12 volt auto electrics. I think it was Scaff77 that shared this video in a similar thread. It's a leap in the right direction but there is still more capability left on the table IMHO.

- Eric

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofCcnxJxzeE