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Old 07-19-2024, 09:40 AM   #1
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Another Air Conditioning Option

We recently took a trip to Glacier NP. Of course the crowds were pretty much intolerable, but the heat was even worse, with daily temperatures in the high 90's. It was imperative to do things early, as the heat would get bad late afternoon into the evening. Luckily for me, I have high roof Transit and have installed a roof top air conditioner. It was the best option at the time I built the van, but if I were choosing now, I might do something different. In the Transit/Sprinter world many people are installing split systems from UndermountAC.com

They have been making improvements to their units over the last couple of years, and seem to go out of the way to solicit input from forum members. Looks like they are putting out some solid units. I noticed in their gallery section they had at least one E-series install, so I thought some of you may be interested.

Again, I don't own one but have done business with the owner when he was selling Truma Combo units. That was a pleasant purchasing experience, and while I didn't need support to install, I have no question it would have been there if I needed it.

Now the next thing, Battery power. They have units to run off of 12, 24 or 48 volts systems. No matter what it takes power to cool the air, so you need to plan on a large battery bank and a relatively quick way to restore power.

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Old 07-19-2024, 10:09 AM   #2
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The cost of these units is mind boggling. Then there's the unwanted complexity, power consumption, and noise.. all the stuff one is trying to escape by going camping.
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Old 07-19-2024, 12:18 PM   #3
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So - surveying forum members - what's the best option for replacing a StarCool III unit ?
Under mount mini-split ? - Roof top Triligo on a CCV top ? What would you do ?
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Old 07-19-2024, 02:35 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by Scalf77 View Post
We recently took a trip to Glacier NP. Of course the crowds were pretty much intolerable, but the heat was even worse, with daily temperatures in the high 90's. It was imperative to do things early, as the heat would get bad late afternoon into the evening. Luckily for me, I have high roof Transit and have installed a roof top air conditioner. It was the best option at the time I built the van, but if I were choosing now, I might do something different. In the Transit/Sprinter world many people are installing split systems from undermount AC.
They have been making improvements to their units over the last couple of years, and seem to go out of the way to solicit input from forum members. Looks like they are putting out some solid units. I noticed in their gallery section they had at least one E-series install, so I thought some of you may be interested.
Thanks Greg.

For me, I would consider replacing my Danhard with something like this if needed or look at room units. Eric/86Scotty just incorporated a room AC into his build though so that might work depending on layout and space.

Don’t need AC, more power to you. For me/us and many in the East it is too hot and humid in an RV without it for a number of months a year.

Just got back from a few days in NC at elevation. Cool nights, but the AC ran all day. I was at an event and plugged in.
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Old 07-19-2024, 05:08 PM   #5
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My only worry about proprietary systems like this is long-term support and spare parts. One only needs to look at the lack of Starcool support and parts to think twice about a $4k system from a small company, no matter how good it might be. (Perhaps it uses standard parts; I didn't research too closely. If so, nevermind...)
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Old 07-20-2024, 08:39 AM   #6
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My only worry about proprietary systems like this is long-term support and spare parts. One only needs to look at the lack of Starcool support and parts to think twice about a $4k system from a small company, no matter how good it might be. (Perhaps it uses standard parts; I didn't research too closely. If so, nevermind...)
Bingo. My concern as well.
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Old 07-20-2024, 10:45 AM   #7
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Bingo. My concern as well.
Agreed, It is always a concern when putting out your hard earned cashed on any product. From their website:
Parts Quality

"We will proudly tell you where each and every one of our components is manufactured. We hand picked each component because it's the best at what it does. Every piece of our kit is a quality component sourced globally. We feature the best parts sourced from the USA, Canada, Italy and China with at least 50% of the components manufactured in the USA."

And some more ramblings on the topic.

After installing this you will need to find a shop to fill this up with Freon. So hopefully you will have a place to go back to for repairs if needed. This is a much more straight forward design then a Starcool.

I agree the cost is high, 2 to 3 times higher than my roof mount. I don't know what SMB charges for their Danhard unit. I also wouldn't expect to pay $14,000.00 for a Poptop, but it seems that is what they are going for.

If going with a roof top unit you have the weight and space that it takes up for gear and/or solar panels.

If replacing a Starcool, it seems evaporator would fit in your existing cabinet and fit the existing hoses.

When it comes to direct 12 volts to running with an inverter, I could go pretty much either way. I like the efficiency of the direct DC voltage, at the same time when parked and hooked to shore power it is somewhat easier to deal with.

That kind of leads you to the decision point. If you predominately want to use when plugged in and occasionally off grid for a limited time, a roof top unit is probably better.

If going with the DC unit, then of course you will need to understand the power the unit uses, and how much current your charging resource is. Imagine if you have a 50 amp charger, while running AC you would still be negative by a lot.

I think the temporary home units also make a great deal of sense, especially if for localized cooling. We also want to compare available BTU's remember people were generally happy with Starcool's 18,000 BTU when driving, not as much when at 12,000 BTU when on Shore Power.

When I built my van my goal was to be able to keep the dogs cool when we make stops and they stay in the fan. I now seem to be using to keep myself and (especially the wife) cool
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Old 07-20-2024, 11:04 AM   #8
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Good info Scalf. I'm at about 4 months with a residential mini split in my work truck running off an inverter and 560ah of lithium. No solar but I work in the truck so it runs/drives several hours every working day. I have all of $600 in the mini split. So far it's amazing.

Is a residential (AC) mini split practical for most van owners? Not at all but the options and technology, and price for that matter, are getting better and better if you're willing to experiment. I am really surprised that one of the AC mini split companies have not come up with a low mount option. Meaning something more the size of a window unit or under counter unit for the indoor unit with the outdoor unit more amenable to mounting on the back of a vehicle.

The outside mount is less troublesome than the indoor mounts which are all too wide to go anywhere in an old style domestic van. Flexible freon lines are readily available nowadays so the outdoor unit could be on a swing out.

Exactly what I speak of is available but i'll feel more comfortable when they have a longer track record. I mean these:

https://www.amazon.com/Universal-ele...c&gad_source=1
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Old 07-20-2024, 12:17 PM   #9
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These 12vdc systems have gotten much better in recent years but they all require large amounts of power. That power usually comes from upgraded lithium batteries, more solar panels, upgraded solar controllers, bigger alternators, a DC to DC converter, upgraded wiring etc, all of which can get very expensive quickly. Id love to have that ability but im not ready to spend that kind of money. I do spend a bit of time in the Nevada desert in the summer while attending races, so some AC is mandatory. The simple install of a regular window type home unit is very cost effective, quick to install and it works reasonably well. Granted, they are 110VAC only units requiring shore power, a generator or a robust inverter battery system. In my case i rarely have access to shore power so i have a little Honda generator that sips fuel and is very quiet. Certainly this setup isnt for everyone, but at a total installed cost of under $1100.00, i find it a great solution for me. I will say that im on my third unit since the first two cheap (around $130.00) ones only lasted one year due to severe abuse off road that cracked a refrigerant line that leaked out the refrigerant. The current unit is higher quality and on its third year so far.
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Old 07-25-2024, 12:38 PM   #10
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My only worry about proprietary systems like this is long-term support and spare parts. One only needs to look at the lack of Starcool support and parts to think twice about a $4k system from a small company, no matter how good it might be. (Perhaps it uses standard parts; I didn't research too closely. If so, nevermind...)
Yup agreed. I have seperate commercial home refridgeration, a full size 2 section wine cooler with humidifier draw in the middle, a refrigerator and freezer all 12 years old. All are Northland and they closed the the doors. My fridge and wine cooler are pumping hot air and the freezer is on it's second power unit from a warranty before they closed. Trust me I know about proprietary items.

I need an A/C don't really want a roof top but I am scared about under mount because I off road. I have 8" lift on 35's but the over hang scares me. I have looked at Mabru, Cruise n Comfort, and a few others like CruiseAir. I was also told do the calculations on size. If correct only 5k-7k btu is needed for E350 w/hightop but to not let it cycle as it will struggle to dehumidifi the air. I am lost as you. I have 640ah so power is decent. I will follow this topic closely.
Note: I have seen the Chinese split truck units as well but I'm not really keen on mounting the condenser unit on the back door.
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