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Post Info TOPIC: Air Conditioning


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Air Conditioning


Hello Everyone,
I am looking at adding aircon to my Coromal Aussie Tourer - none fitted when it was new.
Ordinarily I wouldnt worry but my wife is keen on heading north from Perth - a long way north !
Whilst I have read a fair bit I remain somewhat confused about the whole thing - especially the pricing ! Why does an aircon unit serving what is a very small space cost disproportionately more than houshold air con ?
Has anyone any experience of adding aircon ? What did you choose ? How did it turn out ?
Also I have read that I will have to be careful about adding overhead weight to an older van [mine is 1989] due to a possible lack of re-inforcing in the roof to support an air con unit. Does anyone have any knowledge of this point ?
Thanks everyone.
Mike

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You have hit the nail on the head, they cost more because they do less. A Rev / Cycle unit suited to a 2 story open planned home cost less . Much like the fridge in the van you can buy a side by side 2door with water chiller and ice maker for less than a 240/ 12 van fridge add gas and the cost is OTT.

Try owning a boat that's like standing in the shower with rain gear on tearing up $50 notes, they see us coming I'm sure .

Talk to a custom van builder if you can find one over there they have all the good info on units available , consider getting a rev / cyc unit if traveling in the colder months, much better than a convection heater on the floor .

Another point I was told to consider was get one that runs a compressor not just a heat exchange model they tend to fag out when the outside temp gets up there especially where your going

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Thanks for that Wombat.

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Hi there WA travellers.  I have a 20ft solid van, and fitted a 1.5 R/C split system.  I lived in Broome for 9 years, and as a permanent park resident I paid for metered power. The ac is very economical to run if you have to pay for power. It's also much more efficient, and extremely quiet compared to any van specific aircon fitted to roof or wall.
I've travelled from Broome to Cairns via SA, and now sit in comfort in Cairns as the humidity climbs from sweat season to wet season. It's mounted to the rear bumper, and hasn't moved a bit in more than 23,000kms.

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20ft Roma caravan - Mercedes Benz Sprinter - SA-based at the moment.
Transport has no borders.

Management makes the decisions, but is not affected by the decisions it makes.



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I have a 17ft. 1982 Millard van and I fitted a split system reverse cycle air con that I got from the good guys $350.cost about another $50 for the copper tube and electrical wire. Also you need some inslation to fit around the copper pipe (Clark rubber) about another $20
I have a tool box fitted on the back of my van so I moved the gas bottle across and mounted the compressor unit on the draw bar to one side ,very simple to fit the units come pregassed .The only thing that that you need to do is borrow a vacume pump before releasing the gas into the system.I agree with cruising Granny, quiet, cheap to run,the way to go for aircon in an older van

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my brother bought a small split system reverse cycle unit and had that fitted (about $400), he mounted the external unit on the drawbar, ( I must caution anybody attempting this to watch the extra loading on the drawbar and to keep within the towball capacity) 

the system works extremely well, however the extra draw on power means that free camping is out of the question if he wishes to use the air con, unless he carries a YUK!!! generator!!! 

the roof top models (and there are about three, I think) come with, or can be purchased seperately, reinforcing bars that spread the load from one side of the van to the other, normally only 30 mm square steel tube, this usually means that to gain access to the side walls for the sake of fixing, the roof must partially be removed,
 
the beauty of these models is that they draw less power and can be used, with the apropriate power system, independant of mains power, this negates the problem of overhead weight, as the load is spread to the walls,
 
to try and mount an air con directly to the roof without reinforcing would be unwise indeed, any expert that states this dribble (and just because it is written in a magazine or whatever does not make him/her an  expert on anything)  should be steered well clear of, 

if one was to try and mount an air con directly to the centre of a roof without the reinforcing it would last about 2 miles before collapsing the entire roof structure, causing enormous damage and a great repair bill

-- Edited by dave06 at 10:35, 2008-12-07

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Thanks Everybody who replied,

We are not knocking the caravan specific air-con [there must be squillions of satisfied customers] but certainly can't see why it should cost so much as an 'after market' add on. Especially when you add the possible cost of modifying the roof to give extra strength.

Glad to see 'Cruising Granny' and 'Rowdy' have had a successful run with a split RC.
Who was the manufacturer guys ? I suppose we are a bit concerned at it being shaken to bits given that in its 'normal' life it just sits on a concrete slab and never moves !

Re the inside part of the unit - how heavy is it ? In your particular case did your van need some sort of strengthening so it could be 'hung' from one of the van walls ? Or did you just bolt it on ?

Our current thinking is that we would mount the 'outside' unit at the back - have plenty of room and could easily relocate some water gerry cans - and the inside unit would be on the rear wall between the two beds. Sounds simple but am still a bit unsure.

PS. How do you guys get a picture next to your posts ? Or is that a perk for 'senior' members ? !!!

Thanks again,

Mike and Sue

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I dont think the problem would be in "shaking" the unit to bits, vans actually run along very smoothly, I foresee 2 major problems, and dont get me wrong I am not knocking nor advocating anything and I am certainly no expert on this,

(1) is the extra weight over the rear of the van, this would have to be compensated for or else the "pendulum" effect will raise it's ugly head the van MUST remain BALANCED preferably a small fraction heavier over the drawbar, dire consequences will ensue if you get this wrong

(2) having done quite a few repairs on caravan walls and front and rear panels I know from experience that there isnt much in there as far as reinforcing goes, the newer the van the less there is, it is a reasonably simple matter of removing a couple of sheets of aluminium off the rear of the van and introducing a couple of braces to bear the load of the internal unit, particularly if there is no window back there, a window complicates it a bit but not a lot

the internal unit, I would think, would weigh less than 20 kilos, we have a 3 horse power unit in our house and I lifted the head unit up for the installer, you certainly would not need that sort of power so it must be assumed it would weigh considerably less

given the weight is not your enemy I would think the "other" forces would be, the backwards and forward jolts, when entering caravan park speed limiters, city driving braking hard, acceleration, driving on corrugation, I would like to see one mounted, in great detail before I installed one in a modern van of mine, the older ones have, in some cases, 20-30mm x 15 - 19mm hardwood frame or it's equivelent in aluminium, modern vans are thinner and nowhere near as strong or heavy, we sacrifice one (strength) for the other (weight),

I would not go hanging one willy nilly off any old wall without first thoroughly checking it out

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 me, the dragon, & little blue,  never stop playing, live long,  laugh lots, travel far, give a stranger a smile, might just be your next best freind.  try to commit a random act of kindness everyday

 http://daventhedragon.blogspot.com



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Here is a couple of pictures of the split system ,if you are going to have a go at fitting it your self and want any other pictures or other imfo let me know.I'm no expert on this but I fitted this about 12 months ago. I could not afford a proper caravan air con.
The brand of the system I got was HYSENSE which is only a cheap brand from China,but I'm happy with it so far.

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Hi again.  My split system R/C aircon is a Mistrel purchased from K Mart, South Hedland.  I attached the inside outlet to the space above the stove where the range hood was once affixed.  There is a bit more structure up there, and it's positioned above the kitchen. I don't cook in the van. The bedroom is at the front of the van, away from the coldest air eg 27degC. I had it installed professionally by an aircon/refrigeration technician, and an electrician.  The aircon is on a separate circuit from the rest of the van, on a second 15amp cable.  I can use a 15/10amp extension if I can't plug into a second power point in the park, like during busy times, but at the moment the park is very quiet, so no shortage of power points. I use a bench fan to circulate the cool air, and I prefer some breeze at this time of the year in the tropics.  I love it.  Enjoy!  biggrin

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20ft Roma caravan - Mercedes Benz Sprinter - SA-based at the moment.
Transport has no borders.

Management makes the decisions, but is not affected by the decisions it makes.



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Thanks Rowdy and Cruising Granny.
We havnt made a decision yet - decisions seem to take longer these days !
Have now been quoted between $2K and $2.5K for a rooftop 'caravan RC Aircon [mounted on H frame to be installed within roof] so the 'household' option that you guys have chosen is becoming more attractive by the day.
Will keep you informed of progress. Thanks again.
Mike and Sue

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Still working great no issues over 4 years now

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rowdy wrote:

Still working great no issues over 4 years now


 That's good to hear Ray. Watching these threads with interest.

Aussie Paul. smile



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I have a poptop, and have purchased a portable compressor air conditioner that's suits an area of 18sq metres.

we sit it under the table with the heat pipe ( hot air that is expelled) feeding out through the front vent of the poptop.

cost me $320 , sure it's on the floor in the van, but when not needed goes in the back of the tug . Keeps the van cool and removes the humidity. Noise level is 55 decibels, quieter than my mates roof mounted air con.!!!

sure it's not integrated but keeps me cool and I can use it at home or next van when I sell this one!

wouldn't be everyones solution but works for me.

 

cheers 

Jetta

 



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