Date: Fri, 1 Jul 2005 09:53:47 -0700
Reply-To: Doug in Calif <vanagon@ASTOUND.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Doug in Calif <vanagon@ASTOUND.NET>
Subject: Re: Portable Air Conditioner aka hybrid electric vehicle
continued - live and learn
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Well,
I had high hopes for this idea of a "poor mans AC" in my non ac bus, and
still may have some flicker of ideas for it, but I am taking the two units I
purchased back and tossing in the towel for now, live and learn.
I did have good success running the ac units with my 1000w inverter from
Costco, it ran them both.
I cannot say how long or how reliably it would do it but it did work in all
of my tests, especially with the Daewoo.
The Daewoo AC unit DWC-55RL from Costco ($99) is by far and away the better
unit when matched against
the GE unit at Sams, ($77) Daewoo puts out more cooling by 200 btu and draws
1/3 of an amp less (4.6)
I removed the covers from both units and inspected the quality and there is
a huge difference.
There is also a big difference in how the two run, the Daewoo is quiet and
smooth and gets cold right away.
No strange sounds, just a perfect running machine. The GE is lacking and
makes some strange sounds even after
going back and getting a 2nd one.
The Daewoo was my choice to try to work into the vanagon, even though tiny
bit larger and 5lbs heavier. (42lbs)
One place it really looked like it could work is atop the lid over the stove
and sink, I have the standard GL sliders and you
can open the slider and just put the back of the unit out the window. It
wouldnt take much to seal it off.
I think for parked use this would make the most sense. But driving is
another story, having a 42lb chunk of steel behind my head when some guy in
a
Navigator hits me head on is is a good way to get a permanent impression of
a refrigeration compressor imbossed into the back of my skull, even though
it would have been very easy to route the cool air from there.
Its too heavy and bulky IMO and it needs to go on the floor and have the
duct work for venting. In looking at it on the limited floor space of my
westy
I concluded it just uses too much real estate for my needs. I would prefer
about 2000 btu size and about 1/3 the over all weight and size for trying to
haul with me.
The new ac units ARE impressive on power using 4.6 amps to produce 5350 btu
of cold is pretty amazing, its almost there for use in a westy but they are
designed for a 150 sq ft room. I did look at some "cabinet coolers" that are
in the 1000 - 2000 btu range but they are specialty coolers and draw 7+ amps
on AC and are not made in a space or energy saving way, rats! foiled again!
For now.
Doug
Everybody have a happy and "cool" 4th
I am definitely going to change out that heater valve ASAP now.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Doug in Calif" <vanagon@astound.net>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, June 30, 2005 5:15 PM
Subject: Portable Air Conditioner aka hybrid electric vehicle continued
Well.
The results are in for the moment.
I purchased the 5150 unit from Sams, (interesting number btw, in police work
5150 means your bonkers)
I think I must be but then I digest.
As soon as I tested the unit I found out the cooling fan is running out of
true, I was able to push it and make it better but
I am going to exchange this one. fyi
The unit weighs in at about 39lbs best I can figure on bathroom scale.
Pretty small indeed 11x12x17
NEWS FLASH! - IT FITS IN THE STANDARD VANAGON SIDE WINDOW OPENING!
This will make some of you hate life in the smaller opening westy side
windows, hey toss your screen and put GL glass in there. arrg.
Okay with the Xantrex X power 1000 inverter I picked up at Costco a few
years back WILL drive this unit.
The AC has manual controls (NICE) and is not digital, so it has a "on"
switch and a toggle for the fan from low to high.
A rotary dial knob manual for the evap sensor is just a thermostat with full
counter clock turns off the compressor completely.
With the 1000w inverter I have it will start the compressor if I have the
fan switch set to LOW it will not start it with the fan on high.
So I recon the fan is drawing some pretty good juice on its own.
Once the compressor is started and running I can switch from low to high on
the fan and it runs continuous.
NEAT HUH?
Okay, now some thoughts.
This thing is SO SMALL its not all that much larger (okay a bit) larger than
the rear heater under the back seat.
I even thought of installing it there. it would work best in a 2wd vanagon
so you could cut a couple ports in the sheet metal and vent out the heat
from the back
Seriously it could fit under there.
The way this unit is designed is it has a fairly large blower motor that
shares the same shaft for both the exhaust fan on the back and the cooling
fan on the front.
Its a pretty big blower motor and I am sure it draws some pretty good amps.
I would be VERY interested in how many watts the compressor by itself draws
as I think oil cooler 12vt fans on the evaporator and condenser would move
enough air to duplicate the factory blower. AND THOSE CAN RUN STRAIGHT
FROM 12 VT SOURCE !
Is a wise guess 2/3 of the spec of 530w AC? reasonable? Thereby reducing
the AC load to around 400 w? for a 5000+ btu ac unit?
Not bad if it works.
At 39lbs how much weight am I saving over factory vanagon air? anybody
know.
Also, during the winter it sits in the garage, AND when camping hooked to
shore power can run it all day.
Cheers and cold beers.
Doug
