Guest Mike Culver Posted October 30, 2005 Share Posted October 30, 2005 We are seriously thinking about Air Conditioning, hopeing for very warm weather next year, has anybody had it fitted, which one and does it work ? only its not cheap and once its up there not much you can do. Thanks, Be lucky. Mike Culver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ja Posted October 30, 2005 Share Posted October 30, 2005 we only have air-con in the cab - part of the van, and it workds really well, the rest of the time we open doors and windows and use fans - when on 240 volt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Derek Uzzell Posted October 31, 2005 Share Posted October 31, 2005 Roof-mounted units essentially fall into 2 types - 'air refreshers' that work by evaporation and air-conditioners that have a cooling system on the lines of a domestic fridge (and sometimes a heating facility too). Refreshers are usually 12v powered (so can be used while driving) and their cooling capability is inferior to a genuine air-conditioner - they are normally significantly cheaper however. Air-conditioners tend to be 230v powered (so you'd need a mains hook-up, generator or hefty inverter), though you can get 12v/230v versions. TRAV-L-COOL is a popular maker of refreshers, while Dometic and Telair have a good reputation for their air-conditioners. Perceived wisdom is that, for operating these units on 12v, your motorhome should have a powerful alternator (say 110A) and hefty battery (at least 100Ah) to cope with the extra load. For autonomous use on 12v a French accessory magazine suggests (besides the big alternator) twin batteries, a 25A battery-charger and 200W solar-panel system. There are air-conditioners designed to fit in seat boxes (Truma market such a system), but I doubt your Duetto would have enough room for one of these. Eberspacher make the "Mobilcool" portable air-refresher that runs on 12v and draws 13.9A at maximum output. It's relatively compact H400mm x L318mm x W170 and costs about £500 I think. Obvious advantages are a) you keep your existing roof-light, b) there are no installation costs, c) you can leave it at home when you know you won't need it and d) if it goes wrong you just take it back to the vendor. Downsides are that it might get in the way and might be noisier than a roof unit. Can't comment on its cooling effectiveness, but it should be at least as good as a roof-mounted refresher. Just a thought... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mel E Posted October 31, 2005 Share Posted October 31, 2005 You can get cab air-con units, powered by the engine, retor-fitted, but they're a lot more expensive than original equipment units. Roof mounted units are really only viable on hook-up, whether they are 12 volt or 240volt units. Even with extra batteries, better charging (alternator or solar panels), they will not run for long before they flatten your batteries. And remember, aircon units do tend to be noisy. Just look at the wattage of these units, divide that by 12 (volts) and you'll see how many amps they consume. Assuming you can use 75% of the rated capacity of a fully charged battery, two 120 amp hour batteries will give you 180 amp hours of power. Even a smallish aircon unit of 500 watts will thus flatted your batteries in 4.5 hous, or halfway through the night (when the solar panels will not rescur you!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Neal Posted October 31, 2005 Share Posted October 31, 2005 Mike Our motorhomes have been factory-fitted with Electrolux (Dometic) mains-powered, roof-mounted air con units. They work pretty well with all windows/doors closed but there is some fan noise. Like heating in the winter, we NEVER leave it on overnight so the humming doesn't disturb us. We have found that you can aclimatise to the heat such that there is no perceived need for 24 hour cooling. Even on the Costa del Sol, hot though it is, we find that we can sleep okay. Regards Neal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ken brown Posted November 2, 2005 Share Posted November 2, 2005 I toyed with the idea of fitted air con and decided it was too expensive and would not be used enough to justify the expense.I ended up buying a portable air con unit from currys or dixons for £67, the type you would see in an office or use in your home,it fits between the driver and passenger seat arm rests and does not obstruct access/egress when using the overcab bed,it runs off your normal 3pin sockets and uses a little water to operate the cooler which you can easily top up, when traveling I secure it under the pullman dinette table, its by far the best thing Ive bought for my motorhome and was a godsend in the south of france during july,also, if you know you're not going to use it,i.e,winter time, just take it out of your "van".Honest, its a far better option than paying hundreds of pounds for something that wont be used a lot. Happy travels Clive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike Culver Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 Thanks, Ja, Derek, Mel E, Neal,Ken and Aidan For your input BUT, went to the 3 Counties Show in Malvern, wasn't sure so to the Show at Earls Court and have placed an order for a Autocruise Stardream {Pioneer Monet} with cab air con, delivery in March, 2006 I know its a long time to wait but I'll let you know what its like when in use. I do apprieciate your helpful remarks and its all down in my memory book. Again thanks take care and be lucky. Mike Culver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike Culver Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 Thanks, Ja, Derek, Mel E, Neal,Ken and Aidan For your input BUT, went to the 3 Counties Show in Malvern, wasn't sure so to the Show at Earls Court and have placed an order for a Autocruise Stardream {Pioneer Monet} with cab air con, delivery in March, 2006 I know its a long time to wait but I'll let you know what its like when in use. I do apprieciate your helpful remarks and its all down in my memory book. Again thanks take care and be lucky. Mike Culver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Neal Posted November 6, 2005 Share Posted November 6, 2005 Mike Cab air con is an excellent feature, it's something that you will use wherever you are, UK or Europe. It will keep you "sane" in the heat of the day whilst driving. When camped sunshields, blinds, awning etc. should be enough. Regards Neal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest william elliott Posted November 26, 2005 Share Posted November 26, 2005 Mercedes Sprinter cab air con. Recently bought second hand Hymer supposedly with cab cooling. Have tried all sorts of settings but find the air output remains less than cooling. Anybody help an old duffer well overheated;. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Neal Posted November 27, 2005 Share Posted November 27, 2005 William If it is a proper air conditioning system and it's not chilling the air then the most likely cause is a loss of refrigerant gas. Any garage offering air-con services should be able to fault the system and re-charge it. A re-charge only is usually about £50 or so. Regards Neal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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