12v DC Air Conditioner

[luvrbus]

I think it would be quite a challenge to source, design and build a split system that matches efficiency of some you can buy. After considering the time and cost of DIY multiple prototypes for tuning and refinement make buying one that delivers published specs a whole lot less painful.

That could be true to a point but you would  have a better quality system those are made cheaply very cheap in price too,The tubing is so thin removing Jeff's to day I snapped the tubing off at the compressor just trying to move the unit a few inches.I read where Daikn in China makes 60% of the mini splits sold under different name brands here in the US .I will stick with my made in the USA Colemans     

[richard5933]

I think it would be quite a challenge to source, design and build a split system that matches efficiency of some you can buy. After considering the time and cost of DIY multiple prototypes for tuning and refinement make buying one that delivers published specs a whole lot less painful.

Aside from the quality and durability of most of the low-cost 120v mini-split units out there, to me the major advantage of building one on site from off-the-shelf components is getting it to fit where you want it. Here's a photo of one of my basement units containing the compressor, condensing unit, and electrical contactor. The aluminum case is the ducting - the air pulls in the side through the door, and it exhausts through the floor at the rear of the box.

Especially in buses with shorter bays, this will be much easier to fit into a bay than the tall vertical units commonly seen with mini-splits. Remember, the form factor of the typical mini-split is designed to hug the side of a building, not fit snuggle into a bus bay.

[windtrader]

Each of us has different criteria so it is great that a dialog like this highlights different needs. Some of us value the need to run AC off solar all day and others value optimizing space.


In general, it seems less complicated to optimize physical space rather than equipment thermal performance and optimizing energy efficiency.


As an aside, my recent upgrades to solar and lithium have freed nearly a full bay. Between recovering space for massive LA batteries and the possible/likely removal of a huge diesel genset, there is plenty of net space for mini-splits with room to spare.

[luvrbus]

 Solar only limits you to much for me,and besides you can have a great battery bank and solar arrangement and week of no sun without a generator your done lol that pretty much limits you to CA not a place I care to be,You have other things in a RV to consider all the power in the world is not going to help with the fresh water tank that needs filling and  the gray and black water tanks you need to be dumped and clean.I am not the least bit interested in living in a RV full mine is for going from point A to B and camping