12 V AC unit

[agupta122]

Dometic does not make a 12v AC unit.
Only Nomadic and Velit do.
Nomadic is high price.
Needing recommendation if it will do the job, and which one, the "mini" or 2000R model

Stay Comfortable Anywhere with Our RV and Camper Van Heating and AC So

Velit specializes in providing high-quality heating and AC solutions for RVs and camper vans. From compact heaters to efficient air conditioning units, we've got you covered for all your comfort needs on the road. Stay cozy in the winter and cool in the summer with our reliable and affordable...

velitcamping.com

 

[Daniel]

We use the Dometic RTX 2000 which is a 12v unit. It works great and on a 144 it only draws 28 amps per hour. I have this exact RTX 2000 on my personal build.

Dometic RTX 2000

Dometic RTX 2000 - Truck Air Conditioner, 2000W (6,824 BTU), 12 V **NOTE: If you choose to use the RTX on the roof of an RV, please contact the Dometic support team for more information**

www.dometic.com

You would also need the following adapter for a 144 in the most rear position.

Dometic RTX 2000 Air Conditioner Adapter for NCV3 & VS30 Sprinter

Discover efficient cooling with Dometic RTX 2000 Air Conditioner Adapter for NCV3 & VS30 Sprinter at DIYVan.com. Stay comfortable on the road.

diyvan.com

 

[agupta122]

This is only 6800 BTU....is that enough for the 144 van? I don't get why Dometic support person told me flat out they don't have a 12v unit at all.

 

[Daniel]

6800 btu is plenty as long as you insulate heavily, you will need about 60' of 3M Thinsulate

The better you can insulate the van will stay cool just fine. In the front you will use a MaxxAir Deluxe 7500k with this front roof vent adapter

 

[agupta122]

Thank you. You were saying i should only insulate the roof and floors? And also sound deadening? I thought it's close to 250 ft if i want to do roof, walls and floors.

Also, again, if you had time anywhere in between to squeeze any of these projects in, just let me know. Happy for you to do them.

 

[Daniel]

You must insulate the whole van. 60ft x 5ft wide is 300 sq feet

Insulate the walls and ceiling with Thinsulate. Use Low-E on the ceiling as well. - https://diyvan.com/collections/thinsulate/products/low-e-ssr-reflective-foam-core-insulation-60-wide

For the floor use this kit - https://diyvan.com/collections/spri...and-vs30-sprinter-vans?variant=35116410896541

 

[agupta122]

Thank you! Yes that makes sense. I didn't see it was 5 ft wide. All good!

 

[Daniel]

(3) boxes of sound deadening will cover the floor, walls and ceiling. It will not sound like a tin can any longer.

Cover the floor

Cover the ceiling

Cover the walls

 

[agupta122]

Actually i bought Siless from Amazon yesterday. So good to see you are also using that!
I did a lot of research and I really like the Goal Zero pre-built "Escape" system for electric setup, esp since i can add up to 4 more expansion batteries without any further work and it has all the built in components.

 

[Daniel]

Many times on the all in one packages they will have a limit to what power the outlets can push. The 12 v AC units will pull 28 amps on the low end up to 90 amps on the bigger units.

 

[agupta122]

Yah aware of the limitations but i do see that goal zero has expansion packs so you can keep adding more power by just stacking the expansion packs. Another option i was thinking of is having a standby diesel generator in back of van in a cabin and a switch that takes power from generator if i need for long period of time and preserve the battery power for all other things in the van. Just needing some consultation on the electrical but the kind of setup you are doing is super sophisticated and would require me to use a electrician for all problems if something were to occur whereas i was thinking that a pre-built unit under warranty, and well sealed from impact (bumps, etc), would be easy to replace or expand as needed.

By the way you were showing me some special screws to bolt the paneling to the van's wall. Is that something only you make or is that commercially available?

 

[Daniel]

Yah aware of the limitations but i do see that goal zero has expansion packs so you can keep adding more power by just stacking the expansion packs. Another option i was thinking of is having a standby diesel generator in back of van in a cabin and a switch that takes power from generator if i need for long period of time and preserve the battery power for all other things in the van. Just needing some consultation on the electrical but the kind of setup you are doing is super sophisticated and would require me to use a electrician for all problems if something were to occur whereas i was thinking that a pre-built unit under warranty, and well sealed from impact (bumps, etc), would be easy to replace or expand as needed.

By the way you were showing me some special screws to bolt the paneling to the van's wall. Is that something only you make or is that commercially available?

The amount of power even with added expansion packs is not the issue. The actual ports that the power comes out of may be limited. We have dealt with it before on clients passing through Houston and ports on Blueti and Goal zero not pushing enough power.

We build with a bunch of items sized for weight of what it structurally needs to hold on our modules. We use different sizes and different materials with the pneumatic air gun to insert them.

 

[agupta122]

I got you now. The new Goal Zero powerstation 4000 pro supposedly solves that and i plan to test that out. Ecoflow is too expensive for what they offer. If it doesn't work out, then i plan to go with Victron or Redarc, but Redarc people never got back to me with a configuration

 

[Daniel]

Victron all the way!

 

[agupta122]

How are you? Just an update. Going pretty fast. Got a lot installed already. Going to put electrical next and then start the internal build.
The Goal Zero powerstation is pretty nice as it can take simultaneous Solar, Shore, Generator and AC power sources with no switches needed. I will be using that to power everything in the Van Except the 12V Velit A/C unit.

If you remember, i wanted to run A/C separately with a dedicated power source. And for this, i was going to put a Victron setup with Battle Born batteries. The A/C unit is 12V, 20-60Amp (60 on high setting), 650 watt rated unit. If i did a dedicated setup for the AC with a 200Ah battery, can you tell me what Victron setup i would need? The battery charge would be through Shore or Generator and then output to 12V DC to A/C. Appreciate it. Thanks.