Running AC in a Caravan - Off-Grid/Free Camping | Accelerate Auto Electrics & Air Conditioning

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Everybody wants to know what they need to get their air-con running off-grid and how long it'll run for.
We continually get asked how long will my air conditioning run?
How big a system do I need?
Okay, so I've put together an experiment today. I'll give you some precursors. I've made this as simple as I can. My intention with this video is not to baffle everybody with acronyms and all the confusing terms. It's to put together a really simple video, running air conditioning off some AGM batteries and showing you how long a run time you'll get out of it, and the differences between it.
The reason why no one will answer that question is that it totally depends on your expectations and you monitoring the system yourself, and this experiments gonna explain why if you monitor it yourself, you can actually get your air-con running on quite a budget system with some smaller things.
So to put this video together, I have disconnected the solar, so that we've got nothing running in. I've also just dropped this system down. We're only running off three 120amp AGMs. So we got 360 amp hours of AGM batteries. We're running through an Enerdrive E-Pro 2000 watt charger inverter, but it's not on charger mode.
So basically, the simplicity of this system is three batteries, an inverter, and a Dometic Harrier.

[@georgetheodoropoulos7995]

*This unit works like a charm. Keeps my rv 21 x 41 very **Fastly.Cool** . I recommend to anyone that wants to keep a rv cold without having to turn on the main a/c.*

[@accelerateoffgridtouring]

🙏

[@hil7160]

Thanks for the episode. My partner & I are on the road & have been travelling the past 13mths around the country with a similar system, same inverter ibis 3 ac unit. Main difference is we are running 3x 110ah lithium’s 330ah total. From experience your scenario may not be real world, my reasoning behind this is. You would want to run the ac on warm days typically 32deg and above and as your run time on batteries is limited this would only be late afternoon at the earliest. The problem is heat soak, the entire van structure is hot. Yes it can take only 15mins on full to feel the air temp Change but the second you turn the ac down any the heat soaked van will begin to increase in temp so by the time you go to bed the batteries are drained and the van is hot & will have an uncomfortable sleep. You can also not run the ac the follow day as you will need all the solar to recharge. This is the reason we put up with the heat during the day and only turn the ac on when we go to bed, put the ac to run on a 90min timer which drops our lithium’s to around 40% dod and the van to around 20deg. Obviously as soon as the ac shuts off the heat soaked van rapidly increases in temp but we have gone to sleep comfortably well before . The only time it makes sense to run the ac during the day to take advantage of solar input is if it cools of at night or you are on the coast with a good breeze over night to warrant opening the windows to cool off. We had AGM’s but they were just not up to running the inverter for any period of time. Granted our solar system is 480w and struggled to get the AGM’s over 80% slow charge stage, but the system charges at similar 20-27amp & has no issues getting the lithium’s from 40% dod to 100% No one we have met on the road has a 1kw system due to packaging I could only fit one more panel if I wanted to on our 20ft jayco but would be surplus to requirements.

[@AusFeral23]

I've just bought a 20ft Jayco heritage how many panels did you get on the roof it sounds like maybe 4 × 120w and rough cost on it cheers

[@1989cranston]

This is why people are running 48V lithium setups with around 1kw@48V solar, putting around 50A/hr@48V into the batteries in peak conditions. This equates to around 200A/hr at 12V. Which allows the AC to run all day whilst keeping the batteries at 100% as the solar is surplus to what the AC is pulling.

[@vickimathews1970]

@@1989cranston exactly, I'm doing the same thing, go 48V, the only way to go...good explanation to.

[@1989cranston]

@@vickimathews1970 Thanks :) , do your research on installers. i orginally looked at Safiery in Australia ( im assuming you are in Australia, sorry if i am wrong ). i did some research into their kits and back out of that transaction as fast as i could. Their mark up on Victron equipment is criminal and their "safiery battery" that they sell as their own for over 2.4k is nothing more than a dyness B4850 battery which can be purchased for around 1.6k each. Just sourcing the items yourself online you can save around $4000.00. Hope it helps :)

[@vickimathews1970]

@@1989cranston wow, it's like you read my mind, how did you know I was looking at Safiery...I would love more info if you have it please. I'm building in March 2022, so have time still. What about their Scotty DC to DC and the 250a alternator? Thanks in advance.

[@CyrusEightyOne]

Great video guys. Exactly what I was looking for

[@1known2]

Great video, explains it well.

[@alexmills4951]

Great video. Was looking to install a Dometic Freshjet 1700 on our coaster. We will have 1Kw of solar and are in the Middle East 😊… so this has now convinced me it will be possible to run this unit for most of the day! And a good chunk of time at night!

[@accelerateoffgridtouring]

Hi Alex. Glad to hear that! Let us know how you go? Middle East sounds amazing to camp!

[@wheelsbytheocean]

This is the best explanation mate. Really appreciate it. Everyone else is all about spending huge dollars. Im trying to stay to a budget for now. Just want to be able to pop the a/c on for about an hour to cool the van after a hot day and this really makes sense. Thank you

[@accelerateoffgridtouring]

Cheers, we do recommend huge systems too :), but we want people to realise it's all about how you use your AC system. Even when we do big lithium conversions we get our customers to watch this video so they understand the AC system

[@europeanrventhusiast8223]

Extremely impressive video, well done! My question is, would a CTEK 140 off road DC to DC charging system successfully replace the 1000W solar system on the roof? I’m thinking of a situation when I would start the vehicle every time the AGM batteries run out of juice. Thanks

[@garylee4171]

Great clip, filled in plenty of gaps for me thanks.

[@accelerateoffgridtouring]

Great to hear!

[@cottonscrimes2808]

fricken awesome video, just really well explained. Not drawn out at all.

[@accelerateoffgridtouring]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@TheDarrellma]

Great vid with lots of good information.

[@accelerateoffgridtouring]

Cheers

[@bmrt1000]

Very helpful!

[@darrenallie9434]

thats's awesome. Appreciate all your videos

[@accelerateoffgridtouring]

Thanks for watching!

[@kentwillis]

Great video... very informative, thanks

[@accelerateoffgridtouring]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@antbasse]

Well explained. Thanks!!!

[@accelerateoffgridtouring]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@xxbellababyrhixx]

So how do they charge for use once there flat and how do u charge could u do this do a camper van conversions

[@jonathanneethling]

This was very helpful. Would a “soft start” be any beneficial to the initial draw of AMPS?

[@jonathanneethling]

I just bought a 2007 Jurgens. And I mean literally bought it a few hours ago. It’s mint condition. But I’m thinking the first thing I’d like to do, is upgrade the entire electrical system.

[@rronmar]

The purpose of soft start is to take the sting out of starting large inductive loads. They are basically a dead short as seen electrically so can cause overcurrent and low voltage trips on both the AC and DC sides of an inverter till the motor is up to speed. They only operate for the first second or so till the load is up to speed and don’t really reduce the current/energy used, they simply spread it out to a manageable initial surge.

[@waynehobbs5175]

Thanks for the video. We have 400AH LiFePO4 batteries and a 2500w inverter. Am going to put in a shunt so we can accurately measure amps in, amps out. We have 2 x 300W 12v pv in series going through a 40A MPPT and 2 x 100W 12v pv parallel through its own 20A MPPT. Do you think we are robust enough for our roof air a few hours a day used like you recommend? I would appreciate your thoughts. If you are wondering why the different pvs, the van came with the 2 x 100s but the LiFePO4 and 2x300W pv + inverter are my additions.

[@accelerateoffgridtouring]

Hi Wayne, it's difficult to advise without knowing all the details and specifications. This is the kind of thing that would usually require an inspection at our workshop to determine the capabilities and suitablility of the system. We would be more than happy to assist, but we would need to know quite a bit more information about the various componets of the set up. Feel free to give us a call on 1300 227 353 if you would like to discuss further.

[@1known2]

So can I co firm your solar system on your van is a 1kw yes ?

[@wazheamadman6086]

Hey mate would love to see a video on setting up a 4wd and caravan system like I’d like to have a basic system in the 4wd running a large fridge freeze constantly with some solar on roof , but while driving what do you recommend to charge the 4wd aux batteries as well as the vans

[@accelerateoffgridtouring]

Thanks for the feedback, we'd recommend in the car if you have a smart alternator we always install a DC:DC charger to charge the AUX battery. We'd also install a DC:DC 40a Enerdrive charger in the caravan to charge the caravan batteries individually. Check out this video for a further explanation on all the components in a caravan lithium system. kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZa9kIp7aq2XaLc

[@FRERABRETZ1]

I spent the money on 2x200ah Enerdrive lithium’s, I hope I can get good run time just cooling the little 13 footer to a decent temp, this is a great video thanks for posting it 😊

[@accelerateoffgridtouring]

Thank you for your comment!

[@DMon850]

How's the 2 x 200ah enterprise lithiums running now mate? Still all good off grid and how many hours you get

[@Vitorrnogueira]

thanks for the video! At the moment, what is the most efficiency air condiccioner?

[@accelerateoffgridtouring]

Hi there, we aren't sure which is the most efficient currently on the market. However, in our experience, the Dometic Ibis 4 & Harrier are highly recommended by caravan owners.

[@Vitorrnogueira]

@@accelerateoffgridtouring tkss

[@tonydart921]

Hi, I have a 2018 Jayco Outback that has a J35B BMS and looking at fitting an inverter. In your very informative video I see you were using the JHub so curious if this was running through a J35? Reading the BMPro site they do not recommend fitting an inverter to the J35. ‘The J35 is limited to a total of 20A (J35A) or 35A (J35B, C and D). When an inverter powers an appliance, the current draw from the inverter is typically much larger than the current supplied by the J35. It also states to fit an inverter directly to the battery to ensure that the J35 and battery monitor sees the current drawn by the inverter and need to install BMPRO’s BC300 External Shunt + CommLink to the battery.’ It is logical to hook the inverter directly to the battery as the J35 is a 12v management system. I can see there is “AC Connected” on the Panel when 240v is plugged in so the 240 obviously goes through the J35 for the battery charging and that would be the same if an inverter is plugged in. To run the Air conditioner that is hard wired (we have a Truma Aventa) the inverter would be plugged into the van. I have a couple of questions that I hope you could help with. Wouldn’t the inverter plugged into the van be running through the J35 and be stuck in a cycle of drawing from the batteries and powering the battery charger in the J35? Or does the BC300 and comlink stop that from happening? Thanks

[@accelerateoffgridtouring]

Hi Tony, the inverter does not wire via the J35D. It is wired directly to the Caravan batteries with a BC300 to monitor the loads for the Battery display to be accurate. The J35D only has a 240v input for the use of the In built AC charger in the unit. There is a particular way to integrate your inverter into your existing 240v Circuits to avoid the power loop which is required to be carried out be a licensed 240v Electrician.

[@asbestosremovaladelaide]

Have you installed a Truma Saphir A/c in a similar environment? They only use 4.2 amps @240v which is less than the Harrier Lite..... interested if you have tested the Truma Unit in a camper or Jayco etc....

[@accelerateoffgridtouring]

No we haven't! We will keep an eye out for one and test it.

[@rudolfvenema7815]

Is the Harrier the most efficient air-conditioner to running of an inverter or are there better units?

[@tempestv8]

I don't know if there is a more efficient unit, but given that it's possible to run a Dometic Harrier off a 1600 Watt petrol generator like the Honda EU20i or the Yamaha EF2000iS, I'd say this is a fairly power efficient unit. The Dometic Harrier is the first caravan airconditioner that uses an inverter compressor.

[@cliffhampton2914]

I have 2006 jaco standard with 100amp so 12volt system. This does not run the air-conditioning so how much is the hard wiring for the air-conditioning if I have the3000 watt inverter panels, and batteries so basically I need to know the labour cost. Thank you

[@accelerateoffgridtouring]

Thanks for your comment! Get in touch via our online enquiry form on our website to get a detailed quotation! accelerateoffgrid.com.au/pages/contactus

[@madison_brown20]

We will be running a similar system (2x120amh lithium batteries, 2000w inverter), and we wanted to know how is it possible to run this 2400w (cooling mode) air conditioner on a 2000w inverter?

[@accelerateoffgridtouring]

Thanks for your comment! It all depends on your settings, on low settings & mid temperature the unit will operate under the 2000w limit. It is generally on high heat or HIGH Cold or start up that they peak at their maximum wattage.

[@lainleyh5805]

Hey is this air conditioning unit a Harriet plus or a Harriet lite ?

[@accelerateoffgridtouring]

Thanks for the comment! This unit is an older Harrier but would be equivalent to the Harrier Plus as it is the larger model cooling a 23ft van.

[@adamboyar4084]

How many BTU or Watts is the Harrier AC Unit that you are testing? What is the Model Number?

[@accelerateoffgridtouring]

It's just the Dometic Harrier - pre there being a light and a plus. www.dometic.com/en-au/outdoor/climate-and-comfort/air-conditioners/rv-air-conditioners/dometic-harrier-inverter-183054

[@EdgeMasterPro]

sleep mode function how much does it use in this mode its low fan and low compressor speed as possible

[@accelerateoffgridtouring]

We haven't tested the system with the unit on this setting so not sure of what the figure would be sorry. Because each system is different we suggest running your own tests on the system and unit you have to determine the most optimal settings for your set up.

[@EdgeMasterPro]

@@accelerateoffgridtouring it should be lowest setting all machines should be in spec from factory for this

[@vicleaguehockeyshow3099]

do you guys know if the houghton 3400 needs a soft start? if so what kind? cheers

[@accelerateoffgridtouring]

Thanks for the comment! Depends on the battery system & inverter fitted to run it. We recommend soft star units regardless to ease with the initial start up consumption.

[@vicleaguehockeyshow3099]

@@accelerateoffgridtouring ok thanks, is there a universal type of just one type of soft start?

[@accelerateoffgridtouring]

@vicleaguehockeyshow3099, We would recommend chatting with the AC manufacturer to ensure that soft start units won't void the unit's warranty or what is recommended by the manufacturer to work best.

[@accelerateoffgridtouring]

Due to an issue with our Google Brand Account we recently lost all of our responses to viewer comments (all responses prior to July 19, 2020). We apologise that the comments previously made by our channel are no longer visible. If you wish for us to respond to your question again, please feel free to comment again with the question or contact our office direct on 1300 227 353 or [e-mail]

[@balochking816]

bro use DC INVERTER A/C it consumes 3 amps for 1 tonn ac, 4.5 amps for 1.5 tonn a/c and 7 amps for 2 tonn a/c. Also use a seperate solar panel and batteries for air condition system

[@accelerateoffgridtouring]

Glad you've found a solution that works well for you. 👍

[@dbpies]

Baloch King. Sounds like a truck aircon? Can you get to fit a caravan in an existing hole? What brand do you have please