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PFFFFFFFFFFFFT like you're going to get a woman to take Navy showers.
Posted on 11/01/2016 1:14:31 PM PDT by RegulatorCountry
I know there are any number of FReepers who are knowledgable regarding various technical fields, this question arises due to a possible opportunity to buy a "classic" RV for cheap, appears to only need the two roof unit air conditioners replaced, everything else runs well and appears to have been serviced up to very recently. It's a 78 GMC 26 footer, interior mostly original, newer carpet and upholstery, cockpit seats replaced with Honda Odyssey units some time ago in good condition, appliances newer and in good condition.
I've read that the mini-split heat pump can be an excellent update, even though it's to date unusual in the US. The inside blowers are ceiling mount cassettes for this Senville unit that has piqued my interest, three of them, triple zoned. Replacement BTUs are roughly equivalent of the two nonworking units currently in place. The external component of the mini split heat pump will have to go either on the rear bumper or inside one of several ventilated outside access panels, in behind the Dometic fridge looks promising.
Much lower operating cost as well as greatly enhanced compatibility with solar would be why I'm considering going against the grain and installing typical replacements for the existing two roof units. It would take a pretty large solar array to run A/C even with this, but it appears very doable for at least the hottest part of the day, with dehumidifiers and blowers in each of the three ceiling cassettes to help alleviate discomfort if/when the air isn't a good idea.
Battery bank is another issue, but there are numerous Li-Ion, etc. battery packs existing now for this application. They're a bit pricey, but with such an inexpensive RV to install it in/upon, maybe it makes sense?
This is posted to General/Chat, so please don't give me any crap about vanities, I've posted to the correct forum for this sort of inquiry. Hoping the vast knowledge of FReepers as a group can shed light on this particular one, as well as any others that might fit the bill, in addition to the wisdom or lack of it in even considering doing this.
The mini split unit in question is a ductless 3 zone with ceiling cassettes, please see the following: https://senville.com/air-conditioners/
Thanks.
Really though, suggest Home Depot or Lowes for their residential products for the flooring. There are some mighty fine options that are going to be lower cost.
Am continuously looking for technology that will let us run AC in the cabin from a solar-charged battery bank. Seemed like some good stuff in this thread to go back through when I can pay better attention.
I figure our cabin is analogous to an RV so what works there should work for us.
Ergo, Book Mark for the cabin.
Just from the very low power consumption of the variable speed compressors in the mini split should make it an excellent candidate for solar power...sorry I cant help on the sizing questions.
I’m just not familiar with the Senville brand..I’d go with LG, Mitsubishi, Sanyo...those are probably the most widely used brands. All will have the equivalent of the Senville units. Support on those brands will be superior, and support can be critical when operating problems arise.
Of course they will probably be 20% more expensive.
One of the things that attracted me to the model that I initially asked about was the available operating temperature range, which was well below zero for heating and something like 120 for cooling. Several others offer extreme climate options but none had that wide of a range. Heat pumps have improved greatly since the 80’s and 90’s when they acquired a reputation for not heating or cooling especially well, and not being worth a hoot much below freezing, running the emergency heat strip and jacking out the power bill massively. I’ve got a newer Trane 16 seer on my house now, the only thing that gives it away as a heat pump is that it’s not a blast of really warm air when it kicks on, it’s sort of tepid and builds as it runs and blows out more.
Mitsubishi is double the cost. LG is about 20% more expensive as you say. I didn’t encounter Sanyo when searching for mini-split heat pumps, will have to check them out.
Not sure about the cutoff issue. All tankless on demand units require minimum flow rate to kick on - that’s the down side. You could put a small well insulated tank down stream of it, closer to your water faucets to get hw quicker and in small amounts.
A honda variable speed -2kw generator would run ~ $1200 jumping up from there you are looking at close to twice the price
The most elegant working RV retrofit solution for on demand tankless hot water that I’ve encountered does involve two very small, well-insulated reserve tanks, one ahead of the unit to maintain flow and one behind the unit for reserve hot water, specifically for on-off “Navy showers.” The other, less elegant solution puts a hot water reserve at the shower head. Works well but looks a little clunky to me.
Ping for an interesting ductless mini-split heat pump system with wall mount or ceiling cassettes that I’ve encountered, designed for solar:
http://kingtecsolar.com/products/solarcoolingsystems-k25ft-4/
They have both west coast (CA) and east coast (SC) offices, sound pretty established. There are a lot of home-brewed systems that guys are cobbling together using Chinese components, relabeling and selling, but this one seems not so fly-by-night.
Here’s a link to Technomadia, a blog dealing with live-aboard RVing, including various innovative technical solutions they’ve put together, including a fairly comprehensive entry regarding solar-powered A/C in an RV.
Purpose-built marine and over-the-road ruggedized mini-split systems:
http://www.cruisencomfortusa.com
A/C only at this time, no heat strips.
That is likely to be a problem for you. The condenser fan in the outdoor unit is designed to operate in an open environment. It very likely cannot tolerate the airflow restriction imposed by mounting internally. you might be able to do so with the use of external fans to provide airflow to and from the unit if you bury it in an enclosed space.
Many of the units come with an exterior wall mount bracket, with the back only an inch or two at most from the wall, with the fan pointing out. The ruggedized, dedicated over-the-road unit that I found has the fan and condenser separated. I’m discovering that it’s very doable but dealing with the condensate will be a big deal, especially so in a humid climate. It will throw off so much water, I’m wondering if running it through a filter with antimicrobial piping might not keep the potable water tank filled most of the time.
Another travelogue blog by full-time RVers with an envelope-pushing solar setup. Happens to be beautifully written, too, particularly the descriptions of all their stops along the route around the country. They recently visited my hemostat of NC and fell in love with Ocracoke Island.
Hemostat, lol? Autocorrect error. Should have been “home state.”
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