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Electric AC?

Oren75k

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Mesa Az
I have a 24v split that I purchased from ebay. Easy install and the supplied wires are long enough to connect to the battery. I am in Az where the summer can see 118 degree temps. Works fine and anything under 100 I have to turn it down.
 

Third From Texas

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This is the one I went with for the cab (still waiting for a neck injury to heal before I can do the install). The stuff people sell on Amazon or eBay are the same exact units that you see on AliExpress (typically half the price with no middleman, because that's where they get the units to flip). Mine arrived 30 days to the day after I placed the order.

The units that lay flat or can be mounted either flat/backpack have a slightly more powerful scroll compressor.
And the replacement parts are surprisingly inexpensive should anything go tits up.

Granted, it's anemic compared to the Red Dot but a properly insulated cab with ceramic tint can close the gap. The OEM RedDot units are even overkill in a properly insulated and tinted cab. Mind you, if you can find a new OEM unit for $400 I'd go that route. But for $400 I can certainly try this little bugger out.

What sold me was a guy at the beach in a Mercedes van. He had one in the hab area, and we crawled in and I was shocked at how cold it was inside. He had a full solar setup and he said the a/c could run for a couple days on battery (and he could start the van as an alternative power source). Sold me on giving it a try (my cab is way small than the inside of that Merc).

If all goes well, I intend to get a second one to complement my 110v unit. Get the hab cold with the 110v unit, then fire up the 24v mini to maintain. iirc, @Ronmar did the same thing.

When I camp on the Island or Hill Country in the Summer, I'm only in the hab for about 6hrs to sleep at night. I spend my time outside, cooking, drinking, shooting, fishing, Kayaking, swimming, surfing, teaching the German Shepperd to spot commies from Austin....the usual Texas stuff. So I only need cold for about 6 hours/day in the hab.



 

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aw113sgte

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La Crosse, WI
I plan on a different route. Since I have the habitat temp controlled with heat pump and diesel heater options, I plan to run ducking from the habitat to the cab.
Using 1 or two fans to force air to vents in the turret cover, then the air recirculates through the pass though.
I like the idea of simplicity of not having multiple complicated AC units. This way I can also preheat and precool the cab.
 

CONJIN

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Northern California
I have a 24v split that I purchased from ebay. Easy install and the supplied wires are long enough to connect to the battery. I am in Az where the summer can see 118 degree temps. Works fine and anything under 100 I have to turn it down.
I just installed the same thing. I insulated the cab before putting a new interior in and I also put ceramic tint on the windows, including the windshield (lightest tint available). The A/C unit was $550 and the tint was around $200 for the materials. The downside is no defrost help for the windshield, but I also have never had any fog on the windows that the regular defrost setting on the heater didn't clear up quickly, even in the snow. And I don't need to worry about the a/c bracket potentially cracking the front engine cover. Others on youtube that have incorporated these on their various builds, have had good rersults and they seem to last.
 

GeneralDisorder

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Portland, OR
I just installed the same thing. I insulated the cab before putting a new interior in and I also put ceramic tint on the windows, including the windshield (lightest tint available). The A/C unit was $550 and the tint was around $200 for the materials. The downside is no defrost help for the windshield, but I also have never had any fog on the windows that the regular defrost setting on the heater didn't clear up quickly, even in the snow. And I don't need to worry about the a/c bracket potentially cracking the front engine cover. Others on youtube that have incorporated these on their various builds, have had good rersults and they seem to last.
It's not snow that is so much the problem - if it's significantly below freezing then the dew point is so low that the air can't hold (much) moisture anyway. Wet clothes and gear and dogs will fog the windows - this is worst in the 40-50 degree ambient range with very moist air (raining for days or weeks as it is prone to doing here in the NW). The windshield will defrost with the heater but the door windows and especially the rear side windows will not. If your cab has a lot of leaky seals it will probably clear the windows *better* than a properly sealed cab. One way to clear the windows if they fog up is to crack the windows to let out the moisture saturated air. But you lose heat doing this also. Not ideal either way. Back in the day when most cars didn't have AC - you carried a towel to wipe the windows with. Those of you alive back before all cars had AC in the 90's probably remember those days.

As for broken timing covers - not if it's all installed properly. All the A1P2's have AC standard and I have not heard of a single issue in that regard. Perhaps more of a problem with the weak baby 3116 (among a myriad of other issues) but not an issue for the 3126 or C7.
 
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CONJIN

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Northern California
It's not snow that is so much the problem - if it's significantly below freezing then the dew point is so low that the air can't hold (much) moisture anyway. Wet clothes and gear and dogs will fog the windows - this is worst in the 40-50 degree ambient range with very moist air (raining for days or weeks as it is prone to doing here in the NW). The windshield will defrost with the heater but the door windows and especially the rear side windows will not. If your cab has a lot of leaky seals it will probably clear the windows *better* than a properly sealed cab. One way to clear the windows if they fog up is to crack the windows to let out the moisture saturated air. But you lose heat doing this also. Not ideal either way. Back in the day when most cars didn't have AC - you carried a towel to wipe the windows with. Those of you alive back before all cars had AC in the 90's probably remember those days.

As for broken timing covers - not if it's all installed properly. All the A1P2's have AC standard and I have not heard of a single issue in that regard. Perhaps more of a problem with the weak baby 3116 (among a myriad of other issues) but not an issue for the 3126 or C7.
Yes, my first car was a VW bug and I can remember wiping the windows at times. Of course, it also had anemic heating and defrost.
3116 is what I have and therefore I'm not going to speak for 3126 or C7. If you have a 3116 and you mount the compressor with the style of bracket that is sold by MME, then you are likely to crack your cover. They don't have enough support. If you can find the better variation that has front and rear support, it should be fine, but very difficult to find, as are all RED dot OEM style parts and with eye watering price tags when you do find them. I'm posting my experience for people who don't want to spend a fortune on a/c and can live without the defrosting power of heated a/c.
 

GeneralDisorder

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Portland, OR
Yes, my first car was a VW bug and I can remember wiping the windows at times. Of course, it also had anemic heating and defrost.
3116 is what I have and therefore I'm not going to speak for 3126 or C7. If you have a 3116 and you mount the compressor with the style of bracket that is sold by MME, then you are likely to crack your cover. They don't have enough support. If you can find the better variation that has front and rear support, it should be fine, but very difficult to find, as are all RED dot OEM style parts and with eye watering price tags when you do find them. I'm posting my experience for people who don't want to spend a fortune on a/c and can live without the defrosting power of heated a/c.
Not sure about what MME has - wouldn't give them money if I was dying of thirst next to their lemonade stand. Is it not the same as the factory style that is braced off the engine mount? Tom sells compressor kits with brackets:


*edit* - looked at their site. Yeah that's an awful design and NOT AT ALL what the factory style mount looks like. I can see why that would break the timing cover. 0/10 - would never buy that :poop:
 

CONJIN

Active member
71
118
33
Location
Northern California
Not sure about what MME has - wouldn't give them money if I was dying of thirst next to their lemonade stand. Is it not the same as the factory style that is braced off the engine mount? Tom sells compressor kits with brackets:


*edit* - looked at their site. Yeah that's an awful design and NOT AT ALL what the factory style mount looks like. I can see why that would break the timing cover. 0/10 - would never buy
Not sure about what MME has - wouldn't give them money if I was dying of thirst next to their lemonade stand. Is it not the same as the factory style that is braced off the engine mount? Tom sells compressor kits with brackets:


*edit* - looked at their site. Yeah that's an awful design and NOT AT ALL what the factory style mount looks like. I can see why that would break the timing cover. 0/10 - would never buy that :poop:
Yes, the one Tom sells is the one to buy.
 

Third From Texas

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Location
Corpus Christi Texas
With all these EV SUVs and trucks using electric compressors, the junk yards may soon offer very solid a/c solutions.

I've been teething at the bit to get my electric a/c installed, but I have to get the cab latch rebuild done, the interior insulation and rear panel installed first, and the tint. Operating with one arm unfortunately due to a neck injury, so no eta.
 
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