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Most ridiculous workaround ever, or a COOL idea? (Air conditioning)

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Matt1031

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Atl, GA
A lot of the big rigs are going to "no idle" air conditioning units. It's a separate system that just provides AC, so you don't have to run the engine. Awesome setup, but they cost about 3 grand and are a little overkill for my needs. But it got me thinking...

I have a 24v system and a total of 210ah of combined battery reserve. It's just begging for an inverter installation....
Thinking about getting one of these
The one I need would be about $250

I want to get rid of the bench seat anyway.....
Bout $50 for a pair of junkyard Blazer seats

They make these little compact portable AC units for apt's and office cubicles. Most of them pull about 7-8 amps. 31" tall and it would fit right between the front seats...
Looks like this
'Bout another $250
May look a little funny in white, but I can paint it OD green and tell people it's some fancy N-B-C contamination air filter that uncle Sam paid a half billion dollars to have developed and it was only installed on a couple top-secret experimental test vehicles ;)

So I figure with wiring, for about $5-600 I could have a portable, and self-contained AC system for my truck with *no permanent modifications*. I could even take the AC unit out of the cab in and run it off the generator to go tent camping "Air Force style". Whatcha think?
 
A

A/C Cages

Guest
Im working with a company to custom make a smaller self contained a/c unit for deuces. We noticed that other companies have simular units like reddot. but $3 grand is ridiculas. So we are looking at complete systems for about $500 to $600. That is if a required amount of sales can be done with this deal.
We are trying to make the venting system small enough to fit into the already cramped deuce cab too.
This unit will run off of a 24 volt low amp compressor instead of a pully design which will decrease the deuces already low HP. So no loss in the HP is a good thing. The bigest problem is the evaporator placement and size. Rooftop is the easiest but not when you have a softtop. So we are trying to make a multi layered coil system.
Granted these wont drop the temp like a real rv sized unit, but 30 degree drop is better then none.
Best part, it falls under the laws in CA and other PITA states with the no idle laws. This can also be run by a solar or generator system.
So I will let you all know when we get it set up.
 
wrex

wrex

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Laveen, Az
A/C Cages said:
Im working with a company to custom make a smaller self contained a/c unit for deuces. We noticed that other companies have simular units like reddot. but $3 grand is ridiculas. So we are looking at complete systems for about $500 to $600. That is if a required amount of sales can be done with this deal.
We are trying to make the venting system small enough to fit into the already cramped deuce cab too.
This unit will run off of a 24 volt low amp compressor instead of a pully design which will decrease the deuces already low HP. So no loss in the HP is a good thing. The bigest problem is the evaporator placement and size. Rooftop is the easiest but not when you have a softtop. So we are trying to make a multi layered coil system.
Granted these wont drop the temp like a real rv sized unit, but 30 degree drop is better then none.
Best part, it falls under the laws in CA and other PITA states with the no idle laws. This can also be run by a solar or generator system.
So I will let you all know when we get it set up.
Click to expand...
Make one that will work in a m1009 CUCV for around $500 and I'll buy one. ****, I am certain you'd sell scores of them here, if you guys did.
 
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A/C Cages

Guest
It should also fit into the CUCVs too. But I dont think we can make it small enough to fit that shopping cart camper in the other forum. lol
 
zout

zout

In Memorial
In Memorial
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Make a note "rooftop" rv type units will kill deep cycle batteries in a heartbeat - if you try to run them soley off battery power.

We use the rooftops on the 109's already and only run from generator or campower supply.
 
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A/C Cages

Guest
Its a low amp 24 volt compressor, not the RV style 110v conversion.
Power is our biggest factor in the making of this unit. so thats what we are having the dilema with. But wi da smurt n wi finger tit out. lol
 
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Matt1031

New member
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Atl, GA
A/C Cages said:
Its a low amp 24 volt compressor, not the RV style 110v conversion.
Power is our biggest factor in the making of this unit. so thats what we are having the dilema with. But wi da smurt n wi finger tit out. lol
Click to expand...
I considered taking apart a portable AC unit and seeing if I could convert the compresser and fan motors to 24v, but the newer 110v inverters are about 90%+ efficient and I can also use it to power other stuff when I don't feel like running the genny -- it has multiple uses other than powering the air conditioner. Just seems simpler to convert the power and use a readily available AC unit. At first glance it may seem ghetto-rigged, but the inverter+110v setup is actually a much more versatile setup and I'm only "wasting" about 10% power.

My logic:
I can use the inverter for powering other thing besides air conditioning.
I can use the air conditioner for other things besides keeping my cab cool.
 
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stumps

Active member
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Location
Maryland
A belt driven compressor is generally more efficient than a belt driven alternator driving an electric driven compressor. If you are expecting to load the engine less that way, it isn't going to happen.

Most car air conditioners have greater capacity than is required to cool a moderate sized house. A little thing that was meant to cool a dorm room probably wouldn't get very far in cooling down a car sitting in the sun.

-Chuck
 
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A/C Cages

Guest
Thats why we are trying to compact this system to cool a cab only. Small area.
Trying to make it cost effective is the fun part here too. Using a brushless directdrive unit will also make it last longer using much less power to run.
Shrinking, low energy usage, and low price.
 
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stumps

Active member
1,700
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Location
Maryland
A/C Cages said:
Thats why we are trying to compact this system to cool a cab only. Small area.
Trying to make it cost effective is the fun part here too. Using a brushless directdrive unit will also make it last longer using much less power to run.
Shrinking, low energy usage, and low price.
Click to expand...
A car air conditioner is also designed to cool the cab only. It takes several tons of capacity to do the job, and it takes quite a while to pull the temperature down to reasonable on a hot day. An air conditioner meant to cool a single room in a house wouldn't be able to do the job unless it was a couple of ton unit itself... most aren't. None that could be run off of a 24V 100A alternator could do the job. A 24V 100A alternator gives an output that is about the same as a 240V 10A circuit, or a 120V 20A circuit. That is typical of a medium sized window air conditioner... and would leave no extra capacity to charge batteries, run lights, etc..

Also, air conditioner units that are meant to run in houses are not designed for wide temperature ranges in the room that is being cooled. If they are built not to flood their evaporator, they will have a difficult time cooling down a 140F room effectively. They work best when they are pulling down an 80F to 90F room. Car air conditioners have a more sophisticated control valve called a POASTV (Pilot Operated Absolute Suction Throttling Valve) that adjusts the freon flow, into the evaporator, based on need. Home air conditioners rarely have this device.

I don't think you will be at all happy with this solution.

-Chuck
 
salt6

salt6

Member
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B'ville, OK
What I'd like to do is pick up a suburban and use it as an occasional rv. Go some place stop throw out a gen hook up the ac. Maybe even throw on one of those truck tents. Question I have would this work for that?
 
Josh

Josh

Active member
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Portland, Oregon
6000-8000btus,( a small windowshaker AC), Would be more then ample to keep a rig the size of a CUCV cool.

We used to go to Glamas, Ca for sand dune events and had a generator powering a 8000btu AC mounted in a 16ft boxtruck. Even with ambiant temps reaching 100deg, Its keep the inside of the box a nice 78deg. A 1009 would fit inside the box truck( I have had a K5 blazer in there beside taking to the scrap yard). If you really wanted to do overkill, a 10000btu would be overkill.

We use a 3 1/2ton unit to to cool a 5600sqft building built in the teens with little to no insulation and it will cool the the building down to what ever temp we want in less then an hour. Multi-ton units are not required for a rig.



Also side note. you guys with M109s looking for A/C, Go to a local truck yard and see if they have any of the old coolers off refridge trailers, they run on diesel, and can take a 52ft box to freezing, Might get one cheap and just adapt it for your purposes.


PS - I am an HVAC technician.
 
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