Summer approaching, I've gotta make some upgrades. I froze in Detroit this winter, not looking to burn up in Laredo or Arizona. 
Application is for 06 Sprinter.
Application is for 06 Sprinter.
Heating / Cooling What is considerd to be the ESPAR of Air Conditioning systems?
- Thread starter T270_Dreamin
- Start date
If only there was such a thing. The a/c is the tough part. Heating a vehicle is easy. Get an Espar..or equivalent. It's just not that simple with a/c. There are many variations of getting an a/c in or on the vehicle...then ya gotta power it. You'll need a generator for that.
honda EU 2000i I hear is a good one to run and quiet! Do you recommend portable ac inside with hose out window, rooftop ac or a rear window unit? The rear window unit looks pretty trashy, maybe I could build a box around it to hide it
I have a rooftop. I like it because its out of the way, push a button and its running. But, the other options are generally cheaper and lighter. I wouldn't argue a point on any of them. The rooftop creates a lot of wind noise. The fan just has a lot of air to push through a small area.
Honestly, I still believe that a good roof vent and an Espar is the most practical combo...no need for a generator. When your in Laredo or Phoenix, get a room.
Honestly, I still believe that a good roof vent and an Espar is the most practical combo...no need for a generator. When your in Laredo or Phoenix, get a room.
This sounds like the best plan because you can remove it in the off season. Where did you cut the hole and are there some good stand up units you can recommend that will run off a honda eu2000i that I can research? Thanks Swamp30!
Florida gets pretty sweaty even in winter.
This unit looks like it would fit very nicely, time to cut the hole
http://www.lg.com/us/air-conditioners/lg-LP1111WXR-portable-air-conditioner
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guido4475
Not a Member
A rooftop a/c unit, hands down. The bigger the BTU, the better, in my book. It also depends what you are cooling, but I'd rather have too much than not enough. I have a Heng's industries (manufacturer of dometic) 15,000 BTU unit and it has never been inadequate yet. It weighs 89 pounds. Well worth the money. We owe it to ourselves to have the best out here, to be comfortable.I power it with a Onan/Cummins 3200 watt inverter generator. I get about 15-18 hours run time out of it, 2.9 gallons of gas with the a/c on, and 22-24 hours run time without the a/c on.
I didn't. I'm in a van. From what I've seen, any small aero changes will show up in a van more so than a truck.
21cExp
Veteran Expediter
honda EU 2000i I hear is a good one to run and quiet! Do you recommend portable ac inside with hose out window, rooftop ac or a rear window unit? The rear window unit looks pretty trashy, maybe I could build a box around it to hide it
I know a guy in an E-1 CV that has a permanently installed rear window AC, and it looks good, actually. On a nice supporting frame on the inside with not a huge amount projecting outside. I think if I were to do it I would have a nice vinyl cover made that matched the vehicle color that would snap on when traveling or in winter.
guido4475
Not a Member
Me and 2 other friends put the same units on basically the same kind/type of vans last year, and we all have not noticed any change in fuel economy, or handling.Because of the higher BTU, ours are 14" in height.
Of all the AC options, the rooftop looks the best. It doesn't take up much space inside, most units are aerodynamically designed so wind drag is minimal and the only thing you have to watch is the increased height of your van. The problem I saw with the portable unit is that it does take space which limits cargo area. It is the easiest to install though. I can't think of a way to hang a room air conditioner on a van that doesn't make your machine look like a hillbilly job.
I have A COMFORT PRO but if I had it to do over I would get A RIGMASTER or something like that which is completely self contained and doesn't tie in to the trucks cooling system. Use A electri block heater and plug it in to the APU. I would also not want it hooked up to the trucks batteries but run off its own. I have seen the way these clowns install these APU's and it's not pretty. If i didn't re route the coolant hoses and change the straps i would have had A leak in no time. Also the way they ran the power cables to the battery box was A fire hazard. Can't remember the name of the shop it was subed out by Fyda FTL one of those 3 letter names the place was somewhere between Columbus and London and they seem to do alot of APU's.