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Old 05-02-2015, 06:40 AM   #1
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Exclamation our 1950 - running air while going down the road

Good morning all! We have a great little 1950 Sunliner lite camper. We plan to go camping Monday and I was wondering if we can run the air conditioner while we're going down the road? We have 2 tiny dogs and I'm taking my musical instruments. The truck's air conditioner broke, of course! The dogs will be in the truck with us but I would like the instruments to ride in the camper.

Will the air conditioner cool the camper while we're on the road???

Thanks, in advance for any help you can give us!

Jackie
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Old 05-02-2015, 06:52 AM   #2
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Jackie - I can't answer the question about your A/C


BUT


I wanted to let you know about two Meet & Greets here in New York


One is the WNY M&G held in Southwood Camping Resort (outside Rochester) September 11-13


The other is Adirondack M&G held at Nicks Lake, Old Forge September 25-27


Go to the Forums section up top and view M&G - you'll find threads there with all the details.


Hope you can attend one or both!
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Old 05-02-2015, 07:18 AM   #3
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Talking Thanks for the invite!

We went to the one outside of Rochester last year. Had a lot of fun LoL. Saw some really incredible storm clouds drift by at the pot luck dinner! We hope to be able to go to one this year, too. Not sure which one but we're working on it. LoL
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Old 05-02-2015, 12:40 PM   #4
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Your trailer must be plugged in to shore power to run the a/c.
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Old 05-02-2015, 06:46 PM   #5
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Red face Thank you.

Thanks Tweety. At least I won't assume it will stay cool in the camper. I can take care of the instruments in the truck. Boy, I wish the air conditioning worked in it.
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Old 05-03-2015, 05:02 PM   #6
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Even with an inverter enough to run it the TV charging system would not be able to keep up you would end up with dead batteries when you got there an a hot trailer.
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Old 05-07-2015, 02:43 PM   #7
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Thank you for the replys. The trip was hot going down to Woodstock, NY but everything turned out ok and we had a good rest. Coming home was faster cause we took the thruway. It saved us 4 hours. It wasn't as adventuresome but we were tired anyways.
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Old 05-16-2015, 05:58 AM   #8
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Ahhhh Ha!!!!
I knew there might be a good reason to use my 2,000watt AC inverter.
Many of you might recall my AC inverter setup that I use for our fridge. Mostly for a fun project "because I can" but has also proven practical.

As for your AC I never really gave that any thought.

What I do know that it only takes a few very short minutes to cool down these TTs in the hot summer. Shortly after I bought my T1350 my son and I were checking everything over. It happened to be a nice hot day. The trailer was hot inside. We turned the TT AC on but was distracted to the outside for a couple of minutes. When we went back inside the trailer is was cold.
But, to precool on the highway is not necessary in most conditions.

As I said my AC inverter provides 2,000 watts quasi-square wave.
I have never checked the current rating on these roof mount units. I'll check the dog tag on the unit for current draw. Then there's the start up current which is higher than the operational current.

I look at this hook-up two ways.

1) Is it practical to power your trailer air conditioner while you drive? In most cases definitely not. You have pets so that's your call.
2) Is it legal? Don't know.
3) Is it safe? To some extent yes, if it's done right
2) Can it be done technically? I'll check out the specs on mine and maybe try it out in my driveway. A simple OHMs law calculation can tell us before we start. Even as geeky as I can be to test stuff (according to one friend, what are friends for?), it's worth checking out.

EG: at 15 amps and 120VAC = 1,800 watts (not including startup) borderline at best. Maybe a 3,000 watt unit but then what are the TV alternators rated at, as they all vary per vehicle. A lot of Q&A in the chain of power and consumption..
Just for fun from my perspective. I have one friend that rolls his eyes a lot when I talk about these ventures. (maybe it's a piece of dust in his eyes )
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Old 05-16-2015, 11:03 AM   #9
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WoW!

Quote:
Originally Posted by JerryJ View Post
Ahhhh Ha!!!!
I knew there might be a good reason to use my 2,000watt AC inverter.
Many of you might recall my AC inverter setup that I use for our fridge. Mostly for a fun project "because I can" but has also proven practical.

As for your AC I never really gave that any thought.

What I do know that it only takes a few very short minutes to cool down these TTs in the hot summer. Shortly after I bought my T1350 my son and I were checking everything over. It happened to be a nice hot day. The trailer was hot inside. We turned the TT AC on but was distracted to the outside for a couple of minutes. When we went back inside the trailer is was cold.
But, to precool on the highway is not necessary in most conditions.

As I said my AC inverter provides 2,000 watts quasi-square wave.
I have never checked the current rating on these roof mount units. I'll check the dog tag on the unit for current draw. Then there's the start up current which is higher than the operational current.

I look at this hook-up two ways.

1) Is it practical to power your trailer air conditioner while you drive? In most cases definitely not. You have pets so that's your call.
2) Is it legal? Don't know.
3) Is it safe? To some extent yes, if it's done right
2) Can it be done technically? I'll check out the specs on mine and maybe try it out in my driveway. A simple OHMs law calculation can tell us before we start. Even as geeky as I can be to test stuff (according to one friend, what are friends for?), it's worth checking out.

EG: at 15 amps and 120VAC = 1,800 watts (not including startup) borderline at best. Maybe a 3,000 watt unit but then what are the TV alternators rated at, as they all vary per vehicle. A lot of Q&A in the chain of power and consumption..
Just for fun from my perspective. I have one friend that rolls his eyes a lot when I talk about these ventures. (maybe it's a piece of dust in his eyes )
WoW! I'm always in awe when I'm in the presence of great minds!!! If you could relay the findings of your research, I would love it!!! You are so right when you say these units cool right down when the air is turned on!
If you find a way to use an inverter to just cool the unit down for a short while when taking a break on a long trip, that would be great! Then the instruments and the dogs could be safe and happy in the coolness. I would like to go west, my friend (LoL) and would like to have a cool spot for them when we stop for lunch or breaks.
Enjoy the adventure/investigation! Remember it's not only the destination that should be enjoyable, but the "gettin' there, also"

Ps: A "great mind" is someone who isn't afraid to ask the question, ponder the possibilities, experiment with the possible/impossible, and in the end solve the incredible!)
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Old 05-16-2015, 02:56 PM   #10
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I checked out my AC unit and looked at the diagram. The heater itself draws 1575 watts.

I saw nothing for current draw on the AC unit. However, the trailer's circuit breaker is 20 amps which would include any startup current. Start up current is always higher than running current
20 amps x 120VAC = 2,400 watts. So, personally I couldn't run my inverter to operate my roof mount AC unit.
If you decided to get a 3,000 watt inverter it might work. BUT what is your tow vehicle capable of? If your alternator can't put out that much power, you might be frying alternator and a few other items.
I would NOT do this.

Even though I like to experiment, because of the differences in power consumption and power availability, it would be a definite NO for me

A simple ohms law test:
Wattage equals voltage multiplied by amps (current)
Wattage divided by voltage gives you the current.

If you know you're using a 120volt system and your circuit breaker suggests a 20A breaker: then 120v x 20a = 2400 watts.

That's based on my unit. Maybe check to see the make and model of yours, contact the manufacturer and ask them the startup current draw and go from there. Remember all things in between also cause resistance like long thin extension cords. A deeper part of OHMs law is the calculation of resistance. Resistances can add to a current draw and create a deeper voltage drop....yadi yadi.
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Old 05-16-2015, 07:12 PM   #11
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In summary, I just want to post a final comment. Always consider when you, me or anyone is working with high current levels, be they AC or DC one has to be very diligent and aware. Working with electrical is no light matter and a fire can break out from the slightest mistake.

Even when I rigged up my 2,000 watt AC inverter I used a thick gauge cabling to the inverter and fused the inverter right at the battery for those just-in-case moments, not to mention my quick disconnect within arm's reach..
A person should never max out the full capability of these inverters and maybe only max to about 75% of the unit.
Safety, safety, safety; I can't stress it enough. If you're unsure of anything electrical maybe contact someone that does know and has worked with circuits. Not for the novice. I've worked with various electrical circuits all my adult life and to this day I am purposely nervous. That raised heighten awareness.

I know there are a few others here that also work on electrical projects and I'm sure they'll agree, make sure you understand what it is that you're doing. Fire extinguishers won't kill an electrical fire until you remove the source of the fire...electrical current.
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Old 05-18-2015, 04:29 PM   #12
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2000 watts will not start even a small camper A/C there is a slim chance that it might with a hard start cap but I doubt an inverter will do it a 2000 watt generator might but it will be right on the edge. Breakers are thermal (takes a bit to trip them on short overload), a starting motor draws 220% of it's running load for a short time some thing a breaker will not be effected by but a 2000 watt inverter or generator will because it will spike well above it's rated capacity. 2000 Watts at 12 volts is 166 Amps big cables really good connections and two batteries.
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Old 05-18-2015, 04:51 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mainah View Post
2000 watts will not start even a small camper A/C there is a slim chance that it might with a hard start cap but I doubt an inverter will do it a 2000 watt generator might but it will be right on the edge. Breakers are thermal (takes a bit to trip them on short overload), a starting motor draws 220% of it's running load for a short time some thing a breaker will not be effected by but a 2000 watt inverter or generator will because it will spike well above it's rated capacity. 2000 Watts at 12 volts is 166 Amps big cables really good connections and two batteries.

I agree 100%. These inverters are not really designed for this app. Start up current is much higher than running current.
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