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BEING THE PROUD OWNER OF A 1986 SUBURBAN, THAT THE AIR CONDITIONING IS BROKEN IN, I HAVE AN IDEA. I THINK WITH THE PROPER POWER INVERTER AND SOME HANDY DUCT WORK,I CAN INSTALL A WINDOW UNIT IN MY TRUCK.
IT IS A DIESEL, SO RESERVE POWER ISNT THAT BIG OF A DEAL. 2 BATTERYS. ANYWAY KNOWING THAT A COMPRESSOR
ALONE COSTS $300.00, WHY NOT TAKE A 6500 BTU WINDOW UNIT, CHOP IT UP, AND USE IT IN MY TRUCK.
I THINK A 6500 BTU COOLS A 100SQUARE FOOT ROOM QUITE WELL( ITS ALSO 8 FEET TALL) WHY NOT A 5X18X4 SIZE AREA? LETS SEE.. 100 SQ. FEET IS 800 CUBIC FEET ROUGHLY, AND THE TRUCK IS 360 CUBIC FEET. I THINK WHEN YOU FACTOR IN THE POOR INSULATION IT IS STILL MORE THAN ENOUGH.
FIGURE IN SOME DUCTWORK FOR INTAKE/ COOLING, THE EXHAUST( WHICH I AM THINKING YOU CAN USE THE WIND SPEED FOR WHEN MOVING AND THE BUILT IN FAN AT IDLE.
NEXT IS HOW TO POWER A 110 VOLT UNIT WHICH DRAWS ABOUT 535 WATTS . USE A 600 WATT POWER INVERTER AND IT ALL SHOULD WORK RIGHT?
LET ME KNOW IF I AM MISSING SOMETHING
KaleCo Automotive Supply
http://kalecoauto.com/
[Amos Kito, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 06 2004]
Air Conditioner Trailer
http://www.groban.com/ma302.jpg
It's so cold, you can hang meat in your car. [Amos Kito, Oct 04 2004]
Inverter photo URL moved from [HermanKidle]'s annotation.
http://home.hvc.rr....50VDC_2666Watts.jpg
[HermanKidle]: in the future, please use the "link" feature to post URL's rather than embedding in your annotations. The typical length of a URL breaks the page layout. [bristolz, Oct 04 2004]
Pinguino AC
http://simplest-sho...itchen-product.html
portable AC for home, car and, with extension cord, tent [cloudface, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 06 2004]
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THE CAPS LOCK KEY. TURN IT OFF NEXT TIME. |
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but that said: I dig it! Croissant. |
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I know that that the hook up worked for a plain refrigerator with a beer keg in it. |
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It just became uncomfortable when we had to break hard - the refrigerator didn't wear its safety belt. |
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Uhh, 6500 BTU is about 1800 watts. |
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Divide by 120 volts = 15 amps |
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Sorry about the caps.
This unit would be bolted down, and out of sight.The only thing that would be seen is the controls. |
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here are the specs: i think i'm confused about the watts.
POWER / RATINGS |
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Cooling - Watts
435
voltage
115 |
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Yes, you are missing something. This is a site for inventions, not how to do radical auto-ectomies. |
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Read the help button (all the words, right to the bottom) under the meta section. |
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I'm sorry-i read it all and it did not say a thing about a window unit in a truck.
how about a disclaimer? by the way, necessity is the mother of invention. is autoectomy even a word?
did i mention iam an auto mechanic? also its at least $1000 to fix everything right on my truck.
the window unit is $89.00 at walmart, and i havent found the inverter yet but it cant be more than $300. |
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Seems pretty inventive to me. |
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[bobbye]: Would you please go back and remove all the spec items except for the ones that are pertinent to the idea (the power consumption specs)? |
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// This unit would be bolted down, and out of sight.The only thing that would be seen is the controls //
I'm trying to imagine where you are going to put it. Sticking down through the floor? Or do you mean that it will just be unseen from inside, so the unit sticks out through the side or the back? |
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I believe that a window AC unit is going to expect to run fairly level and stationary. Tipping, jolting, accelerating and decelerating are things it wasn't built to handle. I think it would work... for a little while. The other potential problem: The inverters in your price range all produce a "modified sine wave"; that is, a wave form with all the smooth taken out. The compressor in the AC unit may not be able to cope with it. |
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Yes, if you get a 1000 watt power inverter (you have to allow for the compressor start-up spike), you can run a window air conditioner in your car. Or a bar fridge, or a small TV and VCR. |
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I assume this is going to be a very temporary installation, as keeping it from leaking in the rain is going to be a big problem. |
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it would be cut apart, and put in places that it would fit. i would not just cut a hole in the sheet metal and silicone it in.
the compressor will work fine as long as it has plenty of oil.( i hope) . i imagine having to cut lines and add more length to them. also, i was planning on using the existing vents in the front. i think if it was mounted in the back the cold air would never reach the front seat going 60 mph.
i did not think of the wave form of the inverter. i guess i will have to buy the inverter and test it out.
i was thinking of a 2000 watt continous which will be between 3000- and 4000 peak should do. |
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A 2000 watt inverter will take 167 amps at 12 volts. The cables will be huge. (Not casting aspersions, just a fact. I took some good-quality jumper cables and braided them for mine, and it's only 1000 watts.) Check your alternator. You'll need at least whatever you're going to draw from the inverter for extended periods plus at least 80 more amps. |
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Don't install it without a fuse. 250 amp, as close to your source connection as you can get it. |
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//i would not just cut a hole in the sheet metal and silicone it in//
Why not? It's an '86 Suburban fer cryin' out loud! |
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I'd suppose you could mount the hot coil someplace behind the front grille, if you're extending freon lines. Have you tried Kaleco Auto [link]? It's the best place I've found to get advice on mounting household appliances in a car. |
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i just fell out of my chair after looking at that site -amos kito very funny. |
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i dont know if the window units compressor would withstand 3000+ rpms at times. also a automobile has a clutch to cut in and out as needed.
a 12 volt motor to drive the compressor might work. |
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Im not sure, I havent torn the unit apart. you probably know more than me about window units. |
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Maybe you could buy the AC, rent the inverter, hook it up in the driveway and see if the AC runs. If it doesnt work, you can donate the AC to charity (they crave em this time of year), take a deduction and feel good. |
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This works okay, the converter is pretty intense though. I have not put a big alternator in yet, but you can easily find 350 Amp units for most GM and Ford products on ebay. I used a homebrew 2.6kW converter, << URL moved to "link" area >>, but it really needs 20VDC to get the full 2.6kW. It does run a 12000 BTU/Hr AC for a minute of two off of a fully charged car battery.
This is just the DC-DC end. The DC-AC is a simple IGBT bridge with a 558 Timer , gate drive xformer, and some power driver ICs. It works, but is dreadfully inefficient... |
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You can tow an army surplus air conditioning unit [link], with a duct running to the car. But you can't drive faster than 5mph. Unstable trailer. |
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//Yes, if you get a 1000 watt power inverter (you have to allow for the compressor start-up spike),//
Forgive my ignorance but the only inverter that I know is another name for a 'variable speed drive' or 'frequency inverter', being a 'soft start' device for fans and pumps. Is this the same thing?
Can you soft start a compressor?. You would also need to consider limiting the number of starts to stop the thing falling out of the car |
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[gnomethang] - in this context, an inverter is a device that takes a DC input (12 volt), and gives 110 volt AC output. |
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Ta! - I get the picture now thanks [lurch] and am assuming nice small outdoor units. |
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what about the start up capacitor? |
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There's nothing much wrong with your idea... but personally, I'd go down to the breakers' yard and get the parts you need second hand. As an auto mechanic with a workshop, you can do the work in those moments when it's quiet in the shop or after hours. |
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is breakers yard britt for junk yard? |
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Yes. I used to live there. Spent most of it in the junk yard looking for bits to replace parts from my bike. |
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Great idea for junkyard wars...
Your idea is doable, but may end up costing you more than simply having your factory AC repaired... I think the latter would also be much more visually appealing. |
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"IT IS A DIESEL" just Install an AC generator powerd by a belt and pulley off the engine (like those in utility trucks) and you can run other home appliances also. I have no idea of the cost of a generator but I had a friend who made one from an alternator by bypassing the voltage regulator. |
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Why cut anything?
Just use one of those Penguin portable ACs and use a vent out the side window once you get your electricals tricked out. |
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Hate to burst everyone's bubble but the AC unit in your car is more powerful than the average window unit, even a large window unit; the heat load a car has to deal with is incredible. The differences? Large chunks of steel baking in the sun, and large chunk of heat sitting under the hood. Picture the temperature inside a corrugated steel prisoner torture chamber somewhere in North Vietnam, and you have the idea of what your car's compressor has to deal with. |
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