ISO HVAC Options

[Jcrum]

The best part is I bought it off of amazon shipped to the house for $750.00

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by Robin97396

Could the condenser be mounted horizontally?

NO!!! comporessors cant be turned or angled very far...

oil return is a big issue
-Christopher

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by Jcrum

The condenser unit is horizontal that pic is upside down.
I have ran it a good bit sometimes 8hrs or so. I cut out the side panel of the bus. Most mini split air handlers have drains on each side of the evap coil. I used both drain just to make sure the water drain because the bus might not always be level. I have the system in working order but I have not finish running the drain lines the way I want them.

thats a vertical moujt.. you cant turn them completely horizontal.. yours is in the correct position...

I have 3 HIGHLY modified minisplits in my house.. modded into my central-blower modulated damper zoned system... they sure seem pretty efficient to me.. much m,ore efficient than the 13 SEER standard A/C i took out... mine are rated at 20.. I put them in 2008 / 2009 and never looked back... not sure what that article was going to say but if the ground clearance exists for the condensors then id say definitely use them i nthe bus.. their soft-start nature makes them friendly to batteries / generator
-Christopher

[somewhereinusa]

Originally Posted by Jcrum

The condenser unit is horizontal that pic is upside down.
I have ran it a good bit sometimes 8hrs or so. I cut out the side panel of the bus. Most mini split air handlers have drains on each side of the evap coil. I used both drain just to make sure the water drain because the bus might not always be level. I have the system in working order but I have not finish running the drain lines the way I want them.

Gotcha, I looked at it wrong, I thought it was between frame rails. That is similar to the way I mounted my rear one.

[Jcrum]

I'm a HVAC Tech in Florida, Mini splits are really good if they are installed properly. Do not install one in a kitchen. The grease from cooking will get sucked onto the evaporator coil and will clog the drain line.

[Robin97396]

Jcrum, you're sure in a good location for job security.

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by Robin97396

Jcrum, you're sure in a good location for job security.

they heat too.. and are really good at it... I designed and buolt a custom Hybrid HVAC around 3 minis (indoor units highly modded).. and they are fantastic at heat even in pretty cold weather... ive run the heatpump mode down to 0f outside and still had air over 100 inside even with a fairly high CFM flow across the coil..
-Christopher

[Robin97396]

I'm wanting one of those mini-split systems, even with my efforts to stay away from technology. A guy's got to have some hidden secrets.

[Offgr1d]

I think mini split is the best way to go for RV - as long as you can be creative with the condensor mount and get it airflow, they are extremely quiet (especially the inverter DC style) and very efficient. I will do a two unit 3 or 4 zone split in the next conversion - done deal.... they kill a rooftop IMHO...

[cadillackid]

Multi-zone units are bit of a PITA.. typically the condensiong unit isnt capable of providing full capacity to all of the zones at once... in a Home this is normally a perfectly acceptable thing as the house gets the sun on one part and not the other... so many times you see less capaciity needed in some zones when others require more.. in a Capacity deficiency the compressor will run at 110% of its rating... whle that wont cause any damage or harm... the energy usage curve goes WAY UP when the inverter driver is being driven at its peak...

since my home minis are all integrated into my ducting with a single central vari-speed blower and dampers,, i have the capability to ocver or under-drive abny zone at any time... and the numbers dont lie... minisplits running balls-to-the-wall are ionefficient... run them at 80% or less and they are Very efficient at what they do..

in a Bus the typical environment is that the whole bus is likely to require the same type of climate control at the same time... im sure every family is different, but my observation is that in such a small space.. even the bedroom is used as living space during the day therefore requiring cooling...

MultiZone splits also are all typically 220 VAC, where as 12k and under single zoners can be had for 110 VAC.. which makes your shore power or other power arrangements much simpler...

I own a nice 4 Zoner that i was going to use in my house until I figured out that I wasnt going to be able to utilize it in the way I demand my climate system does.. it drank the energy when I ran her flat out... way more watt hours than what id expect for the cooling I was getting..

some of you may also utilize your busses in the manner that I run the HVAC at home.. in that I often dont turnb on any A/C at all till its stiffling hot inside.. (I like the fresh summer air).. but when I want A/C I want it now.. and quick.. and ALWAYS to sleep..

that creates a unique situation in that with traditional kit you oversize like that and end up with no humidity control.... mini-splits give you the capability to do this in your Busses... you can have larger capacities to cool quickly.. thenb ramp down for night and still control humidity in a small space where it gets out of control fast..

If I were buinding the 'perfect RV'.. i would have dashboard road A/C, and then 2 minisplit DC inverter units.. 110 Volters..

-Christopher

[tlbeck1985]

That's good information man. I was just looking at a minisplit on amazon, probably the one jcrum bought. It's 120v/12k BTU, that should be able to cool around 500 sq feet right? For an example, an 8.5' x 36' is 306 sq ft. That would put the unit running at about 60%. Would you still choose to run two? I am not an HVAC guy in any way shape or form...just trying to get some plans together for the future.

[Jcrum]

I did mine mini split in the front of the bus so I can run it while driving. I am go to have to build wind blockers for the condenser. I plan to run it off of a power inverter, batters with the alternator. I have a small 6000 but window shaker I'm thinking about mounting like a basement unit for the back. But for now the mini split is working just fine.

[tlbeck1985]

Please keep us updated man. I'm curious as to whether or not all of those windows will play a big enough factor to need two units.

[Jcrum]

The heat load is the biggest problem you will run into. The windows, bad insulation in the walls and roof, the color the bus is and if you put insulation on the floor. I put a white silicone roof sealer on the roof of my bus. That was the best thing I have done to my bus so far. Last summer 96+ degee days in direct the roof/ceiling with out any insulation (bare metal) would burn your skin, I'm talking sizzle like a steak in a frying pan. After applying the silicone to the roof you could touch the ceiling and it felt so much cooler, I almost did not put insulation back up there.

[Robin97396]

If it was really hot out, wouldn't you cover your windows with rigid insulation? It works to stop heat transfer in the winter. I've never been anywhere hot enough to need AC yet.

[Iceni John]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

NO!!! comporessors cant be turned or angled very far...

oil return is a big issue
-Christopher

I'm thinking of a single-zone 120 volt 12K heatpump inverter minisplit for the front of my bus. However, I'm running out of space for the condenser unit - the only way I could mount it reasonably close to the evaporator unit would be tilted over at a 45 degree angle. Is it possible to dissect the condenser unit and remount the compressor itself so it would still be upright, even if the fan and heat exchanger parts are not upright? I've heard of folk adapting roof-top A/Cs by separating their constituent parts to make a ducted basement unit, so why wouldn't it be possible to similarly reconfigure a minisplit's condenser unit?

Has anyone here run into space issues with their minisplit, or repositioned their compressor?

John

[Jcrum]

My window s are tinted that as help with some of that. But I am going to cover some with sheet metal and insulation. The rest of the will have some type blinds or shades over them.

[Jcrum]

Originally Posted by Iceni John

I'm thinking of a single-zone 120 volt 12K heatpump inverter minisplit for the front of my bus. However, I'm running out of space for the condenser unit - the only way I could mount it reasonably close to the evaporator unit would be tilted over at a 45 degree angle. Is it possible to dissect the condenser unit and remount the compressor itself so it would still be upright, even if the fan and heat exchanger parts are not upright? I've heard of folk adapting roof-top A/Cs by separating their constituent parts to make a ducted
basement unit, so why wouldn't it be possible to similarly reconfigure a minisplit's condenser unit?

Has anyone here run into space issues with their minisplit, or repositioned their compressor?

John

You could remount the compressor but it would be a lot of work and you would need to have the skills to do it. If you do not have the skill set to do it, you would have to pay more than it is worth to have it done.

[cadillackid]

remounting the compressor is possible but noy feasible.. I still have an outdoor 110 Volt unit torn paretially apart in my home HVAC lab (yes I am passionate about A/C).. i'll take some pics. the copper tubes inside of these mini splits are VERY thin copper and unless you have really good brazing skills or are willing to use an alternative product like Stay-Brite8 (I use this stuff all the time and no issues.. but die harders will say nay on a softer silver-solder product)..

the compressors in some of these units run on 480 Volts 3 phase so you have high voltage wiring to deal with also. others are high voltage DC direct motors.. all depends on the units...

space inside the outdoor unit cabinet is limited.. theres a lot of wiring and piping stuffed into a small space. most units i believe publish an acceptable level of tilt allowed for an installation... there is some leeway as these units will settle a few degrees here and there in peoples yards and dont have issues.. I havent tried turning one at a 45 degree angle and firing it up, I may have to try it just for kicks though..
-Christopher

[Iceni John]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

remounting the compressor is possible but noy feasible.. I still have an outdoor 110 Volt unit torn paretially apart in my home HVAC lab (yes I am passionate about A/C).. i'll take some pics. the copper tubes inside of these mini splits are VERY thin copper and unless you have really good brazing skills or are willing to use an alternative product like Stay-Brite8 (I use this stuff all the time and no issues.. but die harders will say nay on a softer silver-solder product)..

the compressors in some of these units run on 480 Volts 3 phase so you have high voltage wiring to deal with also. others are high voltage DC direct motors.. all depends on the units...

space inside the outdoor unit cabinet is limited.. theres a lot of wiring and piping stuffed into a small space. most units i believe publish an acceptable level of tilt allowed for an installation... there is some leeway as these units will settle a few degrees here and there in peoples yards and dont have issues.. I havent tried turning one at a 45 degree angle and firing it up, I may have to try it just for kicks though..
-Christopher

Thanks for that good advice. I used to do oxy-propane brazing with 56% silver filler on thin-wall CrMo and MnMo, but thin copper tubes would be very difficult. I'll reexamine my spaces where I could put a condenser unit - maybe I can put it between the frame rails above the front axle, but I've already got an electric air compressor and spare tire winch there now. Nothing's easy when you're trying to cram a gallon into a pint pot. I'll try to find the maximum acceptable deviation from vertical from different manufacturers, but I expect they'll tell me not to do it at all. (As if that's ever stopped me!)

John