Anyone Ever Use A Reefer?

[onenationundergoat]

I know it's not very economical, but has anyone ever tried to use a truck reefer (refrigerator) unit as the AC for their bus? They're about $5000 used, but if for whatever reason you could lay hands on one for cheap or free do you think it would make a decent AC? Does anyone know how much fuel they burn? It would be nice to have AC without running the big generator.

[EastCoastCB]

LOL at the title...

Most reefers usually have around a 50 gallon tank and use, roughly, a gallon an hour. They're usually decent sized 3 or 4 cylinder engines.

[GreyCoyote]

I saw a skoolie near Austin that used a mini-reefer from a delivery box van to good effect. Engine driven type. It cooled the bus nicely (a short bus) but the real benefit was the excellent dehumidification. That was magic.

So I know they can work, but I wonder if the noise from a semi-style reefer rig would be acceptable to you? They sure pump-out a ton of cold air.

Hey! Maybe we can retitle the thread "reefer madness?". Lol.

[dgorila1]

Ha! That's the wrong title header to use on a site dedicated to skoolies!!

[cadillackid]

REFER is actually the term used in the industry..(REFrigERation)

to me they are over-kill.. for 5k you could almost get into a used Tri-Pak type of device which is usually a little 2 cylinder diesel engine.. it will give you cooling.. usually up to 15000 BTU (capacity of a nice camper A/C).. some electricity.. and usually the ability to keep the 12 volt battery of your Bus charging so you could run your 12 volt lights.. inverters for TV's etc... some of them even offer some heat as well..

they are designed to be quiet and efficient.. its what many truckers are using now to save fuel.. and also comply with no-idle laws in many municipalities now..

tripak is a brand.. i think the proper industry name for it is an 'APU'...

-Christopher

[dgorila1]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

REFER is actually the term used in the industry..(REFrigERation)

to me they are over-kill.. for 5k you could almost get into a used Tri-Pak type of device which is usually a little 2 cylinder diesel engine.. it will give you cooling.. usually up to 15000 BTU (capacity of a nice camper A/C).. some electricity.. and usually the ability to keep the 12 volt battery of your Bus charging so you could run your 12 volt lights.. inverters for TV's etc... some of them even offer some heat as well..

they are designed to be quiet and efficient.. its what many truckers are using now to save fuel.. and also comply with no-idle laws in many municipalities now..

tripak is a brand.. i think the proper industry name for it is an 'APU'...

-Christopher

I know what a Reefer is, just busting balls