Will a 7m bus cool enough with a 12V battery powered AC system?

[MartinaJ.]

I'm wondering whether a 12V battery powered air conditioner will be effective in a minibus conversion (7m)?

[Kentucky Dreaming]

You don't provide a lot of information about your location or climate, but I am interested to know what you mean by a "12-volt air conditioner".

That is something new to me.

[BeNimble]

Did you check what sqft the 12v a/c unit says it will condition? I believe they do 50sf, enough to cool the cab of a big rig.

[MartinaJ.]

Originally Posted by Kentucky Dreaming

You don't provide a lot of information about your location or climate, but I am interested to know what you mean by a "12-volt air conditioner".

That is something new to me.

the ambient temperature as high as 98℉. a 12V air conditioner is a battery driven system to be installed on truck vans minibus etc. It is mostly widely used as truck parking cooler. But I have learnt about that many people choose to buy such 12V 24V battery powered air conditioner for their van-RV conversion.I am trying to add one on my minibus, and is looking for a cost-effective unit now. thanks

[ppcInfo]

It is not recommended to install 12V battery powered AC system on minibus, because the cooling capacity would be too small for use on bus applications. the battery pack will not support one such unit to run for 7-8 hours. Auxiliary battery must be added.



you can have a look at 220V/380V AC unit with larger cooling capacity and lower power consumption.

[BeNimble]

Those little 12v units are like $2,500.....think of all the batteries and solar panels you can buy instead to run a $200 a/c unit.

[john61ct]

No.

Have yet to see a 12V aircon unit that can put out enough BTU for anything serious.

[Sehnsucht]

Perspective from the trucking industry, a 12V AC unit rated to cool just the bunk will get 7-10 hrs at night but far less while the sun's out. I have a solar paneled roof, insulated cab, thermal curtains to divide the driver cab from the sleeper, and precool the sleeper an hour before stopping driving to achieve the above estimate. We have 4 AGM batteries just for the parked comfort and convenience load separate from the starter batteries. If I drive a night route and have to take my rest break during the day, the AC unit runs full blast to keep up with the demand created by the solar load and outside ambient temperature so the batteries run down within 4-5 hours and the 500hp diesel engine has to start up for a couple hours to compensate and recharge the batteries. At that rate my recommendation is a generator and 110V AC. If that seems too overkill for your needs the trucking industry does have a couple of more robust solutions like TriPak units but its basically just a small generator and AC unit! And they're super noisy, I always try to avoid parking next to them or reefers because they'll keep me up all night but the drivers who run either actually get accustomed to the noise and vibration. Just a consideration the RV community is much more sensitive about.

[sportyrick]

I think you are asking too much for a 12V air conditioner to cool a mini unless you live in Canada. A generator and window unit are a much more likely combination.

[john61ct]

Small quiet inverter genset say 1000W will supply a low startup 5,000 BTU aircon

a 8000 BTU unit may run OK off a 2000W unit

likely need a soft starter.

Big fuel bills though, and only enough for a well insulated box, not the vehicle as is in a hot climate.

If you want to invest $1000s more in a big battery bank and an inverter, you'll be able to reduce gennie runtime a bit

especially with, say 5000W of solar panels

or a big alt if you drive a hundred hours per week.

[estbiostudent]

Originally Posted by MartinaJ.

I'm wondering whether a 12V battery powered air conditioner will be effective in a minibus conversion (7m)?

I'm curious to which specific ac unit you are referring. Could you post a make and model?

thanks

[LargeMargeInBaja]

Are you operating your residence in the shade [points to self]?
.
Are you moving to a higher elevation for summers [points to self]?
.
Are you enjoying an extended siesta [points to self] during warmer parts of your day?
.
Your proposed '12v air-conditioner', how many cubic meters is its rating?
Continuous duty?
.
.
On our ExpeditionVehicle, we minimize heat gain/loss by minimizing our windows.
We used 3612 (a foot tall by three feet wide) dual-pane sliders designed for a stand-still house.
.
Our insulation starts with:
* adhesive-backed acoustic, then
* one-inch pink-board, then
* two-inch foil-sided polystyrene.
.
By staying in the shade during the hottest part of the day, plus judicious use of beverages and simply slowing down, we eliminated the need for air-conditioning.
.
For sleeping during warm evenings, we use a Craftsman 20v fan.
We tilt its tiltable upper to caress us with its loving embrace.
On 'low', a battery lasts a couple-three nights.
.
To complete the picture, and as you might imagine, we sleep 'in the raw'.