Learning Center » A/C & Heating » Portable Air Conditioner Reviews: What Customers Are SayingPortable Air Conditioner Reviews: What Customers Are SayingBut not in our RV. In fact, as I write this it’s 93 degrees and very humid outside, where I currently am located in Ekhart, IN. The sun is burning down in full force through a cloudless sky. But inside our Roadtrek CS Adventurous XL right now, it’s 68 degrees. Bo and I love it. Jennifer says she will soon need a  sweater if I plan to keep testing our the new AC. We’re in Elkhart to visit the headquarters of ProAir, manufacturers of automotive air conditioning and heating components. ProAir has an exclusive deal with Roadtrek Motorhomes to provide undermount AC units and I came to have the next generation of their units installed in our unit. Our Roadtrek was a prototype for the undermount system, which did away with the big and bulky traditional roof mounted system found on most RVs and moved it down under the rear of the vehicle.

The compressor, dryer and fans are attached to the chassis, thus freeing up the roof real estate for other things, like solar panels. Since our unit – along with Campskunk’s – were the first two ProAir systems installed on the Roadtrek, we’ve been sort of the crash test dummy for undermount AC on an RV. Campskunk, who seldom travels anywhere hotter than 70 degrees, uses his only sporadically. Jennifer and I, who spend a lot of time in Florida, along the Gulf Coast and the Deep South, use it all the time. But technical innovation at Roadtrek moves fast and our prototype Gen 1 unit has now been improved on and thus, we headed to Eklhart for update our unit with the Gen 2 system, now offered on production models. As ProAir engineers worked on our system, I visited with Troy Becktel, the Director of Service and Warranty for the Erwin Hymer Group North America, Inc., the parent company of Roadtrek, who came down to meet me while I was at ProAir. You can hear a full interview with Troy on next week’s podcast in which he talks about all the amazing things offered by this system..

As we learned from ProAir’s Mike Hiles, the Gen 2 system and its undermount configuration has shown itself to be about 10 degrees cooler than traditional roof mounted RV systems. In other words, if a rooftop AC can drop the temperature inside an RV to, say, 75 degrees when the outside temperature is 95 degrees, the undermount ProAir unit will cool the RV to 65 degrees. lg hvac air conditioningYou can get much more info on all this in the full podcast interview coming up next week.air handling unit design calculation pdf But we noticed something else about it: It’s quieter than our Gen 1 unit. ac and heater unitsIt takes just a few minutes to cool the interior to very comfortable levels. Hiles stressed that for RVs,  only Roadtrek offers this system now.

But ProAir undermount systems have also used on airport shuttle busses, ambulances and other speciality vehicles. Parts are easily accessible and most of the wiring is plug and play So our prototype has been updated with the latest production model undermount AC. And suddenly, this heat wave that’s been gripping North America is no big deal at all. As long as we stay inside the RV. Click to see all of our Roadtreking RV videos!Best RV air conditioner What makes the best RV air conditioner? We know the drill : its summer, you’re driving or resting, couldn’t find a parking space in the shade and then… your RV is hell on earth, a hot and steamy inferno. Well, fear not, traveler, there are excellent options of a great air conditioning within your favorite vehicle at hand. At the Air Geeks, during our tests, we asked ourselves : what criteria make a great RV AC unit? In our mind, the best air conditioner for an RV has to have the following qualities :

Easy-to-install : RV parts are tricky enough to function together – we don’t want to add to the compexity, especially when it comes to AC units. Light : your RV roof is not a place where you want to add weight. You want to kep it light and compact to avoid increasing your gas consumption Very efficient : an RV is a relatively small space, but it is not well insulated. A great RV air conditioner has to have the power to cool down an RV space in a few minutes, while not draw heavily on your resources. Our stance on the best RV air conditioner Our experience lead us to believe that one model is above the competition in that field of specialists.An excellent, lightweight and robust air conditioner for your tiny palace, at a reasonable price for the quality obtained. RV specialists at Dometic know what they are doing in terms of AC.How to Replace RV Air Conditioning Units Removing the Old Unit Article Written By Edwin Thomas Edwin Thomas has been writing since 1997.

His work has appeared in various online publications, including The Black Table, Proboxing-Fans and others. A travel blogger, editor and writer, Thomas has traveled from Argentina to Vietnam in pursuit of stories. He holds a Master of Arts in international affairs from American University. Don't have an account yet? HomeRV Exterior PartsAir Conditioner Shrouds Not all AC shrouds are created equal… Our aftermarket replacement air-conditioner shrouds are constructed of high-impact UV resistant material, thicker and stronger than the originals. Buy an Icon shroud and you’ll have complete peace of mind, knowing that your shroud is designed to last.Five percent of America's electricity is used for residential air conditioning, and it is considered now to be a necessity, not a luxury. It's usually needed most when the sun is shining, so as I have noted since 2006, Solar Powered Air Conditioning Just Makes Sense. For most of that time I have been looking at absorption units that run like a propane fridge, but I recently mused that perhaps it is time for a change in the way we think about this:I am wondering if the solar powered air conditioner might not be in the end a small, high efficiency home with a small, high efficiency air conditioner powered by a big honking bank of photovoltaics

, and be done with it.I am not alone. Jamie Edens of Charleston, South Carolina read the post and wrote, telling me about his search for a solution to what he calls "the crux of our energy problem", all that coal that is being burned to generate the electricity to run that air conditioning. He also noted that there was a big movement everywhere to get off the grid, to stop paying so much money for electricity, but the real problem in doing so was the heavy load from air conditioning, and the poor efficiency of most units on the market.After hearing a story of how truckers had seriously efficient air conditioners that could run on batteries while they slept, he started hanging out in truck equipment shows and discovered Kingtec Technologies, a big manufacturer of direct current air conditioners for the trucking and RV market. After building a prototype that was a minor hit on YouTube, and with the help of a local Kingtec distributor, Edens convinced the company to build a unit to his specifications.

They started with very efficient 48 volt DC unit that puts out 16,000 BTUs at 850 watts, giving it an Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) of 18.8. (Martin Holladay explains that EER is the cooling capacity of the appliance (in Btu/h) at an outdoor temperature of 95°F divided by the current draw of the appliance in watts.)They added a 45 amp solar charge controller and a 20 amp/hour battery as a buffer for when clouds block the sun. All you have to do is stick it in your window like a regular air conditioner, plug in a thousand watts of solar panels and it will run all day. Add more batteries or add a grid connection power supply and it will run all night. So for $2895 plus a thousand bucks worth of solar panels, you in business.Edens has been to China and played with the prototype. Comparing it to his prototype, he writes:The new air conditioner blow three times harder and has twice the BTU output. The efficiency are there and it is ready to change the world. It's not a toy- the beauty of this air conditioner is that all of the solar components are installed in the air conditioner and the engineering is done for you.

All you need to do is plug in your solar panels and turn the unit on.... Air conditioning doesn't need to burden to the grid, our finances and contribute to global pollution. It can contribute a new start to clean things up and sustain the earth for the long run. 16,000 BTUs is not comparable to a typical home air conditioning unit; it's a big window unit that might normally condition 600 square feet. But if you combine it with an equally efficient home, you might have something here. After I mused about a photovoltaic powered AC unit earlier I wrote Martin Holladay at Green Building Advisor for his thoughts and he replied:So, if you want to minimize your air conditioning bill, install low-solar-gain windows on your west (and perhaps east) walls, include wide roof overhangs, install deep attic insulation, minimize your air leakage, install an efficient air conditioner ... and then install PV, as much as you can afford. In other words, I agree with you.Jamie Edens and Kingtec have built a neat little package that runs on a lot less than my "big honking bank of photovoltaics";