At 12:04 AM 7/9/2007, Matt Roberds wrote:

>Cheaper yet: in a few weeks, all of the big-box stores will start to
>discount the heck out of their remaining window air conditioners.  Some
>of them offer refurbished air conditioners cheap, as well.  Get one and
>fangle some dryer vent hose from the warm-air inlet and cold-air outlet
>to a piece of cardboard taped in one of the door windows that is rolled
>down a little.  Park outside your place with as much glass facing south
>as you can, pop the top, fire up the window A/C, and see what happens.
>If the A/C can't produce the needed temperature drop while sitting
>outside the van, it'll never do it inside the van.  :)

Good idea, especially since I have a few of those sitting in my basement.

>If you want to get more scientific, I did work out how many Btu it would
>take to heat up (or cool down) the back of a Bus:
>
>http://www.type2.com/archive/vintagebus/043445.html
>http://www.type2.com/archive/vintagebus/063342.html

I'll check those out.

>If I wanted to do this, I'd get the inverter as close as humanly possible
>to the second alternator, and run long wires for the the 120 V AC
>instead of the 12 V DC.  Two 14-gauge wires would be enough to carry
>10 A at 120 V; you'd need a couple of 6 gauge or better battery cables
>to carry 100 A at 12 V.

I thought of that.  maybe the aux batt and inverter in the area
behind the driver's side tail light.

>Another option, not as cheap: replace the second 12 V DC alternator and
>inverter with a 120 V AC alternator.  This does avoid one conversion
>step between the engine and the air conditioner, saving some energy.
>If you wanted to be able to charge the aux battery with this, you could
>add a regular 120 V battery charger - put the conversion step in the
>lower-power side of the system instead of the high-power side.
>
>Matt Roberds

wouldn't the 120V AC alternator have to run at a prescribed rpm to get 60Hz?

And others have put up some good/creative ideas about taking apart
and building into the vanagon, a regular home AC unit.  I want it
only when I need it, for a couple summer trips a year.

Edward

Edward