Wow, what have I started?

Velma 82 1.9L AAZ td westy
On Oct 27, 2013 8:31 PM, "Dennis Haynes" <d23haynes57@hotmail.com> wrote:

> BTDT! A famous van had an RV air conditioner on the back of the Adventure
> wagon roof. 2 group 31 AGM batteries got that AC through the night. Keep in
> mind once the sun goes down it does not have to run continuously. Be sure
> it
> is an energy efficient unit that turns the fan off when cooling is not
> needed. Yes the 12 volt options are spendy but just like RV designed
> refrigerators they are light weight and energy efficient. And yes using
> batteries this way does shorten their life not to mention the huge strain
> on
> the alternator if that is how you plan to charge 200 A/H of discharged
> battery. So unless you plan to drive a lot each day at some point you are
> back to a generator. That van owner traveled with a 3K Honda(!) but he
> didn�t want to run it at night so to the batteries he went. At some point
> he
> realized he at least needed a Sportsmobile.
>
> Dennis
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> Keith Hughes
> Sent: Sunday, October 27, 2013 7:02 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: idea?
>
> I wouldn't be too sure of that Dennis unless you've actually tried it.
> Running a 5-Amp window unit for 7-8 hours, with inverter losses, calculates
> to way over 300AH.  I think you'd need two pairs of GC-2's to make that
> feasible and have batteries that last more than a summer.  And that's a
> bunch of room!  The 12VDC systems are nice, but real spendy.
>
> That said, we live in Phoenix, so we virtually always camp where it's cool,
> and never need more than a couple of fans.  We camped in Florida one
> August,
> for a couple of nights, and quickly decided a Motel was the only way to go
> there.  For those of you in the Midwest and South, I feel for you.  Mostly
> we camp on the West Coast anywhere from Monterrey to the Puget Sound, or in
> the Rockies.  We've done tons of research to find campgrounds with power
> when we need it for heating, and have found plenty that are not "RV parks".
> Plenty are, and we use them occasionally to sleep, shower, and head on our
> way.  If I can sit next to the van and toss rocks in the Pacific, I don't
> care if "purists" snub it as an RV park.
>
> Others' mileage may vary, but if a time comes when I give even a fleeting
> thought about what a group of RV'ers think of me and my Westy, please just
> shoot me.
>
> Keith Hughes
> '86 Westy Tiico (Marvin)
>
>  Date:    Sun, 27 Oct 2013 09:08:20 -0400
>  From:    Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
>  Subject: Re: idea?
>
>  If you plan to dry camp you will need the space under the  back seat for
> batteries and the inverter. A pair of GC-2's and a 2,000  watt inverter
> will
> get you through the night. If willing to invest there are 12  volt AC
> options. Also if the original AC system is intact a 110 volt  compressor
> can
> be added and with a 12 volt power supply and a good control  scheme use the
> existing condenser and evaporator.
>
>  Dennis
>
>