HDPE is a specific type of plastic, that's High Density Polyethylene. Again, many "plastic paints" won't stick to this, some are just made for PVC. Others actually DO say "polyethyelene" on the label, you gotta read the fine print on the back.

HDPE (and UHMW-PE) are very vulnerable to UV damage. It becomes hard and brittle and cracks easily. It can become structurally unsound after only months of being outside in direct sunlight So a complete, opaque paint layer is very important.

 

Hi
I would like to know more details about the portable air condition that you used in your Van.I would like to use a portable air condition in my Van when i go to florida, i will use it mainly when i will be connected to the camping power.My questions are: How many BTU min.or max.do i need,i have been told that a unit with a single hose is not very efficient and that it would be better a two hose unit.Does it realy matters since a Van econoline is not very big.The other thing were do you connect the air condition hose?
tanks for the answer.
Taw

 

How much you need depends a lot on how well insulated the walls are and how much glass you've got.

It takes a lot, though. I've left my camper van in the Texas sun with like I think a 6500 BTU AC running off 110v, and the windshield with a sunscreen and curtains drawn over the windows. Those camper van walls are insulated with fiberglass, but when the penthouse "pop top" is up, there's like 1.5ft of canvas wall.

That... well, it could bring it into into the high 70's when running continuously, which isn't bad, but it was getting near the limit of performance.

"portable" A/C? Those things are crap. I wouldn't bother. Long technical story but the very premise is quite flawed. You need a window unit.

 

> Those things are crap. I wouldn't bother.

Agreed, I had one before with the venting hose. It will not cool a fairly drafty un-insulated van which is much worse then a small room.
.

 

Well, unless it's at least a 2-hose type, it won't work much at all with the doors closed because it'll rapidly build up a small pressure differential, lowering the pressure inside the van. It's not gonna pop your ears or anything but those fans won't push air effectively against a differential. So you'd need to crack a window, and that fan blowing air out the exhaust hose will draw in an equal volume of air through the window. Which, yes, defeats the point.

The whole flaw with 1-hose models is they take the product air- the cooled room air- and blow it over the hot condenser coils at a high volume. Which wastes the cold air it just made! And like I mentioned, it required that the room air be replenished through some sort of infiltration. There ARE 2-hose models which are much better designed which duct air in from outside so they don't waste cooled room air on the condenser coils. That creates the same basic system schematic as an ordinary window unit, but the air going through hoses limits the airflow volume and adds a lot of air resistance the fan must push against, and efficient, high-volume airflow across the coils is crucial to getting efficiency and cooling power. Plus there's condensation drainage problems. On the whole it's just a bad system. And window units are cheaper, anyways!

 

The 9,000 BTU R2D2 unit worked OK in our 'uninsulated' van.

I put a 4" hole in the van floor for the hose. These units are for 'spot' cooling -- blowing cold air at you. We also took ours into motel rooms out west, that didn't have real air conditioning. The trouble is they need to be fastened down and that hose takes up a lot of room. That's why we went with the window unit.

 

Yeah the "portable" AC does take up an enormous amount of floor space. The window unit doesn't really compromise anything out of your interior space.

Oh yeah one VERY important detail for window units:
Window AC units create a great deal of condensation on the cold "inside" coil. The bottom is designed to let it flow to the outside half and cool the hot "outside" coil.

The area where it flows is a basepan which is wide, but may only have a lip like 1/2" deep. So, if it's tilted too far in back (like jeffnick did), the cold condensation will run over the lip and drain out without splashing up on the hot outside coil. Which is no big deal, it's only slightly less efficient and slightly less cooling power.

BUT... get this... if it's tipped too far forward, the condensation will drain INSIDE the van, which is a total mess!

And it's variable. You make it nice and bubble-level during installation, but then park on uneven surface or take some heavy cargo out of the back- your weight standing on the bumper while installing loaded it down some- and the rear springs rise. It doesn't take much of an angle for the condensate to overflow the lip on the pan!

So, what jeffnick did, giving it an extra angle towards the back so it's impossible to park on such a severe nose-down incline that the condensate would run off inside the van is not a bad thing. Personally, I think you could go with a little less radical angle and *maybe* still get the cold condensate to pool so it will wet the outside coil instead of simply running off, but it's so hard to guarantee that it's probably best to just give up on that.

For generator use, I DO recommend you install a "hard start" capacitor, which does require taking the AC unit apart (cannot be added to the plug externally):
Amazon.com: Part No. SPP6 Series PTC Capacitor Combination, Operating Voltage (VAC) 90 - 277, Recommended Range (hp) 1/2 to 10, Increase in torque (%) 500%: Home Improvement

That radically reduces the surge needed to turn on the compressor. In those EU-series generators, they don't have ANY strong surge capability. They'll go into Overload mode and quit! An EU1000i will not reliably start a ~6500BTU window unit without a hard start cap.

An EU2000i or more should be able to start the window unit, but not if it's got a lot of other stuff plugged into it too. And the EU2000i is much more expensive.

 

Good info on the 'hard start' gizmo and about the angle of the a/c unit. I guess I was more worried about the condensate splashing forward during a stop rather than out of level at night...anyway it works beyond my expectations.

For the record, I have a 6,000 BTU window unit on my boat, and the EU1000i easily starts/cycles the unit in eco-throttle.






I also tested an 8,000 BTU with the 1000i. It would start/run the 8000 only if eco-throttle was off and the fan was spolled up before I kicked in the a/c compressor.

If you're using a 2000i, there's no reason to go any smaller than the 8000 that I use in the van. I use it in the near 100° temps to keep my dog cool while I shop.

 

Yeah but without Eco-Throttle, it'll take significantly more fuel than it should. Well, especially if it idles, which might not be that much. It's noisier, too.

The starting current is not consistent. Well, I know it's very high if you just turned the thermostat up and shut it off and then turned it back down. The electronic ones don't let you do that. AFAIK that's due to there still being a large temp and pressure difference between the warm and cold sides.

Yeah that AC I have, IIRC, like 7000 or 7500 BTU. EU1000i started it like one out of three attempts until I installed the hard start cap. Then, no prob. Although really I've only run it on the genny a few times. There is a concern here that a genny loses power at higher altitudes. The gas motor can't provide the same shaft HP to turn the integrated alternator at lower air density.

And if it DOESN'T start, one or both of these things will happen: the generator will go into overload mode, where the engine keeps running but the output is off until you come by and manually turn off the genny and restart it (this is dumb, since there's no reason for it to stay running if the output is disabled!) or the brownout will reset the electronics in an electronic-thermostat A/C and then it comes back in "I'm off, waiting for you to press the ON button" mode.

That is of great concern if you've left a dog in the car relying on that A/C staying on! I thought of maybe some kind of SMS system to notify me with a text message if the A/C went out and the temp rose while I was in the store.

I do have it upgraded with a Motorcraft 3G alternator- MUCH more powerful than stock (might be a bit outdated versus newer stuff now, though).
With thick cables and a very good power inverter, yes it could run the A/C. But, I did have it keep shutting down while driving, and I'm not sure why. My best theory was the alternator couldn't keep up in the heat and lost some output, it drained the secondary batt and shut down the inverter. But, I don't recall hearing the inverter's low voltage alarm whine. That inverter is pretty good, it barely gets warm when running the A/C. In the end I didn't have a lot of confidence in the setup. I mean, I try to take that out on a trip and having the high performance alternator die on me in the desert due to overheating, that's not a good thing.

The hard start cap, at $15, is a GREAT idea since it seems to guarantee a problem-free start, even if the genny's in Eco Mode, at high alt, or already loaded down with a 110v battery fast charger. And the upgrade from the EU1000i to the EU2000i is a lot more than $15. That is, IF you can fit the cap in the A/C. I barely found enough space in mine. Had to kind of bulge the outer sheet metal housing out like 1/8".

 

Tanqs for the replies concerning the portable air condition.
In conclusion for my pop top Van(not very insulated):The window unit is much cheaper compare with the portable one and also more effecient but it needs some work to secure everyting and also it limits the view when driving.
In the other end if i go with a portable unit it has to be a 2 hoses system to be more efficient and it needs to be hooked up in a secure way when driving and since we do not stay very long at each place we visit,i just have to put the hoses the the passenger window.
And with a 10000BTU it shoud be ok.
TAW

 

Saw your pics showing your window unit in your Econoline. That's exactly what I want to install. Is the outside border on the outside of the door around the a/c unit plywood?
Also, where did you get your angle bar for the inside support bracket for the unit? I already have the Honda generator. I drive long distance in the expediting business and this will work perfectly, and a lot less expensive than a roof mounted unit.

Gary

 

The window filler plastic but wood is ok. The angle iron is from Lowes. I'm on the road for a while. Post again in a week or so and I'll give you measurements.

 

Thanks, looking forward to learn the measurements.

Gary

 

Not trying to highjack your thread, just wanted to offer up some additional A/C window unit info. if interested. I started a diff. thread as not to highjack yours.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...-van-door.html

thanks

 

jeffnick, the cargo rack on front of your van. Are those white poles pvc ?

I've been looking for something and considered CB antenna because they have mounting threads on base but didn't want to spend much money for bumper sticks.

If not PVC, where did you buy them ?