This 8,000 BTU WalMart unit will get the inside of the van down to 65°. You might notice we had the top painted the same silver color as the 2 tone - to help keep the heat down while driving.






My wife says don't paint the door (estimate was $100). I may try it myself.

The a/c will be powered by this Honda EU2000i during our 6 week cross country trip later this summer.

 

cool. is there a way to power it off the alt.? maybe a high output alt.

 

A 1000 to 1500 watt inverter should power that AC unit, but will draw at least 70 amps from the alternator while cooling.

 

Looks Good, But Paint It!
You will feel soooo much better!!

Great job on the reinforcement and the exterior fit. 65F should feel pretty good after a long road trip. Where ya planing to go?

 

We had an 'inside' a/c on the last trip that we powered with an inverter, but we find the Honda generator is the easiest way to go and actually it takes up less space and is less weight than the inverter and extra battery. I don't hesitate to use the Honda while moving. I've installed an electric fuel pump that is powered by the trailer light connector so I can fill the generator from the van tank -- this way I don't have to carry extra fuel cans for the generator.



Where ya planing to go?
Lake Powell will be our first planned stop. We'll put the boat in there for a few days. Then on up to Anacortes WA where we'll boat in the San Juans for a week or so. We'll then take a slow drive down the west coast, stopping at 8 or 9 major harbors for little explorations by boat. Then back home.

 

Nice setup Jeffnick!

 

Cool idea!

 

I keep thinking of how much gas will cost for a trip like that You must have one hell of a job or an amazing credit card limit

 

Retired, (small) house is paid for, no kids at home, don't smoke, only drink when I'm alone or with someone, don't have any outstanding bills -- traveling w/ the boat is the only thing my wife and I do that's 'extravagant.'

We don't stay at motels and eat sensibly; the only thing extra is gas. This trip is about 7,000 miles. I get 12mpg towing at 55 mph. Let's say 600 gallons of gas for van and boat (boat gets 7 mpg) over a 2 month period -- at $4/gallon that's less than $2,500...a lot of folks pay that for a week at Disney World, or a golf weekend with the boys.

 

Awesome Hope you have fun 7000 miles at 55 mph thats tough LOL when driving a truck i was governed at 63 and i thought i would go mad

 

Love it. I may put a window unit and fridge in my E-150 but have not decided between inverter or Generator. How much wattage does the genset put out? How many hours will it run on a gallon of fuel?

 

I've done both. You see the generator above. Here's the inverter set up.

Power box mounted on front of van; the beige box is a camping sink.


Power receptacles in/out, 3,000 watt inverter with 130 amp battery charger, high capacity battery (& propane hot water heater)


A 3,000 watt inverter will run anything you plug into a wall outlet, but not for very long on one battery.


We much prefer the generator over the inverter, it'll keep the 8,000 BTU air conditioner going for over 6 hours on less than a gallon of gas.

I paid nearly $1,200 for the inverter and $100 for the battery...it was a pain to keep up with the load vs battery capacity. After 2 pots of coffee and microwaved biscuits, the battery was pretty flat.

The Honda 2000i generator was under $900. We can fire it up in the morning and have unlimited power all day. When power is not needed, the generator drops down to idle -- we just leave it running unless we know we won't need another pot of coffee or air conditioning.

We also have a Honda 1000i (<$700). It's much smaller and in addition to our 6,000 BTU air conditioner on our boat, it will easily run these appliances (one at a time).

It'll run the 6,000 BTU air conditioner for over 6 hours on 1/2 gallon of gas.

We opted for the 'modular conversion' because we need the van for passengers and it also serves 'truck' duty, so nothing could be permanent. We also like 'stealth' camping (on neighborhood streets) and would undoubtedly get rousted if we were in a more conspicuous camper.

We have one of those 12 VDC thermoelectric coolers that does well if kept in the cool van...it's on a circuit that is only active when the motor is running so we don't run down the battery. For a cold beer at the end of the day, there's nothing that compares to a bottle coming out of a sloshing ice chest.

 

Well jeffnick, you are a very talented person! I'm very impressed with your setup...How loud is the modular generator that you use while your camping on a neighborhood street? Did you do the installation of tent on the windows? I'm in a curious situation? My life is in a transition which is going to let me do a lot of traveling, so I got an 05 E250 with the 4.6 engine for $10,500 out the door. It has 50k miles, cruise control, power doors and locks. My problem is the dog that rolls with me...sometimes he needs cool air during the day while I'm running around doing what I do (StumpCatcher.com). So I need to be able to run an air conditioner without leaving my van running. It seems your setup is the closest thing to my needs (window unit with generator). I'm also going to have a cooler and cot and will not be staying at hotels. All I can say is WOW, you've done a nice job for you and your wife. Seems like I also need to go on and paint the top silver...

 

I had the rig out yesterday in the SC 100° heat, testing it while I pulled my boat. I ran the generator and window unit while I was on the interstate and then back in town. Works fine. Then I went into WalMart and left the generator and air conditioning running while I was in the store. It sure is nice coming back to a cool vehicle. The Honda generator (EU2000i) is quiet. I can have it running in the back yard and not hear it in the house............................................. ............... .................................. I just got a rattle can of matching paint, once I get the door painted I'm declaring her ready to go. The window unit gives me much more room in the van than I had with the portable air conditioner, although we had been known to take the portable into a motel room on our Alaska trip.

 

Did you get to stop by Lake Fork in Texas on your way back to South Carolina? I noticed your profile said you're a printer by trade, but you seem more like an accomplished engineer. The air conditioning set up on your boat is really impressive. I really like the fact that you can cool your wife independently and yourself, or air condition your room. Another impressive air conditiong set up for your boat! I was considering installing some absorbed glass mat batteries (agm) in my van, like some pet grooming vans use (they keep a bank of agm batteries) but now I'm leaning towards the gas generator...The shower curtain slash air conditioner enhancer seems like another good idea...I noticed a few Ford Van owners claimed they have air conditioning problems with their van when it's not in motion...but I haven't had 1 problem with mine. Feel free to post some pictures of the fish you catch...