Question:
Does the air conditioner have to PHYSICALLY be mounted either
inside or partially inside the vehicle in order to get the thermostat
to respond properly and enable the A/C to cycle on and off repeatedly.
Reason for this is that if I mount it in the truck bed, I'd run a
flexible 6" round duct to an opening in the truck or car. If it's
mounted remote and the thermostat isn't in the car or truck, it seems
that the compressor and fan would run continuously.
Presuming this all DOES work, will the small 5,200 BTU unit get the
small space in the vehicle so cold as to be unbearable? (these small
units are built for a maximum room size of 10' X 15') Will I have to
crack the window a bit to allow humidity to escape?
Most importantly, presuming the A/C unit cycles on and off, "how
long will the unit run"? The unit is rated on their website at running
on full load for about 4 hours and about 7 hours on partial load. Can
anyone with any experience with this type of unit in either a boat or
RV give me any info?
Answer:
You would need to mount a thermostat inside the vehicle in order to get the
proper temperature regulation. Even though the A/C unit would cycle on and
off uisng the built-in thermostat, you'll want to have access to the
thermostat in order to set the desired temperature. You'll need at least two
air ducts--one for the supply (cold) air, and one for the return (warm)
air--and I don't think that 6" ducts are large enough.
The question is whether or not a 5,200 BTU will get the vehicle cold
enough. A typical car air conditioner is in the 20,000 BTU range, and a
typical RV air conditioner is in the 9,000 to 15,000 BTU range. An air
conditioner dries the air as it cools it, and so you'll have no need to
allow humidity to escape. Instead, the humidity will increase every time you
open a window or door.
RV type converter to run the fans while on shore power. Liquid and suction
lines simply split to go to the various refrigeration loads. The hermetic
compressor was simply teed into the suction and discharge lines of the vehicle
compressor. I believe there were check valves in the lines but not sure. The
only real requirement of the compressor is that it be able to start against
full head pressure. Any compressor designed to work in an expansion valve
cycle will do. Add a kickstarter to make sure.
The compressors (both) were controlled by suction pressure. There was a small
suction accumulator to help prevent short cycling at light load. Each
individual cooling load had its own thermostat and solenoid valve in the
liquid line.
