Air-con cons
We are thinking about investing in an air-con system as we are planning to go to the south of France next year( a bit further south than we normally go) and Spain the following year.
As we have young children we thought that air conditioning would help to make the heat a bit more bearable at night. The obvious downside is the cost, but I wondered if members could give any views on issues such as
- condensation
- weight
- power use on site
- servicing
- warranty of the caravan being affected.
- or any other cons (pardon the pun) we may have overlooked
our Caravan is a 2017 Elddis Avante 586
Comments
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We took our caravan to France several times around 8 years ago, staying on various sites, but mainly "Le Castels" sites...
We often found that the voltage was so low ( I had a voltmeter with me), that our fridge would not operate effectively and we ended up running it on gas.......
However I understand from comments on here that that is no longer a problem anywhere in France.....
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I had a Truma Safir Compact fitted to my 7.5 van along with piping to have the cold air directed to the whole van. the unit is relatively small, designed to go under a bed/seat. It does need an exhaust hole and drain hole in the floor to remove the hot air and water. It weighs around 22kg so eats into your payload, but worth the effort if you like air con.
condensation - this is drained out, in my case under the van.
weight
power use on site - this particular model like others is designed to work on low amps. But you will have to monitor other items on at the same time.
servicing - other than cleaning the air intake filter, there is no maintenance. Confirmed by email from Truma this year as I've had mine 4 years now.
warranty of the caravan being affected. - debatable, my view is as long as the warranty claim is not due to the fitting of the air con, I have no worries.Its designed to draw a lower currant/amp than other types, including those that are free standing and have not yet had an issue with any campsites in europe so far. Without referring to the documents, its below 1kwh from memory. Its very quiet, even at night.
You do have to follow the rule of having all doors and windows closed otherwise its trying to cool down the outside as well.
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I agree David. The transcool is probably a much better option, although it won’t get as cold as a mains unit would as it works purely off evaporation. I have found it useful on the occasions I have used it. You can add pure essential oils to the water reservoir so you can have eucalyptus, teatree, mint and others which is quite nice. Just a point I learned last week at the show - I got talking to Transcool and the lady did underline the use of PURE oils - not those cheaper ones bulked out with chemicals.
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Having been touring in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy for many years and living in the South of France for 6, I would not bother with Air Con in a caravan. A fan will do nicely if you feel that more airflow is required. Certainly if travelling outside July and August don't bother. Try to pitch where there is some shade in the afternoon. The trick is to stop the sun shining inside the caravan and so during the day close blinds/curtains on the sun side (windows on vent lock) and any roof skylights (keep slightly open to stop overheating in the void). Improving air flow may help but be mindful that you may just be circulating hot air! At night open some windows and ensure that fly screens are down and not damaged. I have no knowledge of Transcool. In the hottest time of the day, 1 - 4 pm do what the locals do and have a siesta keeping out of the sun; sitting uder a tree allowing any breeze to cool you was most satisfactory
Edit. Forgot to add consider noise, it can be very annoying staying next to a van which has it's air con on all the time
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We have the Dometic B2200, it is roof mounted and weighs about 30kg.
It is very effective,we have a large twin axle van, draws a max of 4 amps, and is very quiet in operation on low fan.
Neighbours would not hear it on the next pitch, but it is noisier inside the van than out.
The water extracted from the air comes out on the roof and runs off like rainwater.
Other than cleaning the dust filters inside the van, and ensuring the water outlets stay clear, ours have never been a problem, the only regular maintenance is to run it for a few minutes every 2 weeks, if possible, to keep it in good order.
Our unit fits in a standard 40x40 roof vent and was purchased as a dealer fit option on the van. They are fairly easy to fit, but I would leave it to a dealer if you decide to go for one, as working on the roof needs decent access.
The way we use it is to set it to run at about 22 degrees on low fan all day, that way the van stays cool. Having the windows shaded also helps, as does keeping the blinds closed when out. Doing this, we find there is normally no need to run it overnight.
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Edit. Forgot to add consider noise, it can be very annoying staying next to a van which has it's air con on all the time
I'll second that, we've had the misfortune to be in that position a few times and ended up moving pitch. The site you stayed o, Val, sounds good! We did have a MH which already had it on, but hardly used it, because of that reason, as we were very conscious of the noise factor. Also, the fact that, for it to be efficient, you have to keep doors and windows closed, I didn't like. I'd rather have the windows open and get some fresh air.
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"Neighbours would not hear it on the next pitch, but it is noisier inside the van than out."
We've been on a terraced site where the caravan beneath us has had their air conditioning running all day while they were out - v annoying as it cut in and out disturbing the peace. Nearly as bad as a Diesel Heater, but not quite!
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We have a dometic 2200 fitted to the roof and would not use it at night as it is very noisy in my opinion. The van vibrates as the condenser kicks in and would wake me up every time assuming I got to sleep in the first place.
However it is useful to cool the van prior to bed and in the evening.
We also have a transcool unit which costs about 1/10 of the air con. Do not take the unit apart, you may feel robbed as there is just a couple of cheap fans inside. It does seem to work though.
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We spend several weeks every year in hot climates and as others have said a fan blowing across the beds works very well. It was an option on our Motorhome but rather expensive but if fitted as standard (as on Autosleepers Mercedes vans) then I would consider it a bonus.
One thing to think about is that if you use A/C during the day you will need to keep doors and windows closed which does not enhance one of the main benefits of camping/vanning which is to be in touch with the outdoors!
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We've never felt the need for A/C and to be honest I wouldn't want it.
We have been disturbed by others using their units and if I couldn't use it at night (when its needed) what is the point.
Last year when in Europe in June it was 42c during the day for about 4 days very uncomfortable but we just used the 2 fans with a couple of blocks of ice in front of them to speed the cooling of air, it does make a difference. As does closing the curtains inside but opening the windows and skylights during the day.
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I have the B2200 unit and would say inside the van it is very load on its maximum setting and tolerable on its minimum setting. But outside it is very quiet.
I do like it because I have it when I need it and can leave it on for the dogs if we go out. But as mentioned, all doors and windows closed and blinds down to get the full benefit. But in hindsight I would save the money I paid for it and just use fans to circulate the air with windows doors and blinds open.
So when I think about it I have spent £2k to keep the dog cool!
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But in hindsight I would save the money I paid for it and just use fans to circulate the air with windows doors and blinds open.
So when I think about it I have spent £2k to keep the dog cool!
You can always sell one or the other!
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Slightly off topic for which I apologise.
Some of the oils you mention can be dog killers so if you have dogs please research the subject before using them.
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If you're OK with DIY you can make your own transcool equivalent quite cheaply. For example:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-Cheap-Air-Conditioner/
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Greetings
I make this comment as a word of "warning".....
I have a 2017 Elddis Crusader Mistral and when I asked at my dealership what was the cost of an after fit roof mounted air con unit, I was told that the first stop was to contact Elddis which the dealership did.
Elddis advised that IF you had not specified that you wanted an after fit aircon unit fitted - then the roof was not strong enough to hold one. Apparently it has strengthening bars fitted if an a/c is to be fitted. I believe the dealer was sincere about this, it was not a fob off as they were effectively missing out on a £2k job.
If you do go for one then you might have to consider an underseat unit but that creates problems in having suitable vents fitted. That is why we did not proceed.
I would be interested to know if your dealer says something different.
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