Caravan Air Conditioning
Hi,
Can anyone give me some advice on air conditioning for caravans please. I know there are expensive but:
- Do they do the job
- I’ve heard they are noisy, is this true.
- Any recommendations.
My main concern is that we have recently brought our dream caravan, a Coachman VIP 545/5 - 2013 and this may well be our last van. We have two large roof roof vents (I think they are Heki) one of the front seating area and one over the bed. As I don’t think these are ideally situated it looks like a new hole would need to be cut into the roof, something that i am concerned about.
Any advice, experiences would be gratefully received.
Comments
-
When we had our caravan we had the Dometic B2200 fitted. It was very quiet and extremely efficient. We only used the caravan in France, mainly in the South and the Dordogne with temperatures mainly in the high 30s. As long as we cooled the van prior to going to bed we never needed the aircon on during the night. I would regularly ask neighbours if the unit was noisy and all said no. Ours was fitted into the aperture used for the roof fan.
0 -
I think Malcolm M would be your expert on this as he seems to use his all the time in his caravan, hopefully he might see your post.
David
0 -
We also have the Dometic B2200, fitted as an optional extra in our 10 year old Sterling twin axle.
Not all vans can have air con fitted in the roof, so that is the first thing to check. The roof needs to be stong enough. Then you need to get a mains cable from the unit to an existing or new socket or connection point. The aperture required is a standard 40x40 cm roof vent size.
Ours is fitted where the Omnivent was, so an existing aperture, the Omnivent is now fitted in the bathroom roof vent instead.
As said, it is can be very quiet in operation. We normally use it only on low fan, this cannot be heard on an adjacent pitch. It is very effective.
It is noisier inside the van so we do not use it overnight. On the advice of our dealer, who holidays in Spain, we leave it on low fan and 20 degrees all day so the van interior stays cool and there is no need to use it overnight.
We do get quite a lot of use from it as we are away 3-4 months each year, we have been very glad of it in the last 2 weeks!
If you do get one, it is a good idea to run it every few weeks even over winter, this keeps the seals in good order, which is important.
The weight is around 30kg, we upgraded our MTPLM by 85kg, so had plenty of spare payload.
0 -
Our airconditioner is a Truma. We ordered it as an extra when our caravan was ordered. It is fitted in the middle of the caravan roof. As David says, we use it day and night. We turn it off for a short while, early in the morning, to open up the windows and let some fresh air in whilst it's still cool enough, as it's necessary to keep all the windows and door shut whilst it's operating.
It has a remote control for setting the temperature and three speed fan. Yes, there is some noise depending on the selected fan speed which can be minimised by using the night option. However, the noise is inside the caravan. It can't be heard outside. The minimum temperature setting is 16 degrees celsius which you might find too cold. 18 degrees is best if you're active and between 20 to 25 if you're sitting watching tv etc.
0 -
I think Merve bought a portable one at one of the shows and was very happy with it - so it could be carried in the car - or left at home when not needed? Thus the payload wouldn't be increased - I meant to make a note of the name of it - but maybe Merve will pop up and answer the question.
0 -
Hi everyone, yes, and boy! Has it been useful the last fortnight or so!!! I bought a ‘Transcool’ evaporative cooler at the NEC (everyone should go to the NEC!) It produces air at 15degrees below ambient temperature. Fill it with water and away you go. For an even cooler experience just spray your face and even your TShirt from a spray water bottle and you’ll be as cool as you like. Who needs a very expensive AC unit. Being offgrid, this is a very good way of staying cool without hammering my battery- 1.7 amps maximum so The battery isn’t even touched - the SP replaces everything I use! It’s a very light unit to so very caravan friendly and you can use it at home on the mains- all cables supplied!
1
