Has anyone ever retrofitted aircon in their van?
Seems expensive to me an i'm not sure how much it would help.
Regular A/C uses too much power unless you have either shore power or a generator, however there are several versions of 12v A/C home made versions.
I have one, it's the kind that uses an ice chest & a heater core with a fan behind it. Works great, and 99% of the time, I just use water without adding ice. This version does not add any moisture to the air. If it's a dry climate, just a 12v swamp cooler will work well too.
Cheers!
Check this out:
I will be be building one soon, but you can buy one for a little over $100
http://www.instructables.com/id/Portable-12V-Air-Conditioner---Cheap-and-easy!/
Here's the plans I used in building mine...
(http://invisiblehosting.com/fulltimers_org/members/camper_dan/12v_AC_3.jpg)
I like this better because the ice chest stays closed, and it's easier to direct the air where you want it. I used one of those 12v clip on fans, so I can clip it wherever I want and aim it accordingly. I rarely need to use ice, but it will last 5-6 days if I use a big block.
It's most effective if it's blowing on you, because it takes a long time to cool the whole van down, but if it's aimed at you it's just like you're sitting in front of a regular air conditioner.
I used a fountain pump instead of a bilge pump. Lower water flow I think... Between the fan and the fountain pump, I think it only uses about 2-3 amps. Cuts my time on my house battery down from 7+ days to about 6 days if I'm running it a lot.
I also added a shut off/flow control valve to mine on the line coming from the water pump. By adjusting the flow you can get the coldest output. Sometimes slower is better, giving the water a longer time to cool. If you keep a big block of ice in a separate container from the flowing water, it lasts much longer.
If my van is really hot inside, I'll wrap the cooler in a moving blanket, to help preserve the cold water and ice if I'm using it, longer.
That's cool! Thanks for the tip camper Dan! I'll build mine like yours since keeping the lid closed does seem a lot better 😊 and I don't have to cut up my cooler!
Still pretty nice here in Colorado, but I will definitely need one soon