What Size A/C for Van?

I have a Ford Econoline Van E-150 and I built a 30 amp distribution that works great for Refrigerator, TV, Microwave, and Heater in cold weather.  Interior approx 6' x 22' = 132 ft2 with 4'8" ceiling.  Found a 14,000 BTU 14.8 amp A/C at the Thrift Store, but it only cools maybe 5 degrees on 90+ degree days.  Friends said coolant probably low so got a new 8,000 BTU portable which was 8.4 amps.  Both units were properly vented through a window.  I returned the new 8,000 BTU as it was even worse that the used 14,000 BTU.

Is there a 120v less than 15 amp air conditioner that will keep us cool on 90+ degree days?  The van A/C keeps us supper cool on the road, so I know the van can be kept quite cold.  Any info how to cool our van while hooked to 30 amp service would be greatly appreciated.

Agility Mom with 3 Small Doggies
Georgia

Your problem is probably lack of insulation

AgilityMom said:

I have a Ford Econoline Van E-150 and I built a 30 amp distribution that works great for Refrigerator, TV, Microwave, and Heater in cold weather.  Interior approx 6' x 22' = 132 ft2 with 4'8" ceiling.  Found a 14,000 BTU 14.8 amp A/C at the Thrift Store, but it only cools maybe 5 degrees on 90+ degree days.  Friends said coolant probably low so got a new 8,000 BTU portable which was 8.4 amps.  Both units were properly vented through a window.  I returned the new 8,000 BTU as it was even worse that the used 14,000 BTU.

Is there a 120v less than 15 amp air conditioner that will keep us cool on 90+ degree days?  The van A/C keeps us supper cool on the road, so I know the van can be kept quite cold.  Any info how to cool our van while hooked to 30 amp service would be greatly appreciated.

Agility Mom with 3 Small Doggies
Georgia

Click to expand...

There are different values quoted re the cooling capacity of various automotive A/C's but I'd wager your dash A/C is at least 3 Tons (36,000 BTU/Hr) and may be closer to 4 Tons (48,000 BTU/Hr).  If your van is not real well insulated, the powerful dash air can offer a "fair fight" against the huge heat load the van represents.  A 15,000 BTU window unit......not so much.

X2 What Isaac-1 said.  Shady campsites will be your friend.

Good luck as you pursue a solution.

I tend to agree that additional insulation would help. That said, my 400 sq ft and even larger proportionate volume, not to mention large glass area motor home  is pretty well cooled on 90 deg. F days by a single 15, 000 btu air conditioner (second ac kicks on occasionally). I have seen a couple of smaller vans cooled by 5, 000 btu air conditioners and that is the size I use in my 8 by 23 ft. office trailer.

All of that is to say that the ac's are big enough; you need to address installation and how the unit is sealed.

Ernie

I won't recommend a specific size but I will make an observation or 2

1: Sunlight really heats up my RV. so more A/C keeps it cooler.

2: Global warming is a myth, according to our political leader, however I was trained in Science and what I observe is "Record breaking heat wave" and "Hottest year on record" (Every year we are setting new records)

You can make up your own mind on politics. but the earth IS getting hotter and hotter, so again More A/C is better.

Thank you all for your replies.  After trying virtually everything else, I finally bought a plain ole 6200 BTU GE window air conditioner for $150, put it in the driver's side window with bungee cords, and put a fan in the front and rear of the van.  I also covered the front windshield; all the other windows are already tinted.  In 30 minutes it was 70 degrees inside while 87 outside.

I built a PVC stand the height of the driver side window to support the window unit, sat the A/C on the door sill, then using foam board I filled all the remaining open space.  I used bungee cords to attach the A/C to the PVC stand, then realized it was just sitting on the window and the stand was doing nothing at all.  Back to YouTube, I discovered that others had simply used bungee cords to hold window units in van windows.  I did put a slight angle down on the outside so any condensation would drain outside, not inside.

The portable on wheels inside units do NOT work at all for a van.  I tried at 14,000 BTU portable sitting in the front seat, sitting in the middle of the rear, and even sitting outside on a stand blowing into the window . . . and properly venting it to the outside was a nightmare.  The absolute best I could get was 5 degrees cooling even though we have a very nice conversion van with very good insulation.  Consumer Report confirms that about 5 degrees is about all an inside portable unit can handle.

There is a YouTube video "7 Ways to Cool a Van" that is worth watching . . . for Van Owners only, not true RVs.  The only drawback is that I have to set-up the A/c in the window each time we do an RV hookup.  But my foam board fits nicely and I can sit it on the window seal, add bungees, and put in the foam board in less than 5 minutes and it only weighs 47 lbs.

Hope this can help someone else out there.  I spent weeks making vents, moving that portable unit all over, and building all sorts of stands and venting methods.  It was a waste of time.  With this new A/C unit, our van is now super cool and comfortable.