Questions and answers about RV air conditioners
- Why choose RV-specific air conditioners? Can't home air conditioners do the job?
Home split or window air conditioners are much cheaper than professional RV air conditioners. Why not choose home air conditioners? This is a question many players question. Some car owners have modified it during DIY, but it is not recommended to install it in mass-produced RVs, because the design premise of home air conditioners is fixed, and the vehicle is moving and bumpy. The seismic resistance level of home air conditioners does not meet the requirements of vehicle driving. After long-term use, the components of the air conditioner will loosen and deform during vehicle driving, causing hidden dangers to the user's safety. Therefore, it is not recommended to use home air conditioners in RVs.
- Which is better, a roof-mounted air conditioner or a bottom-mounted air conditioner?
A roof-mounted air conditioner occupies a small internal space and can be installed in most RVs. Of course, any product has its shortcomings. For example, a camping car with a lifting roof cannot be installed with a roof-mounted air conditioner because it affects the opening of the lifting roof. In addition, some tent cars have weak roof support strength and cannot support a roof-mounted air conditioner, so a bottom-mounted air conditioner becomes the best choice. The installation cost of a bottom-mounted air conditioner is relatively high because its installation requires the arrangement of air outlet ducts in the RV compartment, which is complicated to install. However, the advantages are also obvious. First, the noise is low and will not affect sleep. Secondly, the working efficiency is high. The hot and cold air can be quickly transported to various areas through the ducts to achieve a rapid heating or cooling effect. As for how to choose which type of air conditioner, you need to choose the right type of air conditioner according to your vehicle type.
- What is the difference between reverse cycle and heating element heating?
Some air conditioners use heat exchange to achieve the heating effect, and they often use a simple thermal element, similar to the heating element of a heater. For this type of heating, the heating efficiency is low, but it can work at any external temperature. Reverse cycle, cooling is to move heat from the inside to the outside, and heating is to move external heat to the inside. However, this heating method is greatly affected by the external temperature. For example, the two air conditioners mentioned above will not work properly when it is below 4°C.
This is an important consideration, and sales staff often deliberately ignore this when describing the benefits of the product. If you plan to use your RV in a very cold climate, you should pay attention to the external temperature because it will affect the normal operation of the air conditioner. Or you can just install a fuel/gas heater and the problem will be solved.
- Does the shape of the roof-mounted air conditioner affect wind resistance?
This is actually a negligible factor. If you need to enter the garage, the height may be more important to you, but it has little effect on airflow. You may think that a higher body will change the center of gravity of the vehicle. Since the air conditioner is already in the center of the roof, it has little effect on the center of gravity relative to the larger body chassis weight.
- Do you need to carry a generator to power the air conditioner?
If you often live in RV camps, then whether to carry a generator is not a consideration. If you often camp outdoors and often use a generator to drive the air conditioner, this may be very important. But the generator must exceed the rated power of the air conditioner to start. Also note that some generator manufacturers tend to exaggerate their rated output power, which may only be a short burst and cannot be maintained at this level for a long time. If you plan to use it for a long time, please choose a well-known brand generator. As for the generator model, we will not go into too much detail here.
