Mini Split AC/Heat

[sunshine 1]

I plan to sell my house this fall and go fulltime. I been thinking for a while to put in a Mini split system.
I plan to put the inside unit in the rear cabinets, and the outside unit on my cargo hitch.
My question is how do I feed my power cord to my inverter which is close to the battery compartment in the front?
I plan to run the system on my solar system. I have almost 2000 watts of solar.
Any suggestions would be appreciated from people who has done it

[AZ Traveler]

Tommy,

I assume you already have your inverter wired to support your entire rig. You will need to run a cable from your fuze box back to your ac unit.

If your rig is not full wired off the inverter, I would install a transfer switch up front which would allow you to plug your inverter in there.

I assume you have installed a battery bank that will support running the air.

[sunshine 1]

Zack,
I have only 3 lines going from my inverter. One to the microwave, one to the coffee counter, and one to the bedroom. I have plenty of battery power. 4 Battleborn batteries with total of 400 Ah.
I don't have any knowledge how to put in a transfer switch.
When I bought the trailer from CW 2 1/2 years ago, I made my request to them to put in a transfer switch, when they installed the inverter. They told me that was a bad idea, and instead run 3 lines to 3 outlets.

[AZ Traveler]

What is the brand and size of your inverter? Sounds like there is more wiring needed to get the most out of your set up.. Some of the hybrid inverters have an integrated transfer switch.

[sunshine 1]

Zack,
I have zantrex 2000 freedom inverter.
I have been thinking about upgrade my inverter to a 3000 watt inverter.

[AZ Traveler]

It has been a few years since my inverter was installed. Magnum and GoPower are both hybrid inverters that allow you to combine shore power and inverter power. I believe there are others.

Your battery bank and solar can support a larger inverter.

Recommend professional help if you are not very familiar

[sunshine 1]

Ok, thanks Zack

[GreG L.]

In general a normal mini split uses between 560 and 600 watts. Remember a mini split is just a small AC unit (allot like what is on the roof), has a compressor, uses freon and the wattage will jump when the compressor starts, just like a normal AC unit. They are generally just an air conditioner, but some are heat pumps.

They are designed to have the condenser outside (to transfer the heat to the cooler air), putting it in the cargo area will generate allot of heat and severely impact the units efficiency.

Not sure how well a mini split designed to never move will hold up to bouncing around in a RV.

[mlh]

Originally Posted by sunshine 1

I plan to sell my house this fall and go fulltime. I been thinking for a while to put in a Mini split system.
I plan to put the inside unit in the rear cabinets, and the outside unit on my cargo hitch.
My question is how do I feed my power cord to my inverter which is close to the battery compartment in the front?
I plan to run the system on my solar system. I have almost 2000 watts of solar.
Any suggestions would be appreciated from people who has done it

We have been heating and cooling our home with mini splits for years. The one on the sun room is a one ton. The room is 200 square feet with 5 sliding glass doors and 3 sky lights. It heats and cools with no problem. It heats down to zero with a SEER of 26. The mini split in the main house is 3 tons and has a SEER of 20. It will heat down to -15. The unit in the main part of the house is 12000 BTU. That one unit will heat and cool all the house except for our bedroom. It’s up stairs.
You may have problems with putting the unit in a cabinet. They draw air from the top and that might restrict it too much. Another problem you may encounter is the outside heating and cooling coils are very thin and probably not designed for all the whiplash it will encounter on the rear of your camper.
If you are successful it will be a great way to heat and cool your camper. You will need a 110 volt unit. They can be bought but as you know most are 220 volt.
Lynwood

[sunshine 1]

So if I get an inverter/charger with built in transfer switch, would I be able to use all the AC receptacles?
What about the converter charger built in? What would I do with it ?

[sunshine 1]

Lynnwood,
Thanks for your advice, yes the bouncing back on my hitch might not work with the condenser unit.
I have watched other people who have installed them on their RVs.
They might not last very long.
A mini split would be perfect for my solar system, I am boondocking 95% of the time.

[rames14]

Sunshine, I am trying to figure out your system. First, what year and model do you have? What are you trying to accomplish? I can tell you first hand that 400 ah of lithium is a modest amount of battery. To contrast, the new Super Solar has 540 ah of batteries (still modest), 3000 watt inverter, soft start on AC and 1200 watts of solar. The rear AC has a heat pump as well. Will you be camping in the heat or moderate temps? Following the temps - south in winter/mountains in summer? Whichever, I would not use Camping World as my solar consultant. Keep us posted on your progress.

[sunshine 1]

rames 14, yes I will go to mountains in summer and south in winter. I want to do away with my 3400 watt champion inverter generator, and run my heatpump on the split Ac on the cold mornings in the winter. Also in the summer I want to use my split Ac on hot days.
I dont need any 540 Ah battery bank, my 400Ah is enough for me.Lol

[sunshine 1]

The split Ac system need only 600-700 watts, on the AC side, about 1000watt on the heat pump side

[mlh]

If you plan to replace your heating and cooling system you should consider a mini split. We had geothermal before the mini split. The mini split is cheaper to operate. When we installed the geothermal it was the gold standard but not now. Where we live it’s cheaper to heat with than natural gas and we have fairly cheap electricity.
They wont work everywhere. You need a suitable house and climate. A house with few areas to heat and be where the temperature doesn’t go below -5. They will heat down to -15 but the efficiency starts to drop off.
Lynwood

[Silverado Sam]

Originally Posted by sunshine 1

I plan to sell my house this fall and go fulltime. I been thinking for a while to put in a Mini split system.
I plan to put the inside unit in the rear cabinets, and the outside unit on my cargo hitch.
My question is how do I feed my power cord to my inverter which is close to the battery compartment in the front?
I plan to run the system on my solar system. I have almost 2000 watts of solar.
Any suggestions would be appreciated from people who has done it

Your whole trailer runs on two legs of 110 vac. Nothing in your trailer runs on 220. Split units run on 220. You will have to do some pretty fancy wiring.

[mlh]

You can get mini split systems that run on 110. My HVAC guy had one, a used unit.
Lynwood

[firestation12]

Originally Posted by sunshine 1

Zack,
I have only 3 lines going from my inverter. One to the microwave, one to the coffee counter, and one to the bedroom. I have plenty of battery power. 4 Battleborn batteries with total of 400 Ah.
I don't have any knowledge how to put in a transfer switch.
When I bought the trailer from CW 2 1/2 years ago, I made my request to them to put in a transfer switch, when they installed the inverter. They told me that was a bad idea, and instead run 3 lines to 3 outlets.

Your contemplated battery amp hours and inverter sizing needs some professional help in the design phase. 600 watts at 120 volts will require 6,000 watts of DC battery power for every hour that the a/c runs. That doesn't take into account the losses that occur in the conversion or DC current to alternating current or that the solar panels will only deliver about 80% of their stated power and only for a few hours during the day at optimal conditions. Your project is doable if you will plugged into shore power exclusively. If that is the case, you power needs can be acquired at the power pedestal or at the power inlet of your camper. Keep in mind that mini splits that also have heat pump capabilities usually run on 240 volts not 120 volts as the cooling only units do (18,000 BTU's or less). Your mini split condenser mounted at the back of the camper is going to get a lot of bouncing which the ac manufacturer may not have allowed for. Best of luck!

[sunshine 1]

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[mlh]

Keep us informed on how this project is going.
We wish you luck. It is doable and WILL be better than the OEM roof top units.
Lynwood