You have really opened up my eyes in terms of what's possible with a smaller budget. After watching your videos about the ac and the fridge, I can keep my dog with me all the time, and it's financially doable for me given the right van. Your stuff looks amazing, it's a breath of fresh air from watching expensively perfect van builds.
Thanks for checking it out Sarah. Regarding the AC, be sure to check out the video: th-cam.com/video/V0r2ijuKd-c/w-d-xo.html Really shows the importance of insulation in the build. The foam boards are pretty affordable at
Brilliant... Watched too many impractical ac van installation videos .. with this series... aircon in a van doable at affordable price... And no ugly box sticking out of van... Love your channel, so many helpful money saving ideas... Just the fridge option alone saves a fortune!
Great to see more detailed videos on your current setup! 300 sub channel with 30k sub effort. The age of sub million channels being the best is upon us! Keep up the good work man!
Thank you! Just saw the 300 mark was hit this morning. Hopefully helping those with the more realistic van builds... Not everyone has $70k for their vans!
Great video, thank you for all the great work you do. Planning on doing this exact thing to my van. Would love another video with updates on how it is working.
Thank you Michael, I have a time-lapse video planned for this summer showing the interior / exterior temperatures along with the battery voltages. Just waiting for it to warm up!
Thank you Rob. It's very much designed to survive 2-4 weeks off grid with 75 gallons of water and the ridiculous amounts of solar. The diesel heater has been a fantastic addition as well.
Like that solution . I have a runaway camper and it's small but ac is loud in the small space. Sure wish they used this scheme to patrician the AC just for sound. Lower placement gives you better handling.
i considered doing something similar to this in an enclosed utility trailer, the clever use of the plenum built into the aircon was a good idea and nice routing, great vid, and awesome build, stay safe out there
Thanks for checking it out Jeff! Born and raised just outside of Flint myself! Went to college in Midland and worked about an hour away from you in Coleman. Moved to Southern California post-college but still enjoy a good Michigan summer! -Tim
@@VanwithTim Super cool Tim! I bought a quarter acre in the woods and am homesteading and building a little tiny home/camper compound and if your ever up in the area don't hesitate to email me at jvanmeekeren21@gmail.com. You are always welcome up to park and hookup. :)
That is a really nice build you have there. I am still leaning toward putting my ac unit in one of the rear windows but, your installation was done very well. I have now subscribed.
Thanks for the sub! I would definitely recomment mounting as high as possible, but really didn't want to knock out any of the windows. "vanlifethings" has a cool setup in their van tour showing the window AC mounted high up but venting through the pop-out side window. Looks factory from the outside, then just pop open the window when you want to use the AC. He reports good results with it! -Tim
Absolutely phenomenal work! Love the choice to use duct tape over the foam, much cleaner look even though its hidden by the grate. Just finished my own build in a sister van, 04 e150 :) Liked and subscribed! Keep up the great work
It worked okay, but I should have used a thinner bag. These thick reusable bags just aren't flexible enough to keep "on top" of the magnet if that makes sense. When you go to move the bag / magnet, the thick bag pulls away from the magnet and you nearly lose all the metal shavings! Always learning either by research or mistake lol
Very cool video, I would like to see you take it out and camp in a real world scenario. Then you could bring your laser heat checker and show what different parts of the vans temperature is. Thanks for making this!
Definitely in the plans this summer! Will probably bite the bullet and go with some nice ceramic tint in the future as well. Just hear it's wildly expensive! Cheers! -Tim
Yeah really didn't know what I even wanted at first! (That and the initial build was crammed into just over 1 month) For sure could have saved some time with better planning. A well learned lesson haha
Awesome man ! You should start a business! I’m a hotshot truck driver and I need some type of setup for the summer time and came across your video excellent work
3D printed front vent adapter. Run the pipes on the outside to save your storage. You can remove when venting or ac isn't needed. They have ready made pipes that are colored that are similar to the silver duckting but less of an eye sore. Some public library's have a 3D printer you can use. It's cold side so simple plastic for the 3D printed vent adapter will work fine.
Liked and subscribed, starting my van soon and will make good use of the magnet trick. I'll be using a nibbling tool, it won't drop sharp bits that scratch, but sharp bits that stab :D
Nice mod! AC in a van would greatly enhance my summer travel enjoyment... so I'm taking notes :D Only thing I can think of to improve is to shock mount the AC unit. Your HSS hole saw will cut through metal about once but it will be the last time!
Thanks Doug! Luckily the compressor is still working well even with such a harsh environment. Seems to be a good, ongoing experiment on the longevity of these Chinese units! As for the fate of the hole saw, hopefully get a few more projects out of it haha (whole set was
looks to me like this mod will really work. Probably will loose a bit of efficiency due to the added pressure drop of you ducting system, but should gain quite a bit on the other end because of dramatically improved circulation. Nice! Sure hope that the AC doesn't fail and need to be replaced though!
Hoping for the best this summer! I'm sure the unit will give up the ghost eventually. (really not meant for bouncing all around off-road haha) Should make for a good video on unit replacement when the time comes. Until then, I'll keep "testing" it's limits and report back!
Did you consider using the whole cabinet as your cold air plenum? The hole cut into the top of the AC would allow the air to blow into the cabinet, then the outlet vents allow the cold air from inside the cabinet to blow into the van. I am asking because I plan a similar AC installation under my RV kitchen counter but the 3 inch ducting would be much longer and the resistance to air flow may be too much if I used those 3 inch ducted vents.
I did think about that briefly, but my cabinet fitment is pretty awful. I don't think they would "seal" well enough to create enough positive pressure in the ducts. Also the evaporator coil outputs air around 25F (Enough to freeze my pipes and anything inside the cabinet lol) It could work well in your situation though!
Am i the only one asking the obvious but how are you venting the back side of the a/c? Typically a window unit hangs outside of a window. The fan back there pulls in air from the sides and exhausts to the rear. Enclosing the unit like you have would certainly drop in efficiency and potentially create additional unwanted heat in the interior. Perhaps im missing a previous video where you explained this?
Yeah I have a feeling we'll be wrapping it with something in the future. So far our summers are mostly in the South West where humidity is nearly non-existent. Florida and Texas are just unbearable in the summertime with that humidity. Thanks for checking it out!!
Tim....THE CUSTOM AC MAN!!! Dude that was awesome! I was wondering like how cool could you get the interior of the van down to in the day versus at night when the sun is down? Like on a hot 90° day. Now I know you are in Florida so humidity is a contributing factor.
Great question! Been working on a ton of videos but unfortunately AC season has passed. The data I've gathered so far shows about a 10F-15F drop in interior temp over exterior temp. 90F exterior had me around 78F interior. For reference, 90F exterior without any AC or window covers brought the interior temp up to 120F. Insulation makes all the difference though! I keep hearing the IR blocking ceramic window tint makes a huge difference. Here's a comparison of a 6k BTU AC unit in a fully insulated box vs the 6k BTU unit in the van running side by side. The power draw difference is staggering! th-cam.com/video/V0r2ijuKd-c/w-d-xo.html
Thanks Maureen, will have a test video this summer. Hopefully there isn't too much added restriction with the ducting! Will find out! Thanks for watching! -Tim
@@marcushennings9513 Hoping to shoot a nice time-lapse video of it running this summer (with interior / exterior temps and battery voltages) The foam box around the condenser portion of the AC has been terrific!
What you done is cool and you should be proud. But in all honesty, do you think it might be better to get a portable ac unit? After all with the size of your cutout not sure if it saves space.
Oh that would be interesting! I guess my next move if the storage gets too tight to live with would be some small upper cabinets though. I do love seeing all the creative storage solutions out there!
I haven't had the pleasure of living with a roof fan, but I hear great things even about their recirculation abilities with the vent closed. I bet it would do the trick!
I also noted what appears to be an intake air duct (the black one at near floor level) that you did not mention in either of your AC videos. Am I right that that's what it is? I was a bit skeptical as to whether or not your floor cooling air intake was going to be sufficient, and although I'm not sure what effect this duct drawing air from the interior will have in terms of sucking out chilled air from the interior, I imagine that it will help to provide more intake air, which is an important consideration that a lot of folks that try this setup fail to realize. Since it presents a direct air flow to the outside of the van, (if indeed I am correct as to what it is being used for!) I think it would be a good idea to put a bug screen on it, and keep a plug of foam to insert when it is cold outside.
Ahh I knew I forgot to at least label it in the video. That's actually the air outlet for the diesel heater! Check out my AC install video for the condenser intake / exhaust setup. th-cam.com/video/QK_zLDNW3X8/w-d-xo.html Good catch though and you're spot on with the issues that would present. I've seen a few installs where they end up sucking their cooled interior air through the condenser and blowing it outside! -Tim
I've really enjoyed watching your videos - lots of good ideas. I was wondering if instead of taking out the rear A/C you could have used relays the way you did for the blower motor to be powered by both your starter battery and house batteries for the entire van's AC system. To power the compressor maybe put on a dual clutch to allow it to be driven by the van engine when you were driving or an electric motor powered by the house batteries when you were parked. I would also assume that you'd need electric fans powered by the house batteries for the condenser when the engine isn't running and driving the radiator fan.
I've remember thinking about that early in the build! It looked like I could use an electric condenser fan assembly from a Silverado and ditch my clutch fan, and the compressor is actually on it's own dedicated four-rib belt / tensioner assembly. Unfortunately I lack the tools for bracket fabrication (that and the whole initial build (including AC) was rushed into a 1 month period) That would make a pretty cool video though. I wonder how much torque / RPM the automotive compressors would need... Would love to see someone tackle this, and hopefully your comment is enough to get people thinking outside the box! Cheers! -Tim
@@VanwithTim Older model belt driven AC compressors used more than one and up to five horsepower so I imagine that powering these traditional compressors with a 12V motor would not be practical. AFAIK TESLA is now using an all electric combination AC and heat pump unit, should be interesting to see if those could be adapted to run off solar.
@@carld3184 This is exactly the info needed. I've wondered how Tesla was doing it all. makes sense to reverse the compressor into a heat pump. Can't get much more efficient for electric heat if that's the only option. Wonder if they pull heat from the battery packs for cabin heating as well..? Would love to get my hands on one just to satisfy my curiosities on their innovative systems.
Should have made a filter system for the incoming fresh air. Would have been better to do this work out of the vehicle. When I modify a computer case I take out all of the components, modify the case, was and dry the inside, and reassemble. Try firing up a computer with mental dust inside and see how long it takes the white genie of death appears. 3m red tape is call VHB (very high bond) adhesive, stuff works very well in various applications. And believe it or not another adhesive that can be used is Flex Seal. So your front vent just cut a piece of foam board and use some caulk or Flex Seal instead of loading the front of it with spray foam, same thing with the top vents. If condensation is an issue with your ducting the you need to wrap your ducts, and if you don’t see moisture on the outside then more than likely could be on the inside. But maybe not, a/c units put out cool dry air, it could be possible the cool dry air would dry up any moisture in the ducts.
The unit does have a cheap plastic mesh filter in front of the evaporator which does OK (but not great. Will still need periodic coil cleaning). Yeah the spray foam in the factory outlet vent was kind of silly. Was really all I had on hand at the time! Do you know if Flex Seal has much for insulating value? If we end up in a hot / humid spot, I know I'll have to do something for duct insulation. Just not sure what options I have for low-profile solutions. (I think you're right that the inside ducting should be okay since it's dry air) -Tim
Thank you! Honestly I've just been picking up whichever foam is cheapest at the big box retailers. I'm sure there's benefits with the more expensive cans, but this is a (somewhat) budget build haha -Tim
If those “arms” for the cool air to spread around your camper to cool your camper, then where does the hot air go? (Out the coils)? I am a bit confused. 🤔 🧐
Good question as it's not fully shown in this video. The system is split into two sections: The condenser side (which blows out the hot air) and The evaporator side (which cools the interior air in the van) Inside the van, the air is sucked in through the front of the AC unit, pulled through the ice cold evaporator, then out through the ducts shown in this video. The hot condenser side draws fresh air from it's own external intake (underneath the van), then pushes this fresh air through the hot condenser and out through the side of the van (not clearly shown in this video). Check out this video for a little more detail of the system: th-cam.com/video/cxpxg82UV3g/w-d-xo.html Or for the original installation, check out this video: th-cam.com/video/QK_zLDNW3X8/w-d-xo.html -Tim
After 12 hours on a sunny 87F (31C) day, the AC in the van used 388AH. However, the same size AC in the same size airspace could use as little as 171AH if properly insulated! Check out the experiment here: th-cam.com/video/V0r2ijuKd-c/w-d-xo.html
And what would make it even easier is to not cut a hole on the top in the first place, and it customize a bracket where the air comes out from and main thing if people are doing this and they don’t wanna have an extra fan to force air into the heating duct just mounted up higher I mean believe it or not the old folks have it right just like unloosen bolts, lefty, Lucy righty tidy heat, rises as cold sinks so the lower the AC unit is the crazier. It’s going to work without extra air forcing that cold air up so just do yourself a favor and mount it up is highest you can go so that your air conditioning ducks don’t have a hard time pushing cold air up the hill
I see you have put some ducting in your camper. The deal is, you know, air conditioning is the movement of air from where it is undesireable to where it is "more" desireable. In your van, don't you feel a blast of hot air on your face and head when you return to your van after an hour and a half of shopping after leaving it in the parking lot in the sun??Do you think that the hot, undesireable air rises? Maybe. So, the deal is to suck the hot air from the ceiling and push it over the evaporator, right? We know that the refrigeration cycle actually begins with hot air to blow over the evaporator so that the refrigerant will boil within the evaporator and suck the heat out of that undesireable ceiling air. That's why we don't see the household mini-splits on the floor, we find them high on the wall. The condensing unit is another issue. I've seen where some youtubers have actually split a window unit and separated the parts. It CAN be done.
That seems like it will probably be my solution. Really needs to be super flexible and low-profile and this might be it! Not sure if I'll be traveling to anywhere too humid this summer, but if I do, this will be a necessity. Thanks Sam!
Thank you Matt. I bought mine from AliExpress but chose the US shipping. 75mm Warm Heater Parking Heater Air Vent Car Heater Air Outlet Directional Rotatable for Webasto Truck Auto Parts a.aliexpress.com/_mLoyGE7
Still working great, haven’t noticed any issues so far! Wish I would have insulated a bit better or had a van with fewer windows. The 6k BTU helps but struggles to keep up. I have a video coming soon where I built a 3/4” foam board box with a 6k BTU AC and measured the power draw from it vs the van. AC had no issue keeping up in the insulated box (nearly the same internal volume of air). As for the ducting- it’s been a huge improvement. Some condensation outside of the ducts but never enough to drip down / soak anything.
Did you do anything to the drainage? I’m installing a 5000 btu unit now and just tested it for about 2 hours and there’s condensation buildup in the back of the unit that doesn’t appear to be draining out. It’s on an angle like a window unit should be, but the fan is spitting up the water bc it’s not draining. Just curious if you had to drill a hole in the drain pain or make any modifications that way…
I did drill a few 1/8" holes in the lowest point of the AC unit (they drain out down through the under-floor air intake) !!!HOWEVER!!! I've since learned that modern units are designed for the water to pool in the bottom and the fan actually has small "water slingers" around the perimeter. The ice-cold water is used to help cool the condenser coil and makes the unit more efficient. Ultimately, your choice though! Not sure how much efficiency is lost by draining the cool water instead of having it slung onto the hot condenser coil.
Subscribing to finally have some detailed videos that will help me out. I'm currently stripping back a partially converted 2009 Savanna and upgrading to suit my needs/preferences and there aren't many videos showing this van.
Hey Steve, hoping to REALLY test it out this summer. Will report back if the evaporator coil gets too cold from lack of airflow. Seems to work alright now, but again it's only 65F outside with limited humidity. (If an issue does arise the expanding foam in the factory grill should be simple to remove.) Thanks for checking it out; will keep you posted! -Tim
For reference only. On Amazon, check out Accord APBBDF Adjustable magnetic air deflector. There are others. My best and enjoy your time in the outdoors
Not yet. I know for sure there’s going to be condensation problems in the humid areas. We mostly hang around the deserts / dry heat (but eventually will need to insulate the ducts) Excited to try it out this summer!
@@VanwithTim keep updating on it.. I am working on installing my Midea U 8000BTU AC in my box truck. I live in the south so it gets hot and humid.. Really going to put it to the test in these conditions.
@@mattolsson8816 I think 8k BTU would be plenty if it’s well insulated. The box trucks are a total score as they’re so easy to insulate with thick rigid foam. The square walls are such a bonus. Lack of large windows will end up being your best friend! Will have some updates this summer!
@@VanwithTim yeah, I am working on the install of the window AC right now.. It's going to take up a lot more room than what I had hoped for.. Oh well.. As long as it keeps the truck cool I am happy :)
Hey Jake, I think this is what you were referring to. th-cam.com/video/QK_zLDNW3X8/w-d-xo.html Outside (condenser side) has dedicated outside intake and outside exhaust. (Sealed from the inside) Think I may go with a ceramic tint to give the AC a little break. Too bad it's so pricey! Cheers! -Tim
That's a good question Carlo. I drilled additional drain holes all around the bottom of the unit to combat any issues with this. (Made sure to paint them afterwards to avoid rust issues) But if the van is tilted really far, I suspect the water would begin to pool in the bottom of the unit. But I usually only run it while camping, and I try to always camp in the flattest area possible. Hope that helps! -Tim
@@VanwithTim Thank you for the quick reply. It would be nice to see how efficient the AC is working. For example, hot summerday, you're staying in the van, measuring temperature inside the van, turning the AC on, measuring time and temperature to see how fast and how much the temperature will drop. also if to see if the 5000 btu is enough for the size of your van, was it a good decision, or would be a bigger unit recommended?, cause the other problem is also the powerconsumption, while offgrid i am running my AC fully out of my batterybank 200ah 48V LifePO4, 1000w 48V solar on the roof.
@@Carlohuber That’s a nicely sized battery bank! One thing I’ve just noticed is the power draw increase depending on temperature. At 70F ambient it only draws around 510w, but increases to around 600w on a 100F day. (6k BTU unit) I wish I would have insulated with foam board instead of fiberglass for the higher R value. I can feel the heat penetrating fairly quickly. It also makes an unbelievable difference with my thin little home made window covers. I do need to do a few time lapse videos of AC cooling with and without the window covers. Also really need to bite the $700 bullet and install IR Ceramic tint. So tough to say with the cooling. If I start the AC first thing in the AM it does well, but trying to run it after everything is heat soaked is an uphill battle. I would go up to an 8k BTU unit if I were to do it again. Also adding a tilting mechanism to the solar panels would have been a giant upgrade. Once the sun moves past high noon I start seeing it eat at my battery bank.
What’s the hottest you’ve been in? I’ve thought about the similar solution in my semi truck but decided to go with mini split ac unit instead. How effective is this you’d say?
Not much hotter than mid-90’s. I think 6,000btu is as small as I would go. If you don’t have windows it would do okay, but with all our windows it struggles to bring the temperature down. We would take the major heat out with the OEM AC then the window unit can maintain it. Will definitely be getting ceramic tint in the future to help out! I would say, if you have a generator you plan to use for power I would go bigger (10k+ btu) but if you’re running solely off of solar / battery, 6k - 8k btu might be the limit.
OMG! You gave up valuable storage. (lol) Oh well! Everything in life is a compromise and I mean everything. Great job! Awesome, man. That should shut up those anal commenters. Part 2) Get a big enough insulating blanket and custom hag it with snaps to close off the driver's section. A smaller area to cool is better and it will block off the sun and heat that can come in either of the two door windows and/or windshield section. Only cool the area you need most for comfort AND you got a privacy curtain too. That should run on any EU 2,000 generator with not much more than an idle all day if you need it. That keeps everything quiet as possible. Best wishes.
Haha thanks for the comment Rick! I only have a thin sheet between the driver's section and the living area, but you're right on with needing something heavier for insulation. The AC unit itself with compressor running, fan on high, and inverter inefficiency included is only 510 watts! Actually runs off the battery bank and solar nicely during the day. -Tim
@@VanwithTim I am really impressed that the AC takes so little. I am removing the old roof AC on the camper and sealing the hole, then I have the large roof available for solar panels too.
@@carld3184 Very nice! The 6k BTU unit states 5 amps at 115 volts (So 575 watts) But online it lists 536 watt rated input. With my inverter inefficiency I expected it to total closer to 590w. Was a very pleasant surprise to see that 510w power draw. (verified with two different digital amp meters.)
Wondering that myself lol. Haven't had access to any of my tools for the past 1.5 years. Finally renting a place to get my tools out of storage and really knock out some projects on the van! Thanks for watching Peter
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You have really opened up my eyes in terms of what's possible with a smaller budget. After watching your videos about the ac and the fridge, I can keep my dog with me all the time, and it's financially doable for me given the right van. Your stuff looks amazing, it's a breath of fresh air from watching expensively perfect van builds.
Thanks for checking it out Sarah. Regarding the AC, be sure to check out the video: th-cam.com/video/V0r2ijuKd-c/w-d-xo.html
Really shows the importance of insulation in the build. The foam boards are pretty affordable at
Brilliant... Watched too many impractical ac van installation videos .. with this series... aircon in a van doable at affordable price... And no ugly box sticking out of van... Love your channel, so many helpful money saving ideas... Just the fridge option alone saves a fortune!
Thanks for checking out the videos and thank you for the comment! Glad to see the videos helping inspire others
Great to see more detailed videos on your current setup! 300 sub channel with 30k sub effort. The age of sub million channels being the best is upon us! Keep up the good work man!
Thank you! Just saw the 300 mark was hit this morning.
Hopefully helping those with the more realistic van builds...
Not everyone has $70k for their vans!
3600 subs now. Good channels grow exponentially.
Turning a window unit into central air conditioning. Absolutely brilliant. Thanks Tim. New sub.
Thank you 🙏🙌
It's how he got me
Great video, thank you for all the great work you do. Planning on doing this exact thing to my van. Would love another video with updates on how it is working.
Thank you Michael, I have a time-lapse video planned for this summer showing the interior / exterior temperatures along with the battery voltages. Just waiting for it to warm up!
After a week of no power/heat/water , ur new setup looks good to go for summer without power here in TX .
Thank you Rob.
It's very much designed to survive 2-4 weeks off grid with 75 gallons of water and the ridiculous amounts of solar.
The diesel heater has been a fantastic addition as well.
Awesome idea, so cool to be able to get so much feedback in the comments!
Like that solution . I have a runaway camper and it's small but ac is loud in the small space. Sure wish they used this scheme to patrician the AC just for sound.
Lower placement gives you better handling.
i considered doing something similar to this in an enclosed utility trailer, the clever use of the plenum built into the aircon was a good idea and nice routing, great vid, and awesome build, stay safe out there
I live in the Manistee national forest in Baldwin Michigan and figured I'd say hello lol! Just found you and am enjoying your video's!
Thanks for checking it out Jeff! Born and raised just outside of Flint myself!
Went to college in Midland and worked about an hour away from you in Coleman.
Moved to Southern California post-college but still enjoy a good Michigan summer!
-Tim
@@VanwithTim Super cool Tim! I bought a quarter acre in the woods and am homesteading and building a little tiny home/camper compound and if your ever up in the area don't hesitate to email me at jvanmeekeren21@gmail.com. You are always welcome up to park and hookup. :)
@@onedadsbattle Much appreciated!!
That is a really nice build you have there. I am still leaning toward putting my ac unit in one of the rear windows but, your installation was done very well. I have now subscribed.
Thanks for the sub!
I would definitely recomment mounting as high as possible, but really didn't want to knock out any of the windows.
"vanlifethings" has a cool setup in their van tour showing the window AC mounted high up but venting through the pop-out side window. Looks factory from the outside, then just pop open the window when you want to use the AC.
He reports good results with it!
-Tim
Absolutely phenomenal work! Love the choice to use duct tape over the foam, much cleaner look even though its hidden by the grate. Just finished my own build in a sister van, 04 e150 :) Liked and subscribed! Keep up the great work
Thanks to you and your viewers for cool tips!
Michigan gang! I'm planning on setting up my van to live in and you have some well thought out upgrades, subscribed
Hey alright!
Thanks Troy!
now this is a vid i been searching for! only ducting ive see from inside builds is in apartments an tiny homes with poor results! 💪👍💯
dude i love your creativity
I like your trick with using the magnet inside a plastic bag.
It worked okay, but I should have used a thinner bag. These thick reusable bags just aren't flexible enough to keep "on top" of the magnet if that makes sense.
When you go to move the bag / magnet, the thick bag pulls away from the magnet and you nearly lose all the metal shavings!
Always learning either by research or mistake lol
I bought an 6000 BTU ac to do this very thing thanks for your video
Haha Autocorrect. BTU / BUT 🤣
@@jupiteradventure5284 lol yeah sorry
Very cool video, I would like to see you take it out and camp in a real world scenario. Then you could bring your laser heat checker and show what different parts of the vans temperature is. Thanks for making this!
Definitely in the plans this summer! Will probably bite the bullet and go with some nice ceramic tint in the future as well. Just hear it's wildly expensive!
Cheers!
-Tim
Nevermind i saw your first video. Good work around👍
Thanks Jake!
Awsome work probably going to do a similar setup.
Thanks Justin.
Seems to work great for our little van!
Let me know if you have any questions or run into any issues with your install.
-Tim
Plan the work and work the plan. Buddy no mistakes no re work
Yeah really didn't know what I even wanted at first! (That and the initial build was crammed into just over 1 month)
For sure could have saved some time with better planning. A well learned lesson haha
Awesome man ! You should start a business!
I’m a hotshot truck driver and I need some type of setup for the summer time and came across your video excellent work
Michigan gang checking in too. Keep up the great work!
Genius! I'll have to do this to my window air all the way in the back of my van. Get more of that fresh air all the way up to the front of the camper.
Still seems to be working great!
Wouldn’t hurt to upgrade to insulated ducting of course 👍👍
3D printed front vent adapter. Run the pipes on the outside to save your storage. You can remove when venting or ac isn't needed. They have ready made pipes that are colored that are similar to the silver duckting but less of an eye sore. Some public library's have a 3D printer you can use. It's cold side so simple plastic for the 3D printed vent adapter will work fine.
That is neat. Good job making a video of your project.
Thank you!
Wow, simple and amazing. Great job ✌️
Liked and subscribed, starting my van soon and will make good use of the magnet trick. I'll be using a nibbling tool, it won't drop sharp bits that scratch, but sharp bits that stab :D
Nice mod! AC in a van would greatly enhance my summer travel enjoyment... so I'm taking notes :D Only thing I can think of to improve is to shock mount the AC unit. Your HSS hole saw will cut through metal about once but it will be the last time!
Thanks Doug! Luckily the compressor is still working well even with such a harsh environment.
Seems to be a good, ongoing experiment on the longevity of these Chinese units!
As for the fate of the hole saw, hopefully get a few more projects out of it haha (whole set was
Other than non insulated ducting, well done young man.
Thank you 🙏
It doesn't really need to be insulated because it is within the conditioned space.
Glad you did this for the content. Great video cool van bro!
looks to me like this mod will really work. Probably will loose a bit of efficiency due to the added pressure drop of you ducting system, but should gain quite a bit on the other end because of dramatically improved circulation. Nice! Sure hope that the AC doesn't fail and need to be replaced though!
Hoping for the best this summer!
I'm sure the unit will give up the ghost eventually. (really not meant for bouncing all around off-road haha)
Should make for a good video on unit replacement when the time comes.
Until then, I'll keep "testing" it's limits and report back!
Loved the music! Great results!
Did you consider using the whole cabinet as your cold air plenum? The hole cut into the top of the AC would allow the air to blow into the cabinet, then the outlet vents allow the cold air from inside the cabinet to blow into the van.
I am asking because I plan a similar AC installation under my RV kitchen counter but the 3 inch ducting would be much longer and the resistance to air flow may be too much if I used those 3 inch ducted vents.
I did think about that briefly, but my cabinet fitment is pretty awful. I don't think they would "seal" well enough to create enough positive pressure in the ducts.
Also the evaporator coil outputs air around 25F (Enough to freeze my pipes and anything inside the cabinet lol)
It could work well in your situation though!
@@VanwithTim Never thought about the potential for freezing the pipes under the kitchen counter, I will keep that in mind.
Am i the only one asking the obvious but how are you venting the back side of the a/c? Typically a window unit hangs outside of a window. The fan back there pulls in air from the sides and exhausts to the rear. Enclosing the unit like you have would certainly drop in efficiency and potentially create additional unwanted heat in the interior. Perhaps im missing a previous video where you explained this?
Bro! You really did great job 👏
Make a small shelf to hold stuff where the ac grille used to be. :)
Nice job 👍 but that uninsulated ducting will sweat and drip causing mold and mildew, been there done that .
Yeah I have a feeling we'll be wrapping it with something in the future.
So far our summers are mostly in the South West where humidity is nearly non-existent.
Florida and Texas are just unbearable in the summertime with that humidity.
Thanks for checking it out!!
Tim....THE CUSTOM AC MAN!!! Dude that was awesome! I was wondering like how cool could you get the interior of the van down to in the day versus at night when the sun is down? Like on a hot 90° day. Now I know you are in Florida so humidity is a contributing factor.
Great question! Been working on a ton of videos but unfortunately AC season has passed. The data I've gathered so far shows about a 10F-15F drop in interior temp over exterior temp.
90F exterior had me around 78F interior.
For reference, 90F exterior without any AC or window covers brought the interior temp up to 120F.
Insulation makes all the difference though! I keep hearing the IR blocking ceramic window tint makes a huge difference.
Here's a comparison of a 6k BTU AC unit in a fully insulated box vs the 6k BTU unit in the van running side by side. The power draw difference is staggering!
th-cam.com/video/V0r2ijuKd-c/w-d-xo.html
Very nice, looks really sharp and professional! I'll be curious to see how it holds up, but it seems like it should work really well.
Thanks Maureen, will have a test video this summer.
Hopefully there isn't too much added restriction with the ducting!
Will find out!
Thanks for watching!
-Tim
Yes, has the exhaut heat insulation worked well and are there any follow up videos of continous usage in summer heat?
@@marcushennings9513 Hoping to shoot a nice time-lapse video of it running this summer (with interior / exterior temps and battery voltages)
The foam box around the condenser portion of the AC has been terrific!
That’s fantastic
Well done 👍
Thank you for posting this video fun interesting projects .
What you done is cool and you should be proud. But in all honesty, do you think it might be better to get a portable ac unit? After all with the size of your cutout not sure if it saves space.
Instead of replacing the grille, have you considered putting a tiny door on the front of the AC and recapturing some of the lost drawer storage?
Oh that would be interesting!
I guess my next move if the storage gets too tight to live with would be some small upper cabinets though.
I do love seeing all the creative storage solutions out there!
I wonder if using a roof fan with the vent closed would circulate the cool air from the floor without the need for extra vents?
I haven't had the pleasure of living with a roof fan, but I hear great things even about their recirculation abilities with the vent closed.
I bet it would do the trick!
Note to self....If Tim ever visits make sure he's got plenty of things to keep that brain of his occupied
Great idea. Thanks for the video.
I believe you could use the drawer space as a plenum and skip the ducting. Reroute the air up as you did, install the vents and you're done.
good work on van and camera. Might have to steal your ideas! make more, lol.
I also noted what appears to be an intake air duct (the black one at near floor level) that you did not mention in either of your AC videos. Am I right that that's what it is? I was a bit skeptical as to whether or not your floor cooling air intake was going to be sufficient, and although I'm not sure what effect this duct drawing air from the interior will have in terms of sucking out chilled air from the interior, I imagine that it will help to provide more intake air, which is an important consideration that a lot of folks that try this setup fail to realize. Since it presents a direct air flow to the outside of the van, (if indeed I am correct as to what it is being used for!) I think it would be a good idea to put a bug screen on it, and keep a plug of foam to insert when it is cold outside.
Ahh I knew I forgot to at least label it in the video. That's actually the air outlet for the diesel heater!
Check out my AC install video for the condenser intake / exhaust setup.
th-cam.com/video/QK_zLDNW3X8/w-d-xo.html
Good catch though and you're spot on with the issues that would present. I've seen a few installs where they end up sucking their cooled interior air through the condenser and blowing it outside!
-Tim
I've really enjoyed watching your videos - lots of good ideas. I was wondering if instead of taking out the rear A/C you could have used relays the way you did for the blower motor to be powered by both your starter battery and house batteries for the entire van's AC system. To power the compressor maybe put on a dual clutch to allow it to be driven by the van engine when you were driving or an electric motor powered by the house batteries when you were parked. I would also assume that you'd need electric fans powered by the house batteries for the condenser when the engine isn't running and driving the radiator fan.
I've remember thinking about that early in the build!
It looked like I could use an electric condenser fan assembly from a Silverado and ditch my clutch fan, and the compressor is actually on it's own dedicated four-rib belt / tensioner assembly.
Unfortunately I lack the tools for bracket fabrication (that and the whole initial build (including AC) was rushed into a 1 month period)
That would make a pretty cool video though. I wonder how much torque / RPM the automotive compressors would need...
Would love to see someone tackle this, and hopefully your comment is enough to get people thinking outside the box!
Cheers!
-Tim
@@VanwithTim Older model belt driven AC compressors used more than one and up to five horsepower so I imagine that powering these traditional compressors with a 12V motor would not be practical.
AFAIK TESLA is now using an all electric combination AC and heat pump unit, should be interesting to see if those could be adapted to run off solar.
@@carld3184 This is exactly the info needed.
I've wondered how Tesla was doing it all.
makes sense to reverse the compressor into a heat pump.
Can't get much more efficient for electric heat if that's the only option.
Wonder if they pull heat from the battery packs for cabin heating as well..?
Would love to get my hands on one just to satisfy my curiosities on their innovative systems.
@@VanwithTim I don't know what Tesla does but the Nissan Leaf uses an electric compressor. It runs off the 350 volt battery.
Feel this unit is very quiet!
It is much quieter than the RV rooftop AC units!
Should have made a filter system for the incoming fresh air. Would have been better to do this work out of the vehicle. When I modify a computer case I take out all of the components, modify the case, was and dry the inside, and reassemble. Try firing up a computer with mental dust inside and see how long it takes the white genie of death appears. 3m red tape is call VHB (very high bond) adhesive, stuff works very well in various applications. And believe it or not another adhesive that can be used is Flex Seal. So your front vent just cut a piece of foam board and use some caulk or Flex Seal instead of loading the front of it with spray foam, same thing with the top vents. If condensation is an issue with your ducting the you need to wrap your ducts, and if you don’t see moisture on the outside then more than likely could be on the inside. But maybe not, a/c units put out cool dry air, it could be possible the cool dry air would dry up any moisture in the ducts.
The unit does have a cheap plastic mesh filter in front of the evaporator which does OK (but not great. Will still need periodic coil cleaning).
Yeah the spray foam in the factory outlet vent was kind of silly. Was really all I had on hand at the time!
Do you know if Flex Seal has much for insulating value? If we end up in a hot / humid spot, I know I'll have to do something for duct insulation. Just not sure what options I have for low-profile solutions.
(I think you're right that the inside ducting should be okay since it's dry air)
-Tim
Pretty, pretty, pretty cool.
Great job sir! What type of expanding foam did you use?
Thank you! Honestly I've just been picking up whichever foam is cheapest at the big box retailers.
I'm sure there's benefits with the more expensive cans, but this is a (somewhat) budget build haha
-Tim
If those “arms” for the cool air to spread around your camper to cool your camper, then where does the hot air go? (Out the coils)? I am a bit confused. 🤔 🧐
Good question as it's not fully shown in this video.
The system is split into two sections:
The condenser side (which blows out the hot air)
and
The evaporator side (which cools the interior air in the van)
Inside the van, the air is sucked in through the front of the AC unit, pulled through the ice cold evaporator, then out through the ducts shown in this video.
The hot condenser side draws fresh air from it's own external intake (underneath the van), then pushes this fresh air through the hot condenser and out through the side of the van (not clearly shown in this video).
Check out this video for a little more detail of the system: th-cam.com/video/cxpxg82UV3g/w-d-xo.html
Or for the original installation, check out this video: th-cam.com/video/QK_zLDNW3X8/w-d-xo.html
-Tim
Tbis is amazing!! U won’t get poisoned by the foam?
great job!
Gr8 video, how long can U run air con in just batteries cheers
After 12 hours on a sunny 87F (31C) day, the AC in the van used 388AH. However, the same size AC in the same size airspace could use as little as 171AH if properly insulated!
Check out the experiment here: th-cam.com/video/V0r2ijuKd-c/w-d-xo.html
Bravo bravo job well done
How many total amp hours is your battery setup? I have 200ah of lifepo4. Do you think that can power a window unit all night?
When can I drop my van off for you to make another? Genius!
Great video.! I thought I was smarter than you. But then you put the magnet in a plastic bag. Okay you win. 😁👍
Read about it in the forums 12 years ago and have used it ever since!
Thanks for watching!
-Tim
liked this great work thanks for posting
And what would make it even easier is to not cut a hole on the top in the first place, and it customize a bracket where the air comes out from and main thing if people are doing this and they don’t wanna have an extra fan to force air into the heating duct just mounted up higher I mean believe it or not the old folks have it right just like unloosen bolts, lefty, Lucy righty tidy heat, rises as cold sinks so the lower the AC unit is the crazier. It’s going to work without extra air forcing that cold air up so just do yourself a favor and mount it up is highest you can go so that your air conditioning ducks don’t have a hard time pushing cold air up the hill
I see you have put some ducting in your camper. The deal is, you know, air conditioning is the movement of air from where it is undesireable to where it is "more" desireable. In your van, don't you feel a blast of hot air on your face and head when you return to your van after an hour and a half of shopping after leaving it in the parking lot in the sun??Do you think that the hot, undesireable air rises? Maybe. So, the deal is to suck the hot air from the ceiling and push it over the evaporator, right? We know that the refrigeration cycle actually begins with hot air to blow over the evaporator so that the refrigerant will boil within the evaporator and suck the heat out of that undesireable ceiling air. That's why we don't see the household mini-splits on the floor, we find them high on the wall. The condensing unit is another issue. I've seen where some youtubers have actually split a window unit and separated the parts. It CAN be done.
Can u show me how u vented the heat out of the van?
You can avoid condensation on the ductwork if you insulate it with thermoking foil backed insulation
That seems like it will probably be my solution. Really needs to be super flexible and low-profile and this might be it!
Not sure if I'll be traveling to anywhere too humid this summer, but if I do, this will be a necessity.
Thanks Sam!
Very cool man.. You made some really nice improvements. Where can I find those vents?
Thank you Matt.
I bought mine from AliExpress but chose the US shipping.
75mm Warm Heater Parking Heater Air Vent Car Heater Air Outlet Directional Rotatable for Webasto Truck Auto Parts
a.aliexpress.com/_mLoyGE7
@@VanwithTim Thank you, I will have a look..
How about tape up the slots on the AC!?
Hi Tim, love the thought process with this. Did it work over the Summer? I want to do something similar just wondering how it held up? Thanks
Still working great, haven’t noticed any issues so far! Wish I would have insulated a bit better or had a van with fewer windows.
The 6k BTU helps but struggles to keep up. I have a video coming soon where I built a 3/4” foam board box with a 6k BTU AC and measured the power draw from it vs the van. AC had no issue keeping up in the insulated box (nearly the same internal volume of air).
As for the ducting- it’s been a huge improvement. Some condensation outside of the ducts but never enough to drip down / soak anything.
Update for the AC power usage / efficiency video: amzn.to/3BuJpel
Insulation makes a HUGE difference!
Good work, very innovative. 👍🏼
Good mod great job
Did you do anything to the drainage? I’m installing a 5000 btu unit now and just tested it for about 2 hours and there’s condensation buildup in the back of the unit that doesn’t appear to be draining out. It’s on an angle like a window unit should be, but the fan is spitting up the water bc it’s not draining. Just curious if you had to drill a hole in the drain pain or make any modifications that way…
I did drill a few 1/8" holes in the lowest point of the AC unit (they drain out down through the under-floor air intake)
!!!HOWEVER!!!
I've since learned that modern units are designed for the water to pool in the bottom and the fan actually has small "water slingers" around the perimeter.
The ice-cold water is used to help cool the condenser coil and makes the unit more efficient.
Ultimately, your choice though!
Not sure how much efficiency is lost by draining the cool water instead of having it slung onto the hot condenser coil.
Just made a quick video for you on the subject. Hope it helps explain! th-cam.com/video/-5UKG6tHYag/w-d-xo.html
Subscribing to finally have some detailed videos that will help me out. I'm currently stripping back a partially converted 2009 Savanna and upgrading to suit my needs/preferences and there aren't many videos showing this van.
I noticed the same lack of info. Tons of Sprinters / Transits / Promasters, but almost nothing on the GM platform.
Thanks for subscribing Kelly! 🙏
You might consider insulating the ducting in order to improve the efficiency of the AC.
Keeping my eyes peeled for some nice low-profile flexible insulation!
Definitely a waste to cool the cupboards and cabinet with the cold ducting.
@@VanwithTim Just make sure it's mold resistant insulation. Remember; the A/C can create condensation.
Nice work nice idea
No idea how you have only 470 subscribers...
Took 7 months to reach 200 subscribers, then 270 more popped up in the last 7 days..?!
Glad people find the info useful!
Thanks for watching Sven.
Question do you have that window unit rejecting the heat. By that, I mean is the back of the unit exposed to outside air?
Hey Jake,
It has a dedicated intake vent and exhaust vent.
Here's the install video!
-Tim
Lots of work and will definitely reduce flow. Simple deflector try would not reduce flow and easier. Looks good.
Hey Steve, hoping to REALLY test it out this summer.
Will report back if the evaporator coil gets too cold from lack of airflow.
Seems to work alright now, but again it's only 65F outside with limited humidity.
(If an issue does arise the expanding foam in the factory grill should be simple to remove.)
Thanks for checking it out; will keep you posted!
-Tim
For reference only. On Amazon, check out Accord APBBDF Adjustable magnetic air deflector. There are others. My best and enjoy your time in the outdoors
@@stevebigpine1590 Do you mean put the deflector where the a.c. grill is, instead of running the duct work?
@@msarmir yes
How long does the AC run just on batteries
cold wind to the feet is no good.
attach a vent hose and adjust it.
Have you had the chance to use this AC under hot humid conditions yet? If so how is it performing with the new improved ducting?
Not yet. I know for sure there’s going to be condensation problems in the humid areas.
We mostly hang around the deserts / dry heat (but eventually will need to insulate the ducts)
Excited to try it out this summer!
@@VanwithTim keep updating on it.. I am working on installing my Midea U 8000BTU AC in my box truck. I live in the south so it gets hot and humid.. Really going to put it to the test in these conditions.
@@mattolsson8816 I think 8k BTU would be plenty if it’s well insulated. The box trucks are a total score as they’re so easy to insulate with thick rigid foam. The square walls are such a bonus.
Lack of large windows will end up being your best friend!
Will have some updates this summer!
@@VanwithTim yeah, I am working on the install of the window AC right now.. It's going to take up a lot more room than what I had hoped for.. Oh well.. As long as it keeps the truck cool I am happy :)
I would also probably have gone with a small mini-split.
another awesome vid, ;-)
Cool vid🙂
If not, thats your cooling problem. Not placement hieght of your unit. That window ac is more than likely ment for a space twice as big as your van.
Hey Jake, I think this is what you were referring to.
th-cam.com/video/QK_zLDNW3X8/w-d-xo.html
Outside (condenser side) has dedicated outside intake and outside exhaust. (Sealed from the inside)
Think I may go with a ceramic tint to give the AC a little break. Too bad it's so pricey!
Cheers!
-Tim
how does the leaking works when the van has a bit of a tilt while standing on a uneven ground?
That's a good question Carlo.
I drilled additional drain holes all around the bottom of the unit to combat any issues with this. (Made sure to paint them afterwards to avoid rust issues)
But if the van is tilted really far, I suspect the water would begin to pool in the bottom of the unit. But I usually only run it while camping, and I try to always camp in the flattest area possible.
Hope that helps!
-Tim
@@VanwithTim Thank you for the quick reply. It would be nice to see how efficient the AC is working. For example, hot summerday, you're staying in the van, measuring temperature inside the van, turning the AC on, measuring time and temperature to see how fast and how much the temperature will drop. also if to see if the 5000 btu is enough for the size of your van, was it a good decision, or would be a bigger unit recommended?, cause the other problem is also the powerconsumption, while offgrid i am running my AC fully out of my batterybank 200ah 48V LifePO4, 1000w 48V solar on the roof.
@@Carlohuber That’s a nicely sized battery bank! One thing I’ve just noticed is the power draw increase depending on temperature. At 70F ambient it only draws around 510w, but increases to around 600w on a 100F day. (6k BTU unit)
I wish I would have insulated with foam board instead of fiberglass for the higher R value. I can feel the heat penetrating fairly quickly.
It also makes an unbelievable difference with my thin little home made window covers.
I do need to do a few time lapse videos of AC cooling with and without the window covers. Also really need to bite the $700 bullet and install IR Ceramic tint.
So tough to say with the cooling. If I start the AC first thing in the AM it does well, but trying to run it after everything is heat soaked is an uphill battle.
I would go up to an 8k BTU unit if I were to do it again. Also adding a tilting mechanism to the solar panels would have been a giant upgrade. Once the sun moves past high noon I start seeing it eat at my battery bank.
What’s the hottest you’ve been in? I’ve thought about the similar solution in my semi truck but decided to go with mini split ac unit instead. How effective is this you’d say?
Not much hotter than mid-90’s. I think 6,000btu is as small as I would go.
If you don’t have windows it would do okay, but with all our windows it struggles to bring the temperature down. We would take the major heat out with the OEM AC then the window unit can maintain it.
Will definitely be getting ceramic tint in the future to help out!
I would say, if you have a generator you plan to use for power I would go bigger (10k+ btu) but if you’re running solely off of solar / battery, 6k - 8k btu might be the limit.
Hi, do you know by any chance how many inches between the front & rear wheel?
Thanks
From center of the front wheel to center of the back wheel it’s exactly:
155.2 inches (12 feet 11.2 inches)
3.942 meters
Many thanks that was helpful
Nice job🍺🍺🍺good ideas 🍺🍺🍺
Great skills 👍 new subscriber
Ducting is genius. Why on earth would someone buy a 12V high current roof top AC for, what, 3K these days? LMAOOOOO
5:41
*camera glitches*
Cool
OMG! You gave up valuable storage. (lol) Oh well! Everything in life is a compromise and I mean everything.
Great job! Awesome, man. That should shut up those anal commenters.
Part 2) Get a big enough insulating blanket and custom hag it with snaps to close off the driver's section. A smaller area to cool is better and it will block off the sun and heat that can come in either of the two door windows and/or windshield section. Only cool the area you need most for comfort AND you got a privacy curtain too. That should run on any EU 2,000 generator with not much more than an idle all day if you need it. That keeps everything quiet as possible. Best wishes.
Haha thanks for the comment Rick!
I only have a thin sheet between the driver's section and the living area, but you're right on with needing something heavier for insulation.
The AC unit itself with compressor running, fan on high, and inverter inefficiency included is only 510 watts! Actually runs off the battery bank and solar nicely during the day.
-Tim
@@VanwithTim I am really impressed that the AC takes so little. I am removing the old roof AC on the camper and sealing the hole, then I have the large roof available for solar panels too.
@@carld3184 Very nice!
The 6k BTU unit states 5 amps at 115 volts (So 575 watts)
But online it lists 536 watt rated input.
With my inverter inefficiency I expected it to total closer to 590w.
Was a very pleasant surprise to see that 510w power draw. (verified with two different digital amp meters.)
Why wait 8 months for this idea ?
Wondering that myself lol.
Haven't had access to any of my tools for the past 1.5 years.
Finally renting a place to get my tools out of storage and really knock out some projects on the van!
Thanks for watching Peter
wow....
Rage.... LoL 😂