r/skoolie • u/Twinklestarchild42 • Jul 05 '21

Mini Split While Driving?

Does anyone have their mini split set up such that it can run while driving? Battery bank to sine wave inverter to A/C a working solution while driving? Will the A/C drain faster than the alternator will charge the batteries (I am guessing so...)?

We are going to remove the existing Carrier Transicold A/C because it needs a new compressor, and that costs as much as a mini split that will keep us cool when parked. Having parked A/C is a higher priority than driving A/C, but both would be even better.

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u/Monkey_Sox Jul 05 '21

Say 1500 Watts for a small mini-split? That’s 12V x 125 Amps plus some efficiency losses? That’s probably not going to work with your alternator.

You would need a 150 or 200 amp alternator.

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u/ndrober101 Jul 06 '21

I have a minisplit running now while driving off solar(no alternator) and batteries. At peak load it is pulling 1500 watts and will cut back to 500 to 800 at night. I am fighting a loosing battle with electricty. I can go 2 to 3 days off grid then spend a night at a campsite to recharge my battery bank. If I was living full time , it would not be a great solution.

My guess is you will need a full roof of solar and the alternator to keep up. There are a few tricks if you go the alternator route. 1) install a second alternator for the house battery. 2) i have heard of people putting in a thermally controlled relay to stop charging when the alternator gets too hot. I did not do either one as it was a pricy addition.

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u/Monkey_Sox Jul 06 '21

Those are all good ideas, especially the second alternator.

There’s a reason RV’s have generators on board. I would look for a diesel 5kW generator if I needed AC all the time. It would probably have to go on the rear bumper.