Air conditioning for a camper – types, prices, models
Content
Campervan air conditioning is a must-have for many of us who use a vehicle for camping. After all, auto tourism is associated with vacation trips, which, in turn, are associated with convenience and comfort. We will need pleasant cold especially during our stay in the warm countries of southern Europe. There are many different solutions on the market, both air conditioners permanently installed on the roof of a camper or trailer, as well as portable units. We invite you to review the most interesting systems.
Car air conditioner in a camper
While driving a camper, we can of course use the car's air conditioning, but it has a limitation: it only works when the engine is running. Its efficiency is also not designed to cool a vehicle sometimes 7 meters long. Therefore, we use a parking air conditioner to control the temperature throughout the vehicle. What power should I choose? Experts indicate that in the case of campers, a power of 2000 W is sufficient. In cars up to 8 meters long, you should choose a device with a power of 2000-2500 W. If we are talking about large and long luxury campers, the air conditioning power should be 3500 watts.
Rooftop camper air conditioner
One of the most popular rooftop air conditioners in the RV world is the Dometic Freshjet 2200, which is also one of the smallest such units available on the market. Designed for vehicles up to 7 meters long. When choosing a device for your car, it is important to compare the capabilities of the air conditioner with the space in which it will operate.
The small size of this device has the added benefit of allowing additional devices such as a satellite dish or solar panels to be mounted on the roof of the vehicle. The roof opening for this device is 40x40 cm. Its weight is 35 kg. To operate the station, we need alternating current of 230 V - this is important. It is worth remembering that to operate the parking air conditioner we most often need an external power source. These devices have a significant energy appetite. Of course, a good converter and high-capacity batteries or a power station with a so-called soft start will allow you to start the air conditioner even without external energy. However, working hours will then be very limited.
Photo by Dometic, photo provided to the editors of “Polski Caravaning” with permission for publication.
The price of the device in question is approximately PLN 12 gross. Many devices available on the market today allow you to control the temperature using a remote control or a mobile app. They not only allow you to cool the interior of the camper, but can also serve as a source of heating for the car - but then the energy consumption will be slightly higher.
Installing an air conditioner on the roof of a camper
Installing an air conditioner on a roof has some limitations. Depending on its size, it takes up space, and sometimes a lot of space. Important: even installing an air conditioner in the central or rear part of the car (for example, in the bedroom) does not necessarily mean abandoning the skylight in this place. Air conditioners with built-in skylight are available in the market. We recommend this solution because skylights allow a lot of invaluable daylight into the car - the most pleasant and beneficial for our eyes.
Air conditioner under the bench
Another product that can help keep your camper at a comfortable temperature is an under-bench air conditioner. As the name suggests, it is installed at the bottom of the car. Manufacturers of solutions of this type emphasize that thanks to this, the air conditioner does not change the center of gravity of the car and does not increase its height. The sockets of this device can be freely distributed throughout the vehicle. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage of this solution. Ducting may require the removal of some equipment from the camper or trailer. The price of such a device starts from 7 zlotys.
Portable air conditioner for camper
The third group of products is portable air conditioners. Many devices on the market can easily maintain the temperature in the car at a certain level. The undeniable advantage of such solutions is that we simply do not take the device with us on autumn/winter/spring trips. We have more luggage space and are a little easier on the road. Of course, such devices do not require assembly.
Let us describe how such devices work, using the example of one of the new products on the market - EcoFlow Wave 2. This is the world's first portable air conditioner with a heating function. What is important is that this air conditioner does not require installation or drainage in cooling mode when the humidity does not exceed 70%. What is the performance of this type of device? EcoFlow reports a temperature drop of 10°C from 30°C in 5 minutes in a room of up to 10 m3. In the case of heating, this would be a temperature increase of 10°C from 20°C in 5 minutes in the same room.
The cost of such a device is approximately 5 zlotys. Of course, there are much cheaper solutions on the market. Portable air conditioners can even be purchased in home improvement stores for several hundred zlotys. However, when choosing a suitable device for yourself, it is necessary to take into account the size of the room, as well as aspects related to their operation - ventilation pipes and water drainage options.
Air conditioning in a camper – what to choose?
The most popular option, of course, is rooftop air conditioners, which by their design do not require maintenance. Their installation should definitely be entrusted to professional companies. Under-table and portable options also have their supporters. When choosing a suitable solution for yourself, in addition to the price of the device, you also need to analyze issues related to ease of use, weight and space for installation or storage.
