Portable Air Conditioning Unit

[carolynS]

Has anyone any experience/recommendations on using one of these in a 4 berth caravan (yet to be purchased!)?

I know they are heavy but at a cosy of £200 as opposed to £1300 for factory fitted seems a big saving? Only asking as planning 6+ months in europe so thought it might be a good idea.

thanks in advance

 

[WatsonJohnG]

We have been using a portable aircon/dehumidifier/heater for over 5 years but haven't needed it much this year!!

It measures 700 X 265 X 365mm

Its tall and thin so it doesn't take up much floor space

Its also on casters but weighs a manageable 33.5kg

Its really effective at close range when seated/reclining and the exhausted air is so hot that you need to make use of the ducting as used on a tumble drier

Ours cost

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hi Carolyn,

I have carried out tests on heating and AC units in caravans, and I echo what John Watson has said, but would add that their effectiveness in caravans is limited by two major factors. The first is amount of heat that gets into a caravan because of the relatively large surface areas of walls roof and to some extent floor compared to the volume inside the caravan.

This large ratio leads to big heat gains, especially in direct sunlight. The second factor is the limited power the AC unit can draw. This can be a particular problem on some continental sites when the current limits are low.

That said, AC will make a difference, but don't expect the inside to be ice cold.

The two advantages of a portable unit, is firstly cost, and secondly you can always take home with you and use it when not on holiday.

 

[carolynS]

We have been using a portable aircon/dehumidifier/heater for over 5 years but haven't needed it much this year!!

It measures 700 X 265 X 365mm

Its tall and thin so it doesn't take up much floor space

Its also on casters but weighs a manageable 33.5kg

Its really effective at close range when seated/reclining and the exhausted air is so hot that you need to make use of the ducting as used on a tumble drier

Ours cost

 

[carolynS]

Hi Carolyn,

I have carried out tests on heating and AC units in caravans, and I echo what John Watson has said, but would add that their effectiveness in caravans is limited by two major factors. The first is amount of heat that gets into a caravan because of the relatively large surface areas of walls roof and to some extent floor compared to the volume inside the caravan.

This large ratio leads to big heat gains, especially in direct sunlight. The second factor is the limited power the AC unit can draw. This can be a particular problem on some continental sites when the current limits are low.

That said, AC will make a difference, but don't expect the inside to be ice cold.

The two advantages of a portable unit, is firstly cost, and secondly you can always take home with you and use it when not on holiday.

Thanks, good point about taking it into the house, its probably the better option

 

[WatsonJohnG]

We bought ours to use in the south facing conservatory at home but that is a harder situation to cool than a van and we have given up using it when its hot!!

The unit uses 280W dehumid,300W cooling and 1200W heating

As said before it is effective at close range or pointed at the bed at night etc.

The built in on the roof jobs are(were) not very user friendly to neighbouring pitches due to the noise

We were on a C & CC rally in Spain when a couple on the rally changed pitches due to the Electrolux noisy aircon on the adjacent non rally German occupied pitch

The very same day a new van on the rally moved in on the next pitch to them and they had the same aircon unit fitted

Not happy ralliers

 

[Mel]

Interesting. We had a roof mounted AC on our previous motorhome but I was always anxious about using it very much as it did sound like a busy day at Heathrow. So what is the lightest portable AC that is worth having, and where does one get it from? Having done wet and cold Devon this summer, we are planning to got to France next year with the aim of continuing south until it is hot enough to need serious AC!! 🙂

mel