I have a 2002 Ford conversion with an aftermarket flat screen. A large heavy box was also installed to run the television off of a generator for tailgaiting. Will this box also allow me to run the vehicles A/C overnight , or will I be draining the battery? If so, will the air still not be nearly as cold as when you are driving. Any help greatly appreciated!
2007-07-05 16:33:21 · 7 answers · asked by johnbucktcu 3 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Other - Cars & Transportation
Your AC compressor is driven by the engine and not an electrical motor. So no you can't do it. You could purchase a separate AC unit that runs off 110V current and then you could use the AC overnight as long as the generator is of sufficient size to handle all the current draw. Good luck.
2007-07-05 16:38:10 · answer #1 · answered by Fordman 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are not cheap at all. A 15-20 degree drop in temperature is all a residential air conditioner will be able to achieve by design anyway. Therefore if it is 100 degrees outside you should only expect to achieve an 80-85 degree temperature inside. At an 85 degree outdoor temperature you should be able to drop the house all they way down to 65 degrees if you system is functioning properly. This does not mean you must set it so low. I have been in the HVAC business for over 22-years and my rule of thumb has always been to only set it as low as I need to be comfortable. I live in the Midwest where we have hot and humid summers when that weather finally arrives. I am comfortable at between 76& 82 degrees in my home if the humidity is low and there is a nice breeze, I'm not even running the AC until we get the low to mid 80's with higher humidity. I use a programmable thermostat and I am very frugal about my settings, yet I am still comfortable. When the severe heat comes I am usually reprogramming my cooling temperature to a higher setting to allow my system to cycle off frequently enough. This keeps my bills down and prevents overworking my unit. When I leave my home on the hotter days I don't keep it so low. I just keep it within 10-15 degrees of the outdoor temperature so the system does not have to play catch-up too much when I return from work. My temp drops down fairly quickly when I come home and set it down lower. You have to go by what the outdoor conditions are and adjust accordingly. Once you figure out how to manipulate you particular system properly you will be able to save money while still remaining comfortable. You really need to go with the flow when it comes to this. Anybody can do this but it only works when one person controls the thermostat. If different household members all play with the thermostat you might as well just bundle up your dollar bills and throw them in a fire.
2016-04-01 10:44:03 · answer #2 · answered by Maria 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your car's built-in AC runs off the engine and it can't run off a battery.
Trying to run another A/C off a battery would be hard, would take a big battery. If you had a gas engine you could power a household window A/C unit, but no telling how it'd hold up to the vibrations of driving, and anyway what a waste.
If I was hardcore, I'd build a plug-in hybrid electric RV with a nice big NiMH battery pack that both run all your gear including A/C, and drive the truck around-town. Small diesel or turbine regenerator for road haul and to keep up the batteries, badabing.
2007-07-05 16:56:30 · answer #3 · answered by Wolf Harper 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
is the a/c system a roof mount or the vehicles stock system? if it is the stock system no it won't because the engine powers it and has to be on in order to work, if its aroof mount electric like those found in a motorhome then mabey, this would make the "box" an inverter which changes 12 volts dc "battery" in to 120 volts ac household voltage or it may be a trans former which works the other way around, in which case the answer is still probably no, most roof ac units wiil pull more power than an inverter can supply" burn up the in verter. or in the case of a trans former, its going the wrong way. So I would say no you can't
2007-07-05 16:45:02 · answer #4 · answered by Thomas R 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
unless it has over head ac on it that's powered off of a battery not the running of the engine it wont cool it,most ac systems run off of the engine,if this one is powered by an electric motor it should allow you to run the air in it,also if its a self contained unit as long as it doesn't draw too much voltage it should cool it good,hope this helps.
2007-07-05 16:41:16 · answer #5 · answered by dodge man 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the factory ac in the van uses a engine driven compressor. it will not cool without the motor running. all you could run of the generator is the blower fan. maybe a roof top electric unit from a rv
2007-07-05 16:42:41 · answer #6 · answered by tott1 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it will drain. Tv uses less amps/volts. You are not moving a compressor. We have a small power plant installed on one Lumina.
2007-07-05 16:42:09 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋