Why running an RV Air Conditioner on solar is NOT a practical solution. This experiment will show you what it takes to run an air conditioner on a 2000 watt inverter, four lithium batteries and solar panels.

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PARTS MENTIONED IN VIDEO (affiliate links)

Micro Air Easy Start: https://amzn.to/3gjLxdB
Replacement Air Conditioners (5% OFF with "RVWITHTITO" code): https://www.recpro.com/rvairconditi...

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MORE ABOUT THIS VIDEO

1. Micro Air Installation While installing the Micro Air Easy Start I also removed the motor start capacitor that was no longer needed. That step was also mentioned in this video from Micro Air (   • MicroAir EasyStart Soft Starter Inst...  ). I found this video especially useful since he was working on an A/C unit very similar to mine. The only difference was that mine is a heat pump. Because of that, one of the wires from the compressor went through a reversing relay before heading to the run capacitors. So it was a different color. It was all spelled out in the instructions downloaded from Micro Air's website.

2. A note about inverters You may have thought "why not just get a bigger inverter?" There are two reasons. (1) Our 2000 watt pure sine inverter serves our needs perfectly. We can run our microwave, coffee pot, hair dryer, refrigerator, etc. (2) A larger inverter is less efficient and draws more energy. Our 2K inverter draws between 2 amps 2.5 amps while running. Some hybrid inverters like a 3000W victron multiplus can draw about 6 amps.

3. There Are Some Who Can Run A/C This video demonstrates why it's not practical to run air conditioners with a small to moderately sized offgrid system like mine. However, there are others with systems much larger than mine (2000 watts of solar, 8001000 Ah of Lithium Batteries, and a 30005000 Watt inverter) who have no problem running their A/C during the day on solar. These systems are the ultimate setup with a price tag of $18K to $20K just for the components. I've also seen folks with smaller systems that have installed a small A/C like a 800 btu window unit on a small RV that are also able to run it on a medium to large system. Most of us aren't going to stick with the A/C that comes with the RV though.

4. Biggest Takeaway from the solar experiment My air conditioner used less power that I expected with the soft start installed. I expected it to still draw about 1700 1900 watts and was surprised to see that it was more like 1300 watts. That means that I can use my small 1600 watt generator if needed to power the A/C all day on a gallon of gas. Right now we typically don't carry the generator with us. In the future I may also consider adding a few more high efficiency solar panels to offset the load of the A/C if I were to run it. Should my air conditioner fail at some point, I plan to buy and install a low profile Houghton A/C from RecPro (see links above).

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Other topics addressed in this video: Run air conditioner on inverter, Run air conditioner off solar panels, run air conditioner on solar panels, Solar air conditioner rv, rv solar air conditioner, solar air conditioner, micro air easy start, rv soft start, rv soft start ac, rv solar panels, air conditioner soft start, how to run air conditioner using solar power, inverter can run air conditioner, rv lithium batteries, battle born batteries, battleborn lithium rv batteries, coleman air conditioner rv

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The opinions expressed in our videos are our own or from a contributor. Before taking on any project or making a large purchase, we recommend you do your own research and consult a professional for advice. We are NOT liable for any damage to your RV or injury incurred as a result of following our tips, advice or instructions. We are not RV professionals or certified technicians. We are simply RV owners who work on our own RVs and have a desire to share what we learn with others. Be responsible and know your limits.

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