Saturday February 20th, 2021 | | Leave a comment Purchased on 12/03/19 and owned in IL until 12/30/20. This is one of the reasons I used the Aims Power 2000 watt inverter in my later builds. There are currently 58 well maintained Ram ProMasters available with an average of 6 service history records. There are currently 629 Ram ProMasters available with no reported accidents or damage. You simply tighten these bolts to secure the rooftop unit to the van. Love. Probably the most difficult part of the installation was getting the roughly 90 pound beast up onto the roof. Phillips Auto Sales Ltd. 1165 Topsail Road (709) 237-4359 or (709) 690-3577 2017 Ford Transit Connect Cargo Van - POWER INVERTER (71k) CLEAN VAN, 2.5L Engine, Automatic, Cargo Divider, Back Up Camera, Air Conditioning, AM/FM CD Radio, Captains Chairs,Cruise Control, Tilt and … View all 210 consumer vehicle reviews for the Used 2019 Ram 1500 on Edmunds, or submit your own review of the 2019 1500. $34,145. How often the compressor needs to kick on and how long it runs depends on the temperature and sun exposure. The Nomadic Cooling unit is a really great alternative that uses about half as much energy. The ceiling assembly comes with a metal frame and 4 super long bolts. The CARFAX Vehicle History Report for the vehicle may contain more current information. Last serviced in Wake Forest, NC on 12/23/20 • Vehicle serviced • Oil and filter changed • Tires rotated. There is a separate control for the thermostat – turn it one way to set the temp lower (warmer) and the other way to make it cooler. In my first van, I used an 1800 watt Xantrex inverter which did not have enough power to âstartâ the AC despite itâs rating being something like 530 watts beyond the running wattage of the air conditioner. Also they are reasonably affordable. All the walls and ceiling panels were made from 1/4â luan type plywood that came sanded and primed which I eventually painted. What About Solar Panels For that, we covered the side of the van with a heavy blanket to prevent any body damage then, my tall friend stayed on the ground guiding one side of the back side of the unit while I slowly lifted up the front side to get it up there. Our website uses cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Purchased on 10/30/18 and owned in WI until 12/30/20. Not every accident is reported to CARFAX. And, of course, thatâs when youâre parked in full sun which would obviously require the AC unit to run nearly constantly. I get a lot of questions about running an air conditioner in a van. Love. Recently, Coleman has introduced a newer and supposedly much quieter rooftop AC unit called the Mach 10 NDQ. A Portion Of All Profits Go To Support Vanlife – Learn More, we sell a few of what I consider the best 12 volt alternatives, extensive Split AC Purchased on 01/24/20 and owned in TX until 01/25/21. WB. View All Used Vehicles (127) Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles; Priced Under 10K; Commercial. Basically, an air conditioner needs a lot more power to âstartâ the compressor running that is needed to keep it running. For instance, this Nomadic Cooling rooftop unit that we sell has all the advantages of a standard rooftop unit but is considerably more energy efficient (up to half the energy draw) so that you can run it from your batteries for much longer periods of time. Last serviced at 119,080 miles in Sterling Heights, MI on 02/11/21 • Vehicle serviced • Pre-delivery inspection completed • Oil and filter changed. You frequently plug into shore power (serviced campgrounds). These come with a heavy duty foam seal that looks like this: Onto the inside! It’s so simple and obvious. Plus, youâd have to nearly fully recharge your batteries every day by either driving a lot or having shore power. Then there is the “ceiling assembly” which is the part you see and interact with inside with the vents. Purchased on 04/24/19 and owned in OK until 01/29/21. It works great! I drilled 4x holes from the interior (one in each corner) of the 14â opening as a guide. Itâs really important to catch as much of the metal bits that are created when you cut through the sheet metal of the van. Starting MSRP. Installation is fairly simple actually. Purchased on 09/19/19 and owned in CA until 12/28/20. Last serviced in Abrams, WI on 02/03/21 • Vehicle serviced • Vehicle washed/detailed. These units are âtried and trueâ since they are installed on just about every RV ever made. Iâll cover what I used and why, how the installation went, running the AC off my battery bank and some power consumption tests from real world use. 1st owner purchased on 01/27/17 and owned in AZ until 07/13/18 • 2nd owner purchased on 09/04/18 and owned in OH until 01/12/21. In my case (with 200 amp hours of capacity), that comes out to about 2-3 hours of run time. Therefore, I have about 200 amp hours of usable capacity. Last serviced at 93,912 miles in Brookfield, WI on 12/15/20 • Vehicle serviced • Maintenance inspection completed • Drive belt(s) replaced. Finally the ceiling assembly âshroudâ (the part that you see in the interior) with the controls and vents is secured to the metal frame with 4 bolts. This trim's cabin is home to features such as a manually adjustable telescoping steering column, air conditioning, a 5.0-inch touchscreen display, and a media hub with USB and auxiliary inputs. This Class B is located in Costa Mesa, California and is in good condition. However, since AGM batteries should not be discharged more than 50%. Love. Air Conditioning Uses Tons of Juice There’s no way around the fact that air conditioners use a lot of electricity. This means that you need an inverter with an adequate âsurgeâ capacity to âstartâ the AC. Love. Last serviced at 58,029 miles in Fishers, IN on 02/01/21 • Vehicle serviced • Pre-delivery inspection completed • Oil and filter changed • Four wheel alignment performed • Front brake pads replaced • Brake rotor(s) resurfaced • Tire(s) balanced • Tires rotated • Trim repaired. As details about the accident become available, those additional details are added to the CARFAX Vehicle History Report. Purchased on 08/22/16 and owned in NY until 02/04/21. In fact, we sell a few of what I consider the best 12 volt alternatives to standard rooftop air conditioners in our store. The last few steps wrap up the installation with the ceiling assembly. Most of the examples Iâve seen have vented through the van floor. Lithium batteries could make this possible but they are around $1,000 per 100 amp hours which would make your battery bank very expensive ($6,000 – $7,000). We’re reviewing many of these 12-volt units! Take A Sneak Peak At The Movies Coming Out This Week (8/12) Love is in the air: a soundtrack for Valentine’s … Expect a flawless interior with lots of convenient storage and seating designed for comfort. The Coleman Mach series is also the lowest profile (least tall) rooftop units available. It is rated for 2,000 watts âcontinuousâ power with a 6,000 watt surge capacity which does the trick for starting up my air conditioner. Every used car for sale comes with a free CARFAX Report. I did a pretty extreme stress test with this air conditioner in June in Southwest Florida. Again, there was a long break between securing the AC and finishing up the installation while I worked on other projects. Last serviced at 34,604 miles in Zanesville, OH on 12/30/20 • Vehicle serviced • Maintenance inspection completed • Vehicle washed/detailed • Tire condition and pressure checked • Oil and filter changed • Air filter replaced. The bottom line on those 120 volt AC-powered rooftop air conditioners is that you really need shore power or a generator to run them consistently for any length of time. Purchased on 02/04/20 and owned in WI until 02/05/21. *FOR OTHER DISCLAIMERS: View individual Jeep, Ram, Dodge or Chrysler vehicles in our Sacramento dealership inventory for more information, rebates, net cost, sale prices, rebates and disclaimers on our special offers.Lasher's Elk Grove Dodge is proud to serve customers from all over Northern California. 124 Spider; 500; 500L; 500X; Used. So, a simple way to think about the consumption is 2 amp hours per minute when the compressor is running. These tend to stick to the vanâs clear-coat and rust quickly. I have blog post about air conditioning in camper vans here. using a MPPT solar controller (highest efficiency) this yields around 7-8 amps. This ceiling panel needed to have the 14â opening for the AC unit as well as holes for the LED lights that would be placed in this part of the ceiling. Most rooftop air conditioners run off 120 volt AC power and are very power hungry making them impractical to use for any significant period of time with out a shore power connection or generator. It’s not particularly quiet but it’s not ridiculously loud either. Then you have to cut the flexible fabric duct material to the correct length and couple it to the ceiling assembly using the included VHB tape. The weather reports said it “felt like” 112 degrees. 2017 Ford Transit Connect Cargo - Low Kms / Power Inverter. Next I ran the 120 volt AC wiring from my load center to the AC unit location. You can see that in the photo below with the 14″ x 14″ opening cut out. The ambient temperature was around 78 degrees but quite humid. The average cost for a Ram ProMaster is $29,288. Next I prepared the ceiling panel for that first (front most) section of the ceiling. It appears to be a bit more energy efficient as well and is available with a more sophisticated “ceiling assembly” with digital controls. Love. Once the hole is cut be sure to file the edges and then coat the bare metal with primer. Last serviced at 46,874 miles in Winnsboro, SC on 01/13/21 • Vehicle serviced • Pre-delivery inspection completed • Brakes checked • Electrical system checked • Oil and filter changed. Split AC units are named âsplitâ because there is an exterior compressor that is separate from an interior air handler/fan. Hello! Love. Iâve seen some camper van builds that use other types air conditioners in creative ways. How many Ram ProMasters have no reported accidents or damage? This AC unit is quite heavy (about 90 pounds), so I wanted to provide some extra rigidity to metal van roof. Yes, but not for long! Fan low and fan high – these are just what they sound like – it turns the interior fan on but does not turn on the actual AC. Manual air conditioning: S: Air conditioning: S: Auto-locking doors: S: Navigation system with voice activation: O: Driver and passenger door bins: … 1st owner drove an estimated 6,407 miles/year • 2nd owner drove an estimated 21,869 miles/year. These tend to be as expensive as a rooftop AC so I suppose the advantage is not taking up any roof space or improved aerodynamics? In any case, you can jump to that section of this post. In fact, there are (were?) A percentage of all our sales is donated to support the vanlife community. Can I Run It From My Batteries Using The Inverter? Once the unit was on the roof we simply lined up the 14â hole with the opening in the rooftop unit. Our kitchens boast commercial-induction cooktops, 80L fridges and deep stainless sinks. In this case it’s a “standard” 14″ x 14″ square hole. I wanted to wait until I was at a point of putting in all the finishing touches where things were not going to be super messy and dusty. So there is that part. And, if you have shore power, you can just run the AC unit off that! Airstream is the most thoroughly tested brand in trailer history. briefly. Last serviced at 25,194 miles in Ringgold, GA on 01/29/21 • Vehicle serviced • Oil and filter changed • Brakes serviced • Tire(s) balanced • Two tires mounted • Tire(s) mounted • Maintenance reminder reset • Cabin air filter replaced/cleaned • Air filter replaced • Tire(s) replaced. Window Units Itâs a good idea to waterproof the wood framing that forms the 14â opening. Start following a car and get notified when the price drops! This is quite simple – just use the supplied wire nuts to connect up the hot, neutral and ground supply wires to the corresponding wires on the ceiling assembly. Proud to be serving our clients from Folsom, Roseville, Stockton, … For those interested in more energy efficient options, I’ve listed some DC-powered options at toward the end of this post. You could add more panels and even higher output panels but there just isnât enough room on a van roof to generate enough solar energy for such a power hungry appliance. Purchased on 08/01/14 and owned in MI until 02/13/21. Love. However, remember that the fan on the AC unit runs continuously. Last serviced at 32,967 miles in San Antonio, TX on 01/29/21 • Vehicle serviced. Finally, it’s out of the way and doesn’t take up any interior space or tie up any space underneath the van like some alternatives. The value of used vehicles varies with mileage, usage and condition and should be used as an estimate. I choose to use a standard rooftop AC unit for my van builds for a few simple reasons. In AGM batteries that would be way to heavy. Anyone who is doing a van conversion must get comfortable cutting large holes into a perfectly nice van. Read more about our contributions and who benefits. The maximum-duty 3500 starts at … .swp-form-cont-11012{width:90;}.swp-form-cont-11012 label {}.swp-form-cont-11012 input[type="text"] {color:#5e5e5e;width:100%;}.swp-form-cont-11012 .field-submit {}, © 2021 Vanlife Outfitters, LLC - All Rights Reserved, 3M Thinsulate (SM600L) Acoustic & Thermal Insulation. The data above is updated daily, based on used car inventory for sale on CARFAX for the last five model years of this car. Featuring service, parts, & more. Stuff That’s Worth the Space It Takes Up! Purchased on 12/06/18 and owned in NY until 01/12/21. 74th St. Oklahoma City, OK 73135 / Phone: 405-912-5800 Personally, I donât like the idea of idling the van engine for long periods of time. During this test (for about 4 hours, plugged into shore power), the unit kicked on every few minutes but was able to keep the van at 77 degrees or cooler and, of course, the AC reduced the humidity in the van dramatically which makes that 20 degree temperature difference feel much more significant. Camper Van Electrical System with Lithium Batteries – September 2019. Here you can see that first panel installed. Under very good conditions (direct sun, mid-day, etc.) Again, the combined depth of these framing materials matched the other roof supports so that when the ceiling panels are installed they can be fastened to the van ceiling supports as well as this wooden AC frame. Your build includes any high-power device: air conditioning, induction cooktop, electric water heater, electric space heater, etc. Last serviced in Avon, NY on 05/15/19 • Vehicle serviced. Love. I wanted to finish up all the ceiling panels, have them painted and also complete som other projects before continuing the AC installation. Other information about this vehicle may not have been reported to CARFAX. Since I originally wrote this post I’ve started recommending some much more energy efficient (battery friendly) 12 volt DC air conditioning options. The downside is that they are bulky and take up quite a bit of space. Current Listing Price. My 9200 BTU Mach 8 “Cub” only runs on 120 volt AC power and draws around 11.7 amps or 1270 watts when plugged directly into shore power. My van is well insulated with Thinsulate in the walls and ceiling and in hot (but reasonable) conditions the unit only runs the compressor for about 3 minutes and then turns off for about 10 minutes until repeating the cycle. In some of my testing I was in South Georgia in July in the evening. Then I used 1â x 4â lumber to complete the âsidesâ of the opening. I knew that I needed this frame to line up with the structural ribs in the van where I would be attaching my ceiling panels. Last serviced at 19,092 miles 01/20/21 • Vehicle serviced • Wipers/washers checked • Vehicle washed/detailed • A/C system serviced • Air filter replaced • Oil and filter changed • Wiper(s) replaced. It has 4 settings. Save money by selecting from 65 of CARFAX Great Value vehicles available. The rest of the time the vent fan and an open “t-vent” window in the slider door keeps things plenty cool and uses considerably less power. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to acheive something beyond themselves. Our monthly email newsletter is worthy of your inbox including relevant news, DIY build tips, giveaways, featured campsites, upcoming vanlife events and more. There’s no way around the fact that air conditioners use a lot of electricity. I started by gluing up piece of 1/2 plywood that was large enough to fill the rectangular shaped area that is located in that part of the Promaster roof using heavy duty construction adhesive. You also need to find a way to vent the hot air outside. That is what I would call a shit ton of juice. Even this “low BTUâ unit is plenty powerful to cool the van. Call Us: 405-912-5800. I used 12 gauge wire for this but, since itâs a 15 amp circuit, technically 14 gauge would have been fine. Click to get the latest Buzzing content. Because the condenser is outside, up on the roof, all the water from the condensation that occurs in the cooling process simply runs off the roof onto the ground. Finally, all air conditioners create condensation and you need a way for this to drain somewhere – either outside or into your grey water holding tank. Iâve seen some folks install this type of unit in place of one of the rear windows or put them inside custom-built box that vents and drains the condensation outside. No accident or damage reported to CARFAX. That would be in a place like Georgia in the summer at night. Most of this post is about my setup with a “traditional” (120 volt AC powered) Coleman rooftop unit. Last serviced at 54,791 miles 02/03/21 • Vehicle serviced • Pre-delivery inspection completed • Trim repaired. Showing the 2020 RAM ProMaster 2500 Base Cargo Van Low Roof 136 in. Again, these are less expensive to purchase and generally use less electricity. Generally the outdoor unit is installed either underneath the van or on a hitch-mount behind the rear doors and the interior unit is, of course, inside the van. Purchased on 12/30/19 and owned in OK until 12/11/20. Van Horn Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM of Manitowoc, Napleton Italian Imports / Maserati of Indianapolis. The ProMaster 2500 starts at $35,140, with the longer version adding $1,600. Last serviced at 5,244 miles in Escondido, CA on 06/04/20 • Vehicle serviced • Maintenance inspection completed • Tire condition and pressure checked. I used liquid rubber for this task. At this point there were many weeks of work on the conversion before I proceeded to the next step. I had the AC unitâs thermostat set to about 72 degrees. Hubby put TWO of these on our little Winnebago DS2106DS, at each end -- we set one to blow in and the other to blow out, and it creates a fabulous airflow that means we don't need to use air conditioning nearly so much. In my case the unit is installed just behind the cab area. My 9200 BTU Mach 8 “Cub” only runs on 120 volt AC power and draws around 11.7 amps or 1270 watts when plugged directly into shore power. In these conditions the AC unit cycled on about every three minutes and ran for about 3 minutes. Purchased on 11/08/19 and owned in OK until 01/25/21. Purchased on 11/06/19 and owned in OH until 12/29/20. It's full of relevant news, featured campsites, DIY build tips, events/meetups and more! Last serviced in Buckhannon, WV on 01/08/21 • Vehicle serviced. Every inch of an Airstream has a function. CARFAX Vehicle History products and services are based only on information supplied to CARFAX. Last serviced at 81,599 miles in Saint Petersburg, FL on 01/26/21 • Vehicle serviced • Maintenance inspection completed. There are white âtabsâ inside – located in front of the foam gasket) that indicate when youâve tighten these bolts enough. That Xantrex inverter had a 3,600 watt surge and that still wasnât enough. First is that they are fully road-tested. Last serviced at 73,435 miles in Hawkinsville, GA on 07/06/20 • Vehicle serviced • Battery/charging system checked • Alternator checked • Starter replaced. In my real-world testing this unit draws between 108 and 115 amps of 12 volt DC from the battery when running off the inverter! With the wiring in place I continued building the support for the AC unit by adding two longer supports directly in front and behind where the 14â opening would be from 1â x 6â lumber. Schedule Test Drive. In addition to our standard build configuration, many clients choose to add options like air conditioning, heating, awnings and roof racks. We strive to make the newsletter worthy of your inbox. some âclass Bâ RVs that came with electrical systems that would automatically start the van engine if the coach battery bank voltage dropped below a certain voltage. I haven’t linked to it here because I can’t find it for sale (yet) but have heard of it being used by the RV manufactures and would expect it to be widely available soon (this post was written in July of 2019). Purchased on 11/22/19 and owned in CA until 01/07/21. My van has 2x 200 amp hour AGM batteries for a total of 400 amp hours. This means that if you wanted to run the AC for 8-10 hours – such as overnight – youâd need an awful lot of battery power – something like 600 or 700 amp hours. ... Air conditioning… The frame fits up against your ceiling paneling and the four bolts go through this frame and up into threaded nuts built into the rooftop unit. Purchased on 07/02/15 and owned in GA until 02/13/21. We will inform you when the product arrives in stock. Even though the 120 volt AC draw for the unit is only around 1270 watts you need a pretty hefty inverter to âstartâ the unit. Running the air conditioner from the inverter consumes about 1 amp hour every 30 seconds. Last serviced in Cambridge, MN on 02/04/21 • Vehicle serviced • Vehicle washed/detailed. Iâve seen some van conversions that use a portable AC unit like this one. Overall, I’m really happy with this unit. Purchased on 09/24/19 and owned in OK until 01/25/21. If youâre really desperate and you have your electrical system setup to charge from the van alternator when the engine is running, like I do, you could idle the van and run the AC unit for just about as long as you leave the engine running since the Promaster alternator routinely puts out 90-120 amps. Then there is low cool and high cool that control the air conditioning function. Then got up on the roof of the van and cut the opening with a jig saw. Purchased on 07/14/15 and owned in WI until 01/13/21. It’s “standard” in the sense that almost all rooftop vents, vent fans or AC units use this same sized and shaped opening. Sales: Call sales Phone Number (952) 388-0795 Call sales Phone Number ( 952) 466-6919 • Service: Call service Phone Number (952) 373-4574 Call service Phone Number ( 952) 467-8482 • Parts: Call parts Phone Number (952) 232-4017 Call parts Phone Number ( 952) 466-6919 I used the Coleman Mach 8 “Cub” which has a 9200 BTU cooling capacity. The meaning of life is just to be alive. The fan runs continuously when the air conditioning is on and the compressor kicks on and off as needed to keep the temperature where you’ve set the thermostat knob. CARFAX products and services are based only on information supplied to CARFAX and available as of 02/19/2021 at 02:00 (CDT) (CDT). Please provide your email address below. Iâm often asked if I could run the AC off my batteries if I had more solar panels. Love. Purchased on 02/15/19 and owned in IN until 01/26/21. In other words, the frame had to be the same “height” as those structural pieces. The ProMaster also lags behind competitors like the Ford Transit and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter when it comes to towing, ... air conditioning, and a … I generally only run the AC when I’m in hot and humid locations like the south or here in Florida during the summer. Last serviced in Manitowoc, WI on 02/12/21 • Vehicle serviced • Pre-delivery inspection completed • Vehicle washed/detailed • Oil and filter changed. list of products we use on our builds, Read more about our contributions and who benefits. Another option is to re-purpose a window-mounted air conditioner. Last serviced in Zanesville, OH on 01/13/21 • Vehicle serviced • Maintenance inspection completed • Vehicle washed/detailed • Tire condition and pressure checked • Oil and filter changed • Front wheel bearing(s)/hub(s) replaced • Air filter replaced. Visit us at: 6560 S.E. Shop new & used RVs, trailers, & campers at Camping World of Pasco, the first choice for campers across Franklin County, WA. Great Things for Vanlife. The window model comes in around $35,000. The first thing I did was to build an wooden frame and support system inside the van. CARFAX depends on its sources for the accuracy and reliability of its information and is not responsible for errors or omission in the information. These are fairly inexpensive and generally use less energy than the rooftop options. Purchased on 10/25/19 and owned in UT until 12/04/20. 2014 Ram Promaster 1500, Stock #226917 - Front wheel drive V6, Built out - Camper set up, Solar, queen size bed platform If you are in the market for a class b, look no further than this 2014 Promaster 1500, just reduced to $21,000. Airstream of Oklahoma in Oklahoma, OK - Offering New & Used Airstream Travel Trailers and Motorhomes Purchased on 10/22/19 and owned in NY until 01/21/21. One notable alternative to the standard rooftop units are the ones that run of 12 volt DC. You start this by connecting p the electrical wires inside a junction box built into the ceiling assembly. ProMaster (1) ProMaster City Van (0) Fiat. So, I also had to install the wiring for those LED lights prior to screwing up the panel as well as the Thinsulate insulation. So, if you’re interested, keep an eye on the blog or be sure to follow us on social media. You simply prefer an inverter/charger (Victron) instead of a separate inverter & battery charger. The downside is that they are quite a bit more expensive. All inverters also have a âsurgeâ rating that enable them to provide more power to âstartâ things (like AC units and motors, etc.) CARFAX value is unique to each vehicle according to such factors as service history, accident history, and mileage. We have 935 Ram ProMaster vehicles for sale that are reported accident free, 912 1-Owner cars, and 102 personal use cars. I have never used any of these myself and I donât really recommend it but, hereâs what Iâve seen. 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