Which RV Air Conditioners Work Best with EcoFlow Power Kits

Why is the whole campervan industry so excited about EcoFlow Power Kits? Easy answer: They solve a bunch of previous problems, all with one simple, affordable system!

Gone are the days you have to be an electrician or engineer to figure out your van’s power system. EcoFlow Power Kits offer a plug-and-play solution that really simplifies RV electrical systems. That said, you still want to make sure you have enough power to support your devices efficiently – especially your RV air conditioner (A/C). Read on to learn which EcoFlow Power Kit configurations support some of the top RV A/C units available.

RV air conditioners used to be large, noisy, power-hungry devices requiring a generator or shore power to handle their high start-up power draws and continuous power requirements. With the advent of lithium RV batteries and newer low-draw RV air conditioners, off-grid RV air conditioning finally became possible.

Now, EcoFlow is changing the RV power landscape almost overnight, but not every RV air conditioner works well with every Power Kit configuration. So how can you enjoy the simplicity and low cost of an EcoFlow Power Kit while staying cool and comfortable in the summer heat? Don't worry! We put together these A/C and Power Kit scenarios, so you can see what works best for you.

NOT GREAT – 12V RV Air Conditioners

Over the last few years, many upfitters have installed the Dometic RTX2000 12V RV Air Conditioner in their clients' off-grid vans because it offers a reasonable compromise of price, cooling output, and low power draw (20-60 amps @ 12VDC). While this 12V unit works with the EcoFlow Power Kit, the EcoFlow Power Hub currently has a 1000W output limit for the 12-volt DC circuits, which doesn't leave much power for other 12VDC circuits.

Unfortunately, the 12-volt version of the Nomadic Cooling X3 doesn’t work with the Power Hub because it draws 65-105A@12VDC at maximum power. 

GOOD – 120V RV Air Conditioners

Any 120V RV air conditioner works with EcoFlow Power Kits. Many people like 120V RV A/C units for their lower cost, wider range of choices, and higher cooling output than most DC air conditioners, although they often use a lot of power. 

Since the EcoFlow Power Kit has a powerful pure sine inverter with 3600-watt continuous output (and 7200-watt surge ), most 120V RV air conditioners are compatible out of the box. However, just like with Victron or other high-quality high-frequency inverters, in some cases you'll need to add a soft-start (like the Briidea RV soft-start, Micro-Air EasyStart, etc.) into some 120V RV air conditioners that have rapid ramp-up power requirements to smooth out the initial surge draw when starting the air conditioner.

Many popular RV air conditioners like the Dometic Penguin II, the Dometic Brisk II, the Furrion Chill, Coleman Mach 3/Mach 10/Mach 15, etc., all work just fine with a Power Kit.

BETTER – 24VDC RV Air Conditioners

24VDC RV air conditioners, like the Nomadic Cooling X3, are more electrically efficient than 120VAC A/C units. For example, the 24-volt DC version of the Nomadic Cooling X3 draws around 46A@24V (1100W) on high cool, which leaves 500W of DC output (21A@24V) for your other 24V loads. However, the Power Hub's limit of 1600W (24V) DC output means this A/C unit still subtracts from your overall load capabilities for DC circuits. 

The illustration below shows one method to connect a 24V air conditioner with 24VDC output from the Distribution Panel, while still having some 12V circuits.

You can also connect a 12- or 24-volt RV air conditioner with your Power Kit as shown in the wiring schematic provided by EcoFlow below, using DC bus bars (EcoFlow Power Distribution Terminals). Note that the Power Kit Console does accurately show the usage of the DC air conditioner and all the DC circuits with this wiring setup. 

The photograph below shows an installation of a 24-volt Nomadic Cooling X3 air conditioner with an EcoFlow Power Kit. You can see the details of how the wiring from the EcoFlow Power Hub and the Nomadic X3 are connected to the EcoFlow bus bars and the EcoFlow Smart AC/DC Distribution Panel.

BEST – 48V RV Air Conditioners

48V RV air conditioners are the most efficient choice, with the highest BTU output for cooling. For example, the Coleman-Mach Mach 10 48VDC version puts out 13500 BTU but only draws 18-26A@48VDC. That's probably why Storyteller Overland has installed it in every van for the last three years. The Coleman-Mach air conditioner may look a bit boxy, but it’s powerful, affordable, and efficient.

Each battery port on the EcoFlow Power Hub supports 100A@48VDC input/output, so with the Campervan HQ-supplied EcoFlow 48-volt air conditioner cable, you can plug your 48-volt DC air conditioner directly into a battery port on the Power Hub. This simple setup works well with 48-volt RV air conditioners like the RecPro 48V models and the Velit 48V RV air conditioners.

With this setup, you have 12V or 24V output from your Distribution Panel for all your DC circuits, an efficient and powerful 48-volt air conditioner, and a 5 kWh (~400Ah 12V) or 10 kWh (~800 Ah 12V) battery bank!  

 

 

We sell several models of 48-volt RV air conditioners, including the:

• RecPro 48V 9500 BTU and RecPro 48V 13500 BTU heat pump air conditioners - these heat pump air conditioners can provide both cooling and heating, thanks to heat pump technology
  
• Velit 2000R Mini 48V (7500 BTU) and Velit 3000R 48V (12000 BTU) RV air conditioners - these very compact 48V RV air conditioners provide efficient high-performance cooling
  
• Coleman-Mach Mach 10 48VDC air conditioner - this affordable 48V RV air conditioner has been used on almost all StoryTeller Overland camper vans for years.

 

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