RV Mini-Split A/C vs RV Rooftops

We just published yet another follow-up on RV A/C units! Now, it’s time to pull together all the RV A/C content together in one place / one blog post. No travel details or photos for this week’s WorkingOnExploring because we’re back at the shop, WorkingNotExploring!

Staying Cool in a Camper is noisy and inefficient

Most solutions are noisy and inefficient and most people stick with what they have; however there are other options. Maybe a Mini-Split won’t work logistically for your camper so how do you determine what other form factors performance compares? Learn how to read and analyze the specifications, then make a more informed decision.

We were fortunate to not have to do a retrofit so the form factor we needed was designed into the new camper. Residential A/C units are much more efficient than anything the RV industry builds including a 12VDC Rooftop unit. They are quieter by far than any RV unit that we know of. And, if you have followed our build, you know that it isn’t a stretch for us to power A/C off our of battery or solar.

In our previous RV Mini-Split video/post we showed the install and initial test plus why we choose it. Since then we’ve had numerous questions and some quite length discussions. That created a need for a follow-up video. Video 2 answered several key questions about the unit and more specific install details.

Now, it’s time to go one step further and provide a detail analysis with a variety of RV units compared to the mini-split. The numbers don’t lie and they back up our experience with the old roof top we used in our 2000 Lance and our current experience using the LG Mini-Split. Now video #3 is live which walks through the technical comparisons of RV AC units.

YouTube Video Links for all of our Mini-Split Related Videos:

#1 – Why Install a Mini-Split System

#2 – Our Mini-Split RV A/C – Your Questions Answered

#3 – The RV Rooftop vs Mini-Split Comparison

For this 3rd video, Steve created a specification comparison table that calculates the the cooling and air/fan efficiencies. It’s an easy walk through and will show you how to evaluate your own RV AC choice if you are doing an install or upgrade.

It was a little eye opening to see how a simple window unit compared and on the other end of the spectrum a very expensive DC model.

Our Technical Documents Page has the links to the Analysis spreadsheet and an even more detailed write up to go along with the analysis.