Envisaging the heat of travelling in August, I had had a Maxview Deluxe no less Air Fan fitted above the bed late July, which is a sort of halfway house to aircon and able to run off 12volt, ie not needing to be hooked up to mains electricity. This does assume a functioning leisure battery. The investment was not insignificant in van equipment terms.
Where possible I try to save campsite fees by not paying for electricity given the van is fitted with a solar panel, and the regular longer-distance driving, both of which keep both batteries topped up. But the leisure battery’s power storage ability has become non-existent. Either the fan wiring has caused the problem and now due to complete discharge has ruined the battery, or the battery was end-of-life by coincidence anyway.
I could always spend some money and resort to hook-up, but I have a 1000watt lithium battery and inverter ‘power pack’ with its solar panels which will run normal electrical devices and charge my electric bike battery, plus a portable little set of solar panels which will also charge smaller items like the phone, and a solar-chargeable light. The most important piece of equipment – the fridge – is running very happily on LPG from the van’s storage tank.
The fan has not been used!! I did start investigations trying to trace the wiring of the fan in that heat, sweat-dripping inside the van, barely able to grip the small screwdriver. After at least one hour of trying to get to the point of being able to eliminate the fan from my enquiries, I decided to reverse my deconstruction of fixtures and fittings.
As the heat is not too bad during the night, my solar equipment will do the job, and only the fridge not able to run on gas will require me to pay for the hook-up for the meagre electricity I would use, investigations will have to resume in the more temperate climes of the UK and by a real motorhome mechanic person.
Lessons to be learnt: don’t have some electrical/plumbing kit fitted without being able to test it out thoroughly locally; become an expert in what you’re requiring of the fitting; ask to see the workings out ….
RV Electrics sound very much like boat electrics.
Do you have a “VSR” device allowing you to charge the house battery as you drive along? Having totally rewired the boat over the last few years, including adding solar, it is a job that takes time and effort.