TrailManor Owner's Forum - View Single Post - 12-volt air conditioner

**Bill** · 03-01-2024, 02:30 PM

This will b a little techie. If you're not up for techie, feel free to skip it.
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Dave -

The RTX2000 specs say "2000 watts/6800 BTU @ 12Volts". What does that mean?

At 12 VDC, 2000 watts is 167 amps. That is a whopper of a current draw! But 2000 watts can't mean 167 amps of current, since the unit's fuse is only 80 amps. In fact, the spec says that the unit 's max draw is 58 amps at 12 VDC. This means that the max electrical power used is 58 X 12 = 696 watts from the power supply, not 2000 watts. And running 58 amps through an 80-amp fuse is a reasonable number, so I tend to believe it.

At the same time, it is worth noting that Dometic also offers several 13,500 BTU RV rooftop air conditioners, operating from AC power, for about $1000-1200. These units provides twice as much cooling as the RTX2000 (13,500 BTU vs 6800 BTU), for laboutn half the cost - about $1100 lower cost.

So the "big difference", the "new technology", is that the RTX2000 unit operates directly from 12 volts DC, while an ordinary Dometic RV air conditioner operates from 120 volts AC. This might be useful if you always operate solely from solar and batteries. On the other hand, you could buy a 3000-watt Renogy pure-sine power inverter for about $400, run the ordinary RV air conditioner from 12 volts, and save several hundred dollars. You could run the A/C on LOW COOL and get similar cooling capacity at a bit lower power consumption, or on HIGH COOL to get twice as much cooling at higher power consumption. Your choice.

The bottom line is that electrical watts are not the same as thermal (cooling) watts. Dometic's description is poorly written and confusing at best, and I am not sure where they are trying to go with this product. It is definitely an interesting device - thanks for flagging it to us, Dave. For TM use, though, I see no advantage in the RTX2000, and substantial added cost. According to the write-up, Dometic's target audience for the RTX2000 is long-haul trucks, where it might be worthwhile. I find it interesting, though, that most long haul trucks have 24-volt or even 48-volt electrical systems, not 12 volts.

Bill

03-01-2024, 02:30 PM	#4
Bill Site Team Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: The mountains of Scottsdale, AZ, and the beaches of Maine Posts: 10,111	Here's my take This will b a little techie. If you're not up for techie, feel free to skip it. --------------------------------- Dave - The RTX2000 specs say "2000 watts/6800 BTU @ 12Volts". What does that mean? At 12 VDC, 2000 watts is 167 amps. That is a whopper of a current draw! But 2000 watts can't mean 167 amps of current, since the unit's fuse is only 80 amps. In fact, the spec says that the unit 's max draw is 58 amps at 12 VDC. This means that the max electrical power used is 58 X 12 = 696 watts from the power supply, not 2000 watts. And running 58 amps through an 80-amp fuse is a reasonable number, so I tend to believe it. At the same time, it is worth noting that Dometic also offers several 13,500 BTU RV rooftop air conditioners, operating from AC power, for about $1000-1200. These units provides twice as much cooling as the RTX2000 (13,500 BTU vs 6800 BTU), for laboutn half the cost - about $1100 lower cost. So the "big difference", the "new technology", is that the RTX2000 unit operates directly from 12 volts DC, while an ordinary Dometic RV air conditioner operates from 120 volts AC. This might be useful if you always operate solely from solar and batteries. On the other hand, you could buy a 3000-watt Renogy pure-sine power inverter for about $400, run the ordinary RV air conditioner from 12 volts, and save several hundred dollars. You could run the A/C on LOW COOL and get similar cooling capacity at a bit lower power consumption, or on HIGH COOL to get twice as much cooling at higher power consumption. Your choice. The bottom line is that electrical watts are not the same as thermal (cooling) watts. Dometic's description is poorly written and confusing at best, and I am not sure where they are trying to go with this product. It is definitely an interesting device - thanks for flagging it to us, Dave. For TM use, though, I see no advantage in the RTX2000, and substantial added cost. According to the write-up, Dometic's target audience for the RTX2000 is long-haul trucks, where it might be worthwhile. I find it interesting, though, that most long haul trucks have 24-volt or even 48-volt electrical systems, not 12 volts. Bill __________________ 2020 2720QS (aka 2720SL) 2014 Ford F-150 4WD 5.0L Bill's Tech Stuff album