danielMy goal was not to support running the A/C full time on solar but I did want to be able to run the A/C on battery power or use a small ~2000w inverter generator. I have a Coleman Mach 15 A/C on the roof. If you are serious about running you A/C for extended periods on solar a DC mini-split may be a better option then the traditional roof mounted RV A/C.
Plenum Efficiency
There is a lot that can be done to make the air flow smoother and more efficient with these roof top air conditioners. RV Airflow make a very nice looking product but it is expensive. I will try my hand at a DIY version first. Update: KoolRV released a different option at a lower cost point that I added.
Soft Start
When the A/C compressor kicks on it causes a big spike in power draw, much higher then what it takes to run it. There are two options to help this issue. One is to add more or larger capacitors to help absorb the power hit (hard start) or to use a soft start that uses time delay circuits to lengthen and lower the power needs to kick the compressor on. The capacitor option is inexpensive and can help but the soft starts are even more effective. There are two main players Micro-Air Easy Start and SoftStartRV. I went with the Easy Start they have been around longer and I had coupon code for $40 off.
EasyStart Install
