Nice review, thnk you! Did you try a slightly different approach - first cool van with built in AC, then shut engine off and try to maintain temperature and humidity with EcoFlow?
Those hoses radiate so much heat that becomes counterproductive in cooling. No I dont have this (I'm on the fence of buying it) but i had quite a few portable ACs with the hoses you route to a window kit. The common problem like I mentioned is how much heat the hoses radiate heat. I use reflectix to insulate the hose and I swear it makes them 90 percent more efficient and effective. I just saw they have insulating sleeves made specifically for ACs like mine I saw on amazon. I'm sure you can use those for the wave.
When I camp with my wave and full size Express van I keep the unit outside and use the 2 ducts to pull warm air from the van and push cool air back into the van through the driver's window. I fund a seller on Etsy that makes a plate for the front so I can connect the pull duct to it. Have the unit connected to my 820AH of lithium via the solar input on the Wave and that let's me run for about 4 days without needing solar.
Good review - my results are similar. I have been running a Wave 2 in my self-conversion for just over a year. I have 400 watts of flex panel on the roof + ~16 amps available from the alternator when driving, charging 3.3kWh of house battery + the ~1.1kWh EcoFlow battery. I cut in venting through the side/bottom of the van for the pipes you routed out the window (yes, insulating those ducts is necessary!) I get about 4 hours of cooling on a typical day. We were able to be comfortable last summer in Oklahoma's heat wave the one and only night we used shore power. Otherwise, it is used to keep our elderly canine companion safe when we need to leave her behind (like when we visit zoos or museums). She knows to stay near the output nozzle. It will not cool a full van - it barely makes sleeping bearable on otherwise relatively cool nights. Is is absolutely useless for heating if the outside temp is below about 35F degrees - like we encountered in Vermont for the eclipse viewing in April. I usually avoid such cold! The biggest issue I've had is with the control/communications flakiness. It just is not reliable (I am an IT tech, and I've used 3 different WiFi Internet connections). Tech support gives me the run-around, asking for videos to "prove" the problem, then blaming my Internet connection (trust me, my online-gamer son would let me know if it was my Internet connection!! 🙂). It is sporadic and not trustworthy, and probably due to their servers being occasionally overloaded. A few software updates have helped a tiny bit, mostly for fixing the drain mode setting. Since the remote functions are only *really* needed to assure me the dog is still safe and cool, I put up with it (and have online cameras so I can see how's she doing), though I have *zero* confidence that their tech support will be there for any other problem. The other annoyance is in their add-on battery recharging. It uses the same input for solar or "car" charging, and the auto-sensing has messed up and cause popped circuit breaker (solar panels self-current-limit). This unit also has fairly high residual power consumption, and when it decides to recharge, can take a large percentage of my house battery without any regard to what else I might need power for. So, I unplug the batter and the recharge cable most of the time. Also, the recent price drop makes me feel stupid for the $1800+ I paid for it... I'm done. Buy only with awareness of it's faults and limitations. When our senior citizen dog dies, I might pull it out of the van...
Excellent video!!!! There are not enough “honest” reviews where the RUclipsr isn’t receiving a free product or sponsored. The Wave 2 is a great product, but unfortunately it’s a niche device. It will work as advertised in niche settings/scenarios. However, majority of other settings it will fail miserably. I use mine in my rooftop tent and love it. However in a van I can totally understand why it won’t work. I bought the battery and unit for $700 and works for my setup perfectly. But if you’re not getting it for a good price it’s probably not worth the hassle. It’s big and heavy and again, doesn’t work in every setting.
Yes! Totally agree. It is the right choice for smaller spaces. They should not market this to van lifers. The specs are set up in a lab environment, moderate ambient temperature, low humidity, 10x12 empty room.
Your video reminds of where I was with this a year ago. I remember grabbing some towels to insulate the ductwork and saw improvement. I used some R6 insulation and wrapped it with 3M insulation tape. Expensive but does the job right. I did find that the higher fan speed you use…the more heat that the Wave produces. Just the unit alone gets hot as well as the duct. My more effective tests were when the unit was on low or even Eco. But yes….the space you’re trying to cool may be too much for this unit. If I was doing a van setup….i would go with a 12 volt mini split and have it running off of lithium batteries with solar. But that is a bigger investment than the wave. Much bigger…but there are some excellent videos on 12volt mini splits in vans and 100% the way to go. I really like the wave for smaller spaces, I like how quiet it is, and in Eco Mode it just sips energy. Best of luck
I also was disappointed with my purchase. Am hopeful once I can buy additional ducts that maybe redirecting airflow to a specific area will make a difference. Unfortunately ducts have been out of stock for months and one set is not enough.
I have a Ram 1500 high top. So it’s a lot smaller than yours and it doesn’t have an “isle” like yours has where the cold air has to work its way down a hallway and around a half- wall. Mine is pretty open. The Wave 2 works so well for me that I’m freezing during the night- I have to use a down sleeping bag even when I turn the unit temp up. So I think you’re right- the larger spaces with corners and turns are hard for it to cool. You might try using fans to help circulate the cold air toward the back more.
You expect a small AC unit to handle the whole thing without a helper fan to move the air?!? And nothing blocking the windshield? I think it's more user error than product issue.
Nice review, thnk you! Did you try a slightly different approach - first cool van with built in AC, then shut engine off and try to maintain temperature and humidity with EcoFlow?
Those hoses radiate so much heat that becomes counterproductive in cooling. No I dont have this (I'm on the fence of buying it) but i had quite a few portable ACs with the hoses you route to a window kit. The common problem like I mentioned is how much heat the hoses radiate heat. I use reflectix to insulate the hose and I swear it makes them 90 percent more efficient and effective. I just saw they have insulating sleeves made specifically for ACs like mine I saw on amazon. I'm sure you can use those for the wave.
When I camp with my wave and full size Express van I keep the unit outside and use the 2 ducts to pull warm air from the van and push cool air back into the van through the driver's window. I fund a seller on Etsy that makes a plate for the front so I can connect the pull duct to it.
Have the unit connected to my 820AH of lithium via the solar input on the Wave and that let's me run for about 4 days without needing solar.
That's a great idea!
Good review - my results are similar.
I have been running a Wave 2 in my self-conversion for just over a year. I have 400 watts of flex panel on the roof + ~16 amps available from the alternator when driving, charging 3.3kWh of house battery + the ~1.1kWh EcoFlow battery. I cut in venting through the side/bottom of the van for the pipes you routed out the window (yes, insulating those ducts is necessary!)
I get about 4 hours of cooling on a typical day. We were able to be comfortable last summer in Oklahoma's heat wave the one and only night we used shore power. Otherwise, it is used to keep our elderly canine companion safe when we need to leave her behind (like when we visit zoos or museums). She knows to stay near the output nozzle. It will not cool a full van - it barely makes sleeping bearable on otherwise relatively cool nights.
Is is absolutely useless for heating if the outside temp is below about 35F degrees - like we encountered in Vermont for the eclipse viewing in April. I usually avoid such cold!
The biggest issue I've had is with the control/communications flakiness. It just is not reliable (I am an IT tech, and I've used 3 different WiFi Internet connections). Tech support gives me the run-around, asking for videos to "prove" the problem, then blaming my Internet connection (trust me, my online-gamer son would let me know if it was my Internet connection!! 🙂). It is sporadic and not trustworthy, and probably due to their servers being occasionally overloaded. A few software updates have helped a tiny bit, mostly for fixing the drain mode setting. Since the remote functions are only *really* needed to assure me the dog is still safe and cool, I put up with it (and have online cameras so I can see how's she doing), though I have *zero* confidence that their tech support will be there for any other problem.
The other annoyance is in their add-on battery recharging. It uses the same input for solar or "car" charging, and the auto-sensing has messed up and cause popped circuit breaker (solar panels self-current-limit). This unit also has fairly high residual power consumption, and when it decides to recharge, can take a large percentage of my house battery without any regard to what else I might need power for. So, I unplug the batter and the recharge cable most of the time.
Also, the recent price drop makes me feel stupid for the $1800+ I paid for it...
I'm done. Buy only with awareness of it's faults and limitations. When our senior citizen dog dies, I might pull it out of the van...
Excellent video!!!! There are not enough “honest” reviews where the RUclipsr isn’t receiving a free product or sponsored.
The Wave 2 is a great product, but unfortunately it’s a niche device. It will work as advertised in niche settings/scenarios. However, majority of other settings it will fail miserably. I use mine in my rooftop tent and love it. However in a van I can totally understand why it won’t work. I bought the battery and unit for $700 and works for my setup perfectly. But if you’re not getting it for a good price it’s probably not worth the hassle. It’s big and heavy and again, doesn’t work in every setting.
Yes! Totally agree. It is the right choice for smaller spaces. They should not market this to van lifers. The specs are set up in a lab environment, moderate ambient temperature, low humidity, 10x12 empty room.
Maybe circulate the air with some fans and see if that helps
Your video reminds of where I was with this a year ago. I remember grabbing some towels to insulate the ductwork and saw improvement. I used some R6 insulation and wrapped it with 3M insulation tape. Expensive but does the job right. I did find that the higher fan speed you use…the more heat that the Wave produces. Just the unit alone gets hot as well as the duct. My more effective tests were when the unit was on low or even Eco. But yes….the space you’re trying to cool may be too much for this unit. If I was doing a van setup….i would go with a 12 volt mini split and have it running off of lithium batteries with solar. But that is a bigger investment than the wave. Much bigger…but there are some excellent videos on 12volt mini splits in vans and 100% the way to go. I really like the wave for smaller spaces, I like how quiet it is, and in Eco Mode it just sips energy. Best of luck
Thanks for your view…. If I could go back I’d put in the Dometic RTX2000 on the roof, although I would have to double my battery bank. 😩
@@shelterinplacezz maybe triple
I also was disappointed with my purchase. Am hopeful once I can buy additional ducts that maybe redirecting airflow to a specific area will make a difference. Unfortunately ducts have been out of stock for months and one set is not enough.
Exactly!! I can’t even buy one…. 🤬 (we shouldn’t have to!)
I have a Ram 1500 high top. So it’s a lot smaller than yours and it doesn’t have an “isle” like yours has where the cold air has to work its way down a hallway and around a half- wall. Mine is pretty open. The Wave 2 works so well for me that I’m freezing during the night- I have to use a down sleeping bag even when I turn the unit temp up. So I think you’re right- the larger spaces with corners and turns are hard for it to cool. You might try using fans to help circulate the cold air toward the back more.
Glad it works for you… I’m going to buy a large fan to see if I can circulate the air better 👍
You expect a small AC unit to handle the whole thing without a helper fan to move the air?!? And nothing blocking the windshield? I think it's more user error than product issue.
It is simply not a solution for full size vans… disappointing to find out the hard way. It’s great for very small spaces.