If you’re planning on living or traveling in a van, we know how tough it is to find a 12 volt ac unit that actually works and doesn’t break the bank. Traditional AC Units made for RV life and vans aren’t 12 volt and need shore power or a genarator to work.
Enter the Fresair - a 12 volt AC unit that actually works. How do we know? We’ve used and tested it ourselves!
Unlike traditional air conditioning units that demand high power and run on a refrigerant. Fresair runs on regular tap water and is powered by the vehicle’s existing battery, drawing minimal power and providing cooling to the user of up to 40+ degrees!
The roof-mounted Fresair system is patented and works by forcing air through a moist fibrous organic pine filter, which is both anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. The filter is circulated with water from a remote hidden reservoir. Just fill up the water reservoir, turn on the unit and go!
The cooling effect is generated by evaporation and is triple filtered, feeling dry, unlike a typical “swamp” cooler or misting system. The unit itself is very slimline at only 3.7″ tall but packs a punch with four adjustable vents and our latest smart control panel safeguarding the system. It not only looks great but is also a completely green technology, even filtering dust and pollen out of the air.
Skip ahead to 7:50 to see the section of the van tour on the Fresair
With your purchase you’ll receive our private step-by-step videos on how to install the Fresair. This includes how to cut the hole in the roof, how to run the plumbing and electrical and how to finish it off inside to make your van conversion look top notch.
You’ll even be able to join our exclusive private Facebook community to connect with us and hundreds of others who are building their vans.
Note: If you purchase directly through Fresair, you will not receive these free videos. This is a bonus we provide for purchasing through us. We have a proprietary install process for van/rv applications.
Low Power – Fresair runs <10A/h at full power (tests read approx 7A/h) which is only slightly more than a simple roof fan. Compared to traditional rooftop AC units you’ll be using approximately 20x less power.
Light Weight – Weighing in at only 25lbs you’ll be less top heavy and save on payload.
Low Profile – The unit has a low sleek profile of 3.7”, streamlined (no wind noise) and it’s sexy as hell. It’s form factor is so low it will even fit underneath roof racks or solar panels.
Adjustable Ceiling Vents – The internal control panel has four directional air-craft style vents to direct air where you need it. Spread air between a kitchen and sleeping area. Close vents to concentrate air on a certain area.
Powerful Cooling – Temperature drop between ambient temperature and vents can reach -40’F! On average at 85’F ambient temperature you will see 20+’F drop. The hotter the environment the larger the drop.
Air Flow – WARNING: The airflow on full blast will literally blow your hairpiece off. Runs even with windows or doors cracked to exchange air every couple of minutes.
Eco-Friendly – Running on water and battery power alone as well triple-filtering the air and running clean, even off solar power alone, Fresair is your green energy solution.
Low noise – External noise is so low as to run all night with no attention from passers by or camping neighbors. Very discreet and no compressors making you the target for noise-police.
Runs Cool – No heat venting from the unit, runs cool even in direct sunlight, you can even install a rooftop tent above it and maintain comfort for all.
Runs Dry – State of the art evaporative cooling technology delivers cool air, not moisture. With a fan-only mode you can also simply keep air moving without cooling. No more sweaty sleepless nights… also acts as a blissful sound soother.
Run with doors open – Traditional AC is designed to work in a sealed off environment. Who wants to keep everything shut up tight when the idea is to be out there enjoying everything freedom has to offer? Our system runs even with open doors, creating a cool air flow. At night just crack a window to keep air circulating and fresh.
Retrofit – Fresair will install easily into any pre-existing standard 14”x14” opening. If you have trouble installing an internal reservoir the new S7i has a reservoir built in, just connect the power to 12v and run “in & out” hoses to fill, internally or externally.
Reservoirs – With two reservoir options, an 18L slim internal unit and an external under the chassis 26L cylinder, you can customize your install. At peak usage Fresair will use under 1L of water per hour. Run it all day!
Leave it on – Running into the store or restaurant, have a pet in the back, kids hanging out… just leave Fresair running worry free and return to a cool van.
This graph shows the temperature of the air blowing out of the Fresair unit versus the outside air temperature, in various relative humidities. Even in higher humidities a lot of comfort and temperature reduction is realized versus a regular fan. At >80% relative humidity though the air temperature drop is minimal, however directional air flow from the vents works better than a single fan.
For those in VanLife, the graph also shows the human comfort of trying to sleep on a hot and humid night whilst only using Fresair. If you are going to sleep in a vehicle in very hot and very humid environments you will need to use traditional, compressor based AC units, either by running the vehicles AC or installing a regular AC.
Fresair is an advanced evaporative AC unit but high humidity still reduces its effectiveness. It’s a balance between using high-power and noisy compressors vs a quiet 12v/water system. Fresair can handle the majority of cooling situations but it has its limitations when humidity is very high.
Installing Fresair will keep you cool, with low power and low noise, in the majority of environments. If you plan on traveling to tropical areas, Fresair will help reduce the load on your traditional AC units but it cannot safely reduce the temperature in extreme climates.
If you plan on using Fresair as your only AC system you need to be aware of the temperature and humidity of wherever you’re traveling. If you’re pushing into the “orange zone” at night then you would need to run the vehicle AC, a separate coolant-based AC unit… or check into a hotel!
Q. How does an evaporative cooling system work in humid climates?
A. We have tested Fresair in high humidity climates like Florida and the cooling sensation works great. Fresair delivers cold air not moisture unlike systems of the past. Our pine filter absorbs the moisture and then passes though two additional filters resulting in cool clean air, not mist.
Q. Does your system require distilled or filtered water?
A. No, all that is required is tap water. If you live in a climate where the water is very hard and you are concerned about calcium build-up, a chlorine tablet can be dropped into the reservoir every other month.
Q. Can you tell me about the preventive maintenance, frequency and cost?
A. There are two pumps for this system (injection – pushes water from the reservoir up to the roof, and return – shoots any excess water extracted from the pine filter back into the reservoir). The pine filter can be power washed but it is recommended that both pumps and pine filter be replaced once a year (depending on usage and proper maintenance). Your purchase includes a replacement for both pumps as well as a replacement filter.
Q. How cold does the air get from your product?
A. This depends on the outside temperature but you should see 20’-40’ reduction from the ambient temperature to the air emitting out of the vents. Fresair is not a traditional air conditioner, there are no coolants or compressors, which would kill your batteries. Fresair is a green product powered by your batteries, drawing minimal power whilst cooling the air with tap water and pine using evaporation. Aiming the vents at your face, neck and upper torso provides the maximum cooling sensation. Everyone is blown away, literally, by how efficiently the unit works and the temperature drop.
Q. Do I need to fill the reservoirs with ice?
A. No, ice will not hurt the system but it is not necessary as the difference in thermal sensation will be minimal.
Q. How easy is the unit to install?
A. Professional installation is recommended but can be accomplished by a skilled owner. A hole to accommodate the air box needs to be cut from the removed roof. The unit drops onto the roof and is sealed by foam and silicon gel and mounted using 4 bolts. There are many different roof types out there, so the strength of the roof, curvature of roof, and where the mounting bolts are to be located need to be analyzed. There are multiple mounting bolts patterns though so there are options to work with virtually any roof. If your roof cannot hold a 25lb weight, support brackets need to be added on the underside of the roof, but most roofs are fine. A harness runs from the back of the unit, over the roof, and contains two water pipes, one to feed the unit with water, the other to return water from the unit to the remote reservoir, as well as the 12V power cable. The harness runs towards the back of the roof. The harness then needs to be connected to the reservoir and 12V power. The water pipes then need be connected to the reservoir and the 12V power cable to the converter.
Your purchase includes an install guide with step-by-step videos if you decide to install on your own.
