APU Info

just the AC or the heat as well? and can this keep an inverter running as well or is that totally seperate?

 

I don't see anything about APU in there...

 

I only had one for 30 days in the summer. I am not sure about the heat.

 

the apu units that millis has runs the heat and ac and also has electrical outlets installed in the sleeper to run microway, computers, printers, or whatever.

 

Good deal.. that's the answer i was looking for! lol I forgot to ask DeAnn today when I talked to her, she just said they had APU's in the trucks. She said she didn't think they had refrigerator's or anything though, so looks like i have some Christmas ideas for myself lol

 

millis's web sitestates that they do have refrigerators in their trucks

 

I read that too, but she didn't seem to think they did.. That isn't really a big issue though, I can always buy one to put in there if it doesn't have one.

 

As an APU installer there are a number of factors you must consider in the decision making on the type of unit you buy.

These units can be essentially split down into three major types.
Interfaced with the truck's comfort systems, The Willis and the Ponypac tap into the truck's a/c & heat systems. The benefit of this is that you have all the under bunk space available since there is no under the bunk add ons. Down side is that if this type of APU goes down it can affect the trucks main systems and down the truck, Big decision factor that!
I wouldn't recommend these units on a late Volvo. The APU's heat/ac system will mess with the canbus of the BEHR/Volvo HVAC and cause faulting in some cases!
There is no 115 power option unless you use an inverter!
These units cost around $10500 to $13000 installed.
Check on service points where you go for warranty coverage etc , sometimes the agents can be spotty around the USA

The generator style ones like Powertech /Centramatic use a 6KVW gen set and couple it to a Dometic CHEB unit which is like a mini heat/ac unit you would find in a motel room. Fitted under the bunk it is bulky but throws out good heat and cooling. The Mechron CCS Lightening unit is the same.
Service back up is good from Dometic and the unit is reliable. If there is a drawback its the refrigerant. It uses R417a an industrial refrigerant and you need an EPA 601 license to buy dispense this material. Not many truck dealer/repair shops have the kit to evacuate/charge these systems & certification to service this type of unit (their guys have automotive EPA 609 if at all!)
Overall very good and realible and vary from 10,000 to 12000 installed

The engine powered others are combinations of the above. Some have an automotive style heater and A/C unit under the bunk and can vary on a/c and heat efficiency. If you have a condo high rise can you need at least 10,000 btu's to cool the space on hot nights. Most use an Anglo/Japanese generator assembled in the UK! (Merkel/Sawafujicama). Expect to pay about $8000 up for for one of these units. A few use Espar bunk heaters for cold night heating and can be very efficient. Tripac is an example!

The last is the battery powered units or passive energy absorbtion like ClimaCab and Webasto's Blue Cool. Used in combination with the bunk heater these are the cheapest and give the best return on investments.
Downside--no big a/c delivery nor extended cab no idle comfort in the event of long layovers.
Beware of the CARB! Whilst some APU engines are CARB certified to tier 2 they are NOT certified to tier 3 in many cases. So check in detail before you buy. Some of these truck APU sales folk will say anything to get a sale in these stressed times
Actros
APU HQ

 

ACTROS: Who is CARB Tier 3 rated?

 

Rollover
Tripac instantly comes to mind!
Proheat is not far behind--I believe!
After that you are scraping the barrel!
Unless you look at Webasto Blue Cool & ClimaCab which of course has no internal combustion engine.
The funadamental problem is getting the exhaust temp up to burn off the carbon in an "after burning device or having a complicated electronically controlled engine. Most of the proprietary engines like Kubota are conforming to Tier2 and can so for a while out into the future. The funny thing (not ha ha) is that the engine in your apu can be the same as the one in the lawn mower cutting grass at the truck stop, and he's legal and you are not! What a crazy world!

For these reasons we have toyed with "alternatives" like a portable gasoline & diesel engine which is carb compliant for recreational use and coupling it to a split system a/c heat pump.....Surprisingly it has worked very well uising a portable Honda gen set on a condo cabbed OTR truck for three seasons.

With the way battery technology is going within 5 years I think we will see some drastic changes to the way 'no idle' comfort systems work--And hopefully they will be more reliable than they are at present.
Cheers Actros