Portable air conditioner for cabin?

[Bustedknuckle84]

When i google it i keep coming up with a cooling system that goes on top of your cooler??? http://www.kooleraireac.com/

whats a good solution for keeping the cabin cool while out in 90+ degree weather?

I have a 2 battey setup with jump box.

dont wanna kill the batteries but also want something that will work.

 

[airdvr1227]

Re: Portable air conditioner for cabin?

I can't imagine much of an a/c unit running on 12v. Those things draw amps big time.

 

[Bustedknuckle84]

Re: Portable air conditioner for cabin?

ok well does anyone have the type of cooler on the link attached to this thread? would anyone recommend this cooler type ac?

 

[wifisher]

Re: Portable air conditioner for cabin?

I have no experience with the cooler that you are referencing, but it looks like it is simply blowing air over the ice in the cooler. I doubt that it is going to do much to keep your cabin livable. It would melt a lot of ice though. I don't know of any effective a/c system that doesn't require a generator.

 

[Redneck_Randy]

Re: Portable air conditioner for cabin?

What about a propane air conditioner ? I guess you would still need a 110 outlet for the fan or put a 12v fan in.

 

[wifisher]

Re: Portable air conditioner for cabin?

What about a propane air conditioner ? I guess you would still need a 110 outlet for the fan or put a 12v fan in.

Careful with propane on a boat. It is heavier than air and can fill the cabin/engine compartment if there is a leak.

 

[Bustedknuckle84]

Re: Portable air conditioner for cabin?

I have no experience with the cooler that you are referencing, but it looks like it is simply blowing air over the ice in the cooler. I doubt that it is going to do much to keep your cabin livable. It would melt a lot of ice though. I don't know of any effective a/c system that doesn't require a generator.

i was thinking the same thing, sounds to good to be true.

 

[oops!]

Re: Portable air conditioner for cabin?

if you cannot afford a genny.....their is a cheap 12v solution.

swamp cooler.

you will need to make it....as i dont think some one has made a 12v version.

 

[soggy_feet]

Re: Portable air conditioner for cabin?

going with the igloo cooler idea, a 3" or so computer fan, which costs pennies, runs quite well off a 5W solar panel.
Basically, a 'Kentucky Air Conditioner' as they're referred to around here. Blow air across a block of ice, you get cool air. No drain on your battery.

 

[mla2ofus]

Re: Portable air conditioner for cabin?

Blow air over dry ice, everybody will be cool but they'll soon take a long nap. Just kidding!! Seriously, if you're on the water, what's wrong w/ a dip in it to cool off?
Mike

 

[Bustedknuckle84]

Re: Portable air conditioner for cabin?

going with the igloo cooler idea, a 3" or so computer fan, which costs pennies, runs quite well off a 5W solar panel.
Basically, a 'Kentucky Air Conditioner' as they're referred to around here. Blow air across a block of ice, you get cool air. No drain on your battery.

I have a few extra pc fans , I think im going to modify an extra cooler i have...project time.

 

[Bustedknuckle84]

Re: Portable air conditioner for cabin?

Blow air over dry ice, everybody will be cool but they'll soon take a long nap. Just kidding!! Seriously, if you're on the water, what's wrong w/ a dip in it to cool off?
Mike

Swimmin in Chum 10 miles off the coast.....yeah remember jaws?

 

[JoLin]

Re: Portable air conditioner for cabin?

Evaporative coolers (swamp coolers) can help in hot, DRY climates.

The OP lives in Pensacola. If it's a humid place the 'cooler full of ice' will raise the humidity even higher than it is, and do nothing to cool the people in the cabin. Cheap enough to give it a shot, but I wouldn't expect it to make things any more comfortable.

My .02

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Portable air conditioner for cabin?

I've used those types of AC's... As the poster above me mentioned, you need low humidity for it to to work. It is basically getting half the cooling from the ice, and the other half is typical swamp cooler from the evaporative affects.

 

[soggy_feet]

Re: Portable air conditioner for cabin?

Evaporative coolers (swamp coolers) can help in hot, DRY climates.

The OP lives in Pensacola. If it's a humid place the 'cooler full of ice' will raise the humidity even higher than it is, and do nothing to cool the people in the cabin. Cheap enough to give it a shot, but I wouldn't expect it to make things any more comfortable.

My .02

I had that on my mind when I posted, but the air can only hold so much moisture, so I figured you'd still end up with a chilling effect from the ice, with less of a swamp cooler effect.
Other slightly more complex version would be to add an electric pump, coil of copper tubing, and a heat exchanger (heater core from a car or something).
No evap, but a bigger power drain...

 

[edu01jose]

Re: Portable air conditioner for cabin?

I had that on my mind when I posted, but the air can only hold so much moisture, so I figured you'd still end up with a chilling effect from the ice, with less of a swamp cooler effect.
Other slightly more complex version would be to add an electric pump, coil of copper tubing, and a heat exchanger (heater core from a car or something).
No evap, but a bigger power drain...

That's exactly what I am doing. Just waiting for the parts to get here.
Here I got the Idea:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Portable-12V-Air-Conditioner---Cheap-and-easy!/
Check the second post from a guy named awawawaw

 

[JoLin]

Re: Portable air conditioner for cabin?

That's exactly what I am doing. Just waiting for the parts to get here.
Here I got the Idea:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Portable-12V-Air-Conditioner---Cheap-and-easy!/
Check the second post from a guy named awawawaw

Did you read the whole thing?

The only disadvantage is that it the ice will melt after 30-60 minutes of operation, depending on the size of your cooler. However, it was built for an EV (electric vehicle), so we are only ever out for an hour or two maximum, and the ice lasts longer when it's not running.

Is that gonna help?

 

[JoLin]

Re: Portable air conditioner for cabin?

I had that on my mind when I posted, but the air can only hold so much moisture, so I figured you'd still end up with a chilling effect from the ice, with less of a swamp cooler effect.

Honestly, I think what you'll end up with is 'cold and clammy', but I've never tried it, either. Let us know how it works out!

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Portable air conditioner for cabin?

well 20 lbs of ice in will keep drinks cold all day inside of a sealed well insulated cooler.... to keep the cabin of the average cuddy cool all day (poorly insulated and MUCH bigger) I'd suspect would take 400-600 lbs of ice.... If you just needed a little cool air for a short time you could get a much larger cooler to store ice and transfer as needed but honestly I think you'll find that you need a generator and an actual a/c unit

Best of luck with your experiment though

 

[Bustedknuckle84]

Re: Portable air conditioner for cabin?

rough draft: im thinking of a smaller fan and smaller intake vent. rigging up a tube that will attach to the exhaust fan(somehow). Then whenever your hot hook up the tube to the cooler,turn on fan and have tube blow cold air on your face. Bout only practical way to try to cool down. Ill try to report back when i build the project.