Aquarium Chiller for Modular or Stealth Vandweller A/C

[debit.servus]

I discovered another option for vandweller A/C: Aquarium Chiller as a modular or stealth A/C unit. You can put the chiller in the cab with the windows down, camoflauge it on the exterior of the van, anywhere outside the space to be cooled. You will need plumbing for this A/C option, including a 12v water pump & a couple 120mm PC radiators with computer fans bolted on, and the right size tubing with reduction fittings depending on the components you use. You will need a generator to run these. An aquarium chiller is a great option for stealth vandweller A/C or for modular A/C systems.

If you want to spot cool or have a super-insulated van, 1/10th HP is for you:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B008HV7XA4/

If you want equivalent cooling to an actual A/C unit, you'll need at least Half HP:
https://smile.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-Active-Aqua-AACH50-Chiller/dp/B008HV7XA4/

*I don't know if these models I linked to have a duty cycle, meaning if it is rated to run continously like a purpose-built A/C unit.


Some ideas I have:
If the aquarium chiller can consistently output chilled water that is 40 degrees F or below, you have a refridgerator temperature, you can plumb a loop of copper coil, a water to air heat exchanger like a transmission cooler inside an ice chest, ice box or dead fridge to have a way to keep perishables cool. You will need super-insulation and thermal mass for this to keep food at a stable temperature inside, and chill it down at least daily.

If you are good with electronics repair, the aquarium chiller controls may be designed in a way that allows you to remove the controls off the unit and install them elsewhere, or be bypassed for an external control board / thermostat. Or find a chiller with radio (not infra-red) remote control and glue one end of a fiber optic cable to the IR reciever, and the other inside the van. Not needing to touch the unit for daily control will allow way more installation possibilities.

If you want to go elaborate, an aquarium chiller is a great start to building a radiant cooling system in the walls / ceiling, transfer the heat before it gets into the space to be cooled! Integrate into radiant / hot water loop heating systems! Build a modular, zoned HVAC system! You could even add a bucket-sized cooling tower to cool the warm to hot water down right before it returns to the chiller, industrial HVAC shrunk down to mobile dwelling size!

 

[highdesertranger]

for the cost and complexity of trying to use one of these to make your own AC I have to ask why? just get a regular AC and be done with it. highdesertranger

 

[RoamerRV428]

price is rough on that thing.
but hey, who knows who wants what in their home and they can make it work. Not for us but cool idea in out of the box thinking.

 

[lenny flank]

"Cold water" does not translate to "cool air".

I'd wanna see a real-world run with this thing, showing some before and after thermometer temps.

 

[debit.servus]

Cold water through a forced air water to air heat exchanger translates fluently to cold air. 

The only unknown is the duty cycle of consumer units. If the aquarium chiller is not designed to run 100% each hour and you try to run it 100% it will work at first, and then within 3 days of running like that it will stop working as you will have overheated the compressor to death. 

I like this aquarium chiller concept so much that when I return to OTR, if the company truck doesn’t have auxiliary A/C - that is, A/C without idling the engine for where anti-idle is in place, (which is most likely the case with starter trucking companies), I am going to build my own aux A/C system using an aquarium chiller. 

At the very least, a half horsepower chiller to keep the immediate cubic footage around the twin bed in the Sleeper Berth cool, I will mount the chiller, the pump and a small portable generator on the catwalk (800-1500 watt, whatever it takes to run the chiller and pump) and I’ll snake the two small diameter vinyl tubes for circulating the water through the jockey box door or the cracked window with the screen removed, depending on the model of semi tractor. This will need to be detachable to pass DOT inspection as you can’t have any hanging wires or lines on a Commercial Motor Vehicle. Inside, the quick connect vinyl tubes connect to a 120mm fan forced PC radiator array above a condensate tray. Since I’m going outside for the post-trip inspection regardless before bed, it’s not a big inconvenience to fill up the genset, connect the water lines and start it up. $800 to buy all the components, a day of home time to put it together & I have a portable, auxiliary air conditioning system suitable for a commercial company vehicle. 

I’ll report back on the answers I get about duty cycles for the aquarium chillers I linked.