Has anyone tried this 12-volt "air conditioner"

[MrNoodly]

http://www.globaltrucker.com/12-volt-items/portable-12-volt-air-conditioner/<br><br>It's essentially a fan that blows over ice in a cooler and it seems like it requires new ice every day, but, mmmmmaybe.

 

[wrcsixeight]

55$ for a computer muffin fan and a piece of plastic with 2 holes in it.<br><br>I'll pass.<br><br>Here is a 12 volt variable speed fan that will come in useful when the ice runs out:<br><br>.08 amps to .39 amps. 32 cfm to 110 cfm, and any point in between<br>http://www.amazon.com/SilverStone-FM121-Control-Designs-120X120X25mm/dp/B000BWEIFU

 

[MrNoodly]

But does concept of the blowing air over ice work well? I mean, one of the things that makes air conditioning effective is that it also dehumidifies. Blowing air over ice wouldn't do that. In fact, it might add more moisture to the air. That would be good in very arid places but not in, say, the deep South. On the other hand, cool humid air beats hot humid air any day. That's why I was wondering if anyone had tried this or something like it.

 

[baronmcginty]

I tried one in my small teardrop camper. It didn't work. Don't waste your money.

 

[bk2valve]

Hi Al, I know that Kalani and John, (I don't have their weblog addie....) but they live in their Astro built something like this for their little dog Savannah's crate....I know it works for them when it is hot.....<br><br>It is really simple to build one using a piece of blue foam insulation as a top piece with the holes cut in it...<br><br>I also know a couple who sidecar...the woman has MS and is extremely uncomfortable with heat. They have built a similar unit for the sidecar...it is built in with a scoop funneling the incoming airflow over a container if ice....they have a drain I think and refill the container with a bag of ice every time they stop for gas....it is a lifesaver for her...I know, my wife has MS and it can be brutal in unrelenting heat....<br><br>When you live in the heat like we do in the southwest, you come up with all kinds of solutions to stay comfy....

 

[papas34]

It looks like a modification to the evaporation cooler......they work best when the water is hot from sitting in the sun, the air can move freely through the area being cooled (open the windows and get that air moving), in a dry climate.<br><br>So this unit with ice kind of kills the whole evaporation (cooling) thing....think of how cool it feels to have water evaporate off your skin. The unit is small so don't know how much air it could move in a space as large as a trailer or van. And climate will be different with location.<br><br>A fan and a spray bottle or some misters attached to a pressurized spray bottle like used to spray fruit trees.....just be careful about moisture.

 

[MrNoodly]

When I was a kid they taught me that evaporating sweat cooled us down. It made no sense to me since I lived in a place with oppressive humidity in summer. NOTHING evaporated.

 

[Willy]

When I was a kid they taught me that evaporating sweat cooled us down. It made no sense to me since I lived in a place with oppressive humidity in summer. NOTHING evaporated.

<br><br>..except your energy. Hot 'n humid--&gt; lying in the shade with a cold beer or 6.. or 12.. or..

 

[wrcsixeight]

Basically, with out grid power and an AC unit, or running the engine and the AC, the best one can hope for is to keep the interior below ambient temperature until midday or so, at ambient temperature until later afternoon, and not much above ambient temperature as the sun sets and things cool down.<br><br>Keep the sunlight from getting inside. &nbsp;Tight fitting reflective window shades, a light colored &nbsp;Vehicle body, sufficient insulation, and more than enough ventilation exhausting hot air out the roof and an intake fan on the shady side of the van. &nbsp;Combine this with a fan to aim at one's body enough solar wattage to power the fans 24/7, and in Florida or similar, in the &nbsp;summer, you will still be miserably sticky and overheated.<br><br>Low humidity heat can be battled with evaporative cooling. Fighting High humidity heat is nearly futile, &nbsp;best you can do is not make it worse by taking refuge in an unventilated oven.

 

[MrNoodly]

And when possible, park facing north-south rather than east-west so less vehicle surface area is exposed to the sun. The reverse would be true in cold weather.

 

[kwest]

Thats just a swamp cooler built into a cooler. Anyone in the drier west and north west knows swamp coolers work great when humidity is low. in normal swamp coolers you just blow air over a wet spongy mesh material and it cools off an entire house. The ice may make it a little cooler, but i think its the evaporation not the waters temperature that does most of the cooling. Works great in drier climates but you need a/c to cool in humidity

 

[MK7]

Go on YouTube and look up "redneck air conditioner".&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br><br><br><br>There's a bunch of do-it-yourself videos on this and the people claims it works.&nbsp; Pretty much the exact same concept of using a cooler, ice, fan, exhaust....but much better than what's being sold for $55 here using stronger fans and better exhaust.

 

[bk2valve]

This is the blog addie of Kalani and John and since I don't know how to search it, you can write and ask them about their dog cooler setup and you will get first hand experience of one in action and not just people thinking it will do this or that or won't....<br><br>http://2completespirits.com/about-us/<br><br>Luck,<br>Bri

 

[Ballenxj]

I wouldn't think that thing would work very well. For one thing, everybody knows that hot air rises and cold air goes down, so I don't see a lot of benefit from blowing air over the "top" of the ice. <br>-Bruce

 

[MK7]

It does work, just don't expect a lot from it. In a van it should be decently noticeable. It's just blowing air in, that gets cooled....and then pushed out the exhaust side.<br><br><br><br><br><br>

 

[MrNoodly]

It's just blowing air in, that gets cooled....and then pushed out the exhaust side.

<br><br>Home air conditioning blows air across chilled tubing and pushes it out the vents. So it's the same principle, just a different source and degree of cold.

 

[ccbreder]

Yes. It is not a swamp cooler, ie; evaporation cooler. Warm air blows accross cold ice, ice melts as air cools, BTU cooling is what you can get from the ice. Ice has been used for cooling for as long as there was ice. A solid block of ice frozen below zero should work a bit.