Zero Breeze or mini split air conditioner

[New Comer]

I am looking for a way to cool my van when I travel in the summer. I looked for all kinds of ways last time and got nowhere. This year, I hope I can have better luck. I would like to ask everyone here if you have used something like Zero Breeze. If you did, please tell me if it works. Also, I have seen something like a mini split air conditioner sold by Europeans. Do they work? It looks like there are not many options out there. The only option is to cut a hole on the car and install a real air conditioner, which is what I won't do.

Thanks in advance.

 

[jimindenver]

First off, you are looking at the difference in a shot glass vs a swimming pool in output, size, cost and installation effort. Mini splits are sold in America but I have not seen the portable mini splits sold here yet.

The Zero breeze will not cool your van, it is made to blow a cool breeze over you. The unit produces heat and the hose meant to carry that heat out radiates it back into the van.

A real mini split is actually quite large in footprint both for the evaporator inside and the compressor unit outside. There are versions that do not require a A/C tech to install but if you have extra tubing you have to just roll it up a secure it somehow because shortening it would require a tech.

 

[highdesertranger]

I prefer not to be in an area were AC is mandatory. I also do not spend the day inside a hot vehicle. highdesertranger

 

[MrNoodly]

I also do not spend the day inside a hot vehicle.

True. However, everything in the vehicle becomes heated and it can take hours for that heat to dissipate, even with doors and windows open. The more stuff in the vehicle, and the more tightly it's packed, the longer it will take to cool down -- like until well after sunset. That's one reason I've been carrying less and less stuff.

 

[Ticklebellly]

I have a Close Comfort portable. Very happy. 300 Watts and is really a mini size version of the higher power portables. Yes, AC powered but runs on a 600 Watt PSW or small generator. The cold air output blowing on you, rather than trying to cool a large space, reminds me of sitting in the vehicle and directing the air outlet vents toward me. I found it adequate and have now used it lots. Clever people will notice that the units are small enough to turn around and use a bit of cardboard to make up a discharge chute to direct hot air where you might want it.

The company sells what is little more than a self erecting dome tent with a flap to take the outlet of the cold air to enter that enclosed space. With an old dome tent from storage, scissors, and duct tape, I made my own version for the single bed in the Campervan. If Boondocking, I often sleep with all the doors open so I have had no problems with the heat outlet interfering with the cool pointed at me. I am yet to try to cool the entire space of the campervan and I am not confident it would do that.

 

[highdesertranger]

"However, everything in the vehicle becomes heated and it can take hours for that heat to dissipate"

in that case then I sleep outside. hell I just got a trailer, I have been sleeping outside for years even in the winter. in the high desert even in the summer when it hits 95° during the day at night it cools way down to the 50's or even 40's.

highdesertranger

 

[New Comer]

I have a Close Comfort portable.   Very happy.   300 Watts and is really a mini size version of the higher power portables.   Yes, AC powered but runs on a 600 Watt PSW or small generator.    The cold air output blowing on you, rather than trying to cool a large space, reminds me of sitting in the vehicle and directing the air outlet vents toward me.   I found it adequate and have now used it lots.   Clever people will notice that the units are small enough to turn around and use a bit of cardboard to make up a discharge chute to direct hot air where you might want it.

The company sells what is little more than a self erecting dome tent with a flap to take the outlet of the cold air to enter that enclosed space.  With an old dome tent from storage, scissors, and duct tape, I made my own version for the single bed in the Campervan.   If Boondocking, I often sleep with all the doors open so I have had no problems with the heat outlet interfering with the cool pointed at me.   I am yet to try to cool the entire space of the campervan and I am not confident it would do that.

Would you be able to show me some pictures of how you do it? And what is the model of your air conditioner? I have been looking for one like this for a long time. Thanks.

 

[Ticklebellly]

This is the website in Australia where I bought mini size conditioner. i am currently doing some sight seeing in Oz. http://enviroshop.com.au/shop/close-comfort-personal-air-conditioner.html

The unit is a proper compressor based Air con using R143. I have a bit of Tinitus and the noise from the unit has become a restful source of white noise so I have no issues with the unit operating close to me. The bed tent offering is shown in the photos along the bottom.

Friend who who is well into making do and likes playing with ideas, has his window unit now feeding output into a DIY bed tent made from plastic sheeting. Yes, he is single so only he has to deal with the slightly bizarre looking setup.

 

[brahmon]

it's amazing and funny to me that there is overwhelmingly negative reviews on zerobreeze yet people are still buying it. only to then post negative feedback. lol.

i say give it a shot and let us know.

 

[jonyjoe303]

Did you try a swampcooler? I been using one for 6 years, its all I ever needed. Use anywhere from 2 to 3 amps depending on how many fans I run. It struggles when the humidity is high but its still better then just a fan. On the weekends I spend all day in my van parked in the sun, all the windows closed and am usually very comfortable with the swampcooler. I use it everyday, even in the winter it gets hot during the day. 

But it helps alot if your van is heavily insulated including your rear windows. Without the insulation even an AC will struggle to keep you cool.

The zerobreeze uses about 14 amps, thats almost 200 watts. Thats 200 watts in an already hot van. My laptop which puts out about 50 watts heats up my van to where I don't use it on hot days. To stay cool you need horsepower from your fans, the zerobreeze small fan don't look like it has the power to keep anyone cool. Thats why I have 2 fans on my swampcooler, sometimes 1 fan isn't good enough. I wanted to get a zerobreeze for really hot days but it uses more power then I'm willing to spare and also read too many bad reviews, there was a facebook page dedicated to all the disgruntled customers. I just added more insulation and made due with what I have.

I looked at the close comfort portable website, cost 600 dollars, but I notice it has no exhaust hose. If it uses 300 watts, and there is no where for that to escape it will heat up the van also. You would have to rig it so that only the air exhaust would be in van, the unit itself will have to be isolated to the outside. 300 watts is too much heat to have in your van on a hot day. 

The only time I ever had to leave my van because it was too hot was when the swampcooler waterpump broke and I didnt have a spare. Now I carry extra pumps and fans.

 

[Ticklebellly]

....., but I notice it has no exhaust hose. If it uses 300 watts, and there is no where for that to escape it will heat up the van also. You would have to rig it so that only the air exhaust would be in van, the unit itself will have to be isolated to the outside. 300 watts is too much heat to have in your van on a hot day. 

I bought the Close Comfort on the argument that it is no more than a heat pump.   In use, cold air comes out one side and the heat energy removed from that air mass goes out the other.    Smart folk, those Australians, as the designer explains that the device does not attempt to cool a large space.   The device provides comfort by producing a directable stream of cold air.   I have now used the device to provide a stream of cold air, as a space cooler, and as a heater (turn the thing around).


Used in an enclosed van, the internal temperate of the van will stay the same, at any point in time.    There will be a difference in the temperature of the moving air volume either side of the device.   The internal temperature of the van will vary under influence from outside conditions and also from what ever energy is input from the device, in use.    But what Muggins would use the device in an enclosed van?   Air conditioning units that are being used to cool a space, require the pumped heat energy to be exhausted to the outside of the space.    A micro arrangement that mimics this is the bed tent idea.   The internal space of the bed tent receives cold air and the pumped heat is exhausted into the surrounding space.   I'm yet to try the device as a window mounted air con unit.   My campervan is a VW Transporter and I am not confident the device has that capacity to cool all of that space if the ambient (outside) temp is high.

A couple of cons in regards the swampcooler are that the output is wet air, its capacity to cool a space is limited, and the ice runs out quickly, especially if the ambient temperature is high.

I have not used a Zero Breeze unit so cannot make any valid comments on that device on either performance or hacks.

 

[lenny flank]

As always, I prefer the simplest low-tech solution to the problem of "keeping cool". I'm not in the van when it's hot. I do all my housekeeping stuff in the morning when it's still cool, then I leave and spend the whole day someplace where it's AC--the mall, a museum, wherever. I don't go back to the van till the sun is down. If it's still warm inside the van, I wet a t-shirt and aim a small fan right at me--like a mini-swamp cooler, but it puts all the evaporation right where it does the most good. It's enough to keep me cool till I fall asleep.

It has gotten me everywhere from Miami to Tucson.

Of course, I am an urban dweller and can find plenty of cool spots to hang out in all day. If I were living out in the desert, things would be different. And my solution too would be different--> I'd move.

 

[sushidog]

The tiny zero breeze units do not put out enough BTUs to be effective. A well insulated van typically needs at least 6,000 BTUs of cooling power when it's 90+ degrees. The most efficient cooling unit (high EER) is a mini-split, using less electricity for each BTU of cooling power, however they are the most costly initially. Small AC window units are getting more efficient and they are the least costly way to go. However they are the most noisy solution.

I plan on adding a 48v solar system to my motorhome in a couple years to power a 48v DC mini-split. It will be an expensive and heavy system that is far to large for a van sized camper. Your best bet is probably something like this:





Chip

 

[debit.servus]

...
Mini splits are sold in America but I have not seen the portable mini splits sold here yet.
 
...

https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=30489

Now you’ve seen a portable mini split. They are just getting out on the market but they are sold in America.

 

[RebeccaKerr]

"I recently bought a van and also I'm struggling with the heat.
How did you solve your problem? Or maybe anyone has some other bits of advice?"

 

[highdesertranger]

Drive to where you don't need AC is my go to solution. Highdesertranger

 

[NathanJackson]

Of course, the easiest solution is to drive where you don't need AC. Unfortunately, you can't always do what's easy for you. Sometimes you gotta face the facts, that your van is too hot. I was also struggling with this kind of problem. My new van, for that time, was killing me and my dog.

 

[jonyjoe303]

"I recently bought a van and also I'm struggling with the heat.

How did you solve your problem? Or maybe anyone has some other bits of advice?"

alot of foam insulation and swampcooler is how I handle the heat.

I always stay in the same area and park in the sun (due to solar panel and for convenience) . By insulation I'm talking multiple layers all over the back (living area) of your van. Cover all you windows, build a divider between the front and back of the van. When its noon and your in the back and turn off your lights it should be pitch black.
Once its well insulated, the swampcooler will keep you cool except on the hottest humid days, and even then its better then just a regular fan.
The mini AC's like the zerobreeze use too much power (about 180 watts) , even my 365 watt panel would struggle to keep it running and still top off my batteries. Swampcooler uses about 3 amps which is no big deal for most solar systems.
Without the insulation/swampcooler I couldnt spend more then a few minutes in my van when the sun was out. I only paid 800 for my van, I'm not worry about resale value, thats why I modify the back of my van for my convenience and comfort.
Its summer again and temperature is climbing, but so far I been very cool, I only been running one fan on my swampcooler to stay cool( maybe 1.5 amps). So far been using less then a gallon of water over a 2 day weekend.

This is a picture of the temperature of the front 148f(uninsulated) and back 94f(insulated) of my van on a hot day. Without heavy insulation in the back, they would be about the same temperature. Swampcooler wouldnt be much help in that situation. 94 degrees is high but its cooler where the swampcooler is blowing.

 

[crofter]

@joneyjoe
You stay in AZ year round correct?

How many inches of insulation do you have in the back of the van? Is it essential to insulate every metal rib or is a reflectics covering here and there OK?

I still churn through a lot of electricity when cooling my van in the heat. But there are still some exposed metal.
-crofter

 

[Cheapritz]

On the Zerobreeze website it shows you how to vent the hot air outside. It looks like it would work. I recently bought one and will post when I have it set up ( in about a week).