Cool Gadgets- Air Conditioner

[fossilboy50]

Howdy Y'all,
First time posting, so please forgive any breaches in etiquette. I'm still in the brainstorming stages of my build, and this site is an amazing resource for all things Teardrop, so I thank you all in advance. Watching Youtube tonight going through builds I clicked on a "5 Camping Hacks" video. I only made it to #3, because I started doing research on this one product in particular (the first listed here), because it seems that it can solve several teardrop challenges. It appears that it is in initial production stages, having completed a "Kickstart" last year.

I wanted to post this and get some feedback, positive and negative, about these products. Disclaimer: I am not in ANY way affiliated with these products. I did not contribute to the Kickstart for #1, and I stumbled upon #2 after researching #1. They're just cool gadgets that I thought might be useful within our community. If these products/this post are in any way against rules, PLEASE remove it. I'm not trying to cause/get in any trouble, I just thought these were, wait for it... really COOL!

#1- ZERO BREEZE- Still in early production, but appears that nice discounts are being offered for different purchase packages:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/zero ... -ac-unit#/
and/or
http://www.zero-breeze.com

#2- ICYBREEZE (Made in USA!)- Looks like it could be a glorified "swamp cooler", but as the cool water is run across plates and recirculated back into the reservoir, it appears to NOT affect humidity through its operation:
http://www.icybreeze.com

#3- THE COOLEST- While I'm discussing cool cooling contraptions, here's another, similar but different product, kind of a "Swiss Army Knife" of coolers:
https://coolest.com

I know that many of us might use just natural ventilation, a "Fan-Tastic" fan, a home window unit, a homebuilt, or even Pet Cool unit (which I have seriously considered). In South Central Texas, my family (read "WIFE") will not camp WITH me WITHOUT an A/C. I'm open to all suggestions each of you have regarding how you solved your cooling needs.

Again, please edit/delete as necessary to maintain within guidelines, and please inform me of any breaches of form or etiquette. I only want to be helpful as you all have been in scheming my project. Also, if this is in the wrong "Topic", please feel free to move as appropriate.

Sincerely,
Sean "Newby/FNG" Wilson

[Socal Tom]

Both are interesting, and would probably work good for there designed use, but have limitations for TDs. The icy breeze uses the ice to cool the air. Probably good for a couple of hours. There are diy versions on YouTube using a bucket. The zero breeze is rated for 1100 btu, the petcool system is 2500 btu and some folks have reported its a little undersized for a TD on a hot day. I've estimated a 5x8 needs about 3500 btu for a 30 degree temp swing. The zero breeze might be neat for sitting outside eating dinner though.
Tom

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[Shadow Catcher]

It is all about the BTU's and dehumidifaction, we tried a 2500 BTU PetCool and our 400 cubic foot interior did not cool adequately. We have 1.5" EPS insulation and white skin. One factor folks do not take into account is that all six sides have to be factored in unlike a bricks and stix which shares walls.
The Hacked window shaker at 5,000 BTU does well and judging by the puddle of condensate works well in dehumidification.

[fossilboy50]

Great, thank you Socal Tom and Shadow Catcher for the feedback. I figured that the BTU output would be too low for the Zero Breeze, and I know I don't want a swamp cooler in South Central Texas.

That said, I'm not sure a full on home window unit is required either. Last year a series of issues with my 32 year old home air conditioner (original to the house) led me to purchase a window unit to cool a large bedroom to keep the family semi-comfortable while the home warranty company sent techs to my house to try to resolve the issue. In the meantime they gave me $100 toward a window unit. Being... "thrifty", I bought the smallest unit, as it was "thriftiest" and I figured I could repurpose it into my teardrop build. So I have a 6K BTU unit ready to install in my teardrop in a few years when I actually build to that point; this is going agonizingly slow! The trouble I have is rationalizing why I need a window unit with 5-6K BTU to cool a 7'X5'X4' or roughly 140 cu ft space, with an air conditioner rated to cool 250 sq ft (figure 10'X25' in a room with standard 8' high ceilings). I mean, clearly this should be way overkill, since the total VOLUME of my finished project will be half the AREA for which the A/C is rated. And the A/C needs to run often enough to effectively dehumidify as well as cool, especially since the aforementioned high humidity is prevalent and overwhelming at times in the San Antonio area (but hey, at least we're not Houston!).

Anyway, I thought I'd bring the gadgets to the attention of the group, and I appreciate your feedback.

[Socal Tom]

As Shadow catcher pointed out a house only has 5 "walls" , the floor of most homes provides pretty strong insulation. In a TD it's another warm area to cool. Most homes an attic as well, this provides shade and insulation to the ceiling, that the TD won't get. While 6k Btus might provide excess capacity, it won't be as much as you think.
Tom


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[working on it]

.... So I have a 6K BTU unit ready to install in my teardrop in a few years when I actually build to that point; this is going agonizingly slow! The trouble I have is rationalizing why I need a window unit with 5-6K BTU to cool a 7'X5'X4' or roughly 140 cu ft space, with an air conditioner rated to cool 250 sq ft (figure 10'X25' in a room with standard 8' high ceilings). I mean, clearly this should be way overkill, since the total VOLUME of my finished project will be half the AREA for which the A/C is rated. And the A/C needs to run often enough to effectively dehumidify as well as cool, especially since the aforementioned high humidity is prevalent and overwhelming....

• I have a 5k BTU unit, a LG LW5012J with manual controls,

• 

  LG LW5012J Airconditioner Controls.PNG (49.85 KiB) Viewed 2099 times

  only using half the capacity at mid-point settings, while cooling only 88 cubic feet. I've never had to turn it on high, nor the thermostat above halfway, though my trailer is entirely without insulation (the outside walls do sweat, when the trailer is cooled inside, and the outside humidity remains high). I intentionally aimed the cool air output from above my head, to run directly under the roof, which gets heated by the Texas sun, and to counteract my body heat, rising to the ceiling. If I need more cooling, I use a 120vac fan to blow the air back towards me. I also keep at least one of my two side-vents open a bit, to prevent icing up, by making the apparent size of the space to cool larger.

One of the most common problems associated with window air conditioners freezing up is that they are either not big enough for the room, or are too big for the room. Either extreme sizing issue will cause ice to form on the vents. A unit that is too small will have to run much harder than it should in order to keep a large room cooled down. This will result in a lot of condensation forming and resulting in ice.

On the other side of that, an air conditioner that is too large will eventually form ice on the vents because it does not run enough. Condensation from sitting in the sun will form on the coils and condenser. When purchasing your window air conditioner, make sure it is the right size for the room it will be cooling to prevent it from freezing up.

P.S. I forgot to add this, referring to the last quoted sentence: My A/C unit is inside my galley, sealed away from the sun, or other weather. Its' coils and condensers also have a constant airflow over them (from a high-flow 120vac computer case fan, blowing dry ambient air over them for added cooling). The exhaust is sealed with insulated ducting, and its' flow is also aided by another fan, a thermal-resistant axial fan inside the ducting. I've eliminated any adverse factors that the 5k unit may have faced...it works great.

[fossilboy50]

Thanks "Working on It". I am insulating all around with minimum 3/4" pink foam board, including the floor. Also I do plan on having a canopy that will shade the camper in summer conditions, which should help a great deal. A major concern, at least immediately, is the fact that I do plan on building it similar to a CampInn Raindrop 560, with bunk beds for my two boys. Yes, I plan on putting 4 people in my 5'X9' camper, at least until they are of tent camping age, at which time I'm kicking them out. So that's a lot of heat, and an oversized A/C will be worth it.

Of course since I only have a platform on a trailer at this point, all of this is conjecture.