Portable A/C unit

[smritte]

Ty. Looking at the web site, there were no pictures of the covers installed so I assumed they were for ducting the output. If I get one, it will be mounted externally with the air coming in through a port.
When you do your testing, post outside temp and humidity as well as how long it took to hit minimum temp. My friend just came back from Florida and gave me some numbers on his zero breeze.

 

[Cypress]

I have the older version of this. It works perfectly.

Amazon Link

 

[highboy4x4]

I really wanted this to work! I even started planning how I would permanently vent it outside and ordered some of the parts. BUT, the initial test results are completely and utterly pitiful. I guess you get what you pay for! My expectation management bar was set very low and this unit didn't even see the bar, let alone try to get near it.

My insulated truck cap is only 100 CUFT. So I assumed (assumptions kill) that this unit would be a rock star!! Yet after a 4 hour test, I barely got a 4 degree drop in temps. I ran it off my garage power, not my batteries just to see how it works. I used 2 temp sensors, one outside and one inside. I vented the exhaust and intake outside and sealed the gaps, relatively speaking ( love my ol 1980's era 30* army bag!! (which I absolutely love btw) For the record, I was not trying to be scientific nor exacting in any measurements. Just seeing if it works. The temp of the exhaust was up to 120* F. The intake was close to the 95-97* ambient temp. The first 2 hours I ran it at 72*F and it barely changed the inside temp. I lowered it to 60*F which is the max and I finally got movement but after 2 hours, only 4* drop.

Time to reset and look at a refund and get an RV mini split. I have always kept my eye on the unit in the link below but didn't want to spend the $$$$. Depending on how it feels on my next trip (July), if it is sweltering at night, I might have to bite the bullet. I wrote the company asking for power usage as the web site only lists the amps. We will see based on their reply if it is viable!

12V Air Conditioner, 10000 BTU Top Mounted Heating and Cooling Parking

Product Description: This is a ductless top-mounted 12V DC powered air conditioner designed specifically for recreational vehicles(RVs), campers, boats, trucks, vans. It offers a versatile and efficient cooling solution that can make your travels more comfortable. This air conditioner is not...

outequippro.com

Anyways, on to better things!

 

[genocache]

Well sorry to hear this. Thanks so much for not keeping us out in the cold(so to speak).

 

[smritte]

Damn....What was your humidity?

Here's the numbers my buddy gave me regarding his new Zero Breeze.
Somewhere in Florida with about the same cubic feet, plugged into ac power. His batteries would only have lasted a few hours at best....
100 degree ambient, 50% humidity.
Four hours of running kept the insulated trailer at about 85 degrees. He kept the upper fan on low due to the bit of heat coming through the roof.
Initially you (or someone) stated a spec of 15 degree drop in temp. His seems to be along those numbers. less humidity "may" have gotten him a bit higher temp drop.

 

[tjZ06]

I vented the exhaust and intake outside

I think this is part of your problem. If you're running the intake outside, it's pulling warm/humid air from outside to cool, and pumping it in. You want the intake air to be from within the shell (like running the "recirculate" mode on your dash AC). Maybe I'm misunderstanding your post, but just a thought before you return it...

-TJ

 

[highboy4x4]

I vented the exhaust and intake outside

I think this is part of your problem. If you're running the intake outside, it's pulling warm/humid air from outside to cool, and pumping it in. You want the intake air to be from within the shell (like running the "recirculate" mode on your dash AC). Maybe I'm misunderstanding your post, but just a thought before you return it...

-TJ

I have been sitting here all afternoon thinking about it and you are right. I will test again tomorrow.
I am repairing a mini split system right now and now that I think about it, your comment makes sense. Not sure why I didn’t see this at the time. Maybe household 6 stressors had my mind elsewhere.

Anyways the process is the same, evaporator, inside unit, pulls air over the liquid line (high side) to cool it before it goes back to the condenser. Same principle but in a smaller form factor.

Since this unit has both inlet/outlet in the same cover, I was shooting myself in the foot! The rear vent cover has both inlet and outlet (4&5” hole) so the hot outside air is crossing the condenser making it work harder.

Damn it Jim, I’m an IT Engineer not an AC tech!

(Pic of my 2ton mini that the AC tech said that it has a leak but it has been under pressure for almost 2 weeks and no leak….hum)

 

[highboy4x4]

Well sorry to hear this. Thanks so much for not keeping us out in the cold(so to speak).

Now that’s funny right there, i don’t care who you are!!

 

[smritte]

I think this is part of your problem. If you're running the intake outside, it's pulling warm/humid air from outside to cool, and pumping it in

Good catch. Didnt see that.

 

[highboy4x4]

Damn....What was your humidity?

Here's the numbers my buddy gave me regarding his new Zero Breeze.
Somewhere in Florida with about the same cubic feet, plugged into ac power. His batteries would only have lasted a few hours at best....
100 degree ambient, 50% humidity.
Four hours of running kept the insulated trailer at about 85 degrees. He kept the upper fan on low due to the bit of heat coming through the roof.
Initially you (or someone) stated a spec of 15 degree drop in temp. His seems to be along those numbers. less humidity "may" have gotten him a bit higher temp drop.

Humidity on the sensors was 45 & 50%.

 

[smritte]

On my post earlier, the intake was taken from inside the trailer.

 

[highboy4x4]

No testing today…the daily FL rain wears on ya like…..fill in the blank!
It was 76* with 89% humidity around 8am. I set everything up and then deluge!!!!

 

[highboy4x4]

I really wanted this to work! I even started planning how I would permanently vent it outside and ordered some of the parts. BUT, the initial test results are completely and utterly pitiful. I guess you get what you pay for! My expectation management bar was set very low and this unit didn't even see the bar, let alone try to get near it.

My insulated truck cap is only 100 CUFT. So I assumed (assumptions kill) that this unit would be a rock star!! Yet after a 4 hour test, I barely got a 4 degree drop in temps. I ran it off my garage power, not my batteries just to see how it works. I used 2 temp sensors, one outside and one inside. I vented the exhaust and intake outside and sealed the gaps, relatively speaking ( love my ol 1980's era 30* army bag!! (which I absolutely love btw) For the record, I was not trying to be scientific nor exacting in any measurements. Just seeing if it works. The temp of the exhaust was up to 120* F. The intake was close to the 95-97* ambient temp. The first 2 hours I ran it at 72*F and it barely changed the inside temp. I lowered it to 60*F which is the max and I finally got movement but after 2 hours, only 4* drop.

Time to reset and look at a refund and get an RV mini split. I have always kept my eye on the unit in the link below but didn't want to spend the $$$$. Depending on how it feels on my next trip (July), if it is sweltering at night, I might have to bite the bullet. I wrote the company asking for power usage as the web site only lists the amps. We will see based on their reply if it is viable!

12V Air Conditioner, 10000 BTU Top Mounted Heating and Cooling Parking

Product Description: This is a ductless top-mounted 12V DC powered air conditioner designed specifically for recreational vehicles(RVs), campers, boats, trucks, vans. It offers a versatile and efficient cooling solution that can make your travels more comfortable. This air conditioner is not...

outequippro.com

Anyways, on to better things!

For those that cares: Email response received from Outequippro.com I referenced in this post.
Below is the breakdown of the approximate power consumption in watts for the 12V version of the unit, based on the current draw in each mode:
Turbo Mode: 58A × 12V = 696W
Eco Mode: 29A × 12V = 348W
Sleep Mode: 21A × 12V = 252W
Fan Mode: 4.5A × 12V = 54W
Heating Mode: 50A × 12V = 600W
These values are approximate and can vary slightly based on ambient conditions and installation quality, but they offer a solid estimate of the power demands in each operating mode.

 

[smritte]

Going by the posted wattage, 696 watts will produce 2373 BTU. We really want something over 5K for 100sq feet. That 10k unit you posted would be drastic overkill but, you could always leave it on low and use a heated blanket. The down side is on max, it pulls a constant 58 amps.
All I want to do is camp comfortably in the warm months.

 

[highboy4x4]

Going by the posted wattage, 696 watts will produce 2373 BTU. We really want something over 5K for 100sq feet. That 10k unit you posted would be drastic overkill but, you could always leave it on low and use a heated blanket. The down side is on max, it pulls a constant 58 amps.
All I want to do is camp comfortably in the warm months.

Agreed on the max power issue. Im still holding out the hope in this $250 unit… in regards to your last comment about being comfortable, I am a Patreon of Dan Grec from “the road chose me,” and from a man who solo’d around Africa, he said he wouldn’t bother with a/c. Extra weight, power, need, etc….To your point, I wrote this.
“As far as tolerating the hot nights, I remember all too well working night shift in the desert and having to sleep on a cot, in a tent, in 90-100* + weather! I am done with tolerating!!”

 

[smritte]

100% agree. 100 degrees isn't too bad as long as you have a fan blowing on you and low humidity. That's what I tolerated in my youth. Today....Yeah....Uh...no. My buddy's zero breeze netted him a 15 degree drop and no humidity. 80 ish degrees with a small fan and no humidity would have been good. The only down side so far is the power requirement. Daytime, based on the sun position, I have a max of 500 watts of solar. Sadly, I don't think I can run any of these without plugging in. if I did, the unit would need a 110v plug also.

 

[highboy4x4]

100% agree. 100 degrees isn't too bad as long as you have a fan blowing on you and low humidity. That's what I tolerated in my youth. Today....Yeah....Uh...no. My buddy's zero breeze netted him a 15 degree drop and no humidity. 80 ish degrees with a small fan and no humidity would have been good. The only down side so far is the power requirement. Daytime, based on the sun position, I have a max of 500 watts of solar. Sadly, I don't think I can run any of these without plugging in. if I did, the unit would need a 110v plug also.

If all pans out well and the unit is a keeper, I think the power I have onboard is sufficient for a few hours each night. I have 3-100ah lithium batteries with a dc-dc 50 amp charge controller, plus 200 watts of solar. 2 days would be the most time I will be sitting still, so power isn’t my problem….yet…..My truck alternator has proven to recharge the batteries in no time!
Famous last words!!!

 

[mep1811]

ive looked at these and they do seem to be power hungry and apparently don't put out all that much cold from the reviews I've read. I did see a 120vac unit from Northern Tool that says the compressor uses 280 watts, so even though its 120vac, 280 watts would be pretty easy to do with a 12v battery and relatively small inverter. Would have to crunch the numbers to figure out the power used by each unit versus the BTUs of actual cooling you get, but might be worth looking into. A lot of a/c units are now going with inverters built in where they are more efficient and don't have the huge power spike when the compressor kicks in.

https://www.northerntool.com/products/2-500-btu-portable-air-conditioner-cools-45-sq-ft-with-dehumidifier-and-remote-for-tent-camping-and-rv-in-white-6650522

I bought one of these and returned it. Looks great on paper but the fan barely blows the cold air out. The vent adapter connects to a huge six inch duct hose that is would be difficult to adapt to a trailer . I returned it after an afternoon of testing.

 

[highboy4x4]

“I should have known better.” I keep saying that to myself about this purchase. No matter what configuration I used with the input/output hoses, I could not get the temp to drop more than 4*. So I asked for a refund! That is when the comedy of errors really started happening. Email bantering for over a week was interesting. Being polite and patient knowing that this is a Chinese company, I tried every config they tossed at me, I met their specific area requirements (actually I am a lot smaller). I kept saying sorry but it didn’t work. They said here’s $90 and keep the unit. I said no full refund. They said here’s $180 and keep the unit. I said I didn’t know bartering for a refund was in your policy but I will accept a refund of $250. (Actual cost was $282). So they gave me $250. Now I have to figure out what to do with this unit?? “I should have known better.” Lesson learned.
Moving to a forced air ventilation system and calling it a day.