Anybody tried one of those ice chest "air conditioner" deals? UPDATE: Bought one

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Anybody tried one of those ice chest "air conditioner" deals? UPDATE: Bought one

Posted: 6/19/2017 12:24:23 AM EDT

*Update: Bought one!

Wow. I'm sold! My wife and I flew from KDVT-KINW-KGUP-KSOW-KDVT this morning. We departed around 8am, OAT was already over 100. I put a 10lb block of ice and emptied a 20oz bottle of water into the cooler. We taxied to get fuel and I left the cooler running (I have a battery) with the doors all closed up. When we got in, the cabin was actually cool. Not cold, mind you, but I would guess around 80 degrees, vs. the usual 100+ we're used to. I closed all the outside air vents and ran the cooler until we were around 7500' MSL, when OAT was about 70 F. Shut the cooler off and we enjoyed a nice 3 hour flight. On descent back into DVT, I fired up the cooler again. It wasn't blowing "cold" air anymore, but it was definitely cooler than the vent air, which was over 100 degrees.

Overall, I am very very satisfied. It worked fantastic! Next time, I'll put 2 10lb blocks of ice, and then fill in the empty space with a bag of cubed ice. I bet I can get 30lbs of ice in there.

***

We flew up to Vegas yesterday (KVGT) and even leaving early in the morning, it was toasty. Fine once at 10.5, but departure and arrival was a little uncomfortable, more so on the way back this morning. With summer really kicking off this week (120+ tomorrow through Wednesday) there's really no avoiding the heat even in the morning.

So, I've been eyeballing those units. Just wondered if they're worth it...

Posted: 6/19/2017 1:15:26 AM EDT

[#1]

Can you post a link to a ice chest A/C

Posted: 6/19/2017 1:25:39 AM EDT

[#2]

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Can you post a link to a ice chest A/C

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http://www.b-kool.net/

Posted: 6/19/2017 1:27:03 AM EDT

[#3]

Those are garbage, don't waste your money. Some of our esteemed engineers will no doubt do the nerd math for you, but the entire idea is fundamentally absurd.

ETA: Didn't see the forum title. They might work ok in a small space like an aircraft cockpit, but in a room or apartment they are pointless.

Posted: 6/19/2017 1:47:07 AM EDT

[#4]

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Quoted:
Those are garbage, don't waste your money. Some of our esteemed engineers will no doubt do the nerd math for you, but the entire idea is fundamentally absurd.

ETA: Didn't see the forum title. They might work ok in a small space like an aircraft cockpit, but in a room or apartment they are pointless.

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Yeah, that's all I'm looking for. I'm not looking for a miracle, but if I could knock down cabin temps from 100+ to 85 degrees, that would be a godsend while sitting on the ramp.

Posted: 6/19/2017 1:50:10 AM EDT

[#5]

I had no idea private aircraft were not climate controlled.

Posted: 6/19/2017 2:05:25 AM EDT

[#6]

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I had no idea private aircraft were not climate controlled.

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They're cooled by that big ol propeller up front. Watch it stop spinning and see how long it takes the pilot to start sweating.

Posted: 6/19/2017 2:07:30 AM EDT

[#7]

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I had no idea private aircraft were not climate controlled.

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Some are, but adding one can cost $30,000 or more. No. That's not a typo.

Posted: 6/19/2017 6:59:53 AM EDT

[#8]

A friend of mine in FL tried one in her Archer. It worked alright for an hour or so, but the ice melted pretty quick and it really added to the humidity in the cockpit.

To get any real benefit from one, it needs to be pretty large and needs to sit in the back seat as its meant for the pilot and not the whole cabin. This also means you have a 30-50 lbs weight added to whatever else you have and then a potential mess if it gets upset by turbulence or a less than stellar landing.

You can make your own with a DC fan, battery, Styrofoam cooler and a bit of small ducting for a hell of a lot less than what they sell for.

Posted: 6/19/2017 7:00:35 AM EDT

[#9]

They use those in the Diamonds where I rent my planes from.
They aren't as good as air conditioners, but they do help bring the temps down to bearable levels while sitting on the ground.
Now the Cirrus has A/C, but it's not working right now, and that's how you can tell it's getting hotter out.

Posted: 6/19/2017 7:22:27 AM EDT

[#10]

Personally I think they aren't worth the effort, especially at $299. If you're adamant look at youtube for videos on how to make the exact same thing for a few bucks.

Homemade air conditioner DIY - Awesome Air Cooler! - EASY Instructions - can be solar powered!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITtlxjvLQis

Posted: 6/19/2017 9:01:36 AM EDT

[#11]

What about a little lunch box size cooler with some ice packs in it and some small towels to wrap them in? Stick them on your neck when needed? Not awesome, but it's better than nothing and it's cheap and portable.

Posted: 6/19/2017 9:53:18 AM EDT

[#12]

Get a cooling vest motorcycle guys use.

Posted: 6/19/2017 9:58:04 AM EDT

[#13]

Got bored in my garage one day and built one when the 5 gal bucket version was going berserk on social media. I used it while building a rifle for someone in said garage, mostly at night. I threw it away after I was done, though mine was not insulated.

And I would second the statement about adding humidity. Part of the purpose of legit aircon is to reduce humidity. The only thing that makes warm temps that high more miserable than they already are, is to make it wet.

On the other hand, if money is no thing (especially at that price), I would be willing to try it.

Posted: 6/19/2017 10:04:11 AM EDT

[#14]

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Get a cooling vest motorcycle guys use.

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Didn't think of that, but I used to ride a lot. This is great advice.

If it were me, I would spring for this product or something similar.

http://www.veskimo.com/body-cooling-vest-videos.php#cruiseman-video

Posted: 6/19/2017 12:04:18 PM EDT

[#15]

I've known guys to take a portable AC unit and duct the cold air into the cockpit to cool it way down before a flight. It doesn't last long, but once you get to altitude you're fine. In Florida, my objective is to remain outside of the airplane as long as possible, load up, run checklists and get to altitude.

For those of you who don't fly, air cools at approximately 3.6 degrees F per 1000 feet. Here's a link to the winds/temp aloft in Phoenix for example: http://www.usairnet.com/cgi-bin/Winds/Aloft.cgi?icao=PHX&hr=06

Posted: 6/19/2017 12:04:20 PM EDT

[#16]

I've never used one in a plane, but did build and use one in a HMMWV, homemade version of what you linked to. It worked well for taking the edge off.

Posted: 6/19/2017 2:03:15 PM EDT

[#17]

I also wonder if it wouldn't be more effective to have a compressed air tank, like a dive tank, and let it vent either directly or regulated through a vortex tube.

OP. Do you have one of these on your Mooney? If not, get one. I broke the one that mine came with and ordered a new one. This style isn't quite as effective as the old one, which was a little bit larger, but still way, way better than no scoop at all. I also discovered that the ducting for the center vent with the feet valves and the ceiling air vents combined with the ceiling scoop were a little weird to get configured to get really good airflow. The rear set of ceiling vents seemed much more effective than the pair that sit right over your head.

I've flown into VGT before and had an excellent experience. The local folks all seemed to prefer Henderson (HND) for whatever reason, so I planned to either land there or KLAS on my next trip.

Posted: 6/19/2017 8:26:22 PM EDT

[#18]

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Quoted:
Got bored in my garage one day and built one when the 5 gal bucket version was going berserk on social media. I used it while building a rifle for someone in said garage, mostly at night. I threw it away after I was done, though mine was not insulated.

And I would second the statement about adding humidity. Part of the purpose of legit aircon is to reduce humidity. The only thing that makes warm temps that high more miserable than they already are, is to make it wet.

On the other hand, if money is no thing (especially at that price), I would be willing to try it.

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Supposedly they don't add humidity. In theory, they should dry the air. The video linked a couple posts up (and the 5 gallon bucket thing) are not what I'm considering. The ones I'm looking at actually use a radiator core. It pumps cold water through the radiator, the fan pulls ambient air through the radiator, then pumps out cooled air. Cooling the air over a radiator should condense water out of the air, right? In theory, it should work very similarly to a freon cooled condenser, shouldn't it?

Posted: 6/19/2017 8:28:43 PM EDT

[#19]

Quote History

Quoted:
I also wonder if it wouldn't be more effective to have a compressed air tank, like a dive tank, and let it vent either directly or regulated through a vortex tube.

OP. Do you have one of these on your Mooney? If not, get one. I broke the one that mine came with and ordered a new one. This style isn't quite as effective as the old one, which was a little bit larger, but still way, way better than no scoop at all. I also discovered that the ducting for the center vent with the feet valves and the ceiling air vents combined with the ceiling scoop were a little weird to get configured to get really good airflow. The rear set of ceiling vents seemed much more effective than the pair that sit right over your head.

http://images.mypilotstore.com/products/9988.jpg

I've flown into VGT before and had an excellent experience. The local folks all seemed to prefer Henderson (HND) for whatever reason, so I planned to either land there or KLAS on my next trip.

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I have that duct, great for circulation on the ground.

I really liked VGT. From what I read of HND, it sounds like guys just don't like dealing with ATC. I guess it is also a little closer to the strip, but it was only a $12 Uber ride from VGT.

Posted: 6/19/2017 9:56:43 PM EDT

[#20]

Look at racing cool suits as well

Posted: 6/19/2017 10:40:47 PM EDT

[#21]

Aviation Consumer tested them all once. They concluded that the only thing they were good for was turning ice into water.

If you want cool air then turbochargers are the best answer.

Posted: 6/20/2017 12:09:59 AM EDT

[#22]

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Quoted:
Aviation Consumer tested them all once. They concluded that the only thing they were good for was turning ice into water.

If you want cool air then turbochargers are the best answer.

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I just looked up an article on them, it was posted from aviation consumer to avweb. It actually made them sound like they are a good buy...

Avweb test

With the money back guarantee, I might give it a shot.

Posted: 6/20/2017 8:01:00 AM EDT

[#23]

Quote History

Quoted:
I just looked up an article on them, it was posted from aviation consumer to avweb. It actually made them sound like they are a good buy...

Avweb test

With the money back guarantee, I might give it a shot.

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Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
Aviation Consumer tested them all once. They concluded that the only thing they were good for was turning ice into water.

If you want cool air then turbochargers are the best answer.

I just looked up an article on them, it was posted from aviation consumer to avweb. It actually made them sound like they are a good buy...

Avweb test

With the money back guarantee, I might give it a shot.

Huh, weird... That is definitely NOT the review I had read. The review I referred to was probably about 7 or 8 years old and was nothing but critical. Perhaps this idea has been greatly improved upon in that time.

Posted: 6/20/2017 8:37:59 AM EDT

[#24]

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Quoted:
Some are, but adding one can cost $30,000 or more. No. That's not a typo.

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Quoted:

Quoted:
I had no idea private aircraft were not climate controlled.

Some are, but adding one can cost $30,000 or more. No. That's not a typo.

The factory installed systems can be a bit of a pain, but some of the STC'd add-on systems can be a real headache when you need to get to some things.

Extra weight. Additional load on an engine or electrical system, depending on what drives the compressor. More drag from the scoops. Something else to break. Something else to cram into limited space.

But the interior of an airplane can get dang hot, while sitting on the ramp in the summer.

Posted: 6/20/2017 8:59:01 AM EDT

[#25]

I've used them for years in my Beech 18 and in a 200 King Air. If you have the one that pumps water through a radiator it does a really good job as long as the ice lasts. The 200 has A/C but the right engine has to be running and it takes a while to cool it off unless precooled.

I have a separate battery that I run it with so I can precool the cabin. It works long enough to get you to altitude where it is no longer needed.

I'm about to takeoff this morning in a B58 Baron and I have a small one in it that will be used for trip home this afternoon.

You need enough extra useful load to safely carry the weight.

Posted: 6/20/2017 9:40:56 AM EDT

[#26]

Friend of mine used one in his DA40. Said it worked well as long as it had ice.

My Archer II has factory AC. It works well on the ground but not so much in the air as it will freeze up over time.

Posted: 6/21/2017 4:49:39 PM EDT

[#27]

Quote History

Quoted:
The factory installed systems can be a bit of a pain, but some of the STC'd add-on systems can be a real headache when you need to get to some things.

Extra weight. Additional load on an engine or electrical system, depending on what drives the compressor. More drag from the scoops. Something else to break. Something else to cram into limited space.

But the interior of an airplane can get dang hot, while sitting on the ramp in the summer.

View Quote View All Quotes

View All Quotes

Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
I had no idea private aircraft were not climate controlled.

Some are, but adding one can cost $30,000 or more. No. That's not a typo.

The factory installed systems can be a bit of a pain, but some of the STC'd add-on systems can be a real headache when you need to get to some things.

Extra weight. Additional load on an engine or electrical system, depending on what drives the compressor. More drag from the scoops. Something else to break. Something else to cram into limited space.

But the interior of an airplane can get dang hot, while sitting on the ramp in the summer.

I've found the a/c systems don't help that much anyways on the ground in light aircraft. Need to keep the big fan moving air over the condenser, so unless you want to let it idle at 1700 it doesn't blow that cold anyways.

better than nothing of course, but not much. course the other issue is, most planes i worked on still had r12 systems

Posted: 6/21/2017 8:04:22 PM EDT

[#28]

Quote History

Quoted:
I've found the a/c systems don't help that much anyways on the ground in light aircraft. Need to keep the big fan moving air over the condenser, so unless you want to let it idle at 1700 it doesn't blow that cold anyways.

better than nothing of course, but not much. course the other issue is, most planes i worked on still had r12 systems

View Quote View All Quotes

View All Quotes

Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
I had no idea private aircraft were not climate controlled.

Some are, but adding one can cost $30,000 or more. No. That's not a typo.

The factory installed systems can be a bit of a pain, but some of the STC'd add-on systems can be a real headache when you need to get to some things.

Extra weight. Additional load on an engine or electrical system, depending on what drives the compressor. More drag from the scoops. Something else to break. Something else to cram into limited space.

But the interior of an airplane can get dang hot, while sitting on the ramp in the summer.

I've found the a/c systems don't help that much anyways on the ground in light aircraft. Need to keep the big fan moving air over the condenser, so unless you want to let it idle at 1700 it doesn't blow that cold anyways.

better than nothing of course, but not much. course the other issue is, most planes i worked on still had r12 systems

...and the really suck-ass part of R12 systems is you ain't allowed to convert to 134a in most cases.

Posted: 6/21/2017 9:02:05 PM EDT

[#29]

Make one yourself for less than $20.......... Called a bubba ac, look it up on youtube. Your welcome

Posted: 6/21/2017 9:15:30 PM EDT

[#30]

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Quoted:
Make one yourself for less than $20.......... Called a bubba ac, look it up on youtube. Your welcome

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The problem with a "bubba AC" is it just blows air over ice/water. A real cooler using ice as a medium uses a pump to circulate cold water through a heat exchanger, over which air is ducted. The first will raise the humidity level through the roof, the second shouldn't raise it at all. I think the object of this discussion is the second, more sophisticated, type.

Posted: 6/21/2017 9:29:34 PM EDT

[#31]

Quote History

Quoted:

The problem with a "bubba AC" is it just blows air over ice/water. A real cooler using ice as a medium uses a pump to circulate cold water through a heat exchanger, over which air is ducted. The first will raise the humidity level through the roof, the second shouldn't raise it at all. I think the object of this discussion is the second, more sophisticated, type.

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exactly.

Posted: 6/22/2017 2:26:14 PM EDT

[#32]

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Quoted:

I have that duct, great for circulation on the ground.

I really liked VGT. From what I read of HND, it sounds like guys just don't like dealing with ATC. I guess it is also a little closer to the strip, but it was only a $12 Uber ride from VGT.

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The departure procedures there I thought were pretty cool. IIRC, you have to circle and stay sandwiched between two altitudes until you hit a certain waypoint and then climb over the mountains going eastbound. They brought me in aggressively over Nellis on the arrival and I remember it being an incredibly fun airport to fly into. The one time I flew out there it was before Uber and the fucking taxi driver ripped me off, took me on a strange route and it cost me $40.