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Air Conditioner Alternative... Realistic??

B

boxing_day

New member
Joined
Mar 12, 2016
Location
Maryland
So I drive a 78 242, and it does not have AC (from factory). This is tough since I live in Miami. I have been dabbling with the idea of installing ac, which I know is very expensive, but the car is in great shape, and I have something of an emotional attachment to it... but the quotes Ive been getting have been much higher than I anticipated. I was looking around on kickstarter and came across a product, that theoretically I could use instead of an installed AC system for a fraction of the price. It is a portable personal air conditioner:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1253665084/zero-breeze-the-worlds-coolest-portable-air-condit

The problem is that this AC system is marked at 1100 BTU. My understanding is that factory AC systems are significantly more powerful, but also that the reason for this is that people want instant cold, and are not willing to wait.

My question is, If my car is parked in a garage, and maintained at a comfortable temperature, then I turn on this unit, and drive somewhere, will this unit be capable of maintaining a lower temperature inside the cabin? Additionally, if my car is parked out in the sun, and i turn on this unit, will it have any chance of cooling down the cabin within a reasonable amount of time? What if I had two of these units (2200BTU)?

Thanks for the feedback
 
Unless I'm forgetting something basic about thermodynamics, A/C units produce heat that is normally exhausted outside. That kickstarter thing wouldn't work in an enclosed area like a car.
 
What were you quoted for an AC conversion using Volvo parts? To answer your primary question, you can't put one of those "inside" your car and have it do anything but heat the inside of the car to a higher temperature it is already at. AC moves heat from one place to another. That is why you have an evaporator inside the cabin and a condenser outside in the ambient air to expel the heat taken from inside the cabin. Sorry, no amount of "magic pixie dust" is going to change the laws of physics. That isn't a put down of you. I think this product is nothing but a scam. Even if they successfully get the unit to move heat, it can't cool a room by placing it in the room. Read up on how air conditioning works and you will understand what I'm attempting to get across in a short reply.
 
theres an exhaust hose for "enclosed" areas.

OP- I'm sure it will work, but probably not really well. I had something similar in my garage for a few days, it worked for the most part, but the area it said it could/would cool was smaller than a smaller BTU traditional window AC unit.

I would say that doing a normal AC install in your car would be more cost effective than using that. With how many people stripping their AC for performance, you should be able to get this stuff for a pretty good deal.
 
Car A/Cs run around 15-18,000 BTU. an older "well ventilated" 242 would need at least 18,000.

Cars have many holes that people don't think about.
 
For the same price (or cheaper) you can get a r134 system pieced together from a 91+ 240 that would essentially drop in with a little work. "Hardest" part would be installing the evaporator in your dash. Not difficult...just time consuming really.

Or for $20...you can do what I did as a temporary solution...


Put a couple bags of ice (dry ice works well) in it...and plug the fan into the lighter.

Not fantastically cold...but it works better than I expected it to. I aim the ports towards the front seats...it's a nice cool breeze on the back of the neck.

Let's see your $500 kick starter keep your beer cold at the same time...
 
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_cooler

640px-Thermador_Car_Cooler.JPG
 
Bitterbuffaloh said:
Uhh please make me one of those coolers. My friends laugh at me for not having AC and this would be a riot.
Click to expand...



Its as simple as it looks, cooler with a couple holes in it. Works better with a divider that forces the air to hang out by the ice a moment before it goes out the vents. Oh and use empty milk jugs full of water for the ice, they melt slower just dont forget to cut off the jug before you use it
 
Cars have a tremendous solar load due to the window area, plus you're driving on a dark surface that bakes in the sun all day, so even a household AC unit won't provide a whole lot of heat removal.
 
I was quoted 2800 to install an aftermarket underdash unit and 4200 to hide everything in the dash and have the air blow out the original vents. I had been told in the past by several people to expect a number under 2000... so these prices seemed outrageous to me. Everyone I talk to seems to react similarly when I ask them about installing AC... kind of like a groan and a head shake. I understand its alot of work, but say parts are 1500. At 85/hr for labor, thats 15 hours of labor- for the underdash, and a hell of alot more for taking the dash apart to hide the condenser within.

Its like people are either trying to take advantage of me and my sweaty back from just driving through miami traffic and heat to see them, or they really dont want to do this job for me. I just dont get it.
 
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