I always get a chuckle when I see some of the older RVs around here that
somebody put a garage-sized swamp cooler on- you wonder how they don't just
get torn off at road speeds. Big square thing sticking way out of the top-
just bizarre.
The problem with swamp coolers is that they're useless once the humidity
goes up- I don't know the percentage off hand but it isn't that high- just
turns into a big 'ol fan pushing hot air around. Wouldn't do you much good
in about 2/3 of the country.

Cya,
Robert

----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Miller" <tmiller@VCMAILS.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, July 01, 2005 11:06 AM
Subject: Re: Portable Air Conditioner aka hybrid electric vehicle
continued - live and learn

> Have you tried an evaporative cooler?  They use 60 watts so that's 1/2 amp
> which is easily handled by 400 watt inverters, and are no where near the
> weight and noise level.  I saw one here:
> http://www.atrendyhome.com/portableswampcooler.html
>
> Thanks for the informative report!
> TEMiller
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Doug in Calif" <vanagon@ASTOUND.NET>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Friday, July 01, 2005 12:53 PM
> Subject: Re: Portable Air Conditioner aka hybrid electric vehicle
> continued - live and learn
>
>
>> Well,
>> I had high hopes for this idea of a "poor mans AC" in my non ac bus, and
>> still may have some flicker of ideas for it, but I am taking the two
>> units
> I
>> purchased back and tossing in the towel for now, live and learn.
>>
>> I did have good success running the ac units with my 1000w inverter from
>> Costco, it ran them both.
>> I cannot say how long or how reliably it would do it but it did work in
> all
>> of my tests, especially with the Daewoo.
>>
>> The Daewoo AC unit  DWC-55RL from Costco ($99) is by far and away the
> better
>> unit when matched against
>> the GE unit at Sams, ($77) Daewoo puts out more cooling by 200 btu and
> draws
>> 1/3 of an amp less (4.6)
>> I removed the covers from both units and inspected the quality and there
> is
>> a huge difference.
>> There is also a big difference in how the two run, the Daewoo is quiet
>> and
>> smooth and gets cold right away.
>> No strange sounds, just a perfect running machine. The GE is lacking and
>> makes some strange sounds even after
>> going back and getting a 2nd one.
>>
>> The Daewoo was my choice to try to work into the vanagon, even though
>> tiny
>> bit larger and 5lbs heavier. (42lbs)
>> One place it really looked like it could work is atop the lid over the
> stove
>> and sink, I have the standard GL sliders and you
>> can open the slider and just put the back of the unit out the window. It
>> wouldnt take much to seal it off.
>> I think for parked use this would make the most sense. But driving is
>> another story, having a 42lb chunk of steel behind my head when some guy
> in
>> a
>> Navigator hits me head on is is a good way to get a permanent impression
> of
>> a refrigeration compressor imbossed into the back of my skull, even
>> though
>> it would have been very easy to route the cool air from there.
>> Its too heavy and bulky IMO and it needs to go on the floor and have the
>> duct work for venting. In looking at it on the limited floor space of my
>> westy
>> I concluded it just uses too much real estate for my needs. I would
>> prefer
>> about 2000 btu size and about 1/3 the over all weight and size for trying
> to
>> haul with me.
>>
>> The new ac units ARE impressive on power using 4.6 amps to produce 5350
> btu
>> of cold is pretty amazing, its almost there for use in a westy but they
> are
>> designed for a 150 sq ft room. I did look at some "cabinet coolers" that
> are
>> in the 1000 - 2000 btu range but they are specialty coolers and draw 7+
> amps
>> on AC and are not made in a space or energy saving way, rats! foiled
> again!
>>
>> For now.
>>
>> Doug
>> Everybody have a happy and "cool" 4th
>> I am definitely going to change out that heater valve ASAP now.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Doug in Calif" <vanagon@astound.net>
>> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
>> Sent: Thursday, June 30, 2005 5:15 PM
>> Subject: Portable Air Conditioner aka hybrid electric vehicle continued
>>
>>
>> Well.
>> The results are in for the moment.
>> I purchased the 5150 unit from Sams, (interesting number btw, in police
> work
>> 5150 means your bonkers)
>> I think I must be but then I digest.
>>
>> As soon as I tested the unit I found out the cooling fan is running out
>> of
>> true, I was able to push it and make it better but
>> I am going to exchange this one. fyi
>>
>> The unit weighs in at about 39lbs best I can figure on bathroom scale.
>> Pretty small indeed 11x12x17
>> NEWS FLASH! - IT FITS IN THE STANDARD VANAGON SIDE WINDOW OPENING!
>> This will make some of you hate life in the smaller opening westy side
>> windows, hey toss your screen and put GL glass in there. arrg.
>>
>> Okay with the Xantrex X power 1000 inverter I picked up at Costco a few
>> years back WILL drive this unit.
>> The AC has manual controls (NICE) and is not digital, so it has a "on"
>> switch and a toggle for the fan from low to high.
>> A rotary dial knob manual for the evap sensor is just a thermostat with
> full
>> counter clock turns off the compressor completely.
>>
>> With the 1000w inverter I have it will start the compressor if I have the
>> fan switch set to LOW it will not start it with the fan on high.
>> So I recon the fan is drawing some pretty good juice on its own.
>>
>> Once the compressor is started and running I can switch from low to high
> on
>> the fan and it runs continuous.
>>
>> NEAT HUH?
>>
>>
>> Okay, now some thoughts.
>>
>> This thing is SO SMALL its not all that much larger (okay a bit) larger
> than
>> the rear heater under the back seat.
>> I even thought of installing it there. it would work best in a 2wd
>> vanagon
>> so you could cut a couple ports in the sheet metal and vent out the heat
>> from the back
>> Seriously it could fit under there.
>>
>> The way this unit is designed is it has a fairly large blower motor that
>> shares the same shaft for both the exhaust fan on the back and the
>> cooling
>> fan on the front.
>> Its a pretty big blower motor and I am sure it draws some pretty good
> amps.
>>
>> I would be VERY interested in how many watts the compressor by itself
> draws
>> as I think oil cooler 12vt fans on the evaporator and condenser would
>> move
>> enough air to duplicate the factory blower.   AND THOSE CAN RUN STRAIGHT
>> FROM 12 VT SOURCE !
>>
>> Is a wise guess 2/3 of the spec of 530w AC? reasonable?    Thereby
> reducing
>> the AC load to around 400 w? for a 5000+ btu ac unit?
>> Not bad if it works.
>>
>> At 39lbs how much weight am I saving over factory vanagon air?  anybody
>> know.
>>
>> Also, during the winter it sits in the garage, AND when camping hooked to
>> shore power can run it all day.
>>
>> Cheers and cold beers.
>>
>> Doug
>>