The Deadly Heat
 

Summer is here, we all love it, when we don't have to drive without A/C. I have no A/C option in my CRX HF and no motivation to spend a million dollars (over-exaggeration) on putting it in. I want an alternative. No wet towels and ice packs in my arm pits. I want something useful.
I was thinking of this ---> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR9CA8lJGvs

But reading on creates a doubt of how long the ice will actually last..

Secondly I thought about taking a mini freezer and plugging her in with maybe some fans blowing the cool air around.

In doing all of this I don't want to suck so much power that I start to lose gas mileage like original A/C would do..

Any ideas on how much power putting a freezer in my car would pull?

Also another idea would be one of those portable A/C units somehow wired to my car..

How about dry ice ? Could be expensive on the long run though.

Ya, I dont want to be spending a ton..

A refrigerator or freezer will not cool the inside of you car if its inside it too, they move the heat from inside the freezer to outside it so they will make your car hotter. With the freezer door open they will still make the car hotter as the electricty they use mostly turns to heat, its moving heat from front of frig to the back of the frig.

If your in a dry enough climate a swamp cooler could have a chance. Get a 12 volt fan, cover back side with cloth, spray bottle of water, moisten cloth with water, it could cool down to the wet bulb temperature. I've never tried it, but I might have to I have the fan, but humiditys so high not sure if it's work here most days.

Ha!
Hi Wyatta4,
When ice melts it absorbs heat, 12000 btu per ton, so if you melt a ton of ice in an hour that is the same as an A/C rated at 12000 btuh. An average car A/C is around 50,000 btuh. But you might not need to use the A/C for hours on end. You could have the same cooling performance as a regular A/C for 15 minutes if you could melt a ton of ice in that time. But a ton of ice adds 2000 lbs at the start of your trip. And it takes up some space, about 35 cu ft. So probably not practical.
Now that 50,000 btuh car A/C is not very efficient. Coefficient of Performance is the amount of heat moved divided by the power needed. 4 or 5 for a car. Those window units you plug in to 120 ac can have a CoP as high 9 or 10. So less power wasted, but if you want a full size A/C you'll need a lot of electricity. A 10000 btuh window air conditioner uses about 1200 watts, about 10 amps at 120 volts. You'll need a 100 amp alternator and an inverter and counting the rather poor efficiency of alternators you'll be adding 4hp or so to your engine load. Also you'll need to mount it out the window, which will alter your aerodynamics a bit. Your CRX might only need 10 hp to cruise, so you'd definitely notice the mpg.

-mort

...wear DAMP clothes and stand/sit in front of a FAN = evaporative cooling!

How about storing rain water and dispensing it at will in the form of a small mist ? It could be used in combination with the cabin fan for a better cooling sensation.

I've imagined a small & efficient ac unit with solar power. Leave it on all day. Seems like you should be able to stay ahead of the solar heat gain of the car.

Beaded seat cover to get air flowing under and behind you.

I'm not going to get myself all wet every time I have to drive somewhere. I want something practical. Something that is going to last. The Cooler Pump deal is a nice idea but the ice really isn't going to last very long.

The beaded seats may work but it isnt going to keep me all the way cool.

There has got to be something... I'm going to beat this:D

And ya I was thinking it may be possible to have a small portable A/c in the rear with solar panels attached to help reduce energy suck..

I was also thinking of air conditioning car unit that ran purely off of electricity? Like the one in the Prius?

Look at passive systems first - keep the car from getting hot in the first place. Windshield reflector, park in the shade, crack the window open when you part, etc. Those three give me a measured difference in interior temps - down from 125F to ambient 100F. The lower you start, the less work your gadget has to do / the smaller it can be.

add a 5th wheel chained to a compressor and lower it to the ground when slowing down for regenerative AC braking :)

Forget the solar cells. Too expensive. You'll need about 1000 watts for a barely adequate A/C. Solar cells run about $1 per watt (raw) and you don't have enough surface.
The only way to do this economically is if you get the parts cheap. A portable A/C is about $350, you'll need a battery $150, inverter $75, alternator $100, installation ! But everything except installation can be found on ebay or Craigs list, somethings for free if you go get it.

A portable A/C needs outside air, usually through huge dryer vent hoses. So something tricky with a window maybe.

-mort

Will be doing those things.

And dcb, haha I like your thinking

Another idea may be heat insulation of the type used under wooden floors - the gold covered stuff. I put some into the head lining of my old Maestro and it did make a noticeable difference to the inside temps after the car had been parked for a while, and this car has huge windows - like a greenhouse on wheels.

idea
 

they have plug in 12 volt cooler at truck stops walmart etc. why not use one of those maybe take it apart and put it in line with your vents to help. you could run it to a 12v battery in the trunk. the battery in the trunk has a dedicated charger. when you are done driving plug it in to recharge the battery.( added benifit of people thinking you now own a plug in car) you could add solar panels to help out. you could also run a wire from your car battery to the dedicated ac battery and put it on a switch for emergency use.
the whole set up would not cost more than 100 dollars and thats if you have no supplies

I was thinking about that dissimilar wire that the 12 volt coolers work on, I don't remember the wire materials involved, but if you go from say Copper(?) wire to iron(?) wire, than at a later point go back to Copper and connect both ends of the copper to 12v dc one of the connections will give off heat the other absorbs heat, simply changing the direction of flow switches which one is hot or cold. I can't remember the technical name for it but I think 30F colder than current temp is all it will do.

roosterk0031 and talldudenumber5
see here

Maybe how much use stock A/C will get from me wont be so bad.. a couple months out of the year.. Just gotta find all the parts for it for a fair price...

wyatta4 -

What is your average time in your car in the heat?

An el-cheapo method is a fisherman's vest (lots of pockets) + cooler bag ice-pack bottles. That works if you have a commute of under an hour. More than that would require a cooler + more ice-packs.

That doesn't work for your back because the hard ice-packs can injure you in an accident. You can, however, use a squishy gel-pack solution :

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-cf...d-gel-pack.jpg
http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-cf...ack-doesnt.jpg

CarloSW2

How much heat are you talking about, and how much of the year, and how long a drive? How deadly is it?

Its only about 2 or three months out of the year. Not deadly, just uncomfortable. and I have a passenger some of the time so personal cooling methods aren't going to cut it..

Pry a peltier unit+heatsink combination from any electrically cooled cooler, and stick a fan in front of it for an easy A/C. The peltier unit uses no freon/yuck stuff, it functions by getting cold on one side and very hot on the other. If you heatsink the one side, it dissipates the heat, and thus has net cooling. Most units are to be found with the heatsink attached (that is, if you pry it out of something sold as a cooler) but you could easily buy a PC heatsink unit from any computer parts supplier.

That said, there is much to be had in PC cooling supplies. I wonder if anyone would make an AC out of them, as the supplies all draw from a PC power supply, which in turn could be attached to a normal outlet, which could have power drawn from any obtainable solar panel.

There is more info on the Dirt cheap cooling help post in this same section.

Aside from that, there's no magic cheap cure. I have a CRX also!

When you mentioned sometimes passengers; I instantly read picky female!

The humidity in Idaho is nothing compared to back east. I think you could go with dual from behind fans aimed at each seat, and just try to toughen up!

The best body configuration that lends itself to natural cooling would be a small PU w a sliding rear window. They do wonders!

There is more info on the Dirt cheap cooling help post in this same section.

Aside from that, there's no magic cheap cure. I have a CRX also!

When you mentioned sometimes passengers; I instantly read picky female!

The humidity in Idaho is nothing compared to back east. I think you could go with dual from behind fans aimed at each seat, and just try to toughen up!

The best body configuration that lends itself to natural cooling would be a small PU w a sliding rear window. They do wonders!

You mean like this...???

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/f...6969/carac.jpg

:D

>

Actually they have a net heating effect and are not very efficient. From an actual data sheet I got these values. To remove 28.3 Watts of heat from the cold side you need 52.7 Watts of electricity and need to dissipate 81 Watts of heat on the hot side with a temperature difference of 71 degrees C.

Major aerodynamic penalty though ! :D

Yes, it is a female. Haha.. Aftermarket a/c doesnt seem to bad of an idea now........ haha

If you're going to use your air conditioner most effectively, you might consider insulating your car and getting a temperature blocking film for your windows.

I have no personal gain in what choice you make, but in a quick Google search, I found: Vintage Air company sells aftermarket air units designed for the old car crowd and they list insulating products that can go above your headliner, inside the door panels, under carpet, etc. 3M's web site lists a window film material called Crystaline Auto Film that is made to block heat, not darken windows. This may make your car more comfortable without needing the air as early in the cooling season or as late in the cooling season. It could also make an A/C unit with a thermostat controlled compressor {if any car units do that} run less often. Good luck either way.

Personally, I run my Kia Rio's A/C only on the way home from work during the summer and anytime SWMBO rides along. :p

OK, you got me looking. Check this-
Portable air conditioning - 12 volt - air conditioners - Evaporative coolers

Basicly a top for a cooler, with a fan blowing into the cooler, and a vent letting the air out. Insert ice. Seemed cheesy to me, until I realized that they only want $40 for this. Heck, I don't think I could make it for much more. Gonna buy one. :)
BTW, no, I don't even know if this is a reputable company, much less have an interest in it. Caveat Emptor. YMMV. yada, yada, yada.

How about a roof scoop? the same thing they use on rally cars to cool down the driver and the navigator while being more aerodynamic than open windows

http://img.alibaba.com/wsphoto/v0/31...generation.jpg

http://www.micsaund.com/wp-content/u...rice-racer.png

and I also like the suggestions made by others..adding window tint/film reduces heat A LOT!

then while parked outside, leave a couple of windows open about an inch and get those windshield shades made of foil

...anybody remember these (below)? Back in the mid-1950's we had one on our 1955 Ford Station Wagon down in Yuma, AZ.

http://portableswampcooler.net/images/thermador.png

...worked GREAT when humidity was low, worked OK when it was typical, DIDN'T work at all when the humidity was high, though.

oh yes I see those on trucks at vintage car shows. How much do those things cost and are they still available?

There's a few on eBay. Looks to sell from $300 to $450 depending on the bidding. ;)

I guess you could try to make yer own out of PVC pipe... :D

Instructables has this personal AC idea, would that be of use ?

not to make fun of the idea or creativity, but I'm LMAO about the phrase "It's 87 degrees and scorching outside". This person needs to visit someplace hot for a change

Indeed. We're at 104 and still climbing right now.