Summerizing your car, Ecomodder style - Page 4 - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

oil pan 4 · 03-24-2014, 11:18 AM

Thats not a portable air conditioner. Just a window unit.
A real portable A/C unit usually has a duct that rejects heat through a clothes dryer vent and may have a second duct to direct the cooled air. They dont hang out the window.
The portable A/C would not stay attached to the car.

I looked them up and found a portable A/C like I had at work (cool air ducts) and its like a $2000 unit. I didnt know they were so expensive. No wonder the higher ups b|+€hed so much about getting them.
KwiKool 13,700 BTU Commercial Portable Air Conditioner - KPACII
Another option would be to hole saw a $350 to $450 unit from lowes and put a cool airduct on top of it.

I was thinking you park close to this thing, roll the window down a bit, feed the duct into the window and leave it. Then 20 or so minutes before you leave switch the A/C on. Since hot air rises, the cool air being pumped in would force the hot air out through the window opening.

Daox · 03-24-2014, 03:19 PM

There are much cheaper units available. Here is one:

Amazon.com - Whynter 14, 000 BTU Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner with Heater (ARC-14SH) -

Cobb · 03-24-2014, 08:30 PM

So, you are going to leave a portable ac unit in your driveway like the speaker to an out door movie and when you park your car you put the vent inside? Then with a timer you have it switch on x amount of time before you drive to work to precool your car?

Fat Charlie · 03-25-2014, 08:12 AM

I just open my windows at first. I'll be getting one of those beaded seat covers this year.

oil pan 4 · 03-25-2014, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cobb

So, you are going to leave a portable ac unit in your driveway like the speaker to an out door movie and when you park your car you put the vent inside? Then with a timer you have it switch on x amount of time before you drive to work to precool your car?

Cant leave it out side, some crack head will steal it and plus the cheaper ones are indoor only. At least the cheaper ones are indoor units, the industrial ones seem to be indoor/outdoor and harrsh industrial condition friendly.
If I were going to do it I would put the unit in the house or in the garage and run the cool air out through a vent. That way the A/C can be used inside too, as a heat pump, pumping heat in or out of the house.
When we move to a house with centeral A/C the portable A/C we now use is going to be repurposed for something like this. Our portable A/C is one of the cheaper ones, it has the hot air discharge ducting, but has a register on the top to let the cool air into the house. Some tape, hole saw and clothes dryer duct flange can remedy the lack of ducting on the cool side.

Frank Lee · 03-25-2014, 01:31 PM

What is this "summer" of which you speak?

Cobb · 03-25-2014, 10:42 PM

Is your garage climate control? I think I would rather have a window unit on my garage if not central ac then a portable device. Its ust going to dump heat in an already hot area and humidity as the portable units do not have a drip line like dehumidifiers do. I think the portable units are the least efficient in terms of ac.

I would think if the car is out of the direct sun a few minutes of ac in the car would be good enough. At one of my day jobs I use to park under a tree and it made a great difference in the interior temp. Hell, I would work over time into the night and even at 11 pm I could feel a difference when I parked in the open vs a tree.

oil pan 4 · 03-25-2014, 11:19 PM

Window units are magnets for thiefs plus there is no window in this garage.
The hot air is from a portable unit is rejected through a duct out side the structure.
The next place we move to has a very detached garage, no central. It has a window but there is no way I would put a window unit in there. Detached garages are favorite targets for thiefs, with a window unit I might as well just set my stuff on the curb.