terryW Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 Our van layout has the bed over the garage which contains a conbi4 heater from which ducts radiate out to various positions in the van. One such duct delivers warm air over the bed and is never opened even in the coldest depth of winter. The ducting for this runs through the garage on the bulkhead just under the bed and would lend itself to being reused to direct cooled air over the bed. My question is does anyone know of a small unit, 12 or 240 Volts, that could be fitted in the garage unit to provide some cooled air through this ducting? I know that i will need to remove the waste heat from the garage but i will worry about that if I find a unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALAN G Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 Conrad (http://www1.conrad-uk.com) have a "mini air conditioner" for £15.95. It's really an air cooler where air is blown through a wet filter. We have used one for several years and find it very effective. Of course It doesn't condition the air at all but does provide a cool breeze that is very welcome when the temperatures are in the 30s. I presume the model being advertised will operate in the same fashion. I see the latest one is 240 v ac as well as 12v dc. Depending on whether we are heading south this year I intend to buy another one. One at each end of our short van would be great. At that price it could be worth you trying it out. You should be able to see from the photo if there is a chance of it fitting your ducting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALAN G Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 The Conrad website is not that easy to navigate, so I should have said that it is Part No. 855205-89. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryW Posted March 27, 2012 Author Share Posted March 27, 2012 Thanks Alan had a quick look and at that price could be worth a try. Not much to loose and if it works it will give more time to research similar products for the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 The ducting for your heating system should not be used to carry air conditioned air, especially from the Conrad unit. The ducting is designed for warmed, dry air, if you feed air conditioned air through it it can cause condensation to form which will soak into the cardboard ducting and turn it into paper mache. As the Conrad unit evaporates water into the air stream that would introduce even more moisture into the ducting. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryW Posted March 28, 2012 Author Share Posted March 28, 2012 Thanks for pointing that out Dave, extra damp is certainly not wanted. :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ips Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Think I would just open a window a bit :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallii Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Fiamma do a nice fan/roof vent to replace a standard roof vent. It can suck or blow. I used to have one on my old van, I might get another. They can be a bit noisy but I made a speed control which quietened it down a lot. What I do in Spain is run the engine for five minutes and have the cab air con on full blast, it drops the temperature quite a lot. The trouble is the temp. climbs again and it can be quite warm in bed, (my fixed bed is over the garage too). I did think of 10mm bars on the windows and open them at night but my other half was not keen on sleeping in a "prison van". Oh! and we might get gassed 8-) NO, NO, I didn't mean that, no replies about gassing please! H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryW Posted March 28, 2012 Author Share Posted March 28, 2012 I must admit we do sleep with the window at our head open with a curtain pulled and we have a sky light directly over the bed. The window is very high up and in the past we have used a fan heater set to blow cold sat on a shelf above our feet. I would add that we only do this on sites we feel secure on. I may look at the existing ducting again because on reflection it would not be difficult to gain access and replace the duct in another material. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Get a 12v inline fan fitted in the ducting, they are readily available and you could fit an intake in the van wall or locker door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy mccord Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Terry, why not sleeve the existing ducting, similar to the principle of a chimney flue liner? Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aultymer Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Terry, if you are looking to duct air conditioned air then there is no need to change the material, sleeve the duct or anything else. The secret is in the name - the 'conditioning' removes most of the moisture from the air so that the output from an 'air conditioner' is actually drier than ambient air. Unless you enjoy humid air, I would advise against an evaporative cooler. Most people find hot, dry air easier to bear than hot, humid air. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryW Posted March 29, 2012 Author Share Posted March 29, 2012 That was my original though and am looking for a small aircon unit cased or otherwise that would have enough capacity just to deliver cool air through a single duct. Just to provide some comfort over the bed at night. I certainly don't work well in high humidity one year it was so high I found could hardly breath and that was sitting at the beach bar at 10 pm, the rest of the night was one not to forget. Fortunately I have only ever experienced that the once. As the summer approaches I will have a look at the portable units on offer and see if I can find one that when removed from its case is small enough to meet my needs. perhaps i should pass the challenge on to Dick Strabridge ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BGD Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 What about this baby "air-con" unit? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gtech-Air-cooler-ICE-FAN-personal-air-conditioning-unit-caravan-motor-home-/300676329077?pt=UK_Home_Garden_HomeOfficeFurniture_SM&hash=item4601b4ae75#ht_529wt_932 Or this one? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PROLINE-SAC-100-EW-SAC100EW-PORTABLE-AIR-CONDITIONING-UNIT-/251026460229?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Hearing_Cooling_Air&hash=item3a7257ce45#ht_500wt_949 Or this one? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/amcor-portable-air-conditioning-unit-/290690105017?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Hearing_Cooling_Air&hash=item43ae7afeb9#ht_500wt_949 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickydripin Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Hi TerryW. Last year I had a Dometic B2200 air con unit fitted to my motorhome I was away for four months in France and it was great it is a 240/12V unit and works on site and when I am mobile. I had it put in as I do not have air con on my engine but it is great and when on low remote it is very quite. I had the 400X400 rooflight taken out and that fitted in the hole. The downside is the cost if you are looking for a cheep and easy way of cooling your van plus you lose a skylight mind you now they have one that has a skylight built in Mine was about £1600 so it may not appeal to everyone but it does the job very well. Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 BGD - 2012-03-29 1:29 PM What about this baby "air-con" unit? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gtech-Air-cooler-ICE-FAN-personal-air-conditioning-unit-caravan-motor-home-/300676329077?pt=UK_Home_Garden_HomeOfficeFurniture_SM&hash=item4601b4ae75#ht_529wt_932 When I looked at this one, I was sure I had seen it before. http://www.mynewcheap.co.uk/products/details/gtech-air-cooler-ice-fan/11439/ So flea-bay sellers price is greater than NEW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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