A/C questions

pbmaniac2000 · Post by **pbmaniac2000** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 2:54 pm

Well this year i have decided that it is time to start using a/c. I have a rather large wall tent (20feet X 30feet) and as everyone knows it gets down right hot during the day. So i decided to bite the bullet and buy an a/c unit this year, but have a few questions.

My plan is to put a "window mount" unit inside of my tent. Then attach a large piece of tubing (dryer ducting) from the top mounted vent up through my chimney hole. Will this work? I really don't want to have to put the unit outside due to the dust and the fact that I am going to have to pipe the air into the tent.

My next question is size i found an awesome 24,500 btu a/c unit. ([url]http://tinyurl.com/3xdga8[/url]) I'm really looking into this one because its missing the mounting bracets so home depot has it for $150 off. My question is do you think this is overkill. The unit is suppose to cool a 40x40 room. I don't suppose that 40x40 room had paper thin walls and was out in the middle of the desert though. I have the power for it(5,000 watt generator). Also with the larger unit i would hope it would cool faster. This way i can run the genny and a/c for a couple of hours get it really cold then shut it off.

Any other advice would be much appreciated.

Dustdevil · Post by **Dustdevil** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 3:01 pm

Have you looked at the portable AC units? I use one at home when I only wish to cool one room. All you have to do is place the exhaust hose outside. They cost a little more, but they work very well. The link is to an example of the type I am refering to. We used ours inside our trailer last year and it worked fine for a 16' trailer.
http://cgi.ebay.com/FEDDERS-9K-BTU-ELEC ... dZViewItem

pbmaniac2000 · Post by **pbmaniac2000** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 3:07 pm

We looked at those, but i couldn't find any that were really powerful. That one is only said to cool about 400 sq ft. Our tent is a lot larger than that, and it doesn't have insulated walls. Worst case i would do it, but i can pay $250 for the other unit, and have almost 3x the power.

Teo del Fuego · Post by **Teo del Fuego** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 3:50 pm

will an AC unit work as well as a swamp cooler in such a dry environment? Swamp coolers are much less expensive, much less of an energy drain, and in deserts work much better. AC units can only work effectively if they can draw moisture out of the air. Our Mile High Club is working on a pedal powered swamp cooler, Ill keep ya posted.

Token · Post by **Token** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 5:01 pm

Before you spend the bucks, be sure your generator is big enough for the load.

My 1 ton AC on the RV barely runs with a 4KW generator at the BM elevation (4000 feet = power de-rating). You are looking to run a 2 ton unit (I hope your generator does 208V) from 5KW. Not good.

Check the actual sustained amps your 208V line can produce on the generator then de-rate 20% for altitude. Compare that with the AC unit requirements.

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 6:08 pm

I'll chime in...
Yes, definitely remember that your 5k generator is at best a 4k (or less) on the almost mile-high playa.
I'd put the unit outside the tent, it will generate a lot of heat and you're already fighting an uphill battle to remove heat from the tent. I have run home-style A/C units and RV rooftop units in the dust...
To cool a tent that big, you're gonna need the biggest A/C you can find, and it probably still won't be enough. You'll want to do whatever to can to insulate it and get the direct sun off of it. I suspect the tent will heat right up as soon as you shut off the A/C - my camper does. It only stays cool when the unit is running, and it's somewhat insulated.

About that generator: I know it's a whole different subject, but it's inherently related anyway. There are very quiet Honda and Yamaha generators available, kinda' pricey but worth every cent. And it's worth mentioning, not ALL Honda gennys are quiet - the "EU-series" ones are the eardrum-friendly ones. If you've got one of those lawnmower-engine noise factories, your biggest issue is trying to contain the neighbor-nightmare noise it will make. At bare minimum you'll wanna put a plywood box around it.

Overall, I seriously doubt you'll be able to aircondition a large tent at BM and a swamp cooler is probably a better idea for that even though you'll need to truck in a bunch of water for it. It's been done and it works quite well.

Post by **AntiM** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 6:44 pm

I have a swamp cooler on top of my house. Good stuff here in the 4k dry altitude, air flow is key. I do have a single room AC unit we used in Japan, but the humidity helped it along considerably. We use it downstairs in the basement now and then, again, primarily for dehumidifying. I wouldn't even try it out on the playa. Sucks electricity like mad, I can tell the difference in my bills even when I don't use it all the time.

we were thinking of making a swamp cooler from one of those old 12v coolers. Larry can almost always pick up trashed ones out of the dumpster at the yard. I'll let y'all know if it happens, and if it works.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 6:45 pm

Don't forget the starting surge of the unit.
I doubt that generator will do it.

I would rig some kind of protection for the outside of the unit, dustwise.

Why not get a double or triplewall tent?
If you have enough air distribution you might get away with a smaller unit.
I would at least use water too for cooling.
At one point, I ran a mister and just poured water in the tent.
It worked.
Very strange, coming from the land of humidity.

frenchblue1 · Post by **frenchblue1** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 11:24 pm

I've cooled a large dome with the portable mastercool evaporative coolers. It actually worked well. Buy some cheap A/C filters to wrap the sides of it to help the playa dust challenge. It doesn't draw that many amps...extra water is a bit of a hassle but it beats spending that much on A/C. Lowes has them on sale.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 7:38 am

AntiM wrote:
we were thinking of making a swamp cooler from one of those old 12v coolers. Larry can almost always pick up trashed ones out of the dumpster at the yard. I'll let y'all know if it happens, and if it works.

\/
I would almost kill for one of those 12v jobs to build a swamp cooler.. In late Aug & Sept it's real dry here.. The cat (Tiger Shredder) or I don't care for a/c.. They just don't sell swamp coolers here..

capjbadger · Post by **capjbadger** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 9:49 am

Shit, BUILD a swamp cooler then. I built one out of a solar water pump, a PC fan, some plywood and some coragated cardboard.

Badger

munney · Post by **munney** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 11:56 pm

Not to sound like a hippie, but this years theme is Green Man,

Ever thought of going with a spray bottle and a fan run on hand power, or battery action?

Shade over the tent absorbs the light / heat and keeps you tent cool. Also, try the Bloody Mary AC, Keep drinking them till it's night.

pbmaniac2000 · Post by **pbmaniac2000** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 12:04 am

munney wrote:Not to sound like a hippie, but this years theme is Green Man,

Ever thought of going with a spray bottle and a fan run on hand power, or battery action?

Shade over the tent absorbs the light / heat and keeps you tent cool. Also, try the Bloody Mary AC, Keep drinking them till it's night.

Well first i have done the spray bottle for the past two years, and its time to upgrade.

Second I am in full support of the green man theme. All my costumes, and even my tent involve the beauty of mother nature in some way. People have gone crazy with this whole solar power this and that, bio diesel blah blah blah. Green doesn't mean just shrinking your carbon foot print. Its also about the beauty of mother nature. Just my 2 cents.

FabFascist · Post by **FabFascist** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 7:39 am

pbmaniac2000 wrote:Second I am in full support of the green man theme. All my costumes, and even my tent involve the beauty of mother nature in some way. People have gone crazy with this whole solar power this and that, bio diesel blah blah blah. Green doesn't mean just shrinking your carbon foot print. Its also about the beauty of mother nature. Just my 2 cents.

I think that may be the first time I have seen that sentiment posted. Of course I haven't read EVERY post. The first thing I thought when I saw the theme announced was that it was great because it could mean so many things to so many people. Conservation, the beauty of nature, global warming awareness, alternative fuels, alternative beliefs, and an overall cool vibe. Not that the vibe isn't good, but it seems to be ALL about the alternative fuels/global warming push.

I think the coolest thing I have seen talked about art-wise is the Bio-Illumination project done with mushrooms by Domitron. Everything else sounds awesome and amazing, but that gig is just fucking cool... and very Green in all sense of the word.

Just my opinion..

As far as the A/C... good luck with that. Look into Military surplus online. The Air Force has units that I think are comb generator/Air units used for cooling their tents when they deploy. No clue as to how much they might cost or if they are even available, but it might be worth looking into.

MikeVDS · Post by **MikeVDS** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 4:22 pm

If your genny can't handle the peak load of something starting up you can often play with the plug to give it juice, cut it off just before the genny gives out, then plug it in again. We have a set-up at work that this has to be done each time to get it going. As long as your AC compressor stays on and your genny can handle that on the playa, this might work for you.

Not to sound like a hippie, but this years theme is Green Man

Or if you'd rather, it's donkey fucking monkies. Pick either one, we don't care.

"Enough is enough! I have had it with these motherfucking monkies on this motherfucking donkey!" Samuel L. Jacksoff

pbmaniac2000 · Post by **pbmaniac2000** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 1:19 am

MikeVDS wrote:If your genny can't handle the peak load of something starting up you can often play with the plug to give it juice, cut it off just before the genny gives out, then plug it in again. We have a set-up at work that this has to be done each time to get it going. As long as your AC compressor stays on and your genny can handle that on the playa, this might work for you.

Not to sound like a hippie, but this years theme is Green Man
Or if you'd rather, it's donkey fucking monkies. Pick either one, we don't care.

"Enough is enough! I have had it with these motherfucking monkies on this motherfucking donkey!" Samuel L. Jacksoff

lol i still get very amusing mental images every time someone talks about the new theme.

Our generator is big enough. My camp decided to rent one of those huge generators. So i should have more than enough power. I decided to down size on the a/c unit itself. Hope it all works out.

osii · Post by **osii** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 1:06 am

I did the 10x20 carport and used a mid sized a/c unit with a 3k quiet yamaha generator. I walled off 10 feet of the carport (roof and mid wall) and a/c'ed that part only. It never got "ice cold," but it sure as hell made a nice cool place to crash and hang during the day.

Next time I would basically make a room inside the tent or carport. If you have the means to bring out some foam panels, it would make a cal custom little room that would be nice and insulated.

You don't need to cool the entire world, just your little part of it.

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