Portable A/C

[Dave Last]

AT the Miami boat-show I saw a portable air conditioning unit manufactured by Cool Currents. Does anyone have any experience with these units ? I'd appreciate any input either pro or con.

 

[hp]

the issue is btu's most portable don't have the capacity to cool on a hot day unless you are in a very small boat. check your required btu's verse the unit you are looking at.

 

[Roger Mummah]

I Saw it Too

I saw the cute little air conditioner too, at the Miami Boat show. I think it is relatively new to the market, so I doubt if there is much experience with it. I chatted with the booth folks and asked where the thing could be bought and they sort of said they were looking for distributors. That's why I think it is new to the market. It looked like a neat little box, if it works. When we lived aboard in the Florida Keys, we bolted a 7500 BTU hosehold window unit to the cabin top and made a duct from silver sided foam stuff. It worked very well, even in the humid Florida Keys summer.

 

[Justin Meddock]

Ain't no way

Cool Currents picks up water from the bottom and circulates it through a heat exchanger. A fan then blows cabin air across the coils of this exchanger. If your water temp at the bottom is 60 degrees and cabin temp 85 I would guess the outlet air temp would be 84 degrees. With an r12 or r134a system the evaporator temperatures get below zero and the outlet duct temperatures only drop 30-40 degrees from ambient. Maybe I am wrong but It just seem s improbable at best.

 

[Steve W.]

Justin is right, this thing is crap...

the pricipal is based upon the old swamp coolers used in the desert climate, passing water over a sort of heat exchanger. It does not remove humidity which is the primary function of A/C and what do we have on a warm day on the water???? Humidity!!! So you will still feel clammy all the time. I had a dorm room in college in Texas that had a water cooled A/C system and it was almost useless. Constant mildew problems and damp towels would never dry out. Someone told me this cooler was retailing for $1100.00, and could be built for about $100.00. No wonder they are still looking for distributors! I have a Cruseair carry on A/C and it has no problem cooling my 28, sailboat in Florida's steamy summers. Hope this helps.

 

[Rob Sherrill]

If you sail in Colorao it's OK

The swamp cooler principle works great in climates with low humidity. Had one on a home in Colorado and it worked great. Since most of us sail in climates that have a higher humidity I doubt that it will perform to your satisfaction.