"Eutectic" A/C - eg. Frozen Water - possible?

[TitoSoto]

I have solar panels, once the batteries are full it dumps excess energy into running my Freezer/Refrigerator...

If I freeze a eutectic solution (eg. Arctic Ice, that blue stuff you put in a cooler), and the make an "ice box with a fan" type contraption...

Would that be a good A/C system? I have no idea how many BTU's are stored in those blue cooler things but maybe it will help some?

[newhaul]

It would work but you would be better off adding batteries to take the extra power potential and run a 12 volt swamp cooler off it.

[TitoSoto]

Originally Posted by newhaul

It would work but you would be better off adding batteries to take the extra power potential and run a 12 volt swamp cooler off it.

Huh I never thought about that. I suppose I could put cold packs inside anyways if I needed extra cold.

Would a swamp cooler work running directly from the sea water? Our waters are around 55 degrees year round...

[Sailmonkey]

The last thing on my mind when the water is 55 is cooling the boat more!!

But the most effective way to harness the cold water would be run a pump from the sea through a radiator and blow air over it.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[newhaul]

What sailmonkey said to do is just a closed swamp cooler so not adding any moisture to the boats interior. In august the waters under my keel in port orchard are rarely over 60°f even with an air temp well over 80°f.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by newhaul

What sailmonkey said to do is just a closed swamp cooler so not adding any moisture to the boats interior. In august the waters under my keel in port orchard are rarely over 60°f even with an air temp well over 80°f.

Wellllllll, not really. A swamp cooler relies on evaporation to pull heat from the air, the heat of vaporization. Doing so with seawater will cause a buildup of salt crystals leading to an eventual mess. A radiator on the other hand transfers the heat from the cabin to the seawater contained in the radiator, and then overboard. A more compact and clean type of cooling.....but needs a sufficient delta of temperature to be efficient.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

Wellllllll, not really. A swamp cooler relies on evaporation to pull heat from the air, the heat of vaporization. Doing so with seawater will cause a buildup of salt crystals leading to an eventual mess. A radiator on the other hand transfers the heat from the cabin to the seawater contained in the radiator, and then overboard. A more compact and clean type of cooling.....but needs a sufficient delta of temperature to be efficient.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

You are right I was trying to be simple in my last post I should have been more technical. The delta is sufficient here in the Puget sound that it would work rather well. Right now the water temp is 49 deg under my keel. Last year it varied from 57 to 61 deg from July thru august. But my real question would be why do all that plumbing. Just turn the Dorado into the wind open the bow hatch and deploy the wind scoop. Lots simpler and cheaper. And no holes in the hull.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by newhaul

You are right I was trying to be simple in my last post I should have been more technical. The delta is sufficient here in the Puget sound that it would work rather well. Right now the water temp is 49 deg under my keel. Last year it varied from 57 to 61 deg from July thru august. But my real question would be why do all that plumbing. Just turn the Dorado into the wind open the bow hatch and deploy the wind scoop. Lots simpler and cheaper. And no holes in the hull.

That's my general feeling about that also, but when I lived up there I met lots of people with pasty white skin who looked like they were dying when the temp hit 75!!


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

That's my general feeling about that also, but when I lived up there I met lots of people with pasty white skin who looked like they were dying when the temp hit 75!!


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

Hey now I don't have pasty white skin ( but then I do work on boats outside I have a protective layer of rust)

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by newhaul

Hey now I don't have pasty white skin ( but then I do work on boats outside I have a protective layer of rust)

And here I thought rust was an insulator.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

And here I thought rust was an insulator.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

It is an insulator from cold but in absorbs solar radiation like nobody's bussiness( at least on me it does)

[Kokanee]

The evaporation type A/C's ("swamp coolers") need fairly low humidity levels to work efficiently. Anything higher than about 40%, and they won't do much other than give your boat problems with mould.

Just a swim and a fan works good for me.

[newhaul]

Kokanee that works as well however here in the pnw its basicly a polar bear swim year round . Hypothermia can set in in less that 20 min in summer .

[TitoSoto]

Originally Posted by newhaul

You are right I was trying to be simple in my last post I should have been more technical. The delta is sufficient here in the Puget sound that it would work rather well. Right now the water temp is 49 deg under my keel. Last year it varied from 57 to 61 deg from July thru august. But my real question would be why do all that plumbing. Just turn the Dorado into the wind open the bow hatch and deploy the wind scoop. Lots simpler and cheaper. And no holes in the hull.

This is my first summer up here as well so I just wanted to make sure I covered the bases before I started getting a heat stroke!

I'll try opening all the ports and hatches that I have and see how it goes. Hopefully thats enough

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by TitoSoto

This is my first summer up here as well so I just wanted to make sure I covered the bases before I started getting a heat stroke!

I'll try opening all the ports and hatches that I have and see how it goes. Hopefully thats enough

It will be plenty trust me BTW where are you moving from?