Zero Breeze Mark 2 air conditioner

[soopad00pa]

Following with interest. Got one of these for my van but the damn thing rly is bigger than they make it out to be, especially with all the plumbing. Just couldn't make it fit so I returned it.

[Elcid]

Originally Posted by soopad00pa

Following with interest. Got one of these for my van but the damn thing rly is bigger than they make it out to be, especially with all the plumbing. Just couldn't make it fit so I returned it.

I'm following with great interest as well! The Mk2 unit should be able to cool the saloon area a little bit when the worst heat hits in the Med. I already have a tent covering the saloon area and fans and winscoops, but it's still not enough. A little bit of help from this would make it perfect I reckon.

They offer a 3 year warranty for about $150. Might be worth getting that as well for peace of mind

[GordMay]

Sizing Air-Conditioning:

A “rule of thumb” recommendation* for sizing marine air-conditioning is about ± 14-to- 15 BTU/Hr per cubic foot of cabin volume.
More glazing, pilot house, etc = more heat gain; so perhaps up to 17 BTU/Hr per cu. ft of volume.

* For Tropical climates: 105°F (41°C) air, 95°F (35°C) water, high humidity.
You can reduce the figures to about 75% of above for Temperate climates: 95°F (35°C) air, 85°F (35°C) water, moderate humidity; hence 10 - 12 BTU/Hr per Cu. Ft.

A professional (which I am not) will size the air conditioner based on the latent cooling load (which considers the relative humidity of the air), as well as the sensible cooling load (which considers the Delta T between outdoor & indoor design air temperatures) for your boat & location.
The typical “Tropical” rule of thumb probably assumes a Delta T of about 35 degrees F.
The Temperate rule of thumb probably assumes a Delta T of about 20 degrees F.
A (theoretically) perfectly-sized air conditioner will run continuously during the hottest 2.5% summer design (outdoor) temperatures.

Don't buy an oversized unit. An over-sized unit short-cycles (turns on & off too rapidly), so doesn’t properly de-humidify*, and uses more energy (starting currents).

On the other hand, make sure any ducting is sized large enough to allow low-velocity air distribution.

* The ability of the air conditioner to remove moisture (latent capacity) is lowest at the beginning of the air conditioner cycle. The moisture removed from the indoor air is dependent upon the indoor coil temperature being below the dew-point temperature of the air. The moisture then wets the indoor coil and, should the unit run long enough, will begin to flow off the coil and be removed out of the condensate drain. For short cycles (< 10 min, or so), the coil does not have time to operate at the low temperature, and when the unit stops, the moisture on the coil evaporates back into the indoor air. Thus, in humid climates, a properly sized air conditioner will do a far better job of removing moisture from the air than oversized units.

See the formulae:
“Cooling and Heating Equations”
➥ https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/c...ons-d_747.html

[duckpond49]

A neat product, well designed. I've got some reservations about 2300 BTU's for $800, though.
I recently saw an interesting product on eBay that I'm considering. It's an adapter that allows a standard inexpensive 5000 BTU window unit to work on a standard 17" to 24" boat hatch. It's called a CoolBoat AC adapter and sells for around $200. I've got a 5K unit doing nothing in my shed and am thinking of giving it a try when it warms up.

[Letterkenny]

Originally Posted by duckpond49

A neat product, well designed. I've got some reservations about 2300 BTU's for $800, though.
I recently saw an interesting product on eBay that I'm considering. It's an adapter that allows a standard inexpensive 5000 BTU window unit to work on a standard 17" to 24" boat hatch. It's called a CoolBoat AC adapter and sells for around $200. I've got a 5K unit doing nothing in my shed and am thinking of giving it a try when it warms up.

Good tip. Unfortunately that’s still to much power and space for me. I have a 2kw lithium battery that I’m theory would power the zero breeze for 8 hours. Curious to give it a go.

[Rohan]

Originally Posted by Elcid

Any updates guys? I am thinking about getting for the summers in Greece. I'd be very happy if it could drop the temperature by a few degrees in the saloon during the day.

It won't work well in your saloon unless the saloon is pretty small. A single cabin is better. It normally lowers the temp by 10 degrees or so, but the real benefit is that it noticeably cuts down the humidity.

Oh one update - apparently it can be converted to use as a heater. I got instructions for that from the manufacturer, but I haven't tried that yet.

[mcarling]

In addition to being “awkward” (as the OP noted), the use of air rather than water to cool the condenser is a lot less efficient. On a boat, I would strongly recommend water-cooled. I would also strongly recommend variable refrigerant flow (rather than on/off duty cycling). VFR is more efficient, quieter, more reliable, more effective at dehumidification, more forgiving if oversized, and maintains a more stable temperature. Higher cost is the only disadvantage.

[Elcid]

Originally Posted by mcarling

In addition to being “awkward” (as the OP noted), the use of air rather than water to cool the condenser is a lot less efficient. On a boat, I would strongly recommend water-cooled. I would also strongly recommend variable refrigerant flow (rather than on/off duty cycling). VFR is more efficient, quieter, more reliable, more effective at dehumidification, more forgiving if oversized, and maintains a more stable temperature. Higher cost is the only disadvantage.

Do you have any product examples please?

[mcarling]

Originally Posted by Elcid

Do you have any product examples please?

An example would be the Velair line by Uflex. Made in Italy, so not inexpensive.

[Tomax]

But I think it is so expensive

[Letterkenny]

For those interested, a competitor and maker of batteries, Ecoflow, will be releasing a competing battery powered air conditioner. They promise double the cooling capacity and 8 hours of battery life. I’ve talked with some of the developers and interested in seeing more. I plan to replace my somewhat new zero breeze with this as I have their battery on my boat to act as my inverter via connecting with shore power.

[Tomax]

When will this product be launched? Where's the news?

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Tomax

When will this product be launched? Where's the news?

Next week [May 12/22] ➥ https://www.ecoflow.com/us/wave-port...ir-conditioner

EcoFlow plans to launch the product on May 12, 2022.
They have not revealed the price of the portable air conditioner. As per rumor mills, EcoFlow Wave will likely have a price of around $2000.

EcoFlow’s Portable Wave 4000BTU/H Air Conditioner will be a portable air conditioning system, for campers, RVs, or any outdoor spaces under 86 ft² (8 m²). It will be a strong competitor to Zero Breeze’s 2300BTU AC or other water-based coolers.
With the brand’s 1008W/h [±77A/H @ 13V] battery tech, it will have a runtime of up to 8 hours [Of which only 2.2 hours is pure cooling time, the rest is actually a fan mode].

[soopad00pa]

I've been following the ecoflow AC as an option, however I have a smaller ecoflow delta all in one and it's been pretty disappointing.

Standby discharge rate has been atrocious from the jump and after about 3mos of use its begun to cease taking a charge intermittently requiring a reboot and rest of several hours. Once it does charge, the battery isn't nearly as juiced as it was in its early days. It'll burn thru a 'full charge' filling my phone and laptop once, whereas before that took maybe 10%.

In addition, no human has replied to any methods of contact yet.

Just one data point.

[Letterkenny]

Originally Posted by soopad00pa

I've been following the ecoflow AC as an option, however I have a smaller ecoflow delta all in one and it's been pretty disappointing.

Standby discharge rate has been atrocious from the jump and after about 3mos of use its begun to cease taking a charge intermittently requiring a reboot and rest of several hours. Once it does charge, the battery isn't nearly as juiced as it was in its early days. It'll burn thru a 'full charge' filling my phone and laptop once, whereas before that took maybe 10%.

In addition, no human has replied to any methods of contact yet.

Just one data point.

I can point you to some people that can help. I have a Delta Max and Extra Battery and have been very pleased with it and the customer service. Also have a couple of their solar panels which seem to be good quality. I plan on getting this for at least a test run to replace my zero breeze. I believe it will be under $2k if you don’t get the add on battery.