australia:cooling
Table of Contents
cooling options for your tent
Introduction
- it is nearly always easier to warm up on a cold day when camping than to cool down on a hot day
- there are various options that may help - otherwise go for a drive in the air conditioning of your car at the hottest part of the day
Find a place to cool off in the water
- camping near a stream under shade is a great, cheap option - if you can find such a camp
Ensure your tent is sheltered from the sun and is well ventilated
- aim to set up where you know shade will be cast at the time of day which is hottest or when you most likely to want to be in your tent
- BUT avoid camping directly under trees which may suddenly drop lethal branches such as river red gums
- ensure it is well ventilated
- ideally you should be able to open nearly every side of the tent and have it meshed to stop annoying flies or mosquitoes
- note though that mesh will reduce ventilation, so if there are no annoying insects leave it fully open
- add extra shade protection:
- a tarp over the top separated from the ceiling to allow air flow will help reduce temperatures but if this is little breeze the inside of the tent may well be 38degC when it is only 33degC outside - you need as much breeze as possible to keep the inside of the tent down to ambient levels
Use a basic fan
- provides some help but won't give much joy if temperatures inside the tent are 36degC or higher
- most have a built-in rechargeable lithium battery and often a built-in light
Use a misting fan
- more useful than a normal fan as these have an ultrasonic water aerosolizer which adds extra cooling with a super fine mist which does not even feel wet - of course this requires water in its tank but you can turn off the mister and use it as a normal fan in humid conditions (mister will not be of much use if humidity is > 70%)
- would probably avoid use in misting mode near bedding to avoid it getting wet or if condensation is going to be an issue
- dust can block the spray port so need to have this covered when not in use
- not as effective as evaporative coolers but no cartridges / “filters” to change or get smelly
- Wanderer Misting Fan
- USB-C charging of 7-32hr 10000mAh battery (6.5hr recharge at 2A 10W input - red light stops flashing when full - should not use fan when charging apparently);
- 230mL water tank - continuous mist mode ~200mL/hr; intermittent mist mode ~140mL/hr;
- 3 fan speeds 1630-3100 rpm giving 2-4.2m/s wind output and fan plus mister appears to use around 1.5-5W
- LED light 0.3 / 0.5W settings;
- 24.5×21.3×9.3cm; 760g; ~$AU99 on special
Use an evaporative cooling system
- ARE NOT USEFUL in HIGH HUMIDITY over 70% and will only worsen CONDENSATION issues
- these small portable units are mainly to be used close to a person and are good for 2-3m2 spaces - they will not cool a room down!
- these generally will smell on 1st use, and a slight smell tends to persist, using pure water rather than tap water is supposed to help
- generally use 100-200mL of water per hour depending upon humidity and air temperature
- at 40% humidity, you can expect the outgoing air to be about 10-12degC cooler than intake air, but each 10 percentage point rise in humidity, outgoing air temp will be 2degC warmer than this
- whilst many of these will reduce dust in the air, a lot of dust around will dramatically reduce the life of the filter cartridge!
- the BIGGEST PROBLEM with MOST of these units is the “filter” used to increase surface area for the water which may mean the units just end up in e-waste:
- some use ultrasonic motors to aerosolize the water to mist onto a front filter
- these will drip excess water onto a condensate tray which will need emptying and are a pain while attempting to clean the filter itself can be even more problematic eg. LEAEYFE Portable Air Conditioners Cooling Fan (CF-001) / BASEIN Portable Air Cooler (CF-006)
- most use a cartridge style filter
- but are these really healthy and will they not develop smells when not dried out?
- you can use a separate fan placed perpendicular to the output of these to blow the cool air a further distance around the room
- these can be very useful if humidity levels are low
- inexpensive and relatively low power usage of only around 10W but do need water
- some have a purifying air filter which can theoretically help reduce dust levels
- PolarBreezy™ Portable AC
- 10W, USB-C rechargable 3-5hr 2000mAh lithium battery; 300mL water tank;
- 14cmx15cmx16cm ; 0.75kg;
- https://polarbreezy.com.au/products/1x-polar-breezy%E2%84%A2?variant=39438275412070 $AU89 replacement air filters cost ~$20 and last about 3 months
- ARCTIC AIR Pure Chill 2.0
- USB-C 10W ultrasonic aerosolizer with cleanable cartridge but no filration
- ~$AU70 on amazon
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faK2L7OJgdk - condensate can leak
- Evapolar evaCHILL Personal Air Cooler
- 7.5W USB-C input - has no battery! cleans dust from air; better value for money than the evaLight;
- 172 x 170 x 170(mm); 0.75kg; 800mL water tank; 4 fan settings; uses a EV-500 cartridge ($AU49) which needs replacing every 3-6 months
- Evapolar evaLIGHT Plus Evaporative EV-1500 Air Cooler
- 10W USB-C input - has no battery! removable anti-leak 1000mL water tank - you don't want to knock it over! cleans dust from air; adds color adjustable LED mood lighting 10% more air flow and cooling, better controller with in/out air temp readings than the evaChill;
- seems it is 38dB on lowest fan, 52dB on 50% max, 62dB at max;
- output cooling is reached within ~10 minutes of adding water and running fan
- adjust speed of the fan by rotating the control wheel, pressing the middle of this will give you different settings to adjust, eg. night mode turns the light off, LED color and brightness, timer 0-180minutes; C vs F temp read out;
- draws 0.2W when LED and fan are both off; draws just over 2W with LED lights on but fan off;
- disconnect when not using it to save your battery usage;
- 180 x 180 x 182 mm; 1.27kg; uses a EV-1500 cartridge which needs replacing every 3-6 months
- why is it almost twice as heavy than the evaChill when only 10% more output - ? better build ? better filter
-
- he DOES NOT recommend these as a number of issues in particular the cartridges can start smelling after just a few days of usage plus it is unclear how their nanofiber tech in the filters are safe
- Osmo Breezo 2.0
- USB rechargeable battery tall profile unit, 3 fan settings; activated carbon smell filter; 7-color night light; 42-55dB;
- generic tall profile cooler
- 9W 7.5V;
- 16(L) x 20(W) x 36(H)cm; 2.25kg; removable 900mL water tank; 4-6hrs battery life (2 fan settings); 12hr battery recharge;
- Companion Maxi Evaporative Cooler Fan
- 9-15W 7.4V - 3-5hr 6000mAh Lithium battery; 12hrs to recharge; 2 fan settings;
- 140mm L x 300mm W x 310mm H; 2.4kg; 1200mL water tank; uses 150ml/hr of water;
Use a reverse cycle heating/cooling system
- these are heavy, big, expensive and use a LOT of electricity!
- they can be noisy, at least 44dB
- EcoFlow Wave 2
- 14.5kg; included battery only runs a fan, needs external power from AC (820W max), DC (200W max), solar (400W max) or an expensive EcoFlow battery (max 700W) for heating or cooling
- cooling mode runs at about 540-600W although is rated at 1500W and will need a drain tube connected if humidity is > 70%
- heating mode runs at about 540-600W although is rated at 1800W heat output and will need a drain tube connected
- $AU1799 plus you need a massive, heavy, expensive battery eg. EcoFlow 1800W Delta 2 at $AU1999
australia/cooling.txt · Last modified: 2024/01/15 17:25 by gary1