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Tue Jun 30, 2020 12:01 pm

vwhammer wrote: purpleonion98 wrote: Hey gang, i got my 2200 surge/1800 run Rainier generator today, for my portable ac in the van. It ran just fine. It didn't overload or trip. I didnt have to use any extension cords.... I just have it right outside the door. I have to admit, the downside of it is the noise. It's a lot louder than i thought it would be. I chose this one because it said it was one of the quietest at 52db or so. I can see it being obnoxious at public lakes, and hard to sleep with. I dont know what can be done about this, any suggestions?

There are several things that can be done to quiet the generator down.
The complexity of which are dependent on your fabrication skill level.

I won't get into too many details but if you go to youtube and search for "quieting a generator" that will lead you down the wormhole for the many methods to potentially make it quieter.

A 3 inch spread from the adjacent campsite being theeadiest/fastest/cheapest

Thu Jul 02, 2020 8:07 am

Abscate wrote: Running Generators at campsites are the used toilet paper on your shoe during your presentation.

We are no closer to solar AC than we were 10 years ago.

I totally agree! It appears the zero breeze Mark 2 is the ONLY product out there that comes close to what we need. So guess what.....today i ordered one. I will be sure to let you all know how it works out. (I was sure to ask about return shipping). Someone needs to get inventin'! I'm thinking of making propositions to companies.

I built an enclosure for the generator and it started sputtering from what i assume to be from too much heat. I even included a discharge fan, an external muffler, and air inlet. I checked the air inlet to be sure it was getting enough suction, and i even pointed the air out to allow it to cool down better. No avail. The generator noise makes me not even want to run the a/c. Its embarrassing. If i "camp", im usually shacking up at walmart on my way to somewhere. So, its very concerning. I kept my a/c receipt. Hopefully the zero breeze comes soon. I couldn't stop thinking about it.

Thu Jul 02, 2020 8:36 am

Many here will be interested in your experience with this.

I saw these comments but do not know how they pertain to purchases on the website or elsewhere....

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/zero-breeze-mark-battery-power-portable-ac#/comments

Thu Jul 02, 2020 8:39 am

purpleonion98 wrote: Abscate wrote: Running Generators at campsites are the used toilet paper on your shoe during your presentation.

We are no closer to solar AC than we were 10 years ago.

I totally agree! It appears the zero breeze Mark 2 is the ONLY product out there that comes close to what we need. So guess what.....today i ordered one. I will be sure to let you all know how it works out. (I was sure to ask about return shipping). Someone needs to get inventin'! I'm thinking of making propositions to companies.

I built an enclosure for the generator and it started sputtering from what i assume to be from too much heat. I even included a discharge fan, an external muffler, and air inlet. I checked the air inlet to be sure it was getting enough suction, and i even pointed the air out to allow it to cool down better. No avail. The generator noise makes me not even want to run the a/c. Its embarrassing. If i "camp", im usually shacking up at walmart on my way to somewhere. So, its very concerning. I kept my a/c receipt. Hopefully the zero breeze comes soon. I couldn't stop thinking about it.

For some reason W. C. Fields comes to mind

Thu Jul 02, 2020 8:47 am

it would be cheaper to burn $$$ than to get usable AC out of a zerobreeze

Thu Jul 02, 2020 10:16 am

I've no doubt that zero breeze blows out cool air.
The specs say 30° below ambient.

It is little more than a high tech expensive personal desk fan.

Cool a Vanagon inside?
Oh heck No!
Aim it at your face while you are in the Van and feel a little cooler?
Sure.

Dave

Thu Jul 02, 2020 2:12 pm

[quote="danfromsyr"]it would be cheaper to burn $$$ than to get usable AC out of a zerobreeze

Have you tried one? No one has mentioned their experience with it. I've watched many youtube videos about the zero breeze and i see people are even using them outside.... Its worth a shot. I wrote down the return address. If it doesnt work, I'm afraid I may be selling my van. Yes, its that serious. Not only is chugging around a generator embarrassing (i get enough attention already, I'm sure a lot of us folks do), its hard to sleep to. I hate even starting it in my driveway.

Thu Jul 02, 2020 2:22 pm

Sorry to say, even full size motor homes with central AC have to run their generators. Most national parks and many state parks don’t have hook ups and have a time when generators must be off.

So, I’m not really sure what you thought. To be honest, it would be easier to cool yourself outside than to cool yourself in a closed up vehicle. Temps can exceed 130 F.

We always look for altitude when traveling. Temp drops 3 degrees F for every 1000 feet. Once the sun sets even in the desert, it cools pretty quickly. A fan and a sheet and your pretty comfortable sleeping.

So, there really isn’t an answer for you.

Thu Jul 02, 2020 2:33 pm

I applaud your determination and willingness to try the Zero Breeze. In addition to its effectiveness in cooling, I will be interested in what the noise is like.

purpleonion98 wrote: Hey gang, i got my 2200 surge/1800 run Rainier generator today,.. I have to admit, the downside of it is the noise. It's a lot louder than i thought it would be. I chose this one because it said it was one of the quietest at 52db or so...

From the Zero Breeze site:

Thu Jul 02, 2020 3:12 pm

The Zero Breeze doesn't sound like the ticket. At 52db it would be like sleeping with a generator inside the van. I applaud the engineering and people willing to give it a try. Let us know your results. Technology is only getting better.

We use the altitude approach for cooling. 8-11,000ft camping in the summer.
Desert camping in the winter. Onshore breeze when coastal. Shading the van with awnings or trees is key also.

Air movement in the van is key to being comfortable to sleep. Our Maxxair roof vent moves enough air you can feel it and even when temps are high it makes sleeping bearable. It has an auto thermostat that you can set so once it gets as cool as your setting it will shut down. This is a nice feature.

I also removed the rear glass, installed a VOW rear window, and added a marine porthole for ventilation. We just camped at altitude and it was in the mid to upper 80°f. Closing the van and opening the porthole made sleeping very comfortable. The breeze made the need for covers. Plus it cools down quickly at 10kft at night. Moab Camping at 100°f is brutal. Air movement is essential. My wife really enjoyed all of my DIY efforts doing this. There is just no ventilation on the bottom bunk unless you have installed rear sliding windows or crack the rear hatch.

Camp where the shade comes early. Low areas in the valley get cooler quicker. There are ways to beat the heat of summer camping. We don't do desert camping in the summer unless there is a cold front coming.

Cheers.

Thu Jul 02, 2020 3:18 pm

650 watts of cooling won’t even be a cool breath in a car, I get more from my frozen kale

Thu Jul 02, 2020 4:33 pm

well then the good news is that it's free to advertise a van forsale here on the samba.

AC is a numbers game pure and simple, and the math only adds up to how well the marketing works.

don't have to fall down a flight of stairs to know it's gunna hurt...

same/similar concept in physics. observation and calculation

[quote="purpleonion98"] danfromsyr wrote: it would be cheaper to burn $$$ than to get usable AC out of a zerobreeze

Have you tried one? No one has mentioned their experience with it. I've watched many youtube videos about the zero breeze and i see people are even using them outside.... Its worth a shot. I wrote down the return address. If it doesnt work, I'm afraid I may be selling my van. Yes, its that serious. Not only is chugging around a generator embarrassing (i get enough attention already, I'm sure a lot of us folks do), its hard to sleep to. I hate even starting it in my driveway.

Thu Jul 02, 2020 4:38 pm

I thought long and hard about the zero breeze. But The reviews were terrible. I got rexcited when the zero breeze two came out that actually gave a btu output. But when push comes to shove I figured it would take Two of them to sort of cool the van. That’s a minimum of two thousand dollars and I just couldn’t stomach it. I probably wouldn’t have done anything but it is my only car in Dallas where I an living this summer and I am running the generator when I drive down the road. It’s a marginal system but it’s the best I could do for now. I think my wife will be camping in the van in Dallas for the next 6 weeks some of the places we will camp will have power some won’t and sometimes my family will be able to stay where I am living and sometimes not so I really had to do something. Hopefully I will post pictures later. I will look forward to hearing how the zero breeze works out for you. John

Thu Jul 02, 2020 4:46 pm

vwhammer wrote:

^^^Do that.^^^

OR...

Run your generator and A/C unit,

OR...

Suffer the heat,

OR...

Sell the van. Pick your poison.

P.S. Zero Breeze for $1000+ looks like a bad joke.

Thu Jul 02, 2020 5:55 pm

82westyrabbit wrote: I will look forward to hearing how the zero breeze works out for you. John

You got it, John. Believe you me, it wasn't an easy decision on my end either! I think I'll be closing off the front cockpit area with a curtain to curtail the area to be cooled. Luckily, I'm here in Ohio. I dont know how you do it in Texas.

Thu Jul 02, 2020 6:27 pm

zero breeze. such truth in advertising.

this might be a new idea/concept for you but we've done this dance before
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=716438&highlight=zero+breeze

Thu Jul 02, 2020 6:32 pm

[quote="Ahwahnee"]I applaud your determination and willingness to try the Zero Breeze. In addition to its effectiveness in cooling, I will be interested in what the noise is like.

When shopping for a generator, I went with the Rainier because it was one of the quietest. I noticed a few have "eco mode", like the Rainier I got, thinking it would save on gas. I now believe the 52db is for the "standby mode" when nothing is using the generator. When the gen kicks on for the demand of the a/c, it gets significantly louder. The 52 is (somewhat) tolerable. What kind of generator is everyone else using?

Thu Jul 02, 2020 6:45 pm

Honda 2000

Long ago, my single session of tears ended.

Fri Jul 03, 2020 4:38 am

?Waldo? wrote: vwhammer wrote:

^^^Do that.^^^

OR...

Run your generator and A/C unit,

OR...

Suffer the heat,

OR...

Sell the van. Pick your poison.

P.S. Zero Breeze for $1000+ looks like a bad joke.

The guy in the video appears to be wearing a long sleeve shirt and appears to be standing in a lush valley. That’s not a parking lot in Dallas. So you install your 4 folding 200 watt panels, build your own custom lithium battery bank hidden in the empty spaces of the van and an inverter to handle it all, where the hell do you install the AC in a vanagon?

Fri Jul 03, 2020 6:56 am

Once the fellow gets inside the truck, he says "it's nice to be inside because it is a smokin' hot one in Mexico." I don't recall him mentioning the ambient temp, though.