Portable Air Conditioner

[Sheepdogger]

Has anyone opted to purchase a small portable air conditioner unit instead of the stock roof mount unit? We rarely travel where it is extremely hot, and the height of the roof mount ac will effectively keep us from storing our soon-to-be 17B inside our shop. If you have had success with this, I would be interested in what brand of portable unit you are using.

[Rossue]

We bought our first Escape - a 17B used in Bend from the original owner who not only had no AC, he had Reace lower it slightly to stow in his garage.

We had that trailer almost a year and over 100 nights- enough to know we didn't want the AC on our 21 we ordered. Still no regrets 3.5 years later and haven't wanted to look for a portable. The Norias look interesting though if we thought we needed one.

[Eggscape]

You will find the answer will be yes.
Some have opened the emergency hatch window and rest a portable in there...Rubicon has installed a mini split.
I am sure members will come up with the thread links soon.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Eggscape

You will find the answer will be yes.
Some have opened the emergency hatch window and rest a portable in there...Rubicon has installed a mini split.
I am sure members will come up with the thread links soon.

This is what Ron in BC did (this is a post within Myron’s thread where he installed a rooftop A/C himself):
http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f8...tml#post103620

Here is my mini-split (pictures on pg 10-13). While certainly not portable, it is super quiet and does eliminate the rooftop unit and the associated height. It is a heat pump so provides heating and cooling.
http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f8...ofit-8249.html

Link to video to hear it run:
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCRqH4W-MD1R4nHj84Exw_iw

These are the Noria units that are slated to come out this Spring. I know some folks are anxious to see how they might work in an Escape:
www.noriahome.com/

I’ve always thought these were neat too, but you need to put holes in the trailer or furnish a bulkhead in the egress window, store the unit somewhere when traveling and I’m not sure how loud they are and their overall effectiveness:
https://climateright.com/air-conditi...d-heating.html

[Ron in BC]

Thanks for posting a link to my portable unit.

After a couple of more long cross country trips I'm still of the same opinion, that a portable unit was our best choice. Don't use it much and sometimes we don't even take it with us, depending on where we're going. But for about a $100 it's nice to have an option.

Ron

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

These are the Noria units that are slated to come out this Spring. I know some folks are anxious to see how they might work in an Escape:
www.noriahome.com/

Just about everyone in any of the all-molded-towable groups on Facebook is anxious. Me too! I'd like to be able to move it from home to trailer as needed. In the 23+ years I've owned my home, there's been probably less than 30 days I really would have like A/C. Last summer was a bear, it was so unusually hot and dry. This may just be the ticket!

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

I'd like to be able to move it from home to trailer as needed. In the 23+ years I've owned my home, there's been probably less than 30 days I really would have like A/C. Last summer was a bear, it was so unusually hot and dry. This may just be the ticket!

Mine actually spent all of its time this summer in my den window. Very sleek looking unit. Very compact, I'll be interested to see if it lives up to performance expectations.

Ron

[cpaharley2008]

With the horizontal limitation of the Noria, sliders may not work and the new awning style may be too restrictive, perhaps the escape window in the rear is the only window it can fit?

[Rossue]

If the Noria has the promise many believe then I could see a "Noria Port" option available and perhaps a new thread from Ron about how he did his mod

[Sheepdogger]

The Noria units look really promising. I might like one for my house, even if it doesn't work for the trailer.

[matt]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

Thanks for posting a link to my portable unit.

After a couple of more long cross country trips I'm still of the same opinion, that a portable unit was our best choice. Don't use it much and sometimes we don't even take it with us, depending on where we're going. But for about a $100 it's nice to have an option.

Ron

Ron, Your AC setup is something we are seriously considering for our trailer. Can I ask during the few times you have used the AC how well did the 5000 btu unit do in cooling the trailer? I know you can get window type AC units from 5000 - 8000 btu but I would like to go as small and light as possible. I think the Noria unit is also going to be a 5000 btu.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Rossue

If the Noria has the promise many believe then I could see a "Noria Port" option available and perhaps a new thread from Ron about how he did his mod

Let's just say, "I'm from Missouri" and I'm a bit skeptical about the unit. Great idea and looks very nice etc. But, in reading the FAQ's, they can't even state the actual finalized weight. They also state that RV use etc. voids the warranty. My $89 unit does the job for me, I'll let others test it out.

Originally Posted by matt

Ron, Your AC setup is something we are seriously considering for our trailer. Can I ask during the few times you have used the AC how well did the 5000 btu unit do in cooling the trailer? I know you can get window type AC units from 5000 - 8000 btu but I would like to go as small and light as possible. I think the Noria unit is also going to be a 5000 btu.

It probably doesn't do as well as a ceiling unit with twice the BTUs but we've only used it on the first setting not the coldest setting. It does provide an oasis of cold air.

For 89 bucks, flexible use, being able to use it at home also, it works for us.

Ron

[rbryan4]

I agree with you Ron. I've never been too convinced by a kickstarter or crowd funded campaign. Many of those never get released. I wait to see the actual product in use.

[Micheal K]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

I agree with you Ron. I've never been too convinced by a kickstarter or crowd funded campaign. Many of those never get released. I wait to see the actual product in use.

I'm with you and Ron on this one. While I’m not an HVAC designer, I know enough to be really skeptical that the Noria will actually deliver on all of their marketing claims: light, small, quiet and 5000 btu.

They are trying to design the fans, condenser, compressor and evaporator into about 1/3 of the volume of a current 6000 btu design.

Heat transfer is related to temperature delta, air velocity, and surface area of the coils. There is a reason for the size of existing units since designs for a given btu rating there are trade-offs between these pararmeters. If Noria actually delivers a product, I think it will probably be bigger and/or only able to deliver significantly less than 5000 btu.

One other thing I think is working against success is that while they crowd sourced over $2 million, that’s nowhere near enough to properly execute a project like this.

Would love to be wrong in my opinion on this though, I’d definitely buy one if it worked as advertised.

[Bobbie54]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

For 89 bucks, flexible use, being able to use it at home also, it works for us.

Ron

I need to figure out how I can do that. I rarely would use AC but it would be great to have that option. I've thought about a portable unit as it would be easier to vent out the little front window.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Micheal K

I'm with you and Ron on this one. While I’m not an HVAC designer, I know enough to be really skeptical that the Noria will actually deliver on all of their marketing claims: light, small, quiet and 5000 btu.

They are trying to design the fans, condenser, compressor and evaporator into about 1/3 of the volume of a current 6000 btu design.

Heat transfer is related to temperature delta, air velocity, and surface area of the coils. There is a reason for the size of existing units since designs for a given btu rating there are trade-offs between these pararmeters. If Noria actually delivers a product, I think it will probably be bigger and/or only able to deliver significantly less than 5000 btu.

I agree with you and I’m a mechanical engineer with an HVAC background. You can’t defy the laws of thermodynamics. Some people think my mini-split heat pump is big for a trailer...maybe so, but it is tucked out of the way, is whisper quiet and delivers 9,000 BTU/H. That said, I hope the Noria ends up being a successful product even if rated less than 5,000 BTU/H.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

You can’t defy the laws of thermodynamics.
That said, I hope the Noria ends up being a successful product even if rated less than 5,000 BTU/H.

I'm not sure that they apparently aren't also defying the laws of gravity. I watched the model, oh wait, maybe that's not the thing to say these days. I watched the models arms, eh, maybe that sounds like I have a fetish for arms. Hmm, how about I watched the muscular reaction of the demonstrator's muscular system as she placed the unit in the window bracket and under the bed. Not a ripple. Either she's a stealth body builder or maybe the unit didn't have its guts installed. As I said, I'm skeptical.

It would be nice if it does turn out to be a breakthrough design, more compact and nicer looking than the traditional box. I'm not putting in an order at this point.

Ron

[rubicon327]

...and as far Noria being quiet they better have vast improvement over the prototype. The compressor is very loud. Video from the Kickstarter page is pretty far down just above the sound level bar comparison. Note there is no video of any improved units running on their formal website.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...cool-redefined

Some bad press from almost a year ago:

Is Philly’s Biggest-Ever Kickstarter a $2.2 Million “Rip-Offâ€� or Just Behind Schedule? – Philadelphia Magazine

[Rossue]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

They also state that RV use etc. voids the warranty.

I just read the FAQ and it says you can do what you want, however it just won't be UL rated. How would they even know it was used in an RV a test if there was a problem?

I don't really care, my original comment in this thread was to support the OP's instincts not to get the roof mounted expensive old tech solution when it was stated they were not anticipating any use from it.

Just as there are a lot if people in effect saying it is a mistake not to spend over a grand on a factory AC, I see what amounts to some rooting for failure or at least plenty of skepticism for a potential breakthrough product. What- are we all done with that; technology has suddenly stopped still?

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Rossue

... I see what amounts to some rooting for failure or at least plenty of skepticism for a potential breakthrough product. What- are we all done with that; technology has suddenly stopped still?

No, technology certainly has not stopped advancing; however, if someone wanting people to send them money claims a technical advance, but is unable to unwilling to describe the advancement on which their product is based, I am very suspicious.

Integrated circuits achieve higher density using techniques published in technical journals and so computer performance improves, battery chemistry advances in documented ways and electric cars go further on a charge, and combustion studies show how direct fuel injection can improve engine performance and vehicles implementing that technology get better fuel economy and performance. So... what change to the components accounts for the claimed performance of the Noria? On their website, they only mention "efficient fans", but the fans account for little of an air conditioner's weight.