I found a 1000 btu ac. Its a black and decker 3 in 1 portable ac. Uses propane to cool. Im wondering if this might cool down a 6’ x 7’ x 12’ space? There seems to be mixed reviews. It dehumidifies as well. That will be a big plus! IF it works. Its small enough to store in my mini closet. Thoughts?
A small car is usually 16k BTU, and an SUV more than double that according to google.
So I would skip a 1k BTU a/c.
I’m new to van life and your comment has me confused, a 5000BTU will keep a 12x12 ft room cool when it’s 100 f outside so why would you say a 16k BTU is what one needs for a van. The van is much smaller than a 12x12 ft room.
A vehicle is much more exposed to the outside temperatures, as well as the wind, rain, etc. Added to that it has a metal skin, can’t practically be insulated as well, and requires constant ventilation which also allows outside temperatures in, and you can see why we’re comparing apples to oranges.
In the shade, maybe a 5k BTU unit would be enough, but in the sun on a hot day, even the 16k-30k+ BTU units can struggle to keep up while driving.
I find that swamp coolers work the best while parked do to the fact that they replace the hot air with cooler air, rather than trying to cool that same hot air. Replacing it is much quicker and more efficient than cooling it.
When you figure in the power requirements, a swamp cooler really shines too, because they only require a couple of amps at 12vdc.
Not all swamp coolers are created equally though. Originally there was a distinction between a swamp cooler, and an evaporative cooler. A swamp cooler added a radiator as a heat exchanger, to make it work well in the hot & humid swamps. Today, the term swamp cooler is usually incorrectly referring to an evaporative cooler.
There are many ways to stay cool in the heat, and a compressor driven air conditioner is the most popular choice due to marketing, but in reality it is probably the worst choice available.
Today, I am using two liquid candle powered swamp coolers in my 40’ converted bus in the S. Florida heat because the power is out in the park we’re staying at. This park won’t allow generators, so without generators or shore power, most people here are screwed because solar & batteries can’t keep up with traditional air conditioners. The hand full of people left at this park are either suffering or running swamp coolers.
Even with shore power, this park only has 30 amp service, which will only support a single air conditioner, which simply isn’t enough for the bigger rigs.
With the exception of our phones & laptops, I specifically design my rigs to require no power for the essentials like heating, cooling, cooking, and ventilation, and I highly recommend others do the same.
If we treat power as a luxury instead of an essential, we are practically unstoppable, while remaining totally comfortable. While power is nice, it can be terribly unreliable.