Anyone try the zero Breeze in your trailer?

[jbclabaugh]

We have not acted yet on the potential for AC, but wondered now that the summer is over, has anyone actually tried the Zero Breeze Air Conditioner in their small camper (ours is a Trillium 1300). We do love the max fan that the previous owner installed. It moves the air on thru.



Thanks

[gordon2]

When you asked this question two and half months ago the consensus seemed to be against it.

It might have been better to ask for any new opinions in that thread so that it is all "on the same page" so to speak.

https://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/...ner-96397.html

[chrisblessing]

Originally Posted by jbclabaugh

We have not acted yet on the potential for AC, but wondered now that the summer is over, has anyone actually tried the Zero Breeze Air Conditioner in their small camper (ours is a Trillium 1300). We do love the max fan that the previous owner installed. It moves the air on thru.



Thanks

I gave mine a good test this summer, under a full Arizona sun. I curtained off the table)bed area. I mounted the ZB outside my Scamp.

In one hour, on normal cool setting, it was able to cool the area from 33°c to 27°c.

I built a 280Ah lifepo4 battery (12v) and used a 12v to 24v boost converter to run it.

I'll be able to provide more details when I put it to use next summer, but thus far I'm pleased. It's quiet, effective and very light.

[wilyoung]

Sounds like you were cooling a small area of your trailer (except for what leaked around your curtain) and only dropped the temp by about 11F (91.4F to 80.6F). Not a big drop, but if you're used to the Arizona heat that may be in your comfort zone.


Very clever arrangement for mounting the unit outside.

[thrifty bill]

Assuming it’s a swamp cooler. If so, ambient humidity is a huge impact. In the humid SE, it’s a no go. In the dry SW they work well.

[chrisblessing]

Originally Posted by wilyoung

Sounds like you were cooling a small area of your trailer (except for what leaked around your curtain) and only dropped the temp by about 11F (91.4F to 80.6F). Not a big drop, but if you're used to the Arizona heat that may be in your comfort zone.


Very clever arrangement for mounting the unit outside.

Thanks for the response. Do mind that the drop was just in one hour. It did continue to drop but I wanted only to record the drop from when it was first turned on. I ran it until sundown by which time it was in sleep mode and I was cold.

Mounting outside works well but I will have to make provisions for rain and possible theft.

[chrisblessing]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

Assuming it’s a swamp cooler. If so, ambient humidity is a huge impact. In the humid SE, it’s a no go. In the dry SW they work well.

It is a proper air conditioner, albeit, only 2400 BTU.

[sokhapkin]

There is a simple rule of thumb - you can't cool the trailer using solar power. Period. It doesn't matter if you have powerful enough LFP batteries - if you have no way to re-charge the batteries during the day, then the batteries are unusable during the night time. To run the A/C you need shore power or power generator.

[chrisblessing]

Originally Posted by sokhapkin

There is a simple rule of thumb - you can't cool the trailer using solar power. Period. It doesn't matter if you have powerful enough LFP batteries - if you have no way to re-charge the batteries during the day, then the batteries are unusable during the night time. To run the A/C you need shore power or power generator.

I'm not sure why you assumed that I'm not charging the battery with solar or by any other means. Of course I'm using solar.

[sokhapkin]

Originally Posted by chrisblessing

I'm not sure why you assumed that I'm not charging the battery with solar or by any other means. Of course I'm using solar.

I did not assume anything. I explicitly noted that "you can't cool the trailer" using solar power only. It's against physics laws.

[chrisblessing]

Originally Posted by sokhapkin

I did not assume anything. I explicitly noted that "you can't cool the trailer" using solar power only. It's against physics laws.

Go back and read your post. You explicitly wrote: "if you have no way to re-charge the batteries during the day, then the batteries are unusable during the night time. To run the A/C you need shore power or power generator." You made no mention of solar, which is, in fact, how I charge my battery.

Before arguing this further with me I suggest you take up your argument with the Zero Breeze manufacturer who state that "...You can plug it in, run with battery or turn the MARK 2 into a solar powered air conditioner. Just charge the battery through the special adapter and solar panels (not included). Additionally to enabling battery charge with solar energy, the special adapter allows the MARK 2 to be compatible with third-party batteries."

Lastly, please cite the particular "law of physics" I appear to be violating.

[gordon2]

Two thoughts...
1. Manufactures very often make unrelasitic claims.
2. It is absolutely possible to run an A/C on solar power alone. However depending on the situation it might take a great deal more hardware than you think. You could have a solar farm generating many kilowatts and even more kilowatts of battery storage for long periods of low or no sun. So it is possible.. but if it is practical is an entirely different question, especially if you want to be mobile.

[chrisblessing]

Originally Posted by gordon2

Two thoughts...
1. Manufactures very often make unrelasitic claims.
2. It is absolutely possible to run an A/C on solar power alone. However depending on the situation it might take a great deal more hardware than you think. You could have a solar farm generating many kilowatts and even more kilowatts of battery storage for long periods of low or no sun. So it is possible.. but if it is practical is an entirely different question, especially if you want to be mobile.

You are absolutely correct on both counts. That said, my scenario is not speculative. It actually works. For some fuller background though, I initially assembled my 280Ah battery to provide storage for my garage which has no utility power. With 1KW of solar it's enough to power lights, charge our ebikes and battery-powered tools and more. The cost of the battery, BMS, charge controller, etc was under $800, while the solar panels, used, from SanTan Solar, cost $150.

It's a happy coincidence that it a also provides enough power and capacity to run the Zero Breeze. The battery and all attendant hardware fits neatly in a crate, making it eminently portable which allows me to disconnect from my garage and bring along in my camper, on which I can provide 260 watts of solar.

In my case, with these two use cases, it turns out to be possible and quite practical. As I noted in my initial comment however, I'll know more about the latter use next summer.

[jbclabaugh]

Thank you Chris for sharing. I am not sure how invested in solar we will become with our Trillium in the future. But honestly, I was wondering if the Zero Breeze was adequate for our trillium using shore power. We have camped here in New England on some really hot days! Appreciate someone "taking the chance" and sharing their experience!

[Geronimo John]

Did a bit of research and the Mark 2 is not a swamp cooler. It appears to be a DX unit with a capillary tube for refrigerant expansion ahead of the evaporator coil. Here is a cutaway of the unit: https://tredless.com/pages/buy-zero-...ir-conditioner

As far as being able to run at night powered only by batteries without shore power, external power, or solar (obviously), I beg to disagree. It is only a matter of how large your battery bank is.

With new lithium battery banks it is totally possible to run this unit all night without supplemental charging of the batteries. Sorry, but another of those "Absolute Rules of Thumb" hits the dust......

[bigb]

I've never seen that before and it looks very interesting, thinking about it to supplement my 13.5 motorhome unit that works good but up near the front seats it stays a bit warm, this would make that area more comfortable on really hot days. Interested in seeing how the two exterior tubes get routed to the outside and sealed, can you make up a plate to fit an existing sliding window? Or is there just one exhaust?

[Geronimo John]

@BigB:

Typically the two tubes are to conduct outside air into the unit's condenser coil (CC), and then back outside. There is a significant delta T in the two air flows due to heat rejection of the CC. I.E. the Outside air is brought into the CC at it's temperature, and the CC adds heat to the air flow so the exiting air is hotter.

So, you would want the two CC tubes to be mounted in such a way that the exit air does not mix with the entry air. This could be separation, louvers, or other physical means (A plate between the hose ends for example).

Hope that helps.

GJ

[chrisblessing]

Originally Posted by bigb

I've never seen that before and it looks very interesting, thinking about it to supplement my 13.5 motorhome unit that works good but up near the front seats it stays a bit warm, this would make that area more comfortable on really hot days. Interested in seeing how the two exterior tubes get routed to the outside and sealed, can you make up a plate to fit an existing sliding window? Or is there just one exhaust?

Take a look at the two photos I posted.

[bigb]

Originally Posted by chrisblessing

Take a look at the two photos I posted.

I did study them closely after I posted and couldn't figure it out then it hit me that you need 2 going in, one for supply and 1 for return, and 2 on the exhaust side for air in and out. This is good because I don't want the single hose type that creates a negative pressure inside the cabin (mine would sit inside near a window). Seriously considering this for supplementing the rooftop unit on a small class A.

[bigb]

Originally Posted by Geronimo John

@BigB:

Typically the two tubes are to conduct outside air into the unit's condenser coil (CC), and then back outside. There is a significant delta T in the two air flows due to heat rejection of the CC. I.E. the Outside air is brought into the CC at it's temperature, and the CC adds heat to the air flow so the exiting air is hotter.

So, you would want the two CC tubes to be mounted in such a way that the exit air does not mix with the entry air. This could be separation, louvers, or other physical means (A plate between the hose ends for example).

Hope that helps.

GJ

Thanks for the explanation, this might work for my weak spot