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RV Coolbox ? Keeping the hot Texas summer cooler

Louise Hose

Louise Hose

Well Known Member
My commute to and from work involves staying under the Class B airspace at 1800 and 2800 feet for about 20 minutes, a swelter experience on a summer afternoon in south Texas. Not to mention the taxiing on each end of the flight! I love my RV, but these conditions discourage even the most avid of pilots!

So, I obtained an RV Coolbox (http://rvcoolbox.com/) last week and I?ve been trying it out. The first success was that the regional temperatures that have been hitting triple digits everyday for weeks dropped into the low- to mid-90s. Who knew that this simple device could change the weather! Maybe this is the answer to global climate change? :rolleyes: :rolleyes: OK, maybe just a coincidence?

The Coolbox fits easily into the back of the RV-6. It does require a charge of ice for each flight. Fortunately, the College Station FBO has a convenient ice machine. I just walk through the FBO, fill a couple of large Zip-loks with ice, and head out to the plane, where I dump the ice into the Coolbox. (If you have perishables, you can also throw a little into the Coolbox, ensuring that they don?t lie next to the cooling element.) The lid is closed and the black, corrugated vent tube directed at my neck. As soon as the plane fires up, I hit the switch and the cool air flows. The usual sweaty taxi becomes a lot more comfortable.

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Filling the RV Coolbox with ice, drinks, and snacks for the weekend

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The simple blower tube positioned to cool the front part of the cabin.​

In flight, we find the temperature difference subtle unless the blower is on your neck. But, if you turn the Coolbox off, the difference becomes evident. With the cool air blowing on your neck, the flight is downright pleasant. Even in the pattern at the end of my afternoon flight home, where I occasionally worry that I?ll pass out from heat stroke before rolling out and opening the canopy, the cabin remained tolerable if not pleasant. I haven?t even been opening the canopy on roll-out and taxing lately.

At the end of the flight, most of the water has to be pumped out in preparation for the next trip. This process takes several minutes.

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Mikey relieving himself at the end of the flight ;)​

So, the testing has been limited (only one week), but the observations are:
Plusses:
  • Definitely cools the cabin and makes low level operations like pattern work, practicing IFR approaches, and flying under the Class B wedding cake reasonable activities on a hot summer?s afternoon. It is particularly comforting for the person with the blower directed on the back of their neck.
  • Cost (around $200) fits the RVer?s budget
  • Compact and lightweight ? fits in the back of the -6 with room for our weekend bags
  • Provides an ice chest for a few drinks after the flight
  • Could easily make the difference between a potential passenger who refuses to take the plane because "it's too hot" and a passenger anxious to avoid the long drive for a summer weekend get-away.
Drawbacks:
  • You must obtain a substantial amount of ice for each flight
  • You must pump (or drain) out most of the water at the end of each flight
  • The cooler is a little awkward to put in and take out, requiring that both of the -6?s seat backs be pulled forward
  • It isn?t a substitute for a ?real? (expensive and heavy) air conditioner. It cools the cabin but it doesn?t create movie theater cold.
 
Thanks Louise

A couple of thoughts..

1) You could make your own does that sound cheap?...Busted I guess..:)

2) Could you fit a 3/8ths bulkhead fitting to the bottom and run a flex hose/valve arrangement out through the bottom of the fuse for quick draining ops?..Thinking about it you wouldn't even need a valve just the let the water widdle out as the ice melts. Slightly less efficient as the water at 0C does provide some useful cooling, but most of the cooling effect is the latent heat of the ice turning into water. Seems this small mod would fix the major hassle factor.

3) other option is to syphon it out over the side of the airplane using say 5' of tygon tube.

4) Dual uuse..turn it into a smoke oil tank...Ok just kidding..:)

Otherwise I like the concept!

Frank
 
frankh said:
2) Could you fit a 3/8ths bulkhead fitting to the bottom and run a flex hose/valve arrangement out through the bottom of the fuse for quick draining ops?..Thinking about it you wouldn't even need a valve just the let the water widdle out as the ice melts. Slightly less efficient as the water at 0C does provide some useful cooling, but most of the cooling effect is the latent heat of the ice turning into water. Seems this small mod would fix the major hassle factor.
Click to expand...

Actually Frank, the water is very important, if I am figuring this thing correctly. The pump circulates the cool water through a heat exchanger through which the fan draws it's air - so if you let the water drain out during operation, you lose most of the cooling. This isn't just passing air over ice - it is using the chilled water as a media. The effect of a bag of ice does only last about 45 minutes to an hour down here in the Houston climate. Then it just becomes a high-volume fan.

Paul
 
Agh

I see, in that case you presumably want say a min level of water, say a inch or so on the bottom? So could you put the drain say at an inch or so above the bottom so that it acts like an overflow?
 
frankh said:
I see, in that case you presumably want say a min level of water, say a inch or so on the bottom? So could you put the drain say at an inch or so above the bottom so that it acts like an overflow?
Click to expand...

Quantity of water is a factor in how long the thing will cool.

A gallon of water has more BTU absorption than a quart.

Your drain idea is fine, just use a manual valve to drain it as needed, not continuously.
 
Another Moosehead fan, I see! This sounds like a cool idea to ameliorate the summer heat.
 
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Where is your sunshade?

I have the sliding sunshade that Vans sells. It is awesome with respect to how much less heat there is in the cabin while using it. I bet if you added that with the A/C you would see a much bigger difference whenever the sun is shining. Obviously won't make much of a difference on a hot cloudy day.
 
if you want to really boost the performance of that cooler for a long trip or a real hot session try enough ice/ water to make the exchanger work and fill the rest up with dry ice :D
 
Thanks for taking the time to post the photos and the evaluation, Louise. The web site doesn't mention the size or empty weight. Could you post that also?

One other thought, it would help a little if the canned drink(s) were frozen before placing in the cooler. With this little machine, every BTU/calorie counts!
 
Danny7 said:
if you want to really boost the performance of that cooler for a long trip or a real hot session try enough ice/ water to make the exchanger work and fill the rest up with dry ice :D
Click to expand...

Hope no one takes this seriously, dry ice and water create a lot of carbon dioxide in a hurry.

Not recommended to breathe a lot of carbon dioxide:eek::(
 
Mike S said:
Hope no one takes this seriously, dry ice and water create a lot of carbon dioxide in a hurry.

Not recommended to breathe a lot of carbon dioxide:eek::(
Click to expand...
EDIT- this is wrong, thanks for the corrections Pete and Mike

unless you fill the cabin up with carbon dioxide it won't hurt you . i don't think most aluminum planes are airtight enough for it to matter. carbon dioxide is what we inhale and exhale with every breath anyway, unless by volume it displaces o2 it doesn't do a thing to you.

you aren't thinking of carbon monoxide are you?
 
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Danny7 said:
carbon dioxide is what we inhale and exhale with every breath anyway, unless by volume it displaces o2 it doesn't do a thing to you.

you aren't thinking of carbon monoxide are you?
Click to expand...

No, I am not thinking of CO.

The quantity of CO2 inhaled is extremely small, the amount exhaled is a bit bigger.

There are two hazards of breathing CO2, displacing Oxygen as mentioned above, and the other is that the body regulates breathing in accord to CO2 levels.
 
rv7boy said:
The web site doesn't mention the size or empty weight. Could you post that also?
Click to expand...

The top (and bottom) are about 18 inches wide (the handles probably add an extra 1.5 inches or so) and 11 inches deep. The chest is ~14 inches high. To operate, the intake vent is raised about one inch and, of course, the blower tube extends a lot more. I don't have a good scale from this range, but the empty weight is about 7 pounds (probably +/- 1#).

rv7boy said:
One other thought, it would help a little if the canned drink(s) were frozen before placing in the cooler. With this little machine, every BTU/calorie counts!
Click to expand...

Freezing the Moosehead? The horror! ;)

As for adding shades, I suspect that might help on some days and at some hours. But, the sun is low enough during the evening commute that I would have to also block critical visibility to block it. And, in this part of the world, the issue usually isn't primarily direct sunlight.

Dry ice? No thank you. You would be blowing that CO2-charged air right at your face for maximum cooling efficiency. I'll stick with regular ice. I've worked in a carbonic-rich atmosphere enough to have high respect for its impact on the human body. (I could diverge into a Darwin award story here, but I'll stick with this RV-related theme.)
 
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Maybe getting cooler air?

If you add salt to the ice, the melting point goes lower so the water circulation is lower and thus a cooler cool. Might not last as long tho.
 
BobK said:
If you add salt to the ice, the melting point goes lower so the water circulation is lower and thus a cooler cool. Might not last as long tho.
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And you wouldn't want that salt water leaking in your plane or pumped over the side on to the wing. :eek:
 
As mentioned above, the amount of water is related to the amount of cooling, but it is no problem to remove. The unit comes with a length of hose that is simply connected to the circulating pump and with the unit turned on the water is pumped out. When camping the unit can be removed from the airplane and put in the tent. With a 12 volt source like a small 110 to 12 volt power supply, you could have a mighty comfortable tent for a while. One thought is that this type cooler may be adding moisture to the interior of an aircraft, which may not be too good for avionics. Any thoughts. Bob.
 
Thanks Mike S and Pete Hunt for setting me straight- i was thinking co2 would affect the body more like nitrogen. in the Atmosphere CO2 is much less than 1% and how much is in you affects respiration quite a bit.

good to have guys that know what they are talking about on this forum.
 
rjaflys said:
One thought is that this type cooler may be adding moisture to the interior of an aircraft, which may not be too good for avionics. Any thoughts. Bob.
Click to expand...

The builder/manufacturer says that the unit is actually removing moisture from the air, making the cabin a bit drier, although I haven't figured out how that happens. I do know that I haven't had any condensation problems on the canopy or in the cabin so I have no reason to not believe him.

Since my plane lives in near 100% humidity much of the summer, I really doubt that this is an issue for us, anyway. And, in most applications, you would only have the cooler on for a relatively short time (i.e., during climb-out, descent, or out practicing TnGs).
 
N941WR said:
Cooler air holds less moisture?
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Yes. If you don't believe me, stick your head inside a cloud :)

By having the coil inside the cooler, condensed moisture is removed. If you have the coil outside the cooler or don't allow it to drain, the condensate gets everywhere and humidity stays high.

TODR
 
Hope this helps...........

I wanted to Thank everyone for their comments and interest in the RVCoolbox. I finally got all orders produced & shipped. This little box has really been received well during our hot summer. Thanks

I have tried to keep this box as compact as possible, while remaining beneficial and functional. I have heard from many during its product testing, particularly from those who fly with their wives. It may have saved a couple of divorces (just kidding), but it really does help.

I have tried to keep the cost of this box down to where the average guy who would want to build their own would find the following: ?By the time I sourced all the parts, paid for these individually at retail, spent the time an effort to drive around and pick up the parts, spend the time trying to reinvent ?the wheel?, I could have bought one of these complete from Chuck.? Do I make money of these? Yes, I do, only because I buy parts from the manufacturers hundreds at a time and am willing to work for $6.00 an hour. Besides, any profits made from this go towards an ?old man's flying lessons?, me.

In answer to many of your questions:

The box works on the same principle as a true air conditioner, it removes water from the air by condensing it on the coil, condensation simply drains to the bottom of the box. It is not an evaporative cooler.
The box is 18?x14.5?x11?
@12volts it draws approx. 5 amps
It has a 4' hose you can use to pump water overboard in a few minutes.
You should fill the whole box with ice on both sides, but not add any water on startup.
Box is designed to baffle water to prevent sloshing as ice melts.
The box has no bottom drain (don't want to inadvertently spill in the plane.)
The box dry weighs approx. 9 lbs.
I test every box personally.
For a small up charge, I will make you one for 24 volts.
Block Ice works well, I have also experimented with freezing 20oz water bottles, which work well, but in this case you must add a little water.

I am experimenting on a design that will vent vapor from ?Dry Ice? safely outside the airplane, without any CO2 being able to enter the cockpit. If it works out, it will be an easy retro fit to existing boxes and sold as an accessory..

As winter is coming, I know things will slow down, so here's a little deal kind of like a ?Group Buy?.
If you order one of these boxes on the Website rvcoolbox.com before October 31st. I will either rebate the shipping charge to you by ?check? with the shipment OR I will make a Contribution (the shipping charge) to Doug Reeve's VAF on each order designated that way. Lower 48 states only.

I think on the checkout you can add shipping instructions, either put ?VAF Shipping Rebate? for check to you. Or ?VAF Shipping Contribution?. I am an honest person and I will do what I promise. If you can't add it in the shipping instructions, just put it in the second line of the street address.

?Help an old man learn to fly, make your wife happy, help Doug at the same time and fly cool.? Buy an RVCoolbox.
 
How about a Golf Cart Cooler :)

I saved this for a reason and the reason was that it really worked well. This unit is good for full round of golf in 90-100 degree heat. (4-5 hours) The unit has a container inside (comes with a couple I think) which you fill and freeze a solid block of ice. As it melts, the cooling grid is in the bottom under the block and a minimal amount of water covers the grid. It puts out a really good cool stream of air.




It has several speeds; however,.. that 4-5 hours is actually somewhat questionable because the cart seat has a pressure switch on it that turns the unit off and on as you sit down! You can use bag ice as well but it doesn't last as long.

Nope, forgot the name of it but it's standard golf cart stuff.


Bill S
7a finishing for real this time
 
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a/c

just wondering if any one has tried the $39.95 koolaire unit that you put on the top of a small ice chest
if so please post a short report
thanks bob
 
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