running my ac on the hard

[Striker37]

Just disconnect the hose for your intake and hook it up to a garden hose,you will waste alot of water but it will work.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by jhulmer

yes. This is something like I have in mind. This setup would use evaporative cooling so the water level would have to be maintained with regular checks or a float valve. I believe it would suffice long enough to complete haul out projects.

plus benefit is that you can use this opportunity to clean the cooling system of marine growth with a chemical cleaner.

You need to put a March air conditioning pump in the tank, a pump will force water much higher than it will draw.
Go to a stock store, you know where they have stuff for horses and cows as there is an inexpensive float water valve there, it works like the float in a toilet and is meant to keep a horse water tank full.

[Brewgyver]

Originally Posted by jhulmer

I have given this some thought but have yet to test it.
(snippage)
However, I believe that if you set a 55gal plastic drum, full of water, under your through hull and force a hose into the through-hull and feed from the drum this will be sufficient to keep your Aircon working. You will have to fit a hose in the overboard through-hull as well and return the water back to the drum. I would expect that given enough time the water would be heated. But the question then is will it be too much heat to prevent the aircon from preforming adequately?

As has already been pointed out, your existing pump will not draw water up out of the barrel. In most installations the pump is below the waterline, so it doesn't need to have any suction lift. Of course, you could use a booster pump, a submersible placed inside the barrel, as A64 mentioned. Then you would have flow, and your A/C would run for a little while - and then it wouldn't. A 16k BTUH unit will heat the water in the barrel about 40 degrees in an hour. Your A/C will shut off before then on high head protection.

[Cheechako]

Yep, a cheap window unit can be only $150. Once I tried running the onboard unit with a small tank for cooling water. It got too hot in minutes and shut down!

[DeepFrz]

Those cooling towers look like rental units. What a wonderful idea. I'm sure there must be something available in Florida.

[techmans]

Borrow a good size car/truck radiator form the local wrecker and route the cooling water through it.A fan from the local thrift shop wil cool the rad.You keep it out of the rain by having it all under the boat.
When done give it all back or save for next time.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by Striker37

Just disconnect the hose for your intake and hook it up to a garden hose,you will waste alot of water but it will work.

And piss off everyone else in the yard as they walk through your puddle.

[DeepFrz]

Techmans, good idea but why not get the radiator, fan and shroud in one piece. Of course you would have to run it off 12 volts but that wouldn't be very difficult.

[W3GAC]

So you'll need about 16,000 BTU of cooling. Even if the raw water pump could suck up that much head from near group... it would over heat the 55 gal VERY FAST. (Ever feel the AC outflow?). The 'small AC that use a flex 'dryer' tube for the hot outflow has top issues: there are only 5,000 btu (not enough btu x3 and all the hot outflow must be/ is replaced by sucking right back in hot humid outside air (otherwise you'd create a vacuum inside your boat. Only way I know to use marine AC is CONSTANT flow of water from hose or salt water. Marina likely isn't going to like you running up their water bill/ creating a muddy water stream from your boat. I have had some success with either the small AC in the companion way... but again 5,000 btu is not enough for sunny daytime comfort. Might consider leaving it on/ timer to cool off the boat before you arrive early- early (4-5 am) and work until it gets too hot below. A big tarp over boom will lower Sun warming below 50+ % as will perdicadically wetting deck to take advantage of evaporation. Lastly, Harbor Freight (others) sell very good 'squirrel cage' fan. Moves an incredible amount of air that you can point/ direct right at you/ work location.... next best thing to real AC. (Fireman use a slightly bigger version to remove smoke from buildings.) Buy two... one to direct a lot of air into boat; second one right at you. Worked days and days in St Thomas boatyard inside my ketch using these fans/Sun tarp. After you work up that initial layer of sweat... the fast moving air/ even at pretty high humidity. Just don't forget to keep drinking lot and lots of water.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by W3GAC

So you'll need about 16,000 BTU of cooling. Even if the raw water pump could suck up that much head from near group... it would over heat the 55 gal VERY FAST. (Ever feel the AC outflow?). The 'small AC that use a flex 'dryer' tube for the hot outflow has top issues: there are only 5,000 btu (not enough btu x3 and all the hot outflow must be/ is replaced by sucking right back in hot humid outside air (otherwise you'd create a vacuum inside your boat. Only way I know to use marine AC is CONSTANT flow of water from hose or salt water. Marina likely isn't going to like you running up their water bill/ creating a muddy water stream from your boat. I have had some success with either the small AC in the companion way... but again 5,000 btu is not enough for sunny daytime comfort. Might consider leaving it on/ timer to cool off the boat before you arrive early- early (4-5 am) and work until it gets too hot below. A big tarp over boom will lower Sun warming below 50+ % as will perdicadically wetting deck to take advantage of evaporation. Lastly, Harbor Freight (others) sell very good 'squirrel cage' fan. Moves an incredible amount of air that you can point/ direct right at you/ work location.... next best thing to real AC. (Fireman use a slightly bigger version to remove smoke from buildings.) Buy two... one to direct a lot of air into boat; second one right at you. Worked days and days in St Thomas boatyard inside my ketch using these fans/Sun tarp. After you work up that initial layer of sweat... the fast moving air/ even at pretty high humidity. Just don't forget to keep drinking lot and lots of water.

I have a small window style ac unit in my little house (1140 sq ft) The last two summers here in the PNW are the first in 70 years I've used AC up here. The 8000 btu works fine for that house... even when it's 90 out.... and yes surprisingly. I guess if you want really chilly cold maybe not, but most boats dont have near the cubic feet as this small house.

[jhulmer]

Originally Posted by techmans

Borrow a good size car/truck radiator form the local wrecker and route the cooling water through it.A fan from the local thrift shop wil cool the rad.You keep it out of the rain by having it all under the boat.
When done give it all back or save for next time.

yes that would work. This is getting elaborate I know but it gives the naysayers something to do.

now we are compacting the unit to something that could be built as a portable self contained unit that you could put away until you have to haul out.

An aux pump that provides water to the thru hull and when/if the AC cycles then then a simple bypass would continue to circulate the cooling water through the heat exchanger (radiator). Need to work out the heat exchange rate.

Believe it or not I took AND passed thermodynamics but haven't had to use it in my discipline in almost 30 years. I might need to dust off the book.

[Sailmonkey]

Oh, not a naysayer, it is possible....but if you need to ask the question it's likely not possible for you (as a matter of practicality)

[a64pilot]

I bought one of these when the airconditioner went out in our rental house before we moved aboard
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Hisense-140...ner/1000195227
14,000 BTU but the one we have has one hose, it sucks cool air out of the house or boat to cool the condenser, therefore it cools about like an 8,000 BTU unit.
Nothing will cool as well for less money than a window unit AC, many take them and fab a vent to have them blow down an open hatch, therefore they don't have to climb over them getting onto the boat.
There is also one sold for marine use, forget the name but it's essetially a window unit made to fit a hatch opening.

[captstu]

I lived in a yard for three months while repairs were underway after the yard owner dropped a crane on my catamaran.

I purchased a small 110 volt sump pump, connected a long hose and fed sea water to the a/c inlet with a 100' garden hose. Another 100' hose returned the hot water to the water alongside the boat lift. Ran fine = no extra load on the a/c pump and no complications.

[jhulmer]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

Oh, not a naysayer, it is possible....but if you need to ask the question it's likely not possible for you (as a matter of practicality)

SERIOUSLY!? "If you need to ask the question"

I thought that is why this forum exists? How do you solve a problem without asking THE question?

Most knowledge is gained from asking a question.

SERIOUSLY!?