eaglesfly
va
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other than the dripping, is there any other reason for not having an a/c unit inside the tent?
i just bought a small window air on sale, only $50 bucks. i have the perfect table to set it on, and i could just put a bucket right under it.
i just don't know about the makings of an a/c, and would like to know it is safe to put one on in the inside of the tent, instead of having cut a hole and put the back end out side.
i hope this makes sense as to what i am asking.
thanks for any info.
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Golden_HVAC
Fulltime, CA, USA
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Joined: 08/19/2003
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Lets see,
Hot air will blow out of the back end, and cold air out of the front end of the air conditioner. If both ends are inside the tent, then the tent will warm up.
So you need the air intake for the outside air and outside output to go outside of the tent, and the intake and output for the cool air side inside the tent, for it to cool and re-cool the inside air. Cooling outside air will reduce performance, and using the inside air to cool the A/C unit and then blow that air outside will cause more hot humid air to enter the tent.
Probably the easy way is to use a tent with two entrance doors, or to set the A/C near the window. Then wrap the door or window material around the air conditioner. It might be easy to set the air conditioner on a table outside, with the intake and outlet vents pressed against a window in the tent, and then try to block off as much air (other than from the A/C unit) from getting into the tent.
Overall how efficient will it be?
Well it will drop the humidity a little bit, and should make it a little more comfortable, but it will also use a lot of electricty. You will probably also freeze up the front coil, because the compressor room temperature will not reach the setpoint very often, and if the compressor runs more than 4 hours it might freeze up.
Yes you will get a lot of water out of the back end of the A/C. You can tilt it one way or the other, so that it will drain one direction, and then catch it in a bucket, so it will not make mud puddles in the campsite. You might collect a couple of gallons a day, depending on how humid it is and what capacity the A/C unit is.
The air conditioner does not have to be level - it can tilt 1/2" from left to right and front to back and still work fine. Actually it can tilt more than that - perhasp a inch or more and still run, but the evaperator side should be higher than the back side, so the condensation will run towards the outdoor fan. The outdoor fan has a "Sling a Ring" in most cases, and that will pick up some of the water and sling it onto the condencer, helping to cool the outdoor coil, and boil off some of the water.
I would set up the tent at home, and use a couple of cardboard boxes to make adapters so that the cool air is directed into the window in the tent, and that inside air is directed into the cool air intake on the A/C unit. You want to keep the two air streams seperated, so that you get all the cold air into the tent, and that you don't end up blowing your cold air into the thermostat, shutting off the A/C unit, or freezing the indoor coil.
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Big Katuna
Deland, FL
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Window units don't pull outside air and cool it. I am not sure if you said that or not. They pull air into the front and blow it out the front. I have seen a few tents with AC's in Florida. They usually cut the screen out of a window, set the AC on a table inside the tent, then tape the tent around the AC unit with duct tape. The water drips out the back of the AC onto the ground. I have also seen portable AC's used. These are freestanding floor AC's that have a 4" tube for the exhaust heat that gets routed out the door. I understand they don't work as well as a window unit. Boats use them sometimes.
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cactuspatch
Texas
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Been there done that........it works great! My tent has 2 doors, I put A/C in half way in one door on a stand and zip the the door closed as far as it will go. Fill unzipped area with foam( foam used for couch cushions etc) is what I ended up doing..but duct tape will do the job. You want the back side of a/c unit sticking out of tent. put a pan under the back to catch condesation or just let it hit the ground. There was a company that made a A/c Tent boot just for this a few yrs ago....not sure if they are still around.
It works mytent is a 10x10, with rain fly on its comfortable enough for my wife to lay inside tent during the middle of day in August, in South Texas and read a book. At night it got cold enough for me to turn the A/C down, thats with 2 adults and 2 kids in tent. We use a 5200 BTU
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TheGov
Hayden, Alabama
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Why go tent camping if you are taking a A/C unit.
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Big Katuna
Deland, FL
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Because they don't want to try to sleep in a tent when its 90 degrees out.
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Kamper_Kelly
Texas
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Here's a collary response to TheGOV. Why go tent camping someplace where it's 90 degrees (or even 80) at night? Just as a wouldn't tent camp for a skiing trip (I'd stay in a hotel). I wouldn't voluntarily (we've done during a hurricane evacuation) camp anyplace it was going to be about 75 at night.
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cxr133
Sunny Cali
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cactuspatch wrote:Been there done that........it works great! My tent has 2 doors, I put A/C in half way in one door on a stand and zip the the door closed as far as it will go. Fill unzipped area with foam( foam used for couch cushions etc) is what I ended up doing..but duct tape will do the job. You want the back side of a/c unit sticking out of tent. put a pan under the back to catch condesation or just let it hit the ground. There was a company that made a A/c Tent boot just for this a few yrs ago....not sure if they are still around.
It works mytent is a 10x10, with rain fly on its comfortable enough for my wife to lay inside tent during the middle of day in August, in South Texas and read a book. At night it got cold enough for me to turn the A/C down, thats with 2 adults and 2 kids in tent. We use a 5200 BTU
Hmm............ we tried this for the labor day weekend in Laughlin, Nv where its 100 degrees out and AC in the tent DID NOT WORK!!!
the cold air just blew out of the mesh holes in the top of the tent.
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Big Katuna
Deland, FL
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Some folks can't afford to stay in a motel and there aren't many motels in National Forests.
And if you want to camp in Florida in 75 degree weather, you have to wait until February.
AC's in tents are not that uncommon in Florida in the summer. Mostly for better sleeping. AC in tents works IF you keep the tent in the shade. Some throw a tarp over the tent for an extra layer.
To each their own.
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