Arctic Air Conditioner

[aerobat95]

Hey guys I was wondering if anyone has had one of these units installed in their Mooney.  I saw a installation in a C210 and it worked really nicely.  My A&P said I would need to upgrade my alternator to something more powerful.  These 110+ days here in OK are really limiting my flying.  This whole summer has been pretty much been 100+ and the wife suggested looking into this.  In the 210 we were sitting on the ground baking.....started it up and within 2 minutes the cabin was cooler.  It was mounted so as to be removable in the baggage compartment.  I figure the dimensions are 13x13x17 and I am pretty sure it would fit in the baggage compartment with room to spare.  What do you guys think?

http://www.sportys.com/pilotshop/product/16680

-Ray

[David Mazer]

I have one and I have modified the pump to 800 GPH and removed some of the plumbing to reduce the resistance.  Then I made an aluminum box to make large blocks of ice that just fits in the cooler.  When I use it, I put in one big block of ice, a little cubed or crushed ice, and about a gallon of cold water I keep in the fridge.  It reduces the cabin temperature 20 - 30 degrees and really makes a huge difference.  Do to my alterations it doesn't last as long but it has cooler air for a shorter time.  I installed a 12v connection under the instrument panel and removed the cigarette lighter plug since it kept coming lose.  I just put it in the baggage area and pull it out when I need more room.

There is a similar unit here on MooneySpace that has a remote control that looks very similar.  The remote is a very nice option. You might look that one up for comparison,

When I get to an FBO, I just ask for 20# of ice, pour it in, close the louvers and it keeps for many hours even here in FL.  I recommend it and I know an M20F driver that has one and hasn't done anything to his alternator.

[aerobat95]

So do you have one from Arctic Air then?  The unit that I was looking at is an actual A/C unit and that is why I would need to look at a new alternator.  How much air flow does it have?  Can you feel it all the way up front??

[David Mazer]

Oh, sorry.  There are two versions of the Arctic Air unit.  One is a true air conditioner that installs in the plane and does require more juice.  The other is a cooler that holds ice and water and forces air over a heat exchanger.  The ice chest version uses stored energy in the form of ice while the unit to which you refer uses energy from your alternator.  Mine costs $500 - 600 and the other cost $4,000 or 5,000.  Mine is easily removable, the other is not.  Mine lasts about an hour, the other is indefinite.  Etc, etc, etc.

You can check out both options at: http://www.arcticaircooler.com/

[David Mazer]

Here is the other unit discussed on this forum:

B-kool.net

[KSMooniac]

I purchased the B-Kool unit and am quite happy with it!  <10% of the "real" A/C cost, and it does a good job.  I'll be using it again for a weekend trip to TX starting Friday and will be very glad to have it!

[aerobat95]

So would you say it noticably lowers the cabin temp??  From the video on the web site it looks like it has pretty good airflow.  400 is a hell of a lot cheaper than 4K plus install costs

[omega708]

I also have the "ice powered" arctic air unit and I love it. You really only need it on the ground and during climb out, but it works well. It probably drops the cabin temp by 25 degrees. The freon unit would be nice, but I can't give a pirep on it.

I have the 52 qt dual fan version and it fits nicely in the baggage area of my '67 c model. You just want to put the ice in after it's in the plane due to the location of our baggage doors...

[omega708]

If you're anywhere near central Texas, you're welcome to check out my Arctic Air a/c anytime...

[KSMooniac]

I don't have a lot of hours with mine yet, but it certainly does help. What I found most effective was having it blast the back of my head/neck area (the outlet is adjustable) and that cooled me down very well. When I used to ride my motorcycle on long trips in the summer, I would soak a bandanna in cold water and tie it around my neck for the same relief.... it cools the blood circulating and cools you down.

[David Mazer]

Mine cools the cabin a good 20 - 30 degrees. There is no question the ice version is more work but, as you say, there is a difference in cost as well. I had to buy a scratch and dent freezer to make and store the ice blocks in the hangar and that makes things a lot easier so that added a little to the cost. I can't imagine flying in the FL heat on a regular basis without it.

[jacobwall]

I have one as well, I've got all but praise except for the fact that the cigarette lighter keeps coming out. I'm not sure if that's an issue with the cigarette lighter in the plane or the design of the artic air cooler. It fits in the baggage compartment which is nice since you can put two other passengers and it isn't next to them in the back seat which I did previously.

[David Mazer]

Mine kept coming out also. I thought it was my individual problem. I eventually cut off the cigarette lighter end and attached a better connector and then spiced in the reciprical connector to the power supply. Since then, surprise, no problem.

[KSMooniac]

I have a harness in my baggage compartment going directly to the battery (with a fuse) that is used for my Battery Minder. I plan to get a matching two-prong connector and replace the 12V Plug so that I'll have a positive interface that won't vibrate out. I even suggested to them that they make it standard, and supply a conventional 12V plug that could be plugged into that connector if desired.

[flyboy0681]

These 110+ days here in OK are really limiting my flying.

Who would have thunk that Florida would be the cool spot this summer?

[rbridges]

Mine cools the cabin a good 20 - 30 degrees. There is no question the ice version is more work but, as you say, there is a difference in cost as well. I had to buy a scratch and dent freezer to make and store the ice blocks in the hangar and that makes things a lot easier so that added a little to the cost. I can't imagine flying in the FL heat on a regular basis without it.

that's a great idea. I was thinking about how aggravating it would be to load up on ice every time you needed it.

[Dale]

Last year i purchased a 38 quart Arctic Air for my Mooney.  I live in south Florida and the heat was getting very intense in the early afternoons, especially for passengers.  The Arctic Air is absolutely perfect for cooling the cabin down to about 75 degrees on a 95 degree day.  I used it by filling it with a couple of bags of crushed ice and it worked very well.  I found that the crushed ice melted a little to fast, especially when I was using it for over an hour or two while I was flying at low altitude.  I have frozen some block ice in some tupperware containers the block ice lasts longer than the crushed ice before melting. I have recently been trying techni ice, which is like blue ice, but allegedly can be chilled substantially colder than ice and according to the manufacturer, it can be frozen even colder than dry ice, if you have a blast type freezer. I am experimenting with it and will let everyone know on this forum if it works better than block ice.

In any event, last year I purchased the 12 volt model and hooked it up to a portable 12 volt battery pack which supplies more than enough power for a few hours of operation.  I turned on the Arctic Air prior to my preflight and shut the cabin door.  By the time I was ready to go the cabin was very cool and in the 75 degree range on a horribly hot 95 degree afternoon.  I was able to do my complete runup with the cabin door shut in a very refreshing cabin temperature.  My passengers were very, very pleased with the interior cabin temperature on such a hot day outside.  I have used the Arctic Air on my flights down to Marathon, Florida, where it is really, really hot.  The Arctic Air was a really welcome relief compared to prior trips I have made to Marathon without it.  I put the cover on the plane when I arrived and the plane sat on the hot tarmac for most of the afternoon.  The FBO at Marathon had an ice maker right there and gave me a few more pounds of ice to add to the Arctic Air prior to my preflight.  Once again by the time I finished my preflight the cabin interior was comfortable.  It was not as cool as turning on the Arctic Air while the plane was in the hangar, but it nevertheless reduced the interior cabin temperature to a comfortable temperature even with the outside temperature at Marathon hitting over a 100 degrees.  It is easy to remove the water from the unit with the pump out line and refill the unit with additional ice.  If anyone is thinking about getting one of these units for their Mooney, the Arctic Air works really well and it operates as advertised. 

[getoutandplay]

Couple of questions.  I just bought one of these and am trying to prepare.  

 

First, does anyone know of a good portable battery that could be used instead of needing the master on so the power port on panel can be used?  I would like to have the unit on and cooling during pre-flight.

 

Second, it sure sounds like only putting ice in is much easier than also adding water.  I am thinking of just freezing jugs of water that I can set inside and not deal with adding water.  Easy to load and easy to unload without anything to drain. Does using only cold air (ice) work well or does it really change the game if water is used?

 

Thanks in advance.

[David Mazer]

I think you'll find the unit doesn't work well without water for the heat exchanger.  Think about it like your radiator without and coolant.  Doesn't work.  Also, you may burn out the bilge pump if you forget and turn it on and run it without water.  I live in FL and don't bother to run the unit in advance of boarding.  The unit cools the cabin down so quickly, it just isn't worth losing the cooling time later.  I enter the plane, close the door and vents and turn on the master and the arctic air immediately.  Then I start my engine start checklist/procedure.

[carusoam]

Water is critical to the method of operation, as it is pumped through the air cooling heat exchanger.

they work really well.

They do require water and ice each time.

The advantage of this system is air is less likely to pick up moisture from the ice/water...

Always good to empty when finished.

Best regards,

-a-

[getoutandplay]

I think you'll find the unit doesn't work well without water for the heat exchanger.  Think about it like your radiator without and coolant.  Doesn't work.  Also, you may burn out the bilge pump if you forget and turn it on and run it without water.  I live in FL and don't bother to run the unit in advance of boarding.  The unit cools the cabin down so quickly, it just isn't worth losing the cooling time later.  I enter the plane, close the door and vents and turn on the master and the arctic air immediately.  Then I start my engine start checklist/procedure.

Greatly appreciated!

[getoutandplay]

Water is critical to the method of operation, as it is pumped through the air cooling heat exchanger.

they work really well.

They do require water and ice each time.

The advantage of this system is air is less likely to pick up moisture from the ice/water...

Always good to empty when finished.

Best regards,

-a-

Thanks! I might as well try the water and ice method to benefit from the full impact of this thing.

[Marauder]

As for the battery power, there are a number of solid portable battery packs you can buy. Some are better than others. I picked one up from Costco and I have a Peak Power one from Pep Boys. The Costco one blows the Peak Power one away. I will look up the model tonight and post it.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[bonal]

^{Check out Blue Fuel 12v booster / power supply very light and strong}

[TWinter]

Aspect Solar (I think it's in Sporty's or off their website). Small, compact and fits easy in the plane. I've used it three years now and works great in the plane and holds a charge longer than any flight I've made. Pricey, but you can use it for many different uses-including the portable air units.

 

-Tom