T&T: AC experiment.

[Kevin Redden]

> -----Original Message-----
> ................................. I have decided  to put in a
> standard Window shaker, and mount it in the bow , in the center of  the
> anchor rode compartment. Note the anchor lines are behind a wall on either
> side to this compartment and totally isolated from this area.
> 
> My thoughts are I will have to use a forced air fan to ventilate the heat
> from the compartment, and just let the water from the unit go into the bilge.


I'm sorry to say, but I have no doubt that this system would not work. I watched
someone try to do the same thing with a computer equipment rack last year. He
mounted the AC unit inside the rack, and ducted the cool exhaust down into the
computer equipment space. The part of the AC unit that is normally outside the
window was in its own separated section of the rack, with heavy duty exhaust
fans trying to take the heat out the way you are planning, with intake air
coming from the bottom of the rack (how were you planning on getting the make up
air?).

The project was an abject failure! The window AC unit's design depended on the
back of the unit being in clear ambient air, totally free of the heat exhausted
out the side of the unit. By putting the back of the AC unit into a compartment
where the exhausted heat from the unit was able to flow back to the input (even
in the presence of the several extra exhaust fans), the unit just overheated and
failed to cool - regardless how much the exhaust fans in the top of the rack
tried to pull out the heat.

The window type AC units are just not designed for that type of operation. The
back end of the unit needs to be out in free flowing ambient air, not in a
compartment.

Kevin Redden