Is a Portable Air Conditioner with Water Cooling Feasible for Garage Use?

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The discussion explores the feasibility of using a portable air conditioner with water cooling for garage use, highlighting the challenges of heat transfer and water management. It notes that while water can serve as a heat transfer medium, it heats up quickly, making continuous cooling difficult without a proper drainage system. Participants discuss the differences between air source and water source portable air conditioners, emphasizing the need for a heat sink and the limitations of evaporative coolers in humid conditions. The conversation also touches on alternative cooling methods, including the potential of cooling towers and the use of Stirling engines for harnessing heat. Overall, the feasibility of a water-cooled portable air conditioner for garage use remains uncertain, with suggestions for exploring other cooling solutions.
  • #31
M-Funf said:
You could also make a "dry-air" evaporative cooler. This was invented some time ago, and my father's company manufactured these until about 15 years ago. Basically, it's an evaporative cooler with a twist:

Instead of using a wet fiber/wet cardboard medium and blow air across that, wrap some thin wall PVC tubing with material. Run water over them and recycle it back to the top. Draw outside air across those tubes and exhaust that air back outside. Draw air THROUGH the tubes. This air will be cooled as it passes through the tubes into the space to be cooled.

It's not as efficient, but it is as dry as the outside air...

Good Luck!
I like this. Perhaps arranged in two chambers one blowing in with water sprayed over cloth covered tubes and the other blowing out with tubes used to condense the evaporated water back out of the air and pump back from there. You can only bring in air if you take it out anyway, so why not use the slightly cooler air to help condensing?
 
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  • #32
fiberglass cloth makes a nice wicking material..
 

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