Modifying the IcyBreeze Air Conditioner to work for Vanlife!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ต.ค. 2024
- If you'd like to see everything I use in my van, click here: www.minivancam...
The IcyBreeze is great - it works fantastically. Just not for van life, and especially minivan campers. Follow along as I attempt to invent something that works a little better for me! This my just be your solution to how to stay cool in a van.
Welcome to Minivan Camper Gal! I'm Kelly and I camp and travel in a Chrysler Pacifica Minivan, doing part-time van life. Here you will find van build videos, tips on the digital nomad lifestyle, general travel vlog videos, and more. I'm into minimalism, and I eat a mostly plant-based vegan diet. I'm still learning how to do vegan vanlife well! I have some great vegan camping recipes to share with you, but would love some suggestions, too! Sometimes I stealth camp in the city, but mostly I like to boondock. Join me and my camper van as we embark on all the car camping adventures!
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I love your perseverance and ingenuity. Well done.
Thank you!
Me too! She's great!
Ingenuity??????
Literally stole parts from a completed product and made it worse!!! Ingenuity???? Tf u dum af
am young teenage boy its a long journey ahaed , you teach me one of the important thing which is dont afraid to experience new thing even if you are in loss or might get loss . remind me of a quote " take risk in life and it become magical experience "
at 9:55 you said : i can do that! lets see what happen .
i will remmber this line for the rest of my life with a big smile . will always use that i can doo that and we'll se what happens . it actually give me some inner strength to positively do it . i cant explain .
Kelly - Beautiful Presence and Lovely Content !!! Thank for creating the IcyBreeze Mini !!!
26 minutes of Galsplaining? HELL YEAAH 🎉❤❤❤ I love creative solutions that use old parts and cost almost nothing!
HAHAHA! Aw Patty, you make me laugh. Thanks so much for your support!
Bought one for the RV. Works great. What i use are BLOCKS of ice, instead of bags. Frozen in Tupperware. Lasts much longer.
Camper Gal I’m only about halfway thru the video but dang you’re handy. Im impressed…
Haha, thank you!
You are freaking a rockstar😮😊😊😊
I would be interested in a follow up about how long you can make cool air by swapping out ice packs in and out of your freezer. Could it work somewhat continuously?
Hey Michael! I *think* I can make it work continuously, as long as I can keep my solar batteries topped off.
Exactly the information I was looking for.
Great project. She has every tool imaginable!! Genius idea.
Haha, thanks!
The purpose of the icy breeze cooler size is to hold large amounts of ice or ice blocks. You'll be pulling over for ice every hour. But respect your mission and approach
Totally enjoyed this. I've been modifying/tweaking stuff since I was a child. Kudos, well done! I think you will use this much more than original product.
Thanks for watching!
That is ingenious and so small…most excellent‼️. You are so handy.
That cool breeze will go along way on a hot sticky day. Enjoy.
Cheers Debbie ♥️🙂♥️
Thanks Debbie!
Kelly you are so cool and simply amazing. Great idea. I have the same unit, and want it to be smaller Thanks for a great idea
Thats great.your a 'gal' after my own heart.Theres much more fun in making something or repurposing something than buying new. I'm glad you show how you do things & working it all out than just the finished object too. Keep the videos coming, enjoying them
Hey survivor! Thanks for watching!
I watched your video a half dozen times, and because of your footage, I was able to purchase all of the items that are part of the cooler, and make my own "IcyBreeze" from an old cooler and less than $100 of Amazon stuff. All that I left is the vent and J pipe. In the meantime, I have started on a mini one from a thermos. Some of the items were a 2-pack, so why not? Between both of them, I will hopefully have a cooler car on hot days. Coming into a sauna from grocery shopping is not fun.
You are amazing! I love this video … as you said a clamp is good to have if you are doing something crazy … lol. Im going to get one for my next adventure. 😊
Love your videos, Kelly!
Thanks Janell!
This is so how I thing and work stuff out in my shop. I love it! I have trying to come up with a way to do this for next summer I am working on my making the inside of my van and hope to start trailing. Great inspiration thank you! YES small hands for some projects would be nice! Lol
Hi Doug! I'm glad you liked the video! Good luck with your van setup!
great job! you cooked!
If the icy breeze works for only a couple of hours before needing to get more ice, this must only stay cool for about 10 minutes before all the ice is melted. I can’t imagine hauling around extra ice on walks when you could just drink ice water. I admire your commitment to your idea, but I don’t think you convinced icy breeze they need a more portable version. Still, if it works for you than that’s all that matter 👍
It's great to be able to think out of the "BOX". Thanks a bunch 🌹🍷
Haha, love it. Thanks!
Maybe a gutter guard for the fan cover?
Ooh, interesting.. I'll have to look at that, thanks!
Radiant cooling
Clever. If you have an insulated curtain between front and back you could have a smaller area to cool. Maybe behind your chair as well.
Ooh, that's an interesting idea! Thanks!
Robert Murray-Smith 1954 DIY Hybrid Air Conditioner makes a real interesting one out of freezer blocks
Ooh, cool! I'll have to check it out, thanks!
Ok, hear me out
This is what I did
Igloo 1 gallon round cooler
Copper tubing.
Computer fan 12volt or usb
Computer radiator 4 inch
Vinyl tubing
Home made polar tubes.
About a 6 inch section of vinyl fence post or round pvc pipe
Aquarium pump 12volt or USB
Install the radiator and fan assembly and pump in the fence post or pipe so that it fits fairly flush at one end.
You can cut a 6 inch round out of plywood and then cut out a 4 inch square square to attach the radiatir assembly to and attach that inside the 6 inch pvc pipe..
Attach the pipe aka radiator housing to the lid of the cooler with a single bolt so that it can pivot.
Put the copper coil inside the cooler
Connect the vinyl tubing to the copper tuning
Drill a hole in the drink flap of the cooler just big enough for the vinyl tubing to come through and goop it up.
I glued in a rubber plug that fit and just eliminated the flap altogether
Leave slack in the vinyl tubing inside the cooler so that you will be able to unscrew the lid later and sit it to the side if you need you refill
Connect the other end of the tubing the radiator.
Connect all your wires to a switched 12 volt or usb power source
Fill cooler with ice, ice water, flexible gel packs, polar tubes, or hydraphilic polymers and vodka.
Fill cooler lines with vidka prior to connecting to the radiator or install some sort of filler.
You will have a closed system that is cooled by the ice in the cooler and will be less susceptible to heat transfer..
Air fkiw can be directed by piviting the head unit.
Head unit can also be used like a mini split system
Built this for my sons car 2 years ago when his ac crapped out in august in Florida until he could get it fixed
He used it all summer delivering pizzas all day
You can open the top and put the entire assembly in a freezer to completely freeze the contents or I made polar tubes that coukd be removed because the available freezer wasn't large enough .
You can use many different coolers and if you want to get more complicated add a peltier device to keep things cokder longer.
I would recommend only using a power sucking peltier with the car running and powering the device
Wow. Going to read over again to fully comprehend & find parts. Would you be willing to advise me?
I have also seen someone make a close loop circuit which you fill up two radiators put one in the ice and just pump the water through both radiators
Crack the lid and it will pull more air 😊
Clever idea😊💜👏🏼👏🏼
Thanks Sunny!
Where is the air flowing in at?
If you are sucking air out of the box don’t you need a vent which allows more air in to your box?
Hey Nick! Yeah.. that's what I thought too. I'm not exactly sure how the fan works, but I think it takes air in through the middle and blows it out the sides.
Gosh you've more patience than I do Kelly, but it worked yay! I didn't have sound again btw but I watched captions. I think an Icy Breeze blew across my audio ! Well done, very practical solution ! 🌼
Hey Marion! Arg, I think I forgot to make sure the sound was in stereo, sorry! If you can switch your sound to the left or right, you'll be able to hear it. Thanks for watching anyway!
Well Kelly you did it again! You kinda have an engineer mind. For instance the big cooler wasn't practical. Then you start to think 🤔 to make something smaller. You get to work, you don't give up fine tuning it, then there it is! You remind me of me but with way more focus and concentration. You are an inspiring woman. I dream of a day when all females never doubt if they can do something that's not in what they think is in their wheelhouse. I think we're getting there when I see all these one woman van builds and ingenious problem solving! Yes, the barbie movie is getting women of all ages to dress up again and don't mind looking real pretty too! And the good thing this time around ladies is that looking very feminine again, our acquired smarts is part of our psyche now that no man can take from us. The world has hope as long as the future is female.
Hey Joann! Haha, I love your last sentence! Thanks for all the compliments, and thanks for watching!
Very interesting watching her solve problems
Thanks Gwendolyn!
Pretty slick
Good research work! To get 6 hours worth of 2000 BTU AC One would need about 40 lbs of ice..
Great job!!!
Thanks Tammy!
Love that you took it apart and repurposed the components but couldn't you just sell the icybreeze and then buy a submersible aquarium pump and a small radiator/ heat exchanger with a 12v fan since you already have battery and solar?
Nice work but where is the air intake? Did miss that part?
Love your video!
Thank you!
Good job!!
Thanks Connie!
you can buy a small cooler, battery, a fan and switch for less than $100 without destroying a $350 cooler. I made one very similar to this one but it was a canvas type cooler not hard plastic. Only problem was the ice melted too quickly. just saying.
I've been threatening to get one and use the parts to modify the small freezer side of my dual zone chest fridge to supply cold water for the heat exchanger. But that's a potentially really expensive experiment and painful boo-boo if I mess it up or it doesn't work. 😂 I honestly wonder if Alpicool would sell you a replacement lid for your little freezer so you could experiment with it. 🤷🏽
Ooh, yes, that's a really interesting experiment! But.. potentially costly too!! Thanks for the ideas!
Really great innovative video thank you.
Hey Kelly! Thanks for watching!
That is pretty cool! (No pun intended) 😁
Hey Lisa! Haha, thanks!
You just gave me a great idea!... also, it's really weird how the women who comment seem to slip in something personally judgemental towards you
I like the idea, but I will try a small water pump and computer radiator and fan to see if this will work.
Computer fan mesh. Computershop have those
Oh cool, thanks!
Make your ice last longer by drilling a few holes around the top of the blue base , then take a foam can and shoot it in the holes.
Ooh, good idea!
Maybe I missed it but don't you need air IN to the cooler so that it can be sucked through the heat exchanger?
Its not using the air from the cooler but the temperature of the water that is coming from the bottom of the cooler
Very impressed with your DIY skills .Another way to keep cool is to put insulating blinds on all the windows of the van using a roll of reflectix foil coated bubble wrap . How about making some of those for us ? 😊
Hey Belinda! Yes, I do have some homemade window coverings, but they're not very pretty though!
What about the silver grill on the other side of the radiator?
Yeah, I thought about that too. I don't really know what it's for on the other side...
It is based on the latent heat of fusion of ice
Amiga yo hice un aire acondicionado con material de los aires de agua ese material que no es de paja es como de cartón y la verdad funciona muy bien en un galón de detergente.... cualquier idea es buena para refrescar el ambiente.... saludos desde Chihuahua 😊
Gracias!
The little wire you can buy at dg, for bbq grills.
Ooh, thanks!
You’re a Tinker Fairy!! Just like Tinkerbell!!
cover the fan with cheap window screen
Brilliant
Thank you!
I saw a vanlifer use a small a/c similar to this. They attached a swiveled hose, much like a dryer hose, but I think a bit more durable... then they put the hose under their top sheet to keep cool during the night when it was hot outside. Used MUCH less energy than running a/c to cool the entire van. Wondering if using PVC fittings stepped down to a swivel hose much like comes on a shop vac??? Just brainstorming.... It would mean you could keep your 'cooler' stationary and just adjust your air with a hose or swivel fitting
Ooh, interesting! I like it. I'll have to do some experiments. Thanks!
I see advertisements for a very little cooler like that called chillwell and there's some knockoffs too. Same principle but it doesn't necessarily need ice It just needs water but you can add ice.
Ooh, interesting. I'll have to check that out!
Instead of chicken wire the plastic sheets in the crafting areas has very small holes. Can't remember what they are called but even Walmart carrys them and they are sold in the sewing/crafting department.
Thanks for the suggestion! I did try window screen material, but it blocked the flow too much.
Maybe take apart a suet feeder for the fan cage. It was fun to watch your perseverance and ingenuity!
You would have to heavily insulate the van to make the 2000 btu rating work
Your adorable 💕🥰
Thanks for the compliment! Thanks for watching!
Can you post all the peace where we can buy it
Super curious as to how this is gonna turn out ngl 😁
Edit: turned out great and you are more mechanically inclined than I 👍
Haha, Thanks Ken!
I did this with a small cooler that id fill with ice but i just had a fan blowing in one end and a hole on other end the air blows out. Probably not as cold of air as the radiator version but it was pretty cool air and ice probably lasts longer since its not drawing as much cold out
Ooh, nice!
SU ... PER ... COOL.
😊😊😊😊
Use some window screen to cover the fan
Directing air, get the curved vent covers for house vents (walmart) we all know you can modify...lol
Hey Cindy! Ha, thanks for the idea!
Fill 20oz soda bottles with salt water and freeze them and then put into the cooler it should be much colder. Or invest into a zero breeze ac unit for next summer
Yeah, I've looked a little at zero breeze - they look very interesting!
Maybe the RV wire guard covers that are sold to cover water heater vents??
Ooh, that's something I'll have to check out! Thanks!
Like a swamp cooler but looks like it takes up too much room unless you can double it as a fridge 😆
Yeah, the icy breeze takes up a lot of room!
What about run time. Does the smaller ice container reduce the time it outputs cold air?
Habitat is a source too.
Ooh, good tip!
Love your resource-fullness. Maybe you were an engineer in your former life.
Hey Charlotte! Thanks for watching!
I thought I would like power tools. Turns out I don't 😂
Hi Rebby! Oh no, hope you didn't have a bad experience. It took me a long time to get used to them, and I still prefer screwing in screws by hand. There are a lot of hand tools out there that can do the job, and build your skills too.
@@minivancampergal1554 not a bad experience..I just know I'm clumsy lol
What if you have 48 frozen 12oz bottles of water that you can keep re-using when it turns to water just put the bottles of water in a freezer or deep freezer ?
Yeah, that's an idea!
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍Awesome 👽
Thanks Alien!
Freeze you one solid block of ice it would last much longer
Rabbit fencing,you should be able to get a small portion of it
Oh, thanks!
I wonder if a yeti style cooler or one where the top has had the expanding insulation blown in the lid would work better? Or maybe not since it is blowing in warm air to begin with?
Hm, I'm not sure! I don't think I'd want to massacre a yeti cooler though... too expensive.
Is the water pump the duct taped thing?
The box on top with tape is the electrical switch controller
You are Beautiful inside and out 😻 if you want something done well get a Woman to do it!!!!
Haha, thank you for the nice comment!
Interesting. I've thought about making such a device from a small cooler but need to source the radiator.
I'm a vegan too and just bought a 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan GT so I have a vehicle very similar to your Pacifica. Oh the adventures that await. With the Black Friday madness discounts going on I just picked up a couple Ecoflow Delta 2s, 2@220W bifacial solar panels, and a 12V 26L fridge/freezer combo to avoid the ice trips into town. I figured 2560Wh and 440W pv should cover all the electrical for some extended trips off grid. I may end up carrying a Starlink around as well but I'm not sure I'd risk cutting it up as you have done. 😊 We plan to sleep in the van when hitting rest stops or Walmart/Cracker Barrels overnight, but otherwise have set the van up to haul around camping and painting equipment for my artist partner and myself. We plan to tent camp most of the time while having a huge amount of storage and amenities in the van and a place to sleep if need be. I'm using plastic storage drawer units supporting heavy-duty plastic shelving units (4@ 2'x3' or 4'x6' total area) as an elevated sleeping platform in the van that can quickly and easily be removed for use in the tent.
I have a suggestion regarding the fan. I purchased several small 92mm square USB computer fans off Amazon (iPower 92mm Silent USB Plant Ventilation Fan with Speed Controller, for Hydroponics Grow Tent, Greenhouse Air Circulation, Single, Black). They come with a metal grill guard on front and back and only cost about $12 each, are extremely quiet, and have an inline speed switch that could easily be taped to the exterior of your cooler. You'd still have to connect power to run the pump somehow. I bought a couple fan pairs to use for ventilation and have attached them to pieces of gutter guard that I've cut to fit the side doors of the van. The gutter guards are plastic grills that have a screen on one side that function for me as bug guards. That might provide a solution for your fan by using a piece as a grill. They cost about $1.50 for a 3- foot piece at places like Lowes or Home Depot. Cheap and easy to cut.
I wedge a piece onto the top of the door window and raise the window until the gutter guard seals into the rubber stripping at the top. The base has a U-shape that fits nicely on the top of the window and I just need to use a bit of care rolling the window up to the right height. I wanted to rig something up that would allow me to change whether the fans were intaking or exhausting the airstream when I swapped WeatherTek window coverings from silver to black depending on whether it was day or night. I ended up just creasing the coverings so they would fold at the level of the bottom of the gutter guards to allow ventilation through when the fans were in place. But, I also wanted to be able to keep it stealthy by folding the coverings all the way up if the fans weren't in place. I solved that problem by using a couple of very strong, round neodymium magnets on both the inside and outside of the gutter guard screen. The magnets grab each other strongly through the screened guard, and the fans' centers just snap right to them on the inside due to the metal grate of the fans. No screwing/unscrewing involved and the fans stay in place even when running at high speed. This also allows me to move the fans forward or back on the door or gang them together very easily.
I'm following your channel and have already gained some good knowledge on things electrical and solar, and I'm looking forward to seeing what sort of vegan fare you come up with during your travels. Happy trails...
Does still work?
Haha, well, the fan fell inside the cooler actually the other day when I was moving it around. So... I need to get it stable again!
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Thanks for watching!
Patent pending? 😊
Haha! Yeah, maybe!
Too cheap to spend $46 but destroys a $300 IcyBreeze 🤔
Started off great but then the dumb shit started to happen, then the feminist came out….. How does notching a straight line help fit a straight line???? Lost me
Omg, this is the jankiest thing I have seen. This is how a 12 year old inexperienced boy would handle this. Thanks for the laugh 😂😂