Van Life AC Solution! - How I Stay Cool in the Heat (IcyBreeze V2 PRO)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 พ.ค. 2022
- My name is Junje and I am I music producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I built this van in 2020 but recently quit my job to live in my van full time and make music. This week, I'm testing out the Icy Breeze Personal AC Cooler! It's getting hot in Vegas and I need to figure out how to cool off. I run it through a few different tests to see if it is a good fit for Van Life. Be sure to subscribe if you're interested in following my journey as a music producer and DJ traveling and making music in my van!
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Exactly what I needed. I drive a semi truck and wanted something to help on hot nights and I have trouble sleeping with the engine running
Did you get one? I drive too and was wondering if it's worth it
I'm have the same problem I don't like running my truck while I'm sleeping. How has it worked out for you?
@@selsoovalle6274just got one today the ice didn’t last a 2 hrs and wasn’t blowing cold air at all, idk if the one was sent to me bad or not
I have one for my no A/C dump truck. I freeze two gallon milk jugs and put them in with one bag of ice around them to jump start the cold. Works great and it keeps cold air for up to 8-10 hours.
@jimmackay3392. Thank you for the posting this. I have a truck with no AC right now just saw this advertised and was wanting to find out if it would work! So there is hope with out spending $2-3k to fix the AC. The milk jug thing was what I was thinking also! Thank you,
His 2-3 hrs vs your 8-10 hrs. How is there so much discrepancy between the two times?
My guess is that he started with his van too hot & the truckers started in the AM?? Also the cab of dump truck is smaller, also insulation may differ.
@@VictoryAviationfrozen solid water will last a very long time compared to cubbed ice
I've been looking everywhere for a fellow truck driver without AC thank God I found your comment I will be purchasing this now safe trucking brother
Came here for the review, but you convinced me overall a great person. I’m looking forward to van life content and motivational things 🙌🏾
Thanks so much for the kind words. I sold the van from the video but I am working on Saving up to build a brand new one. I will be sure to keep the content coming when that happens!
Keep going strong 💪, you will reach all your goals, I love this product ❤️
Intense! 115 degrees is no joke. I'm thinking about getting one for my garage that gets to about 90/95 in the summer. Hoping to keep it around 85ish during the day. Also good to have for hurricane season here in FL.
I like your approach on the scientific aspects of this topic.
Thank you for doing such an in depth review. I have been considering this vs 4x the cost to fix car A.C.
No problem! I'd say the biggest thing to consider is cost of ice. it could add up quick. Before you know it, you've spent $10 a day in ice and that could have covered the cost of the AC repair. Either way, good luck with whatever you decide!
Did you end up with purchasing the icybreeze? Same situation with needing to fix my car ac
You completely answered my question. Thanks
No problem!
Chasing 70 degrees is much more fun! Good test and useful information to not waste my money, for that thank you!
Thank you! Yea, Im in Santa Monica now. Much better!
I just bought this, I haven't used it yet but was hopeful it would keep my dog cool inn my van when I work, I have access to unlimited ice at work. Im still going to try. My van is smaller and I've covered the windows with reflectix. I have a thermometer to monitor temperature
Solid review! Subbed 👍
I live in a van in Vegas too. It's so hot
Great work bro
Hey Kalacade! Wow, thanks for a great video. I'm about to make a video on the IcyBreeze myself, and I was really impressed with your video editing skills! I'm going to use your channel as a master class, haha. I'm a musician too! Just subscribed, so looking forward to checking out more of your content. - Kelly
That's awesome! best of luck
I got one and I did a solid block Ice with the gallon jugs mixing in the saltwater it only took 15 W running it on low it lasted for hours
That’s a good idea! Unfortunately my freezer in the van is the size of a small shoe box and will not fit gallon jugs. I’ve tried frozen water bottles but it doesn’t make much of a difference
I prefer the frankencooler method with the intake AND vent having a radiator. Gives you a 50 degree differential vs the 30 you get with the icy breeze.
You don’t have to pay for ice you can fill up water bottles from 20 ounce to 2 L freeze them overnight an toss them bad boys in the water little hood tip from back in the 90s with them swamp coolers😂
I just bought one today but I don’t plan to use it often but I just wanted one for if In case I need it at the beach or something. I did make one on my own that uses a large 4 inch inline fan that blows 270cfm of air with two cpu radiators and it blows very cold but I bought the icy breeze because it’s more compact.
Nice! The icybreeze will also be a little different because the air is dry. Homemade ones usually produce moisture by design
Great video! Have you had any problems with the drain plug(leaking)?
I'm glad you asked. YES! the plug itself doesn't leak but the nut and gasket holding it on consistently comes loose and you get a slow leak. the cooler is also not water tight. so if you have to recommended thirty pounds of ice turn into water and you're driving, one sharp turn will get water everywhere. it also leaks from the mechanism that circulates the water. Overall for me its manageable. when I'm using it, its really hot and any water leak onto my vinyl floor dries up quickly. but definitely something to consider
I'm hoping this works well for my much smaller taxi. Have to sit at the airport for sometimes just 20-30 minutes, but also up to 2-3 hours for a trip.
I built one of these with a Styrofoam cooler, minus all of the technology, & it kept me cool in the car with the windows up & engine/AC off for a little over 45 minutes.
This has got do much better.
Kinda disappointed that the cooler isn't one with a rubber seal around the lid...
Yes I agree! Definitely would be better with a water-tight rubber seal around the lid
How has it worked so far ?
It can’t have a seal on the lid, because it has to let air in (an intake) so it can cool it and blow it back out.
Did you have to buy any extras like a charger or a different battery? Also what about the noise, I deliver mail in California (the high desert) in a 2005 jeep wrangler im concert that is gonna be to noise to have on for my 4 hrs route on the street. Tya
It comes with a 12v car cord. No extra batteries or plugs. It’s pretty loud but it’s just the sound of a fan blowing. I prefer it over silence
I’ve been in my van a little over a year. I hate the heat! 🥵
What about if i live inside of a volcano does still cools down my van i have a 1985 astro van
Las Vegas. Low humidity area. You'd do best with a small swamp cooler, bringing in fresh dry air, then humidifying it, and also have an exhaust. The water will absorb heat as "Latent Heat" and can even cool very dry air at 100F down to 70F. My sister lives in panhandle area of Texas, and for the heat wave this summer, I sent her a swamp cooler for her 1000sq ft home, because the air was 20%, so dry here AC alone couldn't get it below 80F, After the swamp cooler she managed to get it down to 75F inside. The AC then was able to absorb heat better from the humidified "latent heated" moist air, and expel or drip it to the outdoors, taking MORE heat from the home. The Icy Breeze does seem to work like a swamp cooler, except with no water mat in it, or does it have such?
I do not think the IcyBreeze uses evaporative cooling, I believe it simply sucks in ambient air and blows it over cooling coils with water pumped through from the melting ice and that water goes back in with the ice, so the heat is all going into the water inside the cooler. If you run the IcyBreeze for just 5 to 7 hours per day you will need to load it twice with ice, that is nearly $20 of ice per day, or $600 of ice per month.
@@kjobs21 Not very efficient is it?
Its not supposed to replace your air conditioner.
Now this was a really good review and it sucks because I don't think I'm going to purchase one of these units because for only 2 to 3 hours of relief and if I'm off grid traveling back-and-forth to a gas station to get bags of ice only to produce 2 or 3 hours worth of cold air🤔 Well that's just labor and financially too intense
yeah, looks like there's just no real solution sadly. You'd have better results with some usb fans creating good airflow. Damp tshirt + fan
I am looking at an ice maker for my rv anyway. So, that would be helpful. Plus, I would only use it as a secondary cooling source for my pets. Also, it doesn't need 27# to run - water and a frozen gallon jug of water has worked for other users that I've seen.
glad I could help
Florida and Texas heat is no joke either. But there is so much humidity I can’t use a swamp cooler mold will be a serious issue
This isn't a swamp cooler
Are the batteries similar to dewalt batteries? Anyone else know they look like them from what I can see in other vids I've watched.
My wife and I are full time RVers in the SW desert. An evaporation cooler is the way to go. It uses far less power then an AC, the moving air helps on days when it is just too hot. And it can be more then a 20 deg Delta when conditions are right (we have had up to 40 deg). Our RV needed parts to get the AC to work correctly, three month back log before COVID. We got a rolling unit from HD and it worked great. It cooled off our 38 foot AClass well. At night we would roll it to the be more direct to the bedroom. This worked well. We still use a system like this when we have limited power options in the heat.
Interesting. Thanks for the insight!
You should make a video on that
What temps you think I’ll have if I use this for my track car(mustang)?
You will have whatever temperature the sun makes your car 😂. It will not change the temperature inside at all. It has to be pointing directly at you to feel the cold. The air coming out of the vent is about 30 degrees cooler then the temperature of where the cooler is
At least you have clean water left over from the ice which you can store for use when camping, cooking, making coffee, tea. Get an Arctos instead. It runs on 9-10 watts, runs on 12V, just like your van, and this means about 1 or 1.5 AMP used per hour, so can easily cover entire night sleep period using a standard auxiliary 100 AMP battery. The humidity absorbs the heat into "latent heat" so you should also have a small exit fan, such as a computer case fan, further from the little swamp cooler to blow the heat absorbed humidity back out. These work best in low humidity climatees, like the desert where you are now in Las Vegas.
The window unit air-conditioning with a solar set up would cool that real easily.
as someone who uses a solar powered a/c setup, you need a lot of battery and panels to do that for long periods of time
They do use a lot of power,I don't know what I was thinking because a little generator,gas generator is what would work easily.
I bought an IcyBreeze v2 it does not work as well as expected. Ice doesn't last eight hours. I live in North Central Texas. It doesn't cool any small area except exactly where the vent is, and it is pointed right on me about five inches from me. Not worth $400+ that I gave for it.
Is this a 12 v cooler or just a regular cooler with a heat exchanger and fan?
Nice video. I definitely won’t be getting one. I need to cool down an entire bedroom and can’t use a portable ac unit because of covenants
Is this a 12 v cooler or just a regular cooler with a heat exchanger and fan?
Regular cooler. The 12v Power is only for the fan and pump
Liked and subscribed.
Thank you!
The one thing you didn't mention is how quiet (or loud) it is. I'm in need of a personal AC unit. It doesn't need to change the ambient temperature, just blow cold air on one person, but it is actually for a music ensemble, so it would need to be fairly quiet.
it is pretty loud
Why don't you buy a tarpaulin big enough to serve as a second roof for your van when it is parked ? either tie the tarpaulin to nearby trees or setup some homemade posts to tie to or if your van has a ful-length roof rack , to just lay the tarp over the roof rack. Whichever of the previous suggestions, the basic idea is to cover the entire van roof with a tarpaulin to serve as a second or double roof. Will that work ?
Shade is good for the heat, but then my solar panels aren’t charging my battery. So it just creates a different problem
Maybe I missed it but do you need to vent for exhaust?
I just picked one of these up and no. There is no exhaust or any need to vent what so ever.
I wanted to try this. But i get the same relief from throwing my shirt in the cooler ringing it out and wearing it
That works too!
Just curious? Is your van fully insulated? Roof, walls?
Walls and ceiling. floor was just plywood under the vinyl
I wonder if big blocks of ice would last longer?
Harder to find for sale and I have no way to make them on my own. But I have heard they work a little better
Would this be ok In a suv at least it’s smaller than a van it only brand the temp down by 3 degrees.
I would not recommend for a long term solution
@@Johnnyinthevan real portable air conditioners use lots of power and have exhaust hoses. I guess I’ll have to go that route large solar generator with solar panels maybe.
I bought one. And a small icemaker from Amazon about $75
I wish you can do test using DRY ICE see how long last
Icy breeze says do not use dry ice
I sadly bought one and had to return it because the product uses up ALL the ice in 1-1.5 hour and could not cool down a small studio in the summer. Buyers beware, they will charge you a restocking fee of $25 and $45.32 shipping!!! So they kept $70.32 from the return! To keep it short- They have horrible customer satisfaction and customer service. They lied to me and said there was “wear and tear”, when I just used it twice, and cleaned it thoroughly (never placed drinks or food in the unit), and I took photos before sending it back too. Refund took two weeks as well. Horrible product and even worse customer service
Thanks for the real world review. I was considering it but i keep seeing problems with customer service and if the ice only lasts a couple hours its not worth it
Well it's 10 months and you've not quite made 10k sub but the video was cool 😎👍
Should frozen water bottle to make adding ice. Make ice last longer
You need to do a retest and use blocks of ice. It melts slower and put it on max.. the ice you use is to easily melts fast.
harder to get and impossible to make in a van. So, not an option for van life
Word!
Is it too loud to use in a recording studio? My pops offered me his
Way too loud to use while recording. you can use in between takes and during mixing.
Freon was a gift from God. It's so much easier to heat,wood burning stove is s nice.
Your videos are so cute and helpful! If you ever tour through SW FL and want to collab with a mermaid, hmu! 😄🧜🏽♀️ I use icybreeze for my vanlife too here in FL!
The reason why it's not lowering the ambient temperature fast enough is because it's not a AC meaning it's not removing the heat load from the condition space need product though
True!
How do you this this will work in a dump truck cab
Sure if you point it right at you. It will not cool the cab down at all
Is it a swamp cooler?
Nope
Would the cost of gas to just run the vans ac not be better than the $7 to run 2.5 hrs?
possibly. can't run the van all night
The door was opened to drain the water. Didnt that let all the heat back in?
the heat was already in. It doesn't cool down the van. just the person its pointed at
You gotta start it a couple hours before it gets hot to stay ahead of it
What battery is it "compatible" with? DeWalt, Ryobi, who please?
They sell a battery, but you can use any 12v battery
You should get the Hessaire MC18M - it will cool down the entire van. Uses about 1 gallon of water per hour on high and a bit less on low. Only uses 58 watts on low and about 100 on high. In Michigan it’s working for me just with the front windows halfway down and my Maxxair fan running on high. Keeps the van at 75. I suspect in Vegas with the dry air you won’t need as much air circulation.
and you don't have to use ice just water from a lake or something?
That thing will not cool down an entire van lol why lie?
@@libertarianpunk8558 hmm so Garrett truth please did you get paid for this?
Can you do the test again but add salt to the ice?
I no longer have this. Sold it Because I didn't need it
You should drain your water into a brita filter, then use it for drinks
Haha not a bad idea! I’ll have to look into if the plastic of the cooler has any effect on the water
@@Johnnyinthevan I'd skip it... Likely the ac coil will have lead or copper that will leach into the water.. The plastic is definitely not good either.
Drain into solar shower bag and use for washing self, dishes, etc.
Look up ecoflow wave..game changer
I recently found that! definitely think that will be my next upgrade
Just build your self a battery bank setup get a 400ah battery and DC to DC charger and a inverter and a 2 hose air conditioner get more batteries for longer run times
How can cold air blowing not cool down the “space”?
science
What about block ice ?
Harder to get, impossible to make in the van
Basically, it does not work to cool down a small vehicle space. thanks for the info and effort to test
correct. No problem!
The need to continously puchasing bags of ice will quickly outprice the unit itself.
Very true!
Did u ever try to put a white tarp/ tent over your vehicle to reflect the heat when u are stationary . The key is having a gap between the roof and tent. Should help cut the heat inside the van and should put the water in jugs and store for emergency. Also use led lighting inside Not a halogen puck lights if that’s what those are
The tarp sounds like a hassle and would not be ideal for stealth camping. lights are LED
How do you suspend a tarp over your van in a parking lot?
I live in a mini van in San Diego so it doesn’t get too too hot. I just want something to keep the van cool for my dog when i have to leave her inside while I go to the gym or go to work. Has anyone used this for the dog in their van?
I didn't have a dog in my van, but it might work if you aim the vent right where she is laying. Definitely try it first before leaving her alone.
I would not do it. They can't call you or open doors. It could be traumatic
Did I completely miss the temperature difference while it's operating? Because I care way more about how effective it is while running than how long it lasts. Honestly, that's kind of a useless information to me to confirm it's effectiveness for my situation.
Yes you may have missed the part where I talk about that. Itonly works directionally and will not cool the space.
@@Johnnyinthevan Damn. I envy that you can do this where I'm frustrated at the difficulty of it. Incidentally I don't know why TH-cam is only now notifying me of the reply. (???????)
Staying in a hotel would be cheaper than the amount of money I would need to spend on ice to run this thing
You can use their ice bricks instead of ice. :)
Are you still using this machine after a year? Did you find anything better?
I am not. I sold my van and the Icy Breeze. Saving up to build a bigger van with a 12V AC Unit!
@@Johnnyinthevanafter watching your video I got discouraged about buying one of these so now I’m going to try the Zero breeze portable a/c.
@@sudamantube Yea I think the Icy Breeze is good for specific applications, but not everything. My next van will have a roof mount 12v!
Aww, man, that wasted water! I’m not trying to tell you how to live your life 😅, but you could’ve definitely reuse that melted water for your “fresh” water tank; for washing dishes, etc. Especially since desert states are in a drought year round. 😂
Good point! I will try to remember to do this next time I use it. Thank you for checkin me on it!
@@Johnnyinthevan Good video otherwise! Came across it randomly through vanlife videos, so the algorithm must be blessing you!
@@vinnyvidivici Love That! glad you enjoy them and happy to hear the algorithm is finally working for me lol
Excellent video review, Junje, thanks...
Remember that God loves you 🙂 ❤️
@@Johnnyinthevan im so sad about that water
how much you paying for ice
I guess you didn't feel like watching the whole video 🤣 9:17
I haven't seen 1 advertisement saying 5 days. Only around 5 hours
5 days without opening the cooler. If you go on a camping trip and don't need it until the third day of your trip. Icybreeze says its should last
You really need a cheap harbor freight infrared heat testing gun.
How about dry ice???😮
Can't use dry ice because of the poisonous chemicals
@@JohnnyinthevanFYI there's no poisonous chemicals in dry ice.
Add Dry Ice
I'm pretty sure dry ice puts out carbon monoxide or dioxide. Either are not good.
it was a waste. Bought it to cool down my car in-between clients, hoping inside air will be cooler than outside.
Rock salt maybe?
No good.
@@Johnnyinthevan would it mess it up?
@@minimeast probably. but it also produces CO2 and that is not safe. Icy Breeze warns against adding any kind of chemicals to the product
30 pounds of ice cost me $1.25 so you’re definitely overpaying for ice 😅
For sure too expensive ... operating cost and so on.
Using chip ice like you are using is the worst you need cubes and ice packs.
I live in a van with no freezer. Lol
Well if you are in Vegas when it is really summer make sure to park in shade and use your cab A/C to cool the cab down as much as possible. That cooler is fine but if it were bigger say 48lbs of ice and you put rock salt in the water it will get about 7 degrees cooler 25 deg F and it will blow cold for 11 hours at night and about 8 hours during the day if the cooler was already cold.
Cab AC gets it down to about 80 when it's 115 outside when in the shade. Maintaining under 85 deg F only required the cooler A/C and a 5 minute run of the cab A/C every 2 hours during the day. It would rise from 80 inside(115 ambient) to 85 with the cooler A/C only then bring it back down to 80 every few hours. At night the cooler is all you need for 75 when It's 90 outside. The area right infront of the 4" vent is more like 60 deg F. The key is more ice/larger cooler & fan/vent, rock salt, shade, pre-cool the cooler and the van.
Hoping this works in my semi truck while I’m sleeping instead of idling my truck
it might! you'd have to get the external battery or use one of your own like I did to avoid running the truck. But you'll still only get about 2 hours of cold air
I just bought one for my Pete but I’m hoping it will cool my bunk. My ac blows cold up front.
@@soulcut5736 basically the same reason I bought one 😂
Have you got yours yet how does it work ? We are setting in fields all day so it has to help some fingers crossed lol
@@soulcut5736 how's it working?
The relationship between ice, heat and temperature, is a very sad story when discussing a product like Icybreeze and down right depressing when using it in a van during extreme heat. For anyone that has any hope this product will cool them or their van, please remove the idea from your mind. The amount of energy, time, money and frustration is better directed to finding a true compressor driven cooling solution. Even these have limitations for an off grid van. Yes, these will require more money and thought, but it can be done.Or at least be able to sleep in comfort at night.
Honey I don't know too many AC units that can handle 115 degrees. Be careful!
No more rent...
If you don’t care about the look of your van too much, paint it white with some cheap paint.
Don’t try to get people to subscribe before you even give them anything I need to at least get an HJ before I give you any money
I gave them a review. And it doesn't cost any money to subscribe. Keep your lame jokes to yourself, dork.
It's to expensive for such weak performance.
I would die in 95 degree heat at night
🥵
So its a waste. For a van anyway. Still 110.
Yup. That was my general conclusion at the end. Good for emergencies. But definitely not a substitute for AC
just freeze gallons my guy save yourself the money
How big do you think the freezer is an a van that I can't even stand up in, my guy?
Looks like a Gimmick, waste of money. Didn't even cool down the van to comfortable level. 110 degrees?
Not a waste depending on what its used for
It doesn’t matter how good it works, or not. The company that makes this SUCKS! They screw up and refuse to take responsibility for their actions and even worse, after admitting that they screwed up put it back on the customer. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
What u mean? How's did they screw up?
Totally useless just hook up a fan and be done with it
I do both!
It's a glorified swamp cooler not worth the price point.
I agree about the price, but its not a swamp cooler. They produce moisture because the ice is that actual source. this has a device in it that just circulates the cold water through the coils. The air is completely dry. This was important for me because of all my recording equipment in the van. Hope you at least enjoyed the video!
113 in the van with no ac. Wtf. Lol. Ur living in the wrong state to live in a metal box
I moved to Santa Monica