Does anyone else make this???

[thermowax]

I really like this Movincool unit:

http://www.movincool.com/portable-ai...ioner/cm12.php

My application, for reasons I won't bore you with, requires a 4 hose unit like this. My only problem is Movincool is oriented towards industrial applications, and thus is crazy expensive.

Is there anyone else that makes a similar (cheaper) unit?

Thanks for any input-
Jim

[egads]

You should bore everyone with the details. There may be a better solution. Tell what you are trying to do and then let the experts give you ideas on how to do it. By the way, that does not seem crazy expensive to me, only compared with the roll around portable units.

[luskys a/c]

www.koldwave.com

We have a few 16K here at the hospital. IMO - they are ok and priced about the same but the parts $ are ridiculous.

We opt. for the water cooled and they do a good job.

[thermowax]

Since you asked...

Part of the reason I didn't state this initially is because I didn't want to run afoul of the DIY rule. I will state that I am an EE, hopefully that will give me a little street cred.

I have a small 4 room mountain cabin (ttl: 1000 sq ft) that requires some cooling in the deep Summer. It has casement windows, so window units are out- and the loft only has skylights. I don't want to waste space with a portable. For a variety of reasons, I don't want to install a conventional 2-part heat pump. I don't want to cut a hole in a wall, either. I am willing, however, to cut a hole(s) in the floor in the utility area. (The cabin is on stilts). Ductless is out because of the multi-room aspect and I (sorry) don't want to hire someone to install it. So, my thought was to install a 4 hose unit, vent it through the floor, and duct it to the 4 rooms- the utility room is in the middle and shares walls with all 4 spaces I want to condition.

The Movincool unit will do exactly what I want, except for the $+ price tag. I was just in Lowe's and I can get a 25000 BTU- twice the capacity- window unit for $. Surely there's an alternative...

But, tf anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. On a related note, can window units be run vertically? :-/

Thanks-
Jim

[hotntired]

You're making life too difficult. Hire someone to do it correctly and get on with it. Trying to re-invent the wheel in my opinion.

[thermowax]

And this was the other reason I didn't initially state my situation: because I knew some clown HVAC "pro" would tell me to just hire someone. Sorry, I'm not the type of person that throws money at problems to make them go away.

If you'd like to install my system for free, I'll pay for parts. Until then, Edited by mod

Also, do the world a favor and don't respond to questions if you don't have anything constructive to say.

Thanks,
Jim

Excessive language and rudeness is not necessary. Please keep it civil and understand that the pros here can only go so far with their technical help. Being an EE doesn't necessarily qualify you to install an HVAC system, your question about turning a window unit sideways proves it.

The poster above is correct, you should hire a professional to do the installation for you.

Thank you,

Mod Team

[Dad]

And this was the other reason I didn't initially state my situation: because I knew some clown HVAC "pro" would tell me to just hire someone. Sorry, I'm not the type of person that throws money at problems to make them go away.

If you'd like to install my system for free, I'll pay for parts. Until then, Edited by mod

Also, do the world a favor and don't respond to questions if you don't have anything constructive to say.

Thanks,
Jim

Excessive language and rudeness is not necessary. Please keep it civil and understand that the pros here can only go so far with their technical help. Being an EE doesn't necessarily qualify you to install an HVAC system, your question about turning a window unit sideways proves it.

The poster above is correct, you should hire a professional to do the installation for you.

Thank you,

Mod Team

All that is great but you will need a thicker skin if you want to chat here. You knew a Pro would come in and say... "call a Pro". But, if you don't keep your cool then you will give me no choice but to lock your account. We don't want this so... Talk to us and turn this into a discussion about the product you would like to use and give it some time to develop.

thx

admin



.

[acwizard]

Movin Cool was designed for server rooms, temporary a/c and industrial spot cooling processes. Unfortunately there is not any residental equipment like it. Delonghi is a company that makes portable room a/c units. The kicker is a duct thru the outside wall and you the homeowner having to manually drain the condensation tray. I think in the long run by the time you spend the money and your time , you will be surprised by the difference in cost to do your job correctly. The other point is a permanent system adds value to the cabin and more than likely will be less expensive to operate.

[thermowax]

Admin: Running a window unit sideways was really a rhetorical question; I'm aware of the fluid dynamics involved.

Part of my frustration stems from the fact that a lot of condescending pros treat residential HVAC as some kind of black art. It's not. The hoops a non-pro has to jump through to get parts has also long been an annoyance to me. If I can master VLSI design, I'm fairly certain I can diagnose a dead relay (or "contactor", as you guys like to call them) or install a heat pump. How many of you guys change your own motor oil or other automotive work? Do you take your car to a pro for everything? Yet the suggestion that a consumer might want to work on his HVAC is somehow horribly wrong... I should also mention that I'm licensed to handle R12- we all know that cert is pretty basic, but it does show that I am aware of the fundamentals.

Now then: Acwizard had some useful thoughts. I am aware that Movincool units are targeted towards server rooms- I've actually worked with them in the past, which was where the idea came from. I don't really want or need a complete system, not only because of the expense, but because I only need cooling about one month out of the year. Heat would be occasionally nice, but I have a wood stove for that. Infrequency of use also negates the operational cost argument... Value isn't really an issue; I don't intend to sell the place and if it made *that* much of a difference I'd just have one installed before I sold it.

I also don't mind a hack job, as long as it does what I want for cheap. So, since it doesn't seem like there exists an inexpensive Movincool clone, let's change the question a little: Given that I can get a 25,000 BTU window unit so inexpensively, what's a good way to adapt that to my application? Or, go with the blank slate: how can I accomplish what I want without spending thousands of dollars?

[Dad]

There you go guys. Maybe this information should have been contained in his first post but at least we are getting down to the nitty-gritty of what is expected.


As always, no DIY, but thoughts and discussion are welcome.

[egads]

You seem to have a weird concept of being a guest. This is not how to get helpful answers.
I'm not a pro, but even I know that that unit is not big enough to cool a 1000 sq ft cabin. They are made to do a single room. If you click the specs link on that site, they do make a larger unit, but the msrp is well into having an actual pro put in a system that will do what you want and have reasonable operating costs.
What I was driving at (but don't know enough about to detail) is that minisplits do have a "pancake" style air handler that could be configured to actually cool that much space. (I think)

Remember, it's the stingy man who pays the most.

[thermowax]

@Egads-

"I'm not a pro, but even I know that that unit is not big enough to cool a 1000 sq ft cabin."

Yeah, according to the BTU calculators and the spec sheet, iirc 12000 BTU is good for about 575 ft^2. And you're right about the big one. Note that I was looking for similar products cheaper, I never actually said (or didn't mean to imply) that I wanted a 12000 BTU unit and no more.

But: do you accept that categorically? I suspect, with proper air circulation, it probably *would* be enough. For me, that is. You know nothing about the insulation, sun load, construction type or quality, floor plan, additional stuff (ceiling fans), personal comfort threshold, and a dozen other factors. So yes, 12000 BTU wouldn't be enough for 1000 ft^2 in direct sun in August in FL, but in tight construction in the mountains of the NorthEast under dense forest canopy it very well could be.

I say this not to give you a hard time but to point out that not everything is set in stone... and to reiterate that my demand simply isn't that big- certainly not enough to justify a full-on system. Regardless, this isn't getting us anywhere.

[dijit]

Why not get someone to install a mini split? Small footprint, no ductwork. Just my Or you could install it yourself if you don't want it to work right.

[dan wong]

Admin: Running a window unit sideways was really a rhetorical question; I'm aware of the fluid dynamics involved.

I also don't mind a hack job, as long as it does what I want for cheap. So, since it doesn't seem like there exists an inexpensive Movincool clone,

Talk to the Chinese, they are good at cloning - Cheap.

[upnort]

Why not just replace the most appropriate casement window with a double hung and use a window shaker?

[skibme]

They make window shakers for casement windows.

[upnort]

The OP must not know that because he stated "he has casement windows so window units are out".

[egads]

Just don't leave operating costs out of your equation. I am quite aware that the one 12,000 btu roll around unit I have that barely makes the great room of my "cabin" bearable costs as much to run as real actual central air would cost to keep the whole place comfortable. The units you are looking at are made for organizations that don't give a rats about how much they cost to buy or run.

[egads]

Another cabin owner found this unit:

http://catalog.mitsubishipro.com/vie...oners-systems?

[luskys a/c]

Mini split would be your best bet . I have one in our penthouse serving one of our elevator rooms and it handles the load beautifully.

Unless you want to go used , you should buy new and get the warranty and comfort it will provide for years.