Not sure if this belongs in the 'lounge' but it is Blazer related. Still...mods feel free to move as desired :-)

I camp in my truck a lot during the winter (below 20) and summer (over 80) when I would like to be either warmer or cooler. I built a 'redneck' tent heater/cooler and custom fit it to a window in the truck.

I don't run the motor when camped so I needed a source for heating and cooling. The main portion of the device works for either hot/cold and just depends on whether the water in the cooler is hot or cold.

I have a square igloo cooler which conveniently enough perfectly fits a Grand National intercooler (I have a spare). The IC is aluminum so heat transfer is efficient. I push air through the IC via a marine engine compartment blower (http://www.nauticexpo.com/prod/attwo...400-53814.html).

The blower and water pump (when in heater mode) run off a 225 amp-hour deep cycle which doesn't even seem to know they are attached.

The air rises or falls based on the water temp surrounding the IC. From the opposite side of the IC that I am blowing into I route air ducting inside the tent/Blazer. I also draw from the same location to assist in temperature control.

For cooling the air I pack the igloo full of ice and I get about 36 degree air blowing out the duct.
For heating I run tubing away from the cooler to a trans cooler which sits on my Coleman stove 30 feet away. The stove runs off a 20lb propane tank which is good for 3 nights worth of warmth and is far enough away to be safe. The warm water is circulated via a submersed pump in the cooler. Water gets hot....IC gets hot...air blowing into the tent/Blazer is hot.

This Feb we camped in 15 degree weather in my tent and it was 65 inside...ahhhh....tropical :-)

Here is a picture of the "cooler" in use last summer while in the testing phase. Not sure what happened to the picture...seems to be chopped in half. Oh wel :-(

Will

 

Genius! LOL Nice work!

 

You should clean it up and little and go into business selling these things!!!! Haha that's cool!

 

it not only kept the truck very cool all night long in 80+ degree muggy temps but it also pulled a lot of moisture out of the air. In the morning I took the ducting off and poured out about a half gallon of water from inside the IC :-)

A 20lb bag of ice filled the cooler up and lasted all night. I added enough water to top it off so there was ice water between the fins in the IC.