Pilot reports on Arctic Air ice units for interior cooling

[DrZGard]

I am curious if any owners are using these ice water circulating interior cooling units and if they found them worth it. Which size worked and placement, ie between front and rear seats, behind back seats, will the small unit fit on the floor in the middle behind the front seats and still allow rear seat comfort?

[kbecker]

I have had one for several years and use it frequently in the summers in So Cal. I have the large model with the dual vents. I place it on the rear seats with the vents blowing on each side of the pilot seat. (I usually fly solo)

It works very well, providing cooling air during climb to cooler levels and on descents. The real key is using ice blocks instead of of ice cubes. They last much longer. I make mine in silicone bread molds that I put water in and freeze. I have also thrown in a soft drink out two, in the cans of course, for an after landing treat.

In the 10 years or so that I have owned it I have only recently had to replace the water pump (about $40).

At full capacity it does weigh about 50 lbs.

[cjordan]

Bought one last year and use similar to kbecker in back seat. They really knock the edge off while down low, usually turn off at altitude and back on for landing on cross country. Freezing blocks of ice in large Tupperware dish in addition to ice cubes really stretches the length of time these are useful. I bought the recharge unit with drill battery and turn on while pulling out and preflight to cool things off even earlier. They work!

[kbecker]

The size of the ice cubes is directly related to the time available for cooling and inversely related to the degree of cooling.

Regular ice cubes provide lower temperature, but they melt faster and you can't use the cooler for as long. I have found that these ice blocks about the size of small loafs of bread provide a good balance of cool temps/cooling time. I also don't start off with much water in mine--I place the sump pump in one of the rear corners of the unit, fill with ice blocks, prop the unit up so that the water flows to that back corner, and I only add enough water to get thing going (somewhere around 1/2 gallon).

I too turn mine off at altitude and back on with descent and landing. I looked into the STC'd AC some years ago, the one that puts the scoop on the belly of the plane. As I recall it was about $20K installed. I figured I could freeze a lot of water for $20K.

[cjordan]

Kbecker couldn’t agree more. I try for best of both world’s and use smaller cubes in combo with the blocks. It seems to get started, the small cubes and water chill things down and the large chunks are sustainers for the long haul. I’ve done 3.5hr legs, and still have some “chunk” left after landing. I don’t think the chill is quite as good in decent as ascent with the smaller cubes still present “pre-melt”, but still not bad.

[kbecker]

My experience exactly.