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HK

wrote:
On Jan 29, 8:24 pm, "Eisboch" wrote:
wrote in message

...

If you have a small cabin on a boat can you get a small heat exchanger
that heats in winter and cools in summer that runs on 12 volts? What
kind of system would you use?
No.

Eisboch

So how do they air condition boats and campers?

When you say "air condition," I assume you mean cool and heat.

There are several ways to do either on a boat through separate systems
or both through a device like a home heat pump.

The current draw can be substantial. Some boats have systems that can
only be used when the craft is tied up at the dock and using shore
power. Some boats have generators that provide all the power that is
needed. I suppose a compressor can be hooked up to a boat's main engine
for AC, but I've not seen that, and it would require the main to be running.

The first Parker I ever saw, at a Florida boat show, had an AC unit on
the cabin roof. Looked like a unit from a camper. It was driven by
dockside electrical power.

Heat can be simpler. Heat from the engine's cooling system can be
radiated into the cabin through air or water heat transfer so you have
heat as long as the engine is running.