Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Another Swamp Cooler!

At the legion to get ice and cool off now. Forgot my reading glasses so no telling how many mistakes I'll make on this. Anyway the generator uses way too much gas to be used to cool the dungeon so... I built another evap sort of like JW's. Actually I didn't get the idea from him though because I'd thought of using an ice chest to build one before he built his, but didn't have a spare and didn't want to have to buy one. On RN's last trip he left another large ice chest so I used my old one to build the new evap out of. It had already been butchered to an extent when I used it as the holding tank for the solar heating system I built a few years back in Plano. Unlike JW's swamp cooler I am building the whole thing in one cooler and not using a second for the holding tank. The small pump  OGT left won't need to pump water so high so should function better and probably use a little less electricity to do it.

So far I'm about 89% finished I guess. Still need to add the pump and manifold to circulate the water over the pad. For now I've been just dampening the pad every now and then with a jug. It seems to cool pretty good, but the pad area is a lot smaller than the one I built before which causes a good bit of restriction and the fan just doesn't put out a lot of air. I really need a small blower instead of the fan. At least now there is some ventilation in the dungeon where with the AC unit only I had the overhear vent closed up and there was none. That meant that when it was closed up and the AC wasn't running it got REALLY hot in there. The little evap should help a good bit with that and should do a fair job at night. At least with this new one I can keep the AC window unit in the window as well as the evap to so if I REALLY have to run the AC for short periods I can. Probably after sun down when there is still some light and just long enough to get the temp down in the dungeon. (maybe 30 minutes,)
Probably more pictures later. Hopefully after there is shade in front of the dungeon later I can finish adding the pump and get it fully functional. I will have to add water a good bit more often since it won't hold anywhere near the volume the old one did, but I wouldn't think over every three hours or so and with the smaller pad maybe a lot less often than that?




Update
First night wasn't so cool! It was real humid because of storms in the area and then the lack of air output because of the fan didn't help any either. Had to resort to running the generator again after I woke up about 1:00 AM and couldn't get back to sleep because of the muggy heat. Code name for the new cooler is Haf'ta Du, but I sure need a small blower to get it to do that because a fan just doesn't have the static pressure that a blower does. Not much way to add more pad area so that is out. Maybe a cooler twice the size would have been better, but there wouldn't have been room for it.



Update2

Added my other fan inside in front of the discharge to act like a Turbo and it works well. Probably doubled the output of air. Problem is I loose the use of that fan for redirecting air on me and that's not a good thing. It isn't likely that even doubling the output will do the job of cooling this place during the day, but there is a chance it will at night. Guess I'll see tonight.

A couple of storm pictures from yesterday evening. Note in the first another rainbow over 9 points. For some reason that mountain seems to produce them. Also looks sort of like a pyramid with the  rain  falling toward the other direction.


Update3
The cooler did very well last night with the second fan boosting it. There was enough of the cool air blowing on my bunk that I didn't need the fan blowing directly on me. Of course day time comes and it doesn't have a chance, but will probably keep it a few degrees cooler, but very humid so I may switch to ventilation only during the day and turn the pump on at night.

20 comments:

  1. Hope it works! Can you rig a tarp over it so it's at least pulling in shady air?

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  2. Abby, after about 3:30 it will be shaded, but I've been considering using the shade tarp Bigfoot gave me for that. So far I haven't figured out how to go about it though. It won't be but about 20 more days before Dale's RV is down here though so I may try to limp by as is.

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  3. yer pretty handy!

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  4. A mans got to do what a mans got to do. Its functional now (about a 17 degree differential, but not putting out enough air to come close to doing the job. Maybe tonight after the sun goes down?

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  5. First night's use wasn't too good. There were storms all around here, but not right here so the humidity was sky high and the temp was unusually warm for the night. I woke up about 1:00 and had to do a 40 minute generator run to run the AC long enough to cool this place down where I could get back to sleep. The storms knocked out the grid about 9:30 so no internet here until about 7:30 this morning. The Legion's server is still down so I had to switch to an alternative source.

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  6. Added a few more pictures. One of an experiment with the other fan to boost output and then a couple of storm pictures from yesterday evening.

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  7. With the count down to the trailer, I think that I would put a block of ice in the cooler or better yet dry ice! Would that work or at least pour ice water on the pad at night! Like I said before, day is one thing, but sleeping at night is another!

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  8. Stupid remark because dry ice would freeze the fan! My mistake, just too late to edit!

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  9. I make lots of stupid statements..nice rain pic.

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  10. Fred, I put cold ice melt in there when I can and if I'm putting new ice in one of the coolers I do put some ice in it to. Tried that yesterday afternoon, but still without sufficient volume of air it just can't do the job. I'm hoping that with the second fan added it will help a good bit at night.

    Yeah frann, I do to.

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  11. I never make stupid statements ... ever.

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  12. I know it, and don't you ever forget it ... I am real, real thpethial :)

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  13. Promised to do this and keep forgetting. There is an elderly couple wanting to sell out down here and move to the coast. What they have is 14 acres (on grid and DSL has been hooked up before.) I think 2 mobile homes and a 5th wheel RV go with the land. The one of the mobile homes they live in and the other is storage as well as the 5th wheel, but they are supposedly livable. I haven't been there, but the place and trailers can be seen from the dungeon. They are asking $35K and she says she will carry the note. That's all I know about it.

    He does water hauling around here and says he will sell that business as well (extra) so there could also be an income there as well.

    If anyone is interests let me know here and I'll try to get you in touch.

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  14. ^^Wow. That needs its own post!^^

    You know, I've looked at your pictures of the air conditioner thingy, and I've read what you've written about it ... but I don't understand any of it. It is too complicated, and over my head, for me to think of anything to say in response.

    I am glad you put a couple of pretty photos in your update so I can at least acknowledge them ... I love pretty pictures :)

    Just know I am proud of you, and love to see you determined to make things, and to make things work.

    ((((high five with a big hug))))

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  15. Nothing hi tech about it MC, People and companies have been building swamp coolers for many years.

    As for me I've come to the conclusion that I belong down here in Hell with Anubisa (Pepper) she is just here to make my life more a challenge. :)

    Excuse the ancient Egyptian BS. ;)

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  16. Now I wonder who that is wearing a Field Lab t-shirt on JW's blog? ;)

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  17. Oh BTW the evap did real good last night.

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  18. That would be my baby wearing that Field Lab t-shirt on Mr. Wells' blog :)

    I am glad to hear the evap did real good last night :)

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