cooling your tent or van

[FIGJAM]

This is the box cooler made of wood instead of FRP.





After the box is glued and screwed, I used regular painters caulk on the interior joints before putting a heavy coat of the Henrys elastomer roof coating on the whole thing to seal it inside and out.

Then spray the inside with epoxy paint, just to be sure it doesn't leak.



To install the intake panels, I ran a heavy bead of 100% silicone caulk on the registers and screwed them in place.

Make sure these are all the same distance from the top as they will support the pvc for the water, and to get an even flow you'll want them the same height.





When I installed the pads, I added some wire to secure the pads to the registers.

14 gauge copper or bailing wire will work for this.

It will make sure that ALL the air has to pass through the wet pads.



The wire goes through the pad at the corners of the registers and bends up on the outside of the cooler.



The lid is hinged on the side away from the fan for easy filling.

I added some weather stripping (siliconed) for a good seal, and a small chain so the lid would'nt tweek the small hinges.







Once the endless breeze fan and the pump get here I can finish this cooler.

This is my favorite pump.

https://www.greenlivingforu.com/products/fountains

OR this one is cheaper.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ultra-Quiet-Min ... 3cd9bd0e15

Faster shipping if you use a supplier inside the U.S.

It will hold 12 gals of water and there's room for a case of beer in the bottom.

It will use about 3/4s of a gallon of water per hour on the low fan speed.

It will cool a space up to 3000 cubic feet on high.

Power needed will be...

12 volt DC

1.5amps on low speed (250cfm)

1.92amps on medium speed (500cfm)

2.82amps on high speed! (900 cfm= to 10mph breeze)


Hope this helps you enjoy your BURNNNNNNNNNNN!!!

[FIGJAM]

POWER!!!

These designs are all 12 volt DC.

So any 12 volt DC source will run them.

The costco 115AH marine battery should run any of these designs 5 or 6 hours a day for the whole week without having to recharge.(price, $90)

I use a Deka 105AH AGM deep cycle battery. (price $240, but I get factory seconds for $140)

You can also go solar!

From what I've read, a 50 watt panel is what you'll need, but I don't have any practical experience with solar.

And finally, keep it simple!

This is an easy project, and although there is a lot of good technical information in this thread, you don't need all of it to build a cooler.

I'll be refering interested Burners to this page so that they won't have to start at the beginning!

Big thanks to Yellowdog and everyony who has contributed to this monster thread!

[lucky420]

Recap=awesome

Figjam=awesome

[FIGJAM]

Needed to get out updated info anyway, but thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Oh, and pay attention to which direction you cut the pads!!!

As one direction will let them slump when wet.

I don't know which direction that is as I accidentally did it right the first time.

[Cos]

I've been looking for information on the following questions but never came across it.

First off, I followed all the original links and ordered the recommended items. The solar powered fountain pump arrived and it has the following specs:

Peak Power of Solar Panel: 1.2 watts
Operative Voltage: 7 volts

I ordered the fan with the following specs:
CFM: 151.85
DC12V

Obviously the pump is powered by the solar panel but how do I power the fan? I was under the assumption that the FIGJAM design was to use the two frankensteined together to make both the fan and the pump run off the solar power. I don't think that's the case anymore. Would someone please drop some knowledge on me? The Burn is less than a month away and I need some help finishing this project.

Also, what silicon material is recommended for the closing up the first durapad?

[FIGJAM]

That panel will only work the pump, and then only under ideal conditions.

Look at the re-cap I just posted and you will see that I don't recommend that pump anymore.

The pump and fan are both 12 vdc and hook to a battery.

Then you can add solar if you want to.

To seam the pad I used 100% clear silicon, but you can also staple or stitch the seem.

[Cos]

Fuuuuuuuuuu

[Danielpops]

POWER!!!
...
I use a Deka 105AH AGM deep cycle battery. (price $240, but I get factory seconds for $140)
...

Do tell... How can I get such a deal re: factory seconds? $140 is a fantastic price for that many AH agm!!

[FIGJAM]

My dealer knew a guy who knew a guy, so just luck.

The link to the greenliving pump is no longer good, but here's the pump.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/12VOLT-DC-SUBME ... 0684927203

You can get 11 of the other ones for that price, but this will be the sixth year for my original pump!!!

[arroyo]

I was more concerned with the air flow.

Compared to mine, your fan is mounted backwards!!!

Very interesting, but I think mine is perhaps wired backwards. I was a little paranoid about it, so I purchased two Endless Breeze fans to test out (unfortunately, both ended up coming from the same manufacturing month, 06/2015). Both fans functioned the exact same way. I tried connecting them to the opposite terminals as well, but then the fans became markedly weaker in strength.

I agree though, certainly by the pictures, our fans are oriented in opposite directions. Hmm, I'm a bit perplexed, but going to pretend that all is good in the world.

[FIGJAM]

These endless breeze fans feel almost like a regular box fan from a big store.

If your getting that kind of flow, all is well!!

[amitrus]

Is there any reason why nobody on this forum talks about the possibility of using a centrifugal fan (i.e., a squirrel cage fan) rather than a normal fan?

If one were looking for higher CFM for a box cooler or a unicooler, these would seem to make sense, right?

Assuming one could be found that runs on 12V and low amps per CFM produced. . . . .

[FIGJAM]

My original plan called for a blower fan from the junk yard.

Those are designed to be used when the car was running, so power consumption wasn't an issue.

Believe me I've looked and there are no blower fans that put out the air without use substantially more power.

That being said, I am planning a second lid for my bucket with a powerful blower fan to use on my way to the playa instead of using my trucks AC!!!

[FIGJAM]

Also looked a electric radiator fans as they put out loads of air.

Same power consumption problem.

[spacetime]

Heyo--

I'm assembling a solar power battery recharger for primary use by a to-be-built swamp cooler. I'm looking for feedback on my power system math and component choices.

The dwelling is a 7'x7'x52", 3-person tent. (212 CF if it were a box but probably closer to 170CF)

The solar system is a lightly used Sunforce 50048 I picked up from another burner cheap. Apart from the demo when I picked it up, I have not hooked up the multimeter yet, but according to reviews it pushes 3.2 amps in bright sun. It comes with a controller rated at 7A that goes between the panels and the battery.

The battery is a smaller "deep cycle" 12V / 35AH. (420 WH or 210 at 50%)

I have an inverter to come off the battery rated at 200 W.

Primary use of power is for the cooler:

The Pump I'm looking at is the EcoPlus 185, which supposedly pushes 158 GPH and supposedly draws .22 amps off a normal 120V inverter. (26.4 W)

I'm considering two different fans. Either a duct fan or computer fan:

A: The duct fan could be a suncourt duct fan that pushes ~160 CFM and does .32A at 120 V off the inverter as well. (38.4 W)
or
B: The computer fan could be the Delta AFB1212SHE 120x120x38mm which pushes ~151 CFM and is rated at 1.25A at 12V DC (15 W)
C: ? Something better?

A pal said that he had better results from his swamp cooler while using a duct fan because it created a stronger pressure difference in his cooler. I don't know what he was using before.

Regardless, I believe the cooler will require either

A. 64.8 W or
B. 41.4 W

If I run no other items and assume no solar recharging, I could run:

A for 3.2 hours
B for 5 hours

before running battery down to 50% capacity.

• Does this system as described sound reasonably considered?
• This would theoretically replace all the air in the tent every single minute, which is 3-5 times faster than recommended in thread. Is this overkill?
• It appears the computer fan is significantly more efficient than the duct fan. Assuming they are roughly the same loudness, is there any reason to pick a duct fan over the Delta? (both require wiring, either to work with the inverter or directly off the battery it seems) The duct fan is twice the cost.
• If my solar system is functioning at half of full sun, so 1.6A it would supposedly be 19.2 W on the 12V battery. If it got this for 12 hours a day, it would be recharging the battery at about 230 W a day. Assuming the cooler is run at half sunlight most times and there is at least 4-5 additional hours of non-use charging in half to full sun, this system seems sufficient to keep the battery charged above 50% at all times. Does this appear correct?

[LowePro]

Spacecadet,
you'll have better luck with a 12V pump and fan, running directly off the deep cycle battery (compared with 120V AC devices running thru the inverter). The swampie it designed and tested to run of 12V devices, it's safer, easier to splice, and more efficient.

I run my swampie off a large deep cycle battery with a small solar panel (6w) to trickle charge the battery. It lasts all week just fine, as long as you remember to turn stuff off and wipe the panel with a wet rag regularly for dust. I also run a few LED lights and charge my camera off the battery once or twice. I'm pretty frugal with my power, but I've never run out of juice. Your 60W system should be fine, just use the charge controller.

[FIGJAM]

The cooler as designed uses just under 2 amps and puts out 190CFM.

Your current battery would run it for almost 18 hours without a recharge.

You can make this as complicated as you like, but keeping it simple on the playa means MORE playa play time!!!

[spacetime]

You can make this as complicated as you like, but keeping it simple on the playa means MORE playa play time!!!

I want this to be simple as possible on playa. I'll be working the design and integration so it takes up a low amount of space, is quiet and sets up and works really well.

Spacecadet
you'll have better luck with a 12V pump and fan, running directly off the deep cycle battery (compared with 120V AC devices running thru the inverter). The swampie it designed and tested to run of 12V devices, it's safer, easier to splice, and more efficient.

Ok. So AC 120V should be treated as sort of for other stuff / luxury electronics outlet then.

I have not wired a system like this before. It looks like this DC power system uses SAE 2 pin connectors. So I'll need to wire both a pump and fan for these connectors. I can figure that out.

Since I should go 12V DC on both devices. Based on feedback I'm now looking at:

• The Attwood Quiet which draws a similar 1.5-1.9A at 12V. This would be connected to the bucket using a flange say, like this.
• The Magicfly DC30A-1230 12V

This seem more sensible?

I run my swampie off a large deep cycle battery with a small solar panel (6w) to trickle charge the battery. It lasts all week just fine, as long as you remember to turn stuff off and wipe the panel with a wet rag regularly for dust. I also run a few LED lights and charge my camera off the battery once or twice. I'm pretty frugal with my power, but I've never run out of juice. Your 60W system should be fine, just use the charge controller.

You seem to emphasize turning off the panel before wiping it down. Is this to avoid electrocution or shorting out the panel or both?

With the charge controller connected can I reasonably charge / use the power system continuously? The system comes with a 'cheap' charge controller as pictured here. Do you have a favored controller for your system?

[FIGJAM]

How much cfm does the blower put out for that much power investment?

[LowePro]

That little pump should be perfect for a bucket cooler. I use a very similar one. Buy two in case it fails.
(I'd just use a computer CPU fan as they have already been vetted by lots of burners)

What I meant about "turning stuff off" was just to turn off your LEDs, fan, and pump, when you leave camp so you don't waste power (and I generally unplug my camera charger when it's done charging so it doesn't leak power. Wiping off the dust was a separate suggestion, you can do this while the panels are connected. Yes the included charge controller should be fine, and you should be able to leave everything connected all week and use the battery power whenever you'd like, but perhaps stagger your usage, ie don't charge your phone and run a bunch of lights at the same time while swampie is running, etc. If you leave some lights on overnight, it might drain your battery too much so be careful and tell your campmates.

[FIGJAM]

My fan to pump splice.



Wire out through a hole in the side.



I put a regular wall plug on it cause the playapod is wire 12 volt with standard outlets.

[spacetime]

How much cfm does the blower put out for that much power investment?

Looks like 230 CFM.

Buy two in case it fails.

OK. Will Do.

(I'd just use a computer CPU fan as they have already been vetted by lots of burners)

alright, and as per figjam's pointing out high cost / CFM. I asked my pal again why his previous cooler didn't work as well he said he was using was a high-velocity metal fan which didn't work as well because it was blowing air around and not intended to create a pressure difference. It sounds like a CPU fan fitted with a pipe would work. I think I was sort of looking at the shiny and already duct'd nature of that Attwood.

Do either of you have more info on embedding the computer fan in the lid? Looking back again at Computer fan, can anyone recommend a better fan than the Delta I linked to previously?

What I meant about "turning stuff off" was just to turn off your LEDs, fan, and pump, when you leave camp so you don't waste power (and I generally unplug my camera charger when it's done charging so it doesn't leak power. Wiping off the dust was a separate suggestion, you can do this while the panels are connected. Yes the included charge controller should be fine, and you should be able to leave everything connected all week and use the battery power whenever you'd like, but perhaps stagger your usage, ie don't charge your phone and run a bunch of lights at the same time while swampie is running, etc. If you leave some lights on overnight, it might drain your battery too much so be careful and tell your campmates.

Ah, i see. thank you for clarifying.

My fan to pump splice.

Wire out through a hole in the side.

Ah yissss. Thanks for these photos. It would be good to have less exposed wiring. Looks like this splice job is hanging out sort of close to the water line / near the evap padding. Is that an issue at all? i.e. zzztttt?

[rideincircles]

Whats the best way to seal the wires if they end up underwater? Use a wire twist cap and cap with silicone? I will try and start on mine this week now that I have most of the pieces together. Do most hardware stores have float switches, and would a normal light switch work for turning it off and on? I don't plan on cutting the endless breeze since I have a dc plug with clips on it, so I may not bother with the switch, but just wondering.

[FIGJAM]

The splice doesn't get below the holes in the bucket.

At the top of this very page is a picture of the fan mounted to the lid and the link to the fan.

[FIGJAM]

Whats the best way to seal the wires if they end up underwater? Use a wire twist cap and cap with silicone? I will try and start on mine this week now that I have most of the pieces together. Do most hardware stores have float switches, and would a normal light switch work for turning it off and on? I don't plan on cutting the endless breeze since I have a dc plug with clips on it, so I may not bother with the switch, but just wondering.

Yes a light switch will work and I just twist my wires together and shrink tube them.

[spacetime]

The splice doesn't get below the holes in the bucket.

Ok, so the splice just kind hangs out up there shrink-tubed and are cool?

At the top of this very page is a picture of the fan mounted to the lid and the link to the fan.

I did see that. I guess I was looking for a bit of info on the mount. You use a box cutter or some kind of saw cut the lid to the shape, you mention glue, but do you have a particular type you recommend for these materials?

[FIGJAM]

Scuff the edge where the glue will go cause that plastic lid is slick.

E-6000 is like super Goop.

This will be the 6th year with no problems what so ever!!!

[spacetime]

Looks like standard silicone works for this. I got saw drills, but am still curious what is the best tool to cut the bucket for fitting the fan.

I also noticed the delta fans are sold out in a lot of places or have long waits. I found this guy is selling them directly.

edit: hrm. will consider e-6000

[FIGJAM]

That is NOT the fan!

This is the fan, and if you had clicked on the link, this is what you would have found.

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8556/ ... d=TMxuD2fh

I used a jigsaw, but if you're careful, it will cut with a razor knife.

[Danielpops]

FYI here are some pics of my finished product (sans solar):


Overall setup:


Battery:


Exhaust (sans ducting):


Fan Mount:


Inside (here you can see the pump and the water level detector):


Male Banana-Plug ends on fan, pump, and power:






Remote Control:


Project Box: