Turning swamp cooler on at dawn

[paulthewookie]

I'm in the process of building my first swamp cooler and I was wondering how people turn their swamp coolers on in the morning? Do you wake up when it starts getting warm and turn it on and go back to sleep? Is there a switch/sensor combo you can use to turn it on when the sun comes up?

Thanks!

[LowePro]

What are you sleeping in, Tent/yurt/Trailer?
I wired a simple on-off switch (99c) onto a long piece of 16 gauge wire ($4) between the battery and the splice for the pump and fan. I ran the long wire thru a gap in the trailer window sill and put the switch next to the bed. Sleep until the heat wakes me up, reach over and click the Swampie on in a haze, and go back to sleep for another 90 minutes. Spectacular. Swampie gets cold air moving in 30 seconds. Just remember to fill Swampie the night before so you don't run it dry.

You could run the a wire w/ a switch thru a tent zipper or drill a tiny hole in your hexayurt panel or just run it thru the duct hole.

Fancy pants version could be linked to a timer, thermostat, or light sensor, but I tend to favor KISS playa projects.

[paulthewookie]

I've got a simple a frame trailer, basically a bed on wheels. Yeah KISS does seem to be the best way for sure for the playa. I'll probably end up wiring up a switch like you suggested.

Thanks!

[Jordancc]

OR . . just use a solar panel as your power source

[fernley1]

I wired a small switch in the wiring too.

[Roundabout]

I wired in an inexpensive Chinese thermostat. Test build works good, but it's not playa tested yet.