cooling your tent or van

[Canoe]

...19 3" holes in my bucket equals 134 sq. in. of intake. That seems like it would work, no?

... Open the top ... and the air increase was fantastic...

silverfish, there's your test.
Looks like you've got as good as ducting as it gets.
(I assume that it's that large duct all the way into the bucket, with no hidden restrictions at the bucket)
Let us know what you observe, while running the water through the pad, for fan speeds of low, med & high?

[Bubz]

Thanks for all the great designs FigJam! I have a bucket and plywood Uni-cooler built. Used 20 x 14 vent on the unicooler. Question - a few pages back you did a review of the box cooler and mentioned spray painting with epoxy paint "just to be sure no leaks. I can't find any real epoxy paint, just hard enamel marked as for 'epoxy appliances'. Did you find the Henry's leaked at some point? Last chance for me to do another coat this weekend! Bubz

[FIGJAM]

It wasn't the Henrys so much as it was using plywood that was not completely dry, like fresh from the store.

After 2 years it dried out so much that the contraction was more than the elastomer could handle, and I didn't inspect it before the trip.

I didn't discover this till I was on playa.

Emptied the cooler and let it dry.

unjon had a tube of goop, so I used that to recoat the interior seems.

Fixed!!!

I got the epoxy spray paint at Walmart for $6 and it stuck to the henrys just fine.

The other option is boat paint, but I haven't tried that.

[streetartsquirrel]

With the swarm that is occurring on the play is a bucket of water with holes too inviting for bugs?

[Canoe]

Fuck.
That might be a good catch.
Or even the humid air inside cooled structures.

Bring netting (cooler intakes, structure exhausts), in case?

[FIGJAM]

I don't think they'll get through the pad, but I am building a screen for my exhaust window in case I need it.

[spacetime]

I'm just going to slap one of these on my cooler and hope they get the message.

[Canoe]

They'd likely be quite happy with the water on the pad, while they sit between the bucket and the pad.
How many of which types of bugs have we seen gathered on objects on the playa.

[FIGJAM]

Let me put it this way.

In 60 years I have NEVER seen ANY bugs in ANY swamp coolers!!!!!!!!!

[Canoe]

That's a good sign.
There's reports the bugs are attracted to water. That the biting bugs are searching for water, not blood.
Also sparse reports of bugs/insects infesting swamp coolers. This had included breeding mosquitoes (in India).

[unjonharley]

Let me put it this way.

In 60 years I have NEVER seen ANY bugs in ANY swamp coolers!!!!!!!!!

First, Thanks again for the bucket design.. It works great in the van this summer..
A real life saver..

Second,, Worried about bugs in your bucket cooler??.. Glue some nylon screen door screen in front of the holes on the inside.. Poof..

[FIGJAM]

Yup, a strip could be wrapped around at the holes and velcroed in place.

[demize]

Stupid question, but shouldn't I supply power to the red and black lines?

What do I do with the Control Line (blue).

My fan isn't spinning, this the dumb questions.
TIA

[FIGJAM]

The fan will only turn when the polarity is correct.

Only 2 wires, one for pos, one for neg.

I just cut of the ones I don't use.

[BBadger]

Stupid question, but shouldn't I supply power to the red and black lines?

What do I do with the Control Line (blue).

My fan isn't spinning, this the dumb questions.
TIA

- Red is 12V (or whatever voltage you're using), i.e. "positive".
- Black is ground ("negative")
- Blue is PWM control
- Yellow is the tachometer signal

The PWM controls how fast the fan spins. Some fans have a pull-up resistor on the blue wire to ensure that the fan is always-on when disconnected; otherwise, the pin "floats" and the fan will spin, but slower than max-speed. Maybe it won't spin at all?

The PWM pin wants 5V, not 12V (assuming that's your power supply). You can't just connect that pin to your 12V supply or it might get damaged. If you're willing to solder up some resistors, you can create a voltage divider. Your V_out is 5V, your V_in is 12V, and some calculated combination of resistors (from Amazon or elsewhere) will provide the correct voltage. You could also just buy a DC-DC converter that'll convert 12V to 5V like this.

[at1ment]

Maybe this was already covered and I missed it. Any suggestions or guidance re: how to put a water level switch into the system? TIA.

[Canoe]

... how to put a water level switch into the system? ...

Some people have. search eplaya (usually this thread) with google
But it's another point of failure.
Generally, these swamp coolers cool an interior down so quickly, most people don't leave them on when they're out/away from their shelter. So it's easy, and reliable, to check the water level before you turn it on, and during a long cooling session.

You can look at the various switches used, and decide if that's for you. YRMV

[spacetime]

Maybe this was already covered and I missed it. Any suggestions or guidance re: how to put a water level switch into the system? TIA.

I bought a float switch (I think the one someone mentioned previously) for my kit. It has to be mounted to the bottom of the bucket. Probably no problem w glue or even hot glue. I tested it w the multimeter but haven't tried installing it.

I did build a button floor switch I had already tried on a lamp at home. So it is easy to turn on and off. I'm planning to put it under the tent at the edge so you can push it through the fabric and not have to run a loop of wire in next to the ducting.

Like canoe said each extra is a new thing to go wrong.

I still may add it between now and departure but have it low on priority.

[unjonharley]

Maybe this was already covered and I missed it. Any suggestions or guidance re: how to put a water level switch into the system? TIA.

I just now 17:00 8/23/15 Googled "swamp cooler float switch" There is a whole list of float switches on the net..

[tracedef]

Buying fan and pump and was going to buy the usual suspect fan (http://amzn.to/1fCBMYb) and pump (http://amzn.to/1fCBRuO) but they aren't available with prime / expedited shipping.

I found this monster at 3.0 amp and 224 cf/m .... apart from power draw (we're good on backup batteries), is there any reason this may not be a good fan to use that we might be missing? http://amzn.to/1fCC5lI

Same with the pump, this one seems pretty close to the one I linked to above but pulls 5 watts vs 4.2 ... both are 240 liters per hour ... anything I might be missing that would keep this from being awesome? http://amzn.to/1PvHCaa

Thanks in advance!

[FIGJAM]

As long as you have the power you'll be fine with those.

[tracedef]

Thank you sir!

[spacetime]

Thank you sir!

Indeed, it looks like a beast. Someone suggested backups for the pump and I got one. I have a lower power backup of the fan too just in case. (Would suck to have the whole setup cooler and one broken component.

A little hint: be careful to keep your fingers away from that fan as you build, turn it on and mess with it. It looks more protected than it is and I nicked a finger or two as I tested / fiddled with my delta.

[Dmtim64]

Hello , forum greenhorn here with some questions on my current evap cooler build.

I'm using the same fan and pump as stated by Tracedef
Fan: http://amzn.to/1fCC5lI Pump: http://amzn.to/1PvHCaa

Does the fan need to be prepped in anyway for moisture since they're mounted on the inside of the lid ?

Should the water be a slow drip or steady flow while coming out of the hose line ? Or does it not matter as long as the mesh medium is equally damp ?

How much water can I expect to be using with this build ? ...Can I expect to be using more water because of the higher airflow ?

I plan on posting pictures when complete . Thanks in advance FIGJAM .

[rideincircles]

I am almost done with my over engineered beericooler. I was hoping to install the pump on the upper half of my cooler so it could be removable for transport with a suction line into the reservoir. But I guess the pump doesn't run unless it is under water or has water in it when it turns on. I may see if I can rig something to suck up water beforehand with a wine pump or something, and then turn it on. Has anyone had this problem? I was hoping to keep the pump and wiring out of the water as the main goal since I have a huge reservoir. My cooler is basically two pieces, so having it easily removable on the upper half was a feature I was working on. I still need to install the float switch also, so I may consider a plate that they could be mated to and removed if needed with the upper half. Its either that or disconnectable wiring.

I meant to get a better picture, but this was before the install of the cooler pad and another of it running. Still have to finish the lid hatch and seal it up and finalize the wiring. I did most of the work Saturday on the box, then had to wait a couple days for the paint to dry. A keg fits inside nicely.

[spacetime]

Wow this thing is getting built! I am curious to see how it turns out.

But I guess the pump doesn't run unless it is under water or has water in it when it turns on. I may see if I can rig something to suck up water beforehand with a wine pump or something, and then turn it on. Has anyone had this problem? I was hoping to keep the pump and wiring out of the water

How were you thinking of getting water into the pump if it is not submerged? The pump needs to move water constantly across the cooling pads.

[rideincircles]

I was thinking it could vacuum the water up the tube at first, but that was not correct. After thinking about it, I will probably just make a little plate to set in the water with the float switch and pump attached. Having a method to jump start it could be an option, but I would rather just flick a switch to on. The reservoir is almost big enough to have the pump wiring underwater completely if its full. I don't plan on disconnecting the top half at the burn, but will probably have it split during transport. I can use some hardie (concrete fiber) board as a plate to set at the bottom with the pump attached, but remove it for transport later.

[rideincircles]

The Beericooler is complete. I will probably add a handle up top, but everything is snug and mostly airtight and it seems to work like a champ. Now I will mate it up with the hexayurt panel and cut a hole this evening.

[unjonharley]

Good job!

[spacetime]

Ya way to follow through on your plan. I hope it helps keep the beer cool.