Did you build a (Figjam) bucket cooler??

[unjonharley]

I built a bucket cooler for BM 2013.. It worked very well.. Could take a nap in the cool van.. It was a great help in the exit cluster..

I started on page one(thread) "cooling your tent or van".. Followed each step as instructed.. In the end I had a air/swamp cooler that works great for travel and camping...

Would like to hear from others that have built this model (bucket) cooler..

[tatonka]

mine's just like FIGJAM's , worked real well last year . Bringing it again this year

[TT120]

I built 2, exactly to Figjams specs. They worked perfectly and kept a friend and I cool all week long. The only thing I changed this year was to drill the holes in the bucket higher so it had more water capacity.

[unjonharley]

At home I use the Figjam cooler at the work bench.. The days are in the low 90s.. Feel good the have a 65 degree breeze across the body..

[Lonesomebri]

I bought all the parts 2 years ago, following the eplayan threads. The bucket, solar pump, filter, etc are sitting right inside the garage, as I type this relaxing in the backyard. Maybe I should get off my fat ass and use y'alls inspiration tonight. It's such a simple, yet complex, genius tool. Okay, let's do it (as I take another slow sip on my drink while sitting).

[AntiM]

MyLarry built one for me. It was delightful. Building a second one this year.

[fernley1]

Finished building mine last month.
26 degree drop in temperature during testing.

[Ano]

Mine is about 75% done. Built it, and now I decided I want to add a solar charger and a timer switch to the whole shebang.

If anyone is on the fence about building one, they are seriously made of black magic and unicorn farts. They do an insanely awesome job of cooling a space. Very easy to do, as well.

[FIGJAM]

"They are seriously made of black magic and unicorn farts."

You have to order those from ACME!!!!!!!!

[tamarakay]

We built one. I love it. Texas is too humid to make it effective but on the playa it rocks.

[lucky420]

No because I'm from N. Nv and I'm tough as hell...



actually the whole battery thing confuses me

[unjonharley]

No because I'm from N. Nv and I'm tough as hell...



actually the whole battery thing confuses me

I use a car battery.. its big so don't have to charge it much..

[sadie]

I built one! Followed the steps in the thread, and got some helpful encouragement from FIGJAM along the way. All the parts work like they're supposed to, but like TK said, Texas is too humid for it to do much good here. It's already loaded in the van and ready to go.

[Fan C]

I built one about a month ago. Of course it's been stupid humid for SoCal. I've still been seeing a ten degree change even with ~60-70% humidity. I figure if I can take an afternoon nap in my tent/carport/cooler in the backyard with 90* temps with 60+% hudidity It should work well on the playa.

[maladroit]

I couldn't get cooler pad in the SF Bay area and didn't have time to build it, so it made the journey as a loose collection of parts in a box. Along the way, I added a bucket and cooler pad from Fernley. Built the cooler while relaxing in the hexayurt one night, worked great all week. It can be built entirely without power tools, just a sharp knife, patience, and zip ties.

[Luigi]

Mine is almost done. I will use it in a 6 foot stretch yurt and I made a few changes, got a 100 cfm fan and ordered a bilge float switch to turn the pump and fan off when the water is low. (the bilge switch turns on when there is water) I glued the 4 inch coupling on it yesterday and got a section of 4 inch flex duct, will run the test this weekend. All 5 gallon buckets are not the same, and I trimmed the mat several times to get the right size. Power will be a 35aHh deep cell battery and a solar trickle charger.

[FIGJAM]

That fan may disappoint you with that much yurt.

[Luigi]

Thanks Fig, I ran it and it feels like it moves air OK. Followed your instructions pretty much but the true test is on the playa. Used the smaller 100 cfm fan to save power, but maybe I will need to run it longer so it will be the same power consumption. Yurt is almost done, I am going to set it up in the sun and run the cooler into it this week. I am in N. Nevada but about 10 degrees cooler than BRC and we have been getting thundershowers daily.

[Bounce530]

I built one per the Figgy instructions last year. Worked well, this year I replaced the solar pump with a 12v pump (the same that Figgy linked to), since the pump I was using only pumped the water about 3/4 of the way around the drip ring. Now with the 12v pump it's gushing water all the way around the drip ring.
The other issue I addressed was securing the dryer hose inside the tent. Last year the hose would flop all over the place and wouldn't stay blowing on us in the tent, so I attached a weight to the end of the hose so that it will hang down and won't blow around.

[Luigi]

My FIGJAM bucket cooler works! Small pieces of the mat got in the tubing and clogged the holes, but after cleaning that out it pumped well.

Any body see this at home depot? Glanced at it briefly, looks like they are using the fig idea. Uses a 18 volt ryobi type battery. 99 bucks

[traceyh]

We made one for last year and it was fantastic. We use it for other trips into the dessert and will be using it again for years to come. I was skeptical about how much it could do, but it was very worthwhile.

[knobdyspcl]

My FIGJAM bucket cooler works! Small pieces of the mat got in the tubing and clogged the holes, but after cleaning that out it pumped well.

Any body see this at home depot? Glanced at it briefly, looks like they are using the fig idea. Uses a 18 volt ryobi type battery. 99 bucks

Yeah, saw that last weekend when I was pricing out materials for the swampie. looked interesting, but I love Mc-Gal-vering stuff, just too much fun to figure stuff out and then watch it work. I'm borrowing a burner's setup this year, since he's not going, so the RV is off limits to others, it's only 24 ft anyway, but will set up the yurt as our party place. I'm trying to decide if I want the standard 5 gal bucket, or get a bigger 10-15 gal small trash can and go whole hog with the swamp cooler.

Wondering if anyone uses the swampie in their RV instead of running the genny and AC?

if this yurts a rocking,,, don't bother knocking,,, just come on in .

[AzJames]

I built one for Burning Man 2013 it felt so sinfully good that I had to build a second one so I could have two at Burning Man 2014!

[Joeln]

Hell yes! Then I bought the high CFM fan because I cheaped out on the first build.

Protip: High CFM fan is the place you definitely don't want to cut corners on.