cooling your tent or van

[Canoe]

Except we're not in 'unsafe conditions' and need to make something questionable drinkable to survive, provided one is using potable water. So there's no need to have any exposure, or using chancy water and getting the chlorine and the resultant chloramines.

[QuantumDeep]

Hello all. Thanks for all the information. I realize now that a 55 gallon drum might be overdoing it just a bit

After some drawings, calculations and whatnot, I've decided to go with a 6' stretch yurt, which according to Sketchup is 332 cubic feet. Based on that, I think I'm gonna build a bucket cooler instead of the unicooler. I think I can either get most of the parts delivered to my hotel/airbnb, or even buy them here and do things like melting the holes into the tubing beforehand and do final assembly with a bucket a couple of days before heading out to the playa.

[Ano]

So, uh, my bucket cooler is like seven years old at this point, and I've been thinking about rebuilding it because... I don't know, it's seven years old... my question is, anyone have one that's older than this and still kicking?

My only issue last year is that I haven't really kept my battery healthy all these years and it's nearly dead. I think that's the only issue. I think I want to replace it though, because I like building things.

[LowePro]

Mine is 6 years old and mostly still kicking! I have replaced the water pump and always travel with an extra. They are cheap, pm me if you want a link to the ones I use. The adhesive that glues the conduit to the lid cracked last yr so I had to reglue it ( E6000). Otherwise it's been an amazingly reliable machine!

[FIGJAM]

Have either of you had to buy a new computer or tv since building your coolers???

[MaxBruno]

Some may be interested in my "deluxe" FIGJAM cooler build, on which I posted a full write-up over on this other thread:
viewtopic.php?f=280&t=76358&p=1180478#p1180478

2019-03-22 15.09.17.jpg

[vitaliyh]

What is the smallest AC/cooler to cool down a small tent, assuming we will have access to the power grid? Really hoping for something that will fit in a 20L backpack...

Maybe something like this?

[Popeye]

What is the smallest AC/cooler to cool down a small tent, assuming we will have access to the power grid? Really hoping for something that will fit in a 20L backpack...

Maybe something like this?

That's not an air conditioner, kind of a low grade evaporative cooler. Remember, if you run something like this inside your tent the power used to run the motor and turn the fan will degrade to heat and warm your tent. First Law.
Use a figjam cooler, I realize you want something small but with a little thought you can use the bucket to carry stuff to the Burn.

[Sporkster]

I am flying/BxB to the burn. As I am packing as light as possible, I'd like to use usb bricks to power this. While the pump is no problem (I have a solar with battery backup), I can not find a fan that will run 5v with more than 55 cfm or so.

I'm sticking with the 5 gallon design, as outlined on page 1.

Any suggestions? I will be able to recharge my power banks, but can not use 110v or bring a deep cycle battery.

[Popeye]

You probably won't find a larger 5V fan. The wattage needed to do the work of moving that much air is more than a power pack can provide and may be more than the ampacity of the USB connector on the power pack. If I remember right 3.1A is the largest rating of a USB, so P=IE and you have 15.5 watts. At that constant power draw the battery will heat up and probably the wires. What is the wattage of your fan?

I am flying/BxB to the burn. As I am packing as light as possible, I'd like to use usb bricks to power this. While the pump is no problem (I have a solar with battery backup), I can not find a fan that will run 5v with more than 55 cfm or so.

I'm sticking with the 5 gallon design, as outlined on page 1.

Any suggestions? I will be able to recharge my power banks, but can not use 110v or bring a deep cycle battery.

[Sporkster]

I have not purchased my fan yet, as I haven't found one that is powerful enough.

I thought about purchasing a Jackery and having it drop-shipped to Reno, but then I could not test it. It's 167wh so to big to go on a plane.

[burnomatic]

If you go giant power bank, it might have a 12v outlet that opens up options for you.

But you are going to have issues drop shipping unless it's going to a friend's house. And shipping it out won't be cheap either.

[FIGJAM]

The site where I store my pictures says the cooler pics are view over 1000 times a week.

This is the damn fan!!!

[Sporkster]

The site where I store my pictures says the cooler pics are view over 1000 times a week.

This is the damn fan!!!

Yup Figjam. I would get this in a heartbeat if I could.

My question was if there was a USB fan that has a higher CFM so I could use power banks.

A deep cycle set up isn't an option with all of my other gear and traveling on a plane.

It sounds like USB powered fan is not an option either.

I *Want* to build the bucket cooler, but if I can't power it, I'm kinda screwed.

I was going to ship a Jackery (with 12v) to my hotel I'm staying at the night before: Amazon prime FTW. And, it's only 3 lbs so shipping back won't be terrible either (another night at a hotel)

[Sporkster]

If you go giant power bank, it might have a 12v outlet that opens up options for you.

But you are going to have issues drop shipping unless it's going to a friend's house. And shipping it out won't be cheap either.

Here's the bank I'm looking at, but I don't think it's powerful enough, even with solar charging. https://www.jackery.com/products/explor ... er-station

[LowePro]

That is a 46 amp hour battery pre-packaged w/ built in USB and power ports, for $150. Cool and convenient, but it's the same thing as buying your own 50 amp-hour battery and an inexpensive inverter and rigging up your own system for less $$. Message me if you want more info so I don't blast this thread, but there are easy kits that do the same thing, it will power the figjam pump and fan for a few hours a day. Add a solar panel and you're good for the week. You can get a whole power system for about 200 bucks that will fit in a suitcase.

[Popeye]

That is a 46 amp hour battery pre-packaged w/ built in USB and power ports, for $150. Cool and convenient, but it's the same thing as buying your own 50 amp-hour battery and an inexpensive inverter and rigging up your own system for less $$. Message me if you want more info so I don't blast this thread, but there are easy kits that do the same thing, it will power the figjam pump and fan for a few hours a day. Add a solar panel and you're good for the week. You can get a whole power system for about 200 bucks that will fit in a suitcase.

OR you could just use the proven fan and pump that Figjam speced and do away with the inverter. Pick the battery up in Reno, there will be plenty of people you could gift it to. I would accept it, they are pretty generic.
Edit to add: No I am not looking to bum a battery from you.

[sunrise_giraffe]

I’m not sure what your complete requirements are, but here are two small battery packs capable of outputting 12v:

• https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01337QXMA/
• https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H8F5HYJ/

Neither have much capacity, enough to get a few hours of usage.

I haven’t personally used either (and won’t as I’ve got a working setup), but came across these while looking into simple power options for a friend.

[Sporkster]

I hope I'm not making this too convoluted...

I have a Jackery 160, and would like to use it to power the cooler. I have purchased the FIGJAM specified components. My problem is finding a 12v barrel connector to plug into the Jackery's 12v DC Port (not a cigarette lighter adapter).

Here is the info on the Jackery:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0970/ ... 6813896282

My components are 12v so it should be just a matter of wiring them all together (well below the 100w limit of the battery)...but I can't find a connector. Any suggestions on wiring up to use in the Jackery? We no longer have a Radio Shack here, and the other places I've gone to don't have what I need.

[Spidey300]

Hi All! This year will be our first year on the playa! We got a shiftpod2 and I've been researching ways to cool it. Leaning towards Figjam's unicooler design now since I'm thinking the bucket cooler might not provide enough. I had a couple questions about the unicooler that I didn't see an answer to and was hoping someone could help me out:

1- does it use the same pump as the bucket cooler?
2- are the holes in the bottom of the PVC the same size and spacing as with the bucket cooler design?
3- are there any other options besides the endless breeze fan? It looks like it's over $105! We have an 80w solar panel and an inverter so does that open up other fan options? If so, what specs should I look for?
4- since the shiftpod just have the two round holes could I build some sort of ducting around the pad/grate and pipe it through the two holes to the outside?

I appreciate any help you can give me. Thanks in advance!

[Joeln]

Hey Spork, Jackery info is not clear what connector mates with their DC output port, but I think it might be this

I hope I'm not making this too convoluted...

I have a Jackery 160, and would like to use it to power the cooler. I have purchased the FIGJAM specified components. My problem is finding a 12v barrel connector to plug into the Jackery's 12v DC Port (not a cigarette lighter adapter).

Here is the info on the Jackery:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0970/ ... 6813896282

My components are 12v so it should be just a matter of wiring them all together (well below the 100w limit of the battery)...but I can't find a connector. Any suggestions on wiring up to use in the Jackery? We no longer have a Radio Shack here, and the other places I've gone to don't have what I need.

[Spidey300]

Re the fan for the unicooler, could this work?

Quick Products QP-TE1-0126 Boundless Breeze Ultimate RV/Marine Fan - 12 Volt

Boundless breeze, lol! Doesn't list CFM or amp draw but someone in the comments said you could blow leaves off your lawn on high and it draws 34.68 (watts?) Of power on high which would be 2.89 amps.

[Sporkster]

It looks like a 6mm barrel connector.

I already have the fan and pump. Just need to tie it all together.

[Spidey300]

Wouldn't it also be possible to use two or three of the ~190 cfm PC fans recommended for the bucket design in the unicooler instead of the endless breeze?

[willyd]

Re the fan for the unicooler, could this work?

Quick Products QP-TE1-0126 Boundless Breeze Ultimate RV/Marine Fan - 12 Volt

Boundless breeze, lol! Doesn't list CFM or amp draw but someone in the comments said you could blow leaves off your lawn on high and it draws 34.68 (watts?) Of power on high which would be 2.89 amps.

I've been looking at that too! It seems like basically the same as the Endless Breeze but a fraction of the cost. Just ordered one!

[willyd]

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

Built this in 2015 based on your posts, FIGJAM! It's still working great with my H12.








Right now I'm working on a boxcooler variation that can be built by folks without power tools. I'm considering making three of the walls out of hardware cloth covered in duracool pad, that way the full wall is both structure and evap. If I just sit the entire thing in a short bin full of water, the bottom doesn't need to be sealed at all. I tried this with a cylinder design first. With the hardware cloth the cylinder if pad can be freestanding with no outer "bucket" which should improve airflow... Here it is with a testing setup. Just a cylinder of hardware cloth wrapped with duracool pad and irrigated with a loop of tube. Pop the fan on top and voila.



The top of the proposed box and the side with the fan can just be corrugated plastic cardboard that can be easily cut with a knife.

You've thought a lot more about this than I have. Does increasing the area of evap pads make a big difference in cooling? At what point do you hit diminishing returns with the airflow flow from an Endless Breeze?

Any other issues you can think of?

Thanks for giving me many hours of cool, peaceful sleep on the playa and endless opportunity to tinker!

[FIGJAM]

"You've thought a lot more about this than I have. Does increasing the area of evap pads make a big difference in cooling? At what point do you hit diminishing returns with the airflow flow from an Endless Breeze? "

As long as your pump can keep up with the evap of moisture on the pad you're all good.

Nothing wrong with the design.

The only reason for the bucket cooler was it's compact design, anybody could bring one.

[BurnerBunny]

If anyone is interested I'm trying this pump bucket cooler out this year. I wanted something simple that didn't need any type of power. No idea how well it works yet, but I like the idea of putting a gallon or two in there then pumping and having 20-40 mins of mist on demand.

[bearpie]

Hi all! I've used my bucket cooler with great success in years past and am in a similar situation as Sporkster. I can't have a deep cycle this year. I have an EcoFlow River 370 portable power station. It's a rechargeable (I have an 85W solar panel) 18650 Lithium Ion Battery with a capacity of 370Wh (100,000mAh at 3.7V). There is a 96W 12V Car Port output.

My fan/pump use the recommended specs and I found what appears to be cigarette lighter/car port jacks (like these with wires coming off them that I could splice into.

Does this seem doable? Will I turn the whole thing into a fiery meltdown mess? Or do nothing at all? Math and electricity are making my brain smoke.

Thank you so much in advance for any wisdom nuggets.

[Luigi]

I have used a cord like this running from the bucket outside to my home made battery box (which has a 35ah lith-ion) with no issues. The battery box is inside my 6 foot stretch yurt and I just plug it in when needed. I use a 50 watt solar panel to charge it. With out doing the math my gut says you are good to go.