cooling your tent or van

[wimala1]

[quote="FIGJAM"]If you're using the HF solar pump, you may need smaller holes in the feed line to get even water distribution.

That pump pushes 42gph.

thanks on the smaller holes idea. i was considering dropping down a size on the tubing to create a bit more pressure to fill the tube. i will try the smaller holes first since i have enough 3/8 tubing to make a new ring. a coat hanger isn't significantly enough smaller than the 10ga wire so i will have to look for something else. i don't know if i have any single strand 12 or 14ga wire in the garage.

i will let you know how that works.

btw, the nature aire filter that i was using for the pad didn't really work. it held water, it wicked water, but the natural coconut fibers didn't hold together in water (even though the filter said it was washable). so, i am going to look for some of the synthetic material and see how that works. i guess i need to get the flow rate mastered first!!!

thanks for the input.

[FIGJAM]

Ok, every thing is back where it belongs.

All visual aids are now in place.

I'm not sure, but I think when I organized my photos into files, that picture trails could'nt find them.

[FIGJAM]

The pumps just arrived! I installed one on the new cooler and I cant think of any way it could be more suited to this purpose.





It uses .23amps and has a built in filter. Cost $14.95. Heres a pic of the pad to give an idea of how porse it is.



If you want your controls to be inside your structure cut the box with an extention where you will attatch the fan. this is how I set mine up.





I didnt need an extention. I tried it without the shade clothe first. When I had just the pump on there was minor leaking untill I turned the fan on low and the leaking stopped. If I sand the holes it may stop that entirely as any little snag tends to direct a small leak. And now the best part.....





The cooler on low (1.4 amps with the pump) is setting on the desk in the background and is about 4ft. away, but I couldnt get a good pic of the temp with the cooler in the shot. But damn AM I EVER HAPPY HAPPY WITH THIS THING...............FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGJAM............

Almost forgot this!

[FIGJAM]

Procrastinator bump!

[The Bee]

Procrastinator bump!

Yeah, I'm in favor of crastination. In fact, I'm a pro at it.

I got a deep cycle marine battery at Costco today. Now that I've dropped about $80 on that, I have to build my bucket cooler. I'll be acquiring the pieces gradually over the next week or so. Then putting it together and testing it. If I don't have it done by the end of August, I'll be truly embarrassed (and hot on the playa.)

Thanks for all the info about this cool project

[Asherbeez]

Procrastinator bump!

Yeah yeah! I'm getting to it!

[Flabio33]

btw, the nature aire filter that i was using for the pad didn't really work. it held water, it wicked water, but the natural coconut fibers didn't hold together in water (even though the filter said it was washable). so, i am going to look for some of the synthetic material and see how that works. i guess i need to get the flow rate mastered first!!!

Some sites for improving performance of commercial swamp coolers recommend using the cheaper straw pads to improve cooling. Is this different form the nuture aire filter? The straw pad is definitely more fragile. But if care is taken, I'm curious as to the performance improvement. I'm going to get Durapads as a backup.

[FIGJAM]

The "straw" pads will be hard to cut too size, will swell up, and are moopy!

[FIGJAM]

Hmmmm, interesting.

http://ae-zone.org/category/bm-camping- ... g-methods/

[andreas97]

Well, I'm up and running on a single fan setup.



Silicon Solar pump, two layers of cooler pad, one Scythe fan, etc.
It seems to work pretty well from what I can tell in this humid climate!

Still want to either get both fans set up, or look at building a box version.... but... if nothing else I'll have this.
Thanks, Figjam! (and everyone else who has contributed)

[The Bee]

Nice looking setup there, Andreas97.

Any thoughts on using the venturi effect (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venturi_effect) to pull more air? If there is a constriction in the diameter of the pipe upstream of the fan, would it increase the velocity of the air flow? I was thinking the pipe coming out of the bucket could be 4 inch to 3 inch to 4 inch to create a venturi.

[melodiousdirge]

Nice looking setup there, Andreas97.

Any thoughts on using the venturi effect (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venturi_effect) to pull more air? If there is a constriction in the diameter of the pipe upstream of the fan, would it increase the velocity of the air flow? I was thinking the pipe coming out of the bucket could be 4 inch to 3 inch to 4 inch to create a venturi.

Such a restriction would increase the velocity in the 3" section but the flow would slow back down to the same speed again when you moved back up to 4". Some devices (called "eductors") take advantage of the lower pressure in the restricted section to increase the flow of a pump or fan. They do this by putting a port in the side of the restricted, high velocity section so that more fluid gets sucked into the flow path. Unfortunately because the fans used in most of these designs are very low pressure, high volume arrangements, I think you probably stand to gain very little (or even lose a bit) by trying to build an eductor on the output.

I hope that made a little bit of sense... In short you have a good idea but it probably isn't applicable to this particular type of device.

[Dusty McShroomface]

Hey gang,

I'm following FIGJAM's recipe for his awesome bucket cooler set up...
I've ordered all the parts (pumps, fans, cooler pads) to make 4 coolers.
My buddy and I will each have our own cooler for our yurts plus make 2 additional ones to gift to our camp leaders.

My question is what are some of the options for powering this device? I see some peeps using 12 volt deep charge marine battery. Anyone using SolarForge set up? What seems to be the most economical? I know that Harbor Freight will put portable generators on sale every once in a while.
I'm open to suggestions...

and thanks again for this awesome thread.

[Solito]

wow! Buying pump, pads, tube rig, and fan now (they pack up small!). Will bring dryer vent and 12v battery that I already have - and will build this on my Sunday prior to BM with a Bucket and duct tape from Reno. I'm flying in and have enough room for all of that easy.

My only question is whether the airport checked baggage people will complain about the 12v battery.

[Solito]

12v Battery

most computer/server UPS systems have 12 volt batteries in them that can be charged easily with a 12v charger ($40)... The same kind of charger that you use on batteries for jet skis, riding mowers, 4 wheelers, motorcycles, etc.

That said - You could simply buy a Lawn and Garden battery ($35) from wally-mart and use it. They are sold where auto batteries are. You will need to charge it prior to BM using said charger. You could also use a 4 wheeler/motorcycle batt - but this means you need to put sulfuric acid into the cell (which is sold in the box with the ATV battery), and THEN charge it. All provide 12v, and would should last all week (don't quote me on that!).

Charging one of those ATV batteries or the Lawn/Garden battery can take about 12 hours. Both of these batteries can seep a little while charging, so keep them out of tents and off anything delicate while charging.

[FIGJAM]

I like AGM batteries cause they can't spill.

Here's what you need to know.

http://www.batterystuff.com/tutorial_battery.html

[Dusty McShroomface]

Do you think it would be worthwhile to invest in a solar trickle charger to keep hooked up to the Deep Cycle AGM battery to be sure that the battery will last all week?

Found this one on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-50022-Ba ... 016&sr=8-1

[FIGJAM]

I don't know that much about solar, but in could'nt hurt.

[mazatta]

I apologize in advance, as this has likely already been asked and answered in this thread (I went through all 22 pages, I swear!), but for the "orange Home Depot bucket" style, how much do you fill the bucket at a time?

[MikeGyver]

... He tells you on the first page... you fill it up to the bottom of the holes youve cut out. The more water you fit the less ammount of times you have to fill it

[andreas97]

Do you think it would be worthwhile to invest in a solar trickle charger to keep hooked up to the Deep Cycle AGM battery to be sure that the battery will last all week?

Found this one on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-50022-Ba ... 016&sr=8-1

As Figjam said, it couldn't hurt... but add it up.
If you're doing two Scythe fans, that's 1.2 amps, plus .3 amp for the pump. So you're looking at 1.5 amps or 18watts of solar power on a 12v system.

If you were planning to run them strictly off the solar, you'd need that much, but if you have a battery buffer, and you're not running the cooler the whole time the panel(s) have power, you can make a rough estimate of what you'll need.

Keep in mind, though, that if you do end up going with any solar larger than 5 watts on a single battery, you'd want a charge controller too so you don't overcharge/boil the battery if you end up not using the cooler for a sunny while.

I'd say you could get by no problem for the week with one 15w panel, charge controller and smallish battery if you had just the one bucket cooler. It would maintain it enough to be no problem.

(Of course, when you factor in playa on the panel... clouds... etc etc.... there are a lot of variables. )

[melodiousdirge]

Do you think it would be worthwhile to invest in a solar trickle charger to keep hooked up to the Deep Cycle AGM battery to be sure that the battery will last all week?

Found this one on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-50022-Ba ... 016&sr=8-1

a 5w trickle will help keep your battery from draining as fast, but as andreas pointed out, it's not enough to keep the cooler running without draining the battery at all. As such I kinda doubt it's really worth the effort. Sunforce makes a larger panel:

http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-50033-15 ... 8XKNB5ANNP

For just under $100 that includes a charge controller and is large enough to take up almost all the load from your cooler.

For what it's worth, if you were to run your cooler off a car/rv battery, a typical light duty vehicle's alternator puts out 700w or more. A heavy duty one will put out double or triple that, so running your vehicle for 10 minutes will have the same charging effect as 24 hours with a 5w charger. Since you obviously don't get sun for 24 hours a day, it's more like running your car for 5 minutes a day. I'd recommend using a spare battery and charging it with jumper cables though, rather than risking killing your primary battery.

Having said that I guess the cost of a spare battery, cables for charging it, and the hassle is probably a wash with the $100 for a 15w solar charger. Food for thought.

[The Bee]

If you're planning on buying the Scythe fan that is recommended in this thread (Scythe ULTRA KAZE series DFS123812H-3000 120x120 x 38 mm Case Fan SKU: DFS123812H-3000), be aware that the current (July 14, 2011) price on Amazon is $18. That's not a bargain considering the MSRP is $12. Surprised me, 'cause I thought Amazon usually has pretty good prices. Shop around.

[Edit] - http://www.crazypc.com/store/merchant.m ... kaze-58465 These guys have the fan for $10, but shipping is about $8, so it's a wash with Amazon's free shipping.

[Edit] - http://www.jab-tech.com/Scythe-ULTRA-KA ... -3940.html I ended up getting 2 of these fans for $28 including shipping.

I have to say, I was really tempted by some of the fans with LED lights on them... to install inside my van...

[andreas97]

http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-50033-15 ... 8XKNB5ANNP

For just under $100 that includes a charge controller and is large enough to take up almost all the load from your cooler.

Though, if you're near a Harbor Freight, that Sunforce actually looks like the same panel they use in the HF 45watt kit, which is on sale for $170. Then you'd get nifty lights, too.

http://www.harborfreight.com/45-watt-so ... 90599.html

ETA: whoops, looks like they upped it to $180

[FIGJAM]

This is all good info guys, but the idea is to keep it cheap and easy!

[waxpraxis]

Been working tonight on my radiator-style cooler and it seems to work pretty well. My thermometer isn't terribly accurate, but I seem to getting at least a 10 degree drop.



In the real deal the water will be in a cooler with ice. They ice will need to be changed fairly regularly, but it looks like this will at least provide some extra cooling and will be flying friendly.

[melodiousdirge]

This is all good info guys, but the idea is to keep it cheap and easy!

Everything is doable for cheap and easy, but bells and whistles are just so much fucking FUN!

[melodiousdirge]

that Sunforce actually looks like the same panel they use in the HF 45watt kit, which is on sale for $170. Then you'd get nifty lights, too. http://www.harborfreight.com/45-watt-so ... 90599.html

Still a good looking deal, but it doesn't look like they include a charge controller for your battery.

[andreas97]

that Sunforce actually looks like the same panel they use in the HF 45watt kit, which is on sale for $170. Then you'd get nifty lights, too. http://www.harborfreight.com/45-watt-so ... 90599.html

Still a good looking deal, but it doesn't look like they include a charge controller for your battery.

Yeah, it has a cheap charge controller (I think they call it regulator) that comes with it and also acts as power distro and battery monitoring.
I wouldn't recommend it for long-term use with nice batteries , but, for something cheap like this it's ideal. (ie, you won't care when the playa destroys some of it in a few years, and you can play with it the rest of the year.)

And... sorry figjam, I'm a solar geek.
But, I'll let this get back on topic now.

[FIGJAM]

No problem.

I just did'nt want people to think they needed all this stuff.

There's a thread somewhere that's all solar.