Nice swamp cooler tutorial! Thanks :) On Sun, Jul 17, 2011 at 8:14 PM, hooperstack <[email protected]> wrote: > I built and used a swamp cooler for my Hexayurt in 09' that worked > great to keep the yurt cool. I roughly used the design found here: > http://www.flickr.com/photos/texasdesertlife/sets/72157605888462649/ > using a float switch to fill an upper reservoir thereby keeping the > pump operation to a minimum, as I was running off a solar setup. If > you're on a limited power budget, this system is a good way to go. > Here's a picture of it: > http://www.flickr.com/photos/texasdesertlife/sets/72157605888462649/ > > On Jul 10, 9:20 am, Richard Ginn <[email protected]> wrote: >> another way to have water flow down over the material is with a large >> reservoir (plastic garbage can) above it that you refill by hand (bucket) as >> needed. 50 gallons would trickle down all night maybe? >> >> On Sun, Jul 10, 2011 at 3:31 AM, ken winston caine < >> >> >> >> [email protected]> wrote: >> > ** >> > Pretty amazing amount of pumping for 6 watts, Richard. >> >> > Still, if I'm running it 24 hours a day (along with the fan) during the >> > current 100-plus degree days and high 70s to high 80s nights until about 4 >> > a.m. when finally it starts to cool down a little, I'm using 282 watts a >> > day. That's 1/5 of the total electricity I have available each non-overcast >> > day from my solar system. That's a pretty big bite and I can probably >> > afford >> > it only a day or two a week and keep the system healthy. >> >> > It's NOTHING if you're on the grid. And a wonderful savings compared to >> > typical pumps. >> >> > Best, >> > ken winston caine >> >> > P.S. Am going to look into it, anyway. Because it would be really nice to >> > be able to use it if only from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. or so when the inside of my >> > RV heats up into the middle 90s most days this time of year. My >> > self-wicking >> > coolers bring the air right in front of me and on my face down to the mid >> > 80s while I'm working at my desk, which is much more tolerable than mid >> > 90s. >> > But if I could force more water into the pads, and add pads, I could get >> > better cooling. >> >> > Have been meaning to hook up the Kill-a-Watt meter up to an aquarium pump >> > and see what kind of wattage it draws. If it's less than 6 watts, I'll >> > report that here. (Doubt that it will be.) >> >> > ----- Original Message ----- >> > *From:* Richard Ginn <[email protected]> >> > *To:* [email protected] >> > *Sent:* Saturday, July 09, 2011 10:21 PM >> > *Subject:* Re: [hexayurt] Windows and COOLING on the PLAYA >> >> > For 6 watts you can power a 12-volt CPU water cooling pump that is rated at >> > 132 gallons per hour, and then you don't have to wick the water at all: >> >> >http://www.frozencpu.com/products/6073/ex-pmp-53/Danger_Den_DD-CPX1_1... >> >> > On Tue, Jul 5, 2011 at 5:11 PM, ken winston caine < >> > [email protected]> wrote: >> >> >> Jack, I've experimented with developing a 7-watt, self-wicking swamp >> >> cooler >> >> that works pretty well. >> >> >> Haven't experimented with EVERY fabric known to man, but did find, >> >> surprisingly, that absorbant paper towels tended to wick better than about >> >> any cloth fabric I could test.But even., then, they tend to wick up only >> >> about 6 inches above the water surface. >> >> >> What really helps is to hang them with open pleats facing the air source >> >> and >> >> allowing a tiny bit of air space between each hanging wick. That allows >> >> the >> >> air to pass between them a tiny bit. If using a high-efficiency, >> >> low-wattage >> >> 12v fan made for use in RVs and campers, having the open end of the pleat >> >> facing the fan's exhaust also helps the pleats balloon a bit and speeds >> >> evaporation. >> >> >> My design provides 8 to 10 degree cooling for about 5 feet in front of the >> >> swamp cooler exhaust. So it's a personal cooler, not a room cooler. >> >> Although >> >> it does noticeably help cool the room a tiny bit, so long as you have >> >> fresh >> >> air vents in the room bringing in occasional super dry gusts. That's when >> >> you notice the moisture evaporating in areas of the room other than >> >> directly >> >> in front of the cooler. >> >> >> The more folds of wicking material you can fit in your box (if buidling a >> >> swamp cooler) the more cooling effect you'll get. >> >> >> Have yet to experiment with putting the fan on the top of the box, ponting >> >> down at the wicks and water tray on the bottom. Am planning to test that >> >> next. >> >> >> Have tried quite a few variations. Have found that the fan BEHIND the >> >> wicks, >> >> blowing air through them, provides better cooling than locating the fan in >> >> front of the wicks so that it *draws* the air through the wicks. >> >> >> Also have found that having a larger intake opening than exhaust opening >> >> seems to help a bit, too. About a 2::1 ratio has seemed best in my >> >> experiments. >> >> >> You can do these with cardboard boxes and duct tape and rubber maid >> >> shoe-box size plastic containers. >> >> >> The type of fan I use is this: >> >> >>http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/fan-tastic-endless-breeze-1... >> >> >> I also found at the end of summer about six years ago at a Wal Mart in >> >> Albuquerque a season closeout price on Wal-Mart's "Ozark Trails" version >> >> of >> >> this fan and bought seven of them for $4 each and am using those in two of >> >> my swamp cooler. They actually use less wattage than the Endless Breeze, >> >> but >> >> push slightly less air through, too. >> >> >> May have been four years ago I wrote here about Buckminster Fuller's >> >> proven >> >> "cooling effect," but have not yet heard of anyone experimenting with it >> >> on >> >> the playa with hexayurts. >> >> >> Fuller proved that putting a rain-capped stovepipe in the center of the >> >> roof >> >> of his circular dymation house or at the apex of the roof of a geodesic >> >> dome, and then having open vents about 1 foot above floor level around the >> >> walls of the building created an amazing, counter-intuitive cooling >> >> effect. >> >> The ratio of low-wall vent airflow capacity to roof vent was about 4 to 1, >> >> if I recall correctly. >> >> >> What happens -- and Fuller demonstrated this multiple times, including in >> >> a >> >> dome at the equator built for the U.S. military -- is that as the ground >> >> around the building and the walls of the building heat up as the sun beats >> >> down, this creates a flow of warm air rising around the outside of the >> >> building. That rising air creates suction at the floor level vents, >> >> pulling >> >> air out of the building. That causes a rush of air to be pulled down into >> >> the building through the roof vent. >> >> >> Fuller said this phenomenon extends for hundreds of feet into the air >> >> above >> >> the building. So you have hot air rising in a circle around the building >> >> and >> >> COOL air from higher in the atmosphere hundreds of feet above the building >> >> being sucked down the center of the invisible column. >> >> >> The cooling effect was commonly reported to be in the range of 20 degrees. >> >> That is, the air coming in through the root pipe and dropping on the room >> >> had an effect of cooling the room by about 20 degrees from its temperature >> >> with the vents all closed. >> >> >> Pretty amazing. Completely passive (other than opening and closing vents). >> >> And, other than the initial cost to build (the pvc or stove pipe and rain >> >> cap and dampers), free. >> >> >> I say that this is counter intuitive because normally we expect interior >> >> heat to rise and exit through a roof vent. And normally it does. And that >> >> certainly helps exhaust heat from the room or building. But it doesn't >> >> bring >> >> in a nice, steady, flow of cool air that drops on the room from the >> >> ceiling. >> >> >> Hope that helps inspire someone to experiment and report their results. >> >> >> Best, >> >> ken winston caine >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> >> From: "Jack Senechal" <[email protected]> >> >> To: <[email protected]> >> >> Sent: Monday, July 04, 2011 3:19 PM >> >> Subject: Re: [hexayurt] Windows >> >> >> I've used metal tape to fix a plexiglass panel to the outside, and it >> >> worked great. You could do two for better insulation, one inside and >> >> one out. And if you have two panels of plexiglass, you can bolt >> >> through them for extra solidity. But I think that might be overkill >> >> for the Playa. Having the cutout in there to block the sun during the >> >> part of the day when it shines in the window directly would probably >> >> be a good idea. >> >> >> Regarding ventilation, I suspect that it would work well to generate >> >> an updraft by installing a black chimney pipe in the roof. That would >> >> draw air up when the sun shines on it, pulling it in through your >> >> vents below. >> >> >> As an added bonus, you could put a damp cloth over the vent so air has >> >> to pass through it, which would cool it down and moisturize the air. >> >> You'd need a course fabric for that, something that's absorbent and >> >> loosely woven so air could pass through well. You could drape the >> >> bottom into a bucket of water, and it would wick it up continuously. >> >> >> I haven't actually tried those ventilation ideas to work out the kinks >> >> yet, but I intend to do that this year. The principles behind it are >> >> sound though :) >> >> >> Jack >> >> >> On Mon, Jul 4, 2011 at 11:20 AM, Milt Fisher <[email protected]> >> >> wrote: >> >> > I was planning to tape the filters to the outside after setting up. That >> >> > way >> >> > I could replace the cutouts during dust storms if too much dust came >> >> > through >> >> > the filters. >> >> > Did you just have one filter? Was that enough to provide ventilation? >> >> > On Jul 4, 2011, at 9:44 AM, Steve Upstill <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> >> > Don't know if you're headed for the Playa, but I liked my hyurt nice and >> >> > dark. I had great results with a furnace filter: cut a hole just small >> >> > enough to hold the filter firmly. Bonus: you can still fold/stack your >> >> > panels. >> >> > Cheers, >> >> > Steve >> >> > -- >> >> > Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, when you >> >> > do >> >> > criticize him, you'll be a mile away and you'll have his shoes. >> >> >> > On Jul 4, 2011, at 9:03 AM, Milt Fisher wrote: >> >> >> >> I'd like some recommendations for hexayurt windows. I'm not interested >> >> in >> >> >> framed, sliding windows with screens, just some plastic of some kind >> >> >> taped >> >> >> over a hole in the panel. Any recommendations on what kind of plastic >> >> to >> >> >> use? Thin plexiglas maybe? Or perhaps flexible vinyl? >> >> >> > Any other ideas for simple windows? >> >> > I'm planning to tape the plastic to the outside and hinge the panel >> >> cutout >> >> > into the window opening so we can close it when we want darkness. >> >> > Thanks, >> >> > Milt >> >> > -- >> >> > You received this message because you are subscribed >> >> ... >> >> read more » > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "hexayurt" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/hexayurt?hl=en. > >
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