Thanks for all the feedback guys! I've decided to convert my two bucket system in to the one bucket system (thanks for the link Andreas). I bought that low wattage pump too (thanks Richard). And I went with the endless breeze fan (thanks Ken).
Last thing to find is a way to get the air into the yurt. I'm hoping I'll find a 12" flexible duct somewhere and be able to skip any size conversions and just slip it directly over the fan and 5 gal bucket. david On Thu, Jul 28, 2011 at 12:09 PM, Steve Upstill <[email protected]> wrote: > Chasomatic, > > I'm looking at the Frozen CPU site and they have a buttload of 12V fans. Any > clues for getting closer to what you're talking about? > > Thanks, > Steve > -- > There is a problem when the turnover in the United States House of > Representatives is lower than it was in the Soviet Politburo. > -- NATHANIEL PERSILY, election law expert at the University of > Pennsylvania Law School > > > On Jul 21, 2011, at 11:39 AM, Chasomatic wrote: > >> I use the Home Depot bucket style of swamp cooler. >> >> My pumps come from Harbor Freight and they're Solar powered fountain >> pumps for outdoor gardens ($19.95). They have a pressure head of at >> least 3 feet and their own solar panel. Net power consumption ZERO! >> My fan comes from Frozen CPU, I can't remember the exact numbers right >> now but it's specially designed to give a column of air not the normal >> dispersal pattern. It draws 0.7 amps to run and puts out around 120 >> cfm ($31 with shipping). It shoots the air out of the pipe. >> >> I think my total power use will be about 1.0 (.3 pump+.7 fan) amps per >> hour. Last year I didn't run the SC very late into the evening but it >> may be hotter this year. Maybe 8.5 watts per hour from my 10 watt >> solar panel/battery. It's close, but I may be a balanced power >> system. >> >> My first effort for this year's swamp cooler was a little weak, but I >> still have it. Has anyone built a chest from Hexayurt panels to keep >> beer cool? I think my small SC would be enough to work but I don't >> know how to calculate the potential temperature drop (would it be >> worth it?). >> >> any ideas >> >> On Jul 10, 8:20 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. >> > > -- > 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. > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "hexayurt" group. 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