Chaosmatic -- I'm not able to find your solar-powered fountain cooler at Harbor Freight. Do you by any chance have a lot number (I think that's what HF calls their item numbers)?
Best, ken winston caine ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chasomatic" <[email protected]> To: "hexayurt" <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, August 01, 2011 1:08 PM Subject: [hexayurt] Re: Windows and COOLING on the PLAYA Thanks Mark, this is exactly what I was thinking about although I missed the idea of using the hexayurt for the last side. Luckily I haven't cut the panel yet so I can still use the idea and make a bigger cooler-cooler. Last year with this type of SC my hexayurt (standard 8') went down to the low 70's. I'm hoping the cooler will do a little better seeing as it is sooo small. What do you think? Did you measure the temp? Charlie On Jul 28, 10:35 am, Mark S <[email protected]> wrote: > HeyChasomatic > We built an impromptu chest on the side of our yurt in 2009, and it > was most definitely worth it. > > If I recall, we took a 4'x6' panel (result of a cutting mishap - our > first yurt), and cut it into 4 pieces: > 4'x2' > 4'x2' > 2'x2' > 2'x2' > _______ > |______| > |______| > |___|___| > > With the remains of the fourth tape roll, we boxed in an area against > the shadier side of the yurt, and put a lengthwise hinge 2/3 back > along the top panel. Took all of 20 minutes, and our chests were > puffed out for days. :D > > In went the coolers for the duration of the burn. > > It went a long way to extending the life of our precious ice. The temp > in there was noticeable cooler, as long as we resisted going in/out of > it too often. Once the box was opened, the inside temp very quickly > equalized with the ambient temp. Still, it kept the sun off in the > afternoons. (*terrible* visual herehttp://prntscr.com/2g997) > > If you've got a scrap panel to spare, I highly recommend it. > > -Mark > > On Jul 21, 3:39 pm,Chasomatic<[email protected]> 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 ----- > > ... > > read more ยป -- 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.
