AC on the cheap... Bucket swamp cooler

[RocketSurgeon]

There are a few ideas floating around on the forum lately so I thought I would share mine too. I had most of the stuff for a while it was just the water pump holding me up, but good ole harbor freight solved that.

I'm hoping a frozen 2 liter will fit in this space.

The water foamed up from the pump

I just need to finish up the wiring with individual switches and add the two 45 abs pieces for the vents. I want it to sit in between the from seats and point up at our faces. We'll see if it works this weekend.

What do you guys think?
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69 Westy

[Klaussinator]

I'm feelin stupid -

I see where the frozen 2-liter will go. The fan blows air over it which comes back out the vents. What does the pump do?!?

-Klauss
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the Klaussinator - `73 hardtop Bay custom-built camper

[RocketSurgeon]

The pump pumps water through the clear plastic tube onto the blue pad and soaks it. The fan blows through the pad and evapotates some of the water in the saturated pad, that cooled air goes through the vents. It's hard to tell but in the second pic there is about 2 inches of water in the bucket, it's just foamed on the surface. In theory it should work but I would still call it an experiment.
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69 Westy

[bugger101]

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75 west deluxe http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5270450#5270450

2010 ford focus

[Klaussinator]

Cool idea (pun intended!)

Kinda like the older humidifiers that had a pad-belt type of thing that rotated thru a tray of water . . .

Should work, but I'm not sure if 1 bottle will give you enough "cold" or if it will last long enough. Let us know!

-Klauss
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I have taken a vow of poverty. To annoy me, send money!
____________________________________________
the Klaussinator - `73 hardtop Bay custom-built camper

[pozz907420]

Can you buy dry ice down there? Its sold at the grocery store for cheap here.
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Click to view image

[RocketSurgeon]

One thing I was thinking was to put just plain ice in the bucket with the water. I'm too afraid it will damage the pump. 2 gallons of cold water and that frozen 2 liter should do it. We'll see this weekend.
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69 Westy

[RatCamper]

Dry ice is not a good idea.

Anyway i see no reason why that cooler shouldn't work. It's just a DIY version of a normal evaporative cooler with the pad, pump and reservoir.

I have one of those moving belt ones stowed in the caravan currently. had to use it in there once too. Wouldn't be the sort of thing that anyone would use while moving although powering it with an inverter works fine.

Does anyone still have the flickr(?) link I put up a while ago of a window mount car swamp cooler disassembly and restoration? That had some useful photos in it.
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Vehicle: 1975 Special order delivery walkthrough panel based pop-top camper (LCA / Sunliner). Motor: Nippon 1.8L Single port Wasserboxer, Transmission: 3 rib 002.

[Desertbusman]

You are mixing two different types of cooling methods.
Blowing air over ice or something cold (ice in a bottle) directly cools the air.
Evaporative cooling (with your cooling pad) cools air because of the water evaporation process. The hotter the air and the lower amount of humidity increases the evaporation. So putting ice or a ice bottle on the inlet side of the pad reduces evaporation and any cooling from evaporation. Move the ice bottle to the outlet side in your bucket.
The amount of air cooling is so minimal it's about impossible to judge the temps by feeling. If you get a sensitive thermometer you can better tell what is going on and what any temp changes in tweeking gives you.
You've got a good brand of evap pad but it's so small don't expect too much out of it. But try a little metering valve (or restriction) in your pump line to the pad. A pad too wet really hinders evaporation. The old Swamp Cooler deal is water cascading down the pad. If it is just damp only there is greater evap cooling. So experiment.

I have a fan identical to yours and have tried it with various evaporative pads and havn't found much worthwhile yet. Somewhat cool air but airflow so small it's only nice right in my face.
And I do have a small portable evaporative cooler that really pumps out the cool air but not enough unless you're right in front of it. It doesn't use a pump or a convential cooler pad but rather a wick panel that isn't damp enough to show moisture on your finger if you touch it.
And with any evap cooler the amount of cooling depends on how dry the air is. In single digit humidity it's so refreshing. My houses have always been evap cooled and I prefer it until our humid season starts in a couple weeks. Then on humid 110-115 days supplimenting it with small A/C units is needed.
With ice in your bucket you can tell when the ice is doing it's best by how fast the ice melts. But don't let the ice conflict with the evap pad.

Keep us updated
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71 Superbug
71 Westy

[bsairhead]

The one I built three years ago was a copper coil in a 4 inch PVC drain pipe that hung on the outside of the passenger door window. Used a cooler and a sump pump to circulate cold water through the coil. It was really good at turning ice into water but not so much for cooling.

[Desertbusman]

[RocketSurgeon]

Wow DB that is a lot of info! Thanks! I did notice if I stop the pump after the pad soaks the air gets cooler, so a restrictor is going to be needed. And I guess I'll scrap the bottle of ice idea, it would just fit there so perfectly... Oh well. I'm not trying to cool down the whole bus, just a cool breeze at my face and I'll be happy.
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69 Westy

[RatCamper]

I'd still like to make something that I could clamp on to the roo bar with a passthrough to the front vent flap via what I imagine to be a closed cell foam gasket sort of deal. Obviously an evap cooler rig of sorts in the middle.

If it can avoid the whole dried out oven face deal from the hot sun in the summer that'd be great. You know what I mean. The hot air in summer can hit a point where it's like opening a hot oven with your face too close., only the hot air never dissipates.

in the meantime perhaps if I can find a cheap source of squirty spray bottles. The kids keep breaking them and they aren't cheap here.
Right now it's heater weather anyway. Buys me some time.
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Vehicle: 1975 Special order delivery walkthrough panel based pop-top camper (LCA / Sunliner). Motor: Nippon 1.8L Single port Wasserboxer, Transmission: 3 rib 002.

[Mal evolent]

years ago I tried putting an evaporative cooler in the house. didn't cool the house; turned it into a sauna.

the moist air pad has to be on the outside, the fan pulls the moistened outside air in, and the air goes out through the mandatory cracked open window. without air circulation, it doesn't work.

for you back easters and up northers - swamp coolers work very well on a hundred and many degree summer days in the desert, not so well during the rainy season. it cools a dry heat, not a humid heat.
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73 Beetle Baja, Ghia front brakes, Type 3 rear brakes, 2220 ( 94 X 80 ), Weber Progressive, Bosch SVDA, '97 Mustang seats

Baja Bugs for Volkswagen Virgins: Index

[RocketSurgeon]

Ahhh yes! The fruits of my labor!! It cools 90 deg heat down to about 70-75!! And that's without ice. I'm very happy with that result. I made one change, I returned the bilge pump and got a much smaller pond fountain pump. And the switch is two way so on one side it's pump only( to prime the pad) and the other is fan and pump.

The only problem I have is that it gets in the way of shifting a little. I just have to lift my elbow a little more than normal. I can deal
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69 Westy

[jsvr6nsd]

Did you ever try this with ice? Any idea the length of time it lasted?

[TomWesty]

Brilliant!
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[RocketSurgeon]

[Marleybus]

A bill of Material would be great. Looks like something I would try.
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1972 VW Westy (Hit by dumptruck)
1963 VW Beetle (RIP)
1974 VW Beetle (RIP)
1981 Vanagon Westfalia (Sold)
1969 VW Beetle Convertible (Wifes)
1977 VW Westy 2.0L FI Chrome Yellow
1978 VW Westy 2.0L FI (Under Restoration)
1973 VW Westy 1.7L Tourist Delivery Orange
Check out my thread!!http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=556709

[kevinj73us]

Here is a build of a cooler that some dirty hippies built for burning man:
http://eplaya.burningman.com/viewtopic.php?t=33842

If it's good enough for them, it should be good enough for some dirty hippies in a VW bus.

kj
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1973 Station Wagon
m-plate