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kaste
six-nine power slider



Registered: 12/29/08
Posts: 2,401
Loc: Latvia
Last seen: 6 years, 3 months
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DIY AC
#12021589 - 02/13/10 12:58 PM (13 years, 11 months ago) |
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This is totally inappropriate for the season, but I just wanted to contribute.
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  It could be worse. A woman could cut off your penis while you're sleeping and toss it out the window of a moving car.
Edited by kaste (02/13/10 01:01 PM)
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grewya
Gone Fishin'


Registered: 10/18/08
Posts: 4,255
Loc: Arlen Gun Club
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Re: DIY AC [Re: kaste]
#12021993 - 02/13/10 02:07 PM (13 years, 11 months ago) |
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lol. Thats kinda cool. You would need quite a few of them to cool a room though. Not to mention constantly having to add ice and remove water. You would be much better off spending that $40 on a used window A/C unit off of CL or a garage sale, I've seen some nice ones for $20-$50. That homemade "A/C" isn't going to remove anywhere near the amount of BTU's as a window unit with refrigerant would. Although, it would probably feel good if you didn't have real A/C and the fan was blowing right at you.
-------------------- Poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids. - Joe Biden
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Prisoner#1
Even Dumber ThanAdvertized!


Registered: 01/22/03
Posts: 193,665
Loc: Pvt. Pubfag NutSuck
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Re: DIY AC [Re: grewya]
#12022215 - 02/13/10 02:59 PM (13 years, 11 months ago) |
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another method is evaporative cooling, if done properly it requires no electricity and only basic construction skills, it's used in large agricultural and industrial installations but also works well in much smaller applications
a basic design that requires a pump and fan, the pump can be omitted if you set up a gravity feed system to keep the wicking elements wet and you can omit the fan if you build a 'chimney' that allws hot air to escape from a higher point (usually on the opposite wall)

the elements are generally cellulose but cloth, cardboard or almost anything else can be used as long as it will absorb water
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grewya
Gone Fishin'


Registered: 10/18/08
Posts: 4,255
Loc: Arlen Gun Club
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I've never seen or worked on a swamp cooler. I've read about them, and the concept is very simple. They're quite common in parts of the country where the humidity is low, like Arizona, where for example you can have a dry-bulb temp of 105F while having a wet-bulb temp around 70F. A swamp cooler in these conditions would lower the air temperature entering the room to about 80F dry-bulb, all for the cost of running a fan and maybe a water pump. Cheap cooling.
-------------------- Poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids. - Joe Biden
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BrnDubies
interloper


Registered: 02/06/08
Posts: 188
Loc: the Green Mountains
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Quote:
Prisoner#1 said: the elements are generally cellulose but cloth, cardboard or almost anything else can be used as long as it will absorb water
Hay is another common element in residential coolers. Anyone that has done a straw bulk grow (or has reseeded their lawn) knows how well straw holds moisture (and how cheap it is). I've only seen the hay swamp coolers in NM, as that is the only place I've spent time looking at swamp coolers, and I have only seen them used in residential applications. Do you have any comments or thoughts you could add on the comparative effectiveness of the different materials, or perhaps on the comparative ease of repair/maintaining the different models? I was always impressed when I'd pry the housing off a swamp cooler to find tall that snow and frost caked to a sheet of hay, chilling in the 90F+ heat.
-------------------- the pain of war can not exceed the woe of aftermath
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jack_flack
Pedal Power

Registered: 01/04/10
Posts: 174
Last seen: 13 years, 8 months
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thats awesome, that will definitely work on those days where the fans feel like they are blowing hot air.. beats my way of keeping cool in the hot summer ineferno-- stay in bed with 15 cold beers under the covers
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SimonJester



Registered: 09/06/06
Posts: 1,076
Loc: Rocky Mountains
Last seen: 2 months, 15 days
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I think you were probably seeing calcium deposits on the straw, not frost. It looks kinda frosty through the first year, after that its just chunks of crystals. Changing the cooling pads yearly keeps the crystals away.
I've never seen anyone use straw, but suppose it would work. When you turn it on though it would fill your house with wet straw smell. Yum. Around here we usually use big rolls of plastic fiber. Just cut and fit. Its made for swamp coolers and smells nice. Shaved aspen works nice too. I did see someone use plywood with holes in it once.
If you want to get a swamp cooler I advise you get a window mount one. The roof ones are a common leaking problem. If you live in an area with high humidity, purchase a refrigeration cooler, because a swamp cooler would have minimal effects.
Cold beer is an awesome DIY AC.
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