Thread: DIY 12 v swamp cooler?

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DIY 12 v swamp cooler?

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i live in the southwestern us and 8 months of the year relative humidity is 30% or lower.
i am searching for an ac unit i could set up in the bed of my 1927 Chevy pickup ratrod
and vent into the cab through a hole cut into the rear wall of the cab.
since this is a hand built car and i get to do ANYTHING i want to it.
this sounds like a good idea.
it gets mindbendingly hot around here in the summer and i want to be able to drive my toy.

a gravity feed drip onto a filter with a fan blowing cooled air into the cab sounds like something even I could fab up.
the smaller the better.
i wonder if a cowl of some kind around the exhaust fan would help with efficiency?
i am thinking an old beer cooler with a water reservoir (drip feed) onto a filter of some sort and air forced through it

what do my smartest pals here think?

p.s.
it is so freakin dry around here that rust is the least of my worries.

i bet i could use a vintage coleman cooler to fit all the stuff in.
i am not going to use a pump.(i dont think)
just a gravity feed.

Billy they actually made an in car cooler like you're talking about. The pictures in this ad might give you a few ideas.

Vintage Wright Mfg...Air Cool Car swamp Cooler working | eBay


I'm really not sure you're going to be able to get by without a reservoir and pump. For the cooler to work efficiently the pads have to stay saturated with water, and that much water will end up dripping out of the pads and need to be collected and recirculated.

It will be interesting to see what you come up with, good luck.

I've seen ones like this too
Classic Car Air Cooler Swamp Cooler Vintage Original Prof Painted Jet Black | eBay

Like Mike says, the pads have to stay wet, and as the water evaporates mineral deposits are left behind to plug the media unless the flow rate is kept high with a steady blowdown stream to carry them away. Some of the simple ones for houses used a water hose on top, trickling water down through the pad, and excess flow going to the ground - also called Evaporative Coolers for the process employed. All you needed was an old furnace fan to blow air through the pad, into the house. You can probably get away with no fan, just duct air through it using vehicle speed (veolcity pressure), but on a vehicle you're going to have to have a pump and reservoir (or a veeeeeeery long hose ). Deposits are going to be a problem unless you use distilled water which is going to be expensive! In an arid climate you're going to use a lot of water. Mold can also be a problem if the pad stays wet with no air flow. Google "evaporative cooler parts" and you'll get lots of information.

Originally Posted by rspears

Like Mike says, the pads have to stay wet, and as the water evaporates mineral deposits are left behind to plug the media unless the flow rate is kept high with a steady blowdown stream to carry them away. Some of the simple ones for houses used a water hose on top, trickling water down through the pad, and excess flow going to the ground - also called Evaporative Coolers for the process employed. All you needed was an old furnace fan to blow air through the pad, into the house. You can probably get away with no fan, just duct air through it using vehicle speed (veolcity pressure), but on a vehicle you're going to have to have a pump and reservoir (or a veeeeeeery long hose ). Deposits are going to be a problem unless you use distilled water which is going to be expensive! In an arid climate you're going to use a lot of water. Mold can also be a problem if the pad stays wet with no air flow. Google "evaporative cooler parts" and you'll get lots of information.

i been using home swamp coolers for years.
i just need to figure out how to make one that will fit in the bed of the 27
and
not look stupid

Originally Posted by billy zz

i been using home swamp coolers for years.
i just need to figure out how to make one that will fit in the bed of the 27
and
not look stupid

Then you already know the problems associated with minerals, mold, deposits and water flow. Good luck with your project.

Maybe like this? Ok, I'll go away now.

Don

if you are going to do it strictly by 12v powering it you WILL NEED A BIG ALTERNATOR---you have to put energy in to get the energy out of the cab

i am getting closer.
i found an in-line water resistant 3" blower 145cfm
put that in a hole in the rear wall of the cab
and have a cowl around the swamp cooler pad inside an old ice chest.
with maybe a windshield sprayer and reservoir set up somehow
so there would be one 3" intake hole and one 3" cool air exit hole in the ice chest

Originally Posted by jerry clayton

if you are going to do it strictly by 12v powering it you WILL NEED A BIG ALTERNATOR---you have to put energy in to get the energy out of the cab

a small fan and a tiny pump shouldnt be that big of a drain.

Originally Posted by Mike P

I'm really not sure you're going to be able to get by without a reservoir and pump. For the cooler to work efficiently the pads have to stay saturated with water, and that much water will end up dripping out of the pads and need to be collected and recirculated.

It will be interesting to see what you come up with, good luck.

i am thinking the ice chest itself will be the water reservoir .
this hairbrained scheme of mine seems simple enough that it just might work.

has roger has stated be careful of mold and fungus build up. you know the old A/C units that were on the roof of commercial buildings where water calculated years ago. that's were legionnaires disease came from. we use the rent the big swamp coolers years ago but in GA it's really yo humid.
be careful and good luck, he is a link about legionnaires disease.

HTML Code:

http://www.infoplease.com/cig/dangerous-diseases-epidemics/legionnaires-disease.html

Originally Posted by green34ford

has roger has stated be careful of mold and fungus build up. you know the old A/C units that were on the roof of commercial buildings where water calculated years ago. that's were legionnaires disease came from. we use the rent the big swamp coolers years ago but in GA it's really yo humid.
be careful and good luck, he is a link about legionnaires disease.

HTML Code:

http://www.infoplease.com/cig/dangerous-diseases-epidemics/legionnaires-disease.html

a dab of household bleach will stop that.
all my neighbors use swamp coolers and i have used them for decades.

Originally Posted by stovens

I've seen ones like this too
Classic Car Air Cooler Swamp Cooler Vintage Original Prof Painted Jet Black | eBay

thats as big as the 27's entire cab!