100% solar swamp cooler, no batteries!?

[asr9754]

Has anyone seen or tried this?:
http://www.westernharmonics.com/MiniCooler.html

It's marketed as a pet cooler, but has a solar fan and solar pump. No batteries, it would just turn on when the sun comes up. It's a prefab box, should be easy to attach to an RV window or pipe into a tent with a duct tube.

Just curious if anyone has tried it yet.

[FIGJAM]

Thier pad is only 8"X8".

This makes me suspicious about thier claims.

23 degrees cooler.

I get 30 degrees cooler.

Add a 50 watt solar panel to one of my designs and get 900 cfm compared to thier 300 cfm!

[asr9754]

Hey FigJam, where is your design of which you speak? Searched your posts, but there are 1,000s, man! Thanks for the input.

[FIGJAM]

The last full recap is on page 51 of "Cooling your tent or van".

All 3 designs are on that page!

[Mojojita]

Figgy's designs work very well - we have a couple of them for the yurts and I want to build one for the RV this year.

[sharke]

I'm also interested in a 100% solar powered cooler design. I've seen references to the possibility in the other threads but so far I haven't seen a fully realized project.

I would be willing to sacrifice some efficiency to go 100% solar. I found a 10w panel + 4" fan package here for $120:
http://www.amazon.com/CDT-F14-Solar-Pow ... =Solar+fan

Any thoughts?

[FIGJAM]

If you want a total solar system, Handjamaster built his own using this fan and 2 Harbor freight solar pumps. (needed 2 pumps for enough water supply)

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200514348_200514348?cm_mmc=Google-pla-_-Alternative%20%2B%20Renewable%20Energy-_-Solar%20Heating%20%2B%20Ventilation-_-25367&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=25367&gclid=CI_rl6WOsbUCFe1AMgodlBcAkQ

There are lots of solar pumps to choose from.

https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4PRFB_enUS492US492&q=solar+fountain+pumps#hl=en&tbo=d&rlz=1T4PRFB_enUS492US492&q=solar+fountain+pumps+with+battery+backup&revid=1111325084&sa=X&ei=3WQaUcWAJo602AWJhYCYDg&ved=0CEsQ4QIoAA&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.42261806,d.b2I&fp=7b390c4dfcfadd05&biw=1360&bih=614

I tried to make my designs as cheap and easy to build as possible, but my way ain't the only way.

Hooking a 50 watt solar panel to any of my designs would also work.

The main thing is to have fun, and be cooooool.

[sharke]

Thanks FigJam!

Some quick research turned up this potential combo of 10" RoadPro fan and 15w solar panel:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001JT ... PDKIKX0DER
http://www.harborfreight.com/15-watt-12 ... 96418.html

[FIGJAM]

That fan looks like an "o2 cool" and testing shows that they don't move enough air.

[sharke]

That fan looks like an "o2 cool" and testing shows that they don't move enough air.

Ah thanks, good to know. Any data on this fan? It's apparently very popular with boaters:
http://www.caframo.com/marine/marine_pr ... ate747.php

[FIGJAM]

No data other than I don't see how you would adapt it for a cooler.

[sharke]

No data other than I don't see how you would adapt it for a cooler.

Good question
Hmm... maybe mount it on the inside of the box, hanging upside down? e.g. similar to this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C4FRl9S-j4 (skip to 1:20 to see how it's mounted)

Btw, I'm slowly coming around to the idea of using a battery for some things... but the elegance of a cooler that would start itself up automatically in the morning when the sun comes up has a strong appeal to me

[sharke]

Found some stats on the Caframo 747 fan: it reportedly moves 210 cfm while using .59 amps on high. So it seems to push a bit more air than most computer fans, while consuming about half as much power.

[Token]

CFM alone is meaningless. You need to compare flow volume AND pressure to gauge performance.

The power of the fan is more accurately represented with the pressure it can produce at the specified CFM. usually expressed in mm-H2O.

A 100 CFM fan with low mm-H2O number will choke running through all that water soaked cloth.
A 100 CFM fan with high mm-H2O number will fly like an eagle.

Now go geek out and do your homework.

[regentswift]

I'm trying to do the same thing: build a "Figjam cooler" without need for a generator.

I bought this pump: http://www.harborfreight.com/solar-powe ... 66093.html

This might be a stupid question, but do you think that the solar panel that runs the pump would be beefy enough to handle the fan, too? Could I just splice it in, or would it kill the pump? Or am I completely barking up the wrong tree?

[FIGJAM]

That panel is just enough to run the pump, and then only if kept in total sunlight.

I don't bring a genny to the playa.

[regentswift]

That panel is just enough to run the pump, and then only if kept in total sunlight.

I don't bring a genny to the playa.

Figjam, since you're the expert on these, what do you use to run your fan? In the other thread, it appeared to be a 12v battery. What do you use to charge it? What kind of panels do you use?

[FIGJAM]

I don't use panels, and I don't normally have to charge my battery.

I run both my pump and fan from one battery, plus some LED lighting and my radio.

With the Costco 115AH deep cycle battery ($90), you can run the cooler 5 or 6 hours a day for 7 days without having to recharge.