Can anyone find the picture of (or the thread about) the guy with the pickup with the generator and window a/c unit installed in the bed? I would think it's about time to post that back up, with all this heat around the U.S., it might give us a chuckle.

John B.

I saw it the other day, but I don't remember where.

I finally got my swamp cooler workign!!! It had been sitting in front of my apartment for over a year and a half waiting for me to take it to work. Since the wife's van blew up I've been driving a friend's Nissan pickup for the last week while he's away. Thought it was silly to have a pickup and not haul my cooler to work.

I still haven't figured out all hte details, but at about 4:30 this afternoon it was blowing 80* air. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

Apparently you are referring to this thread.

Sorry, don't see any pictures in it.

Pretty straightforward science and application on the evaporative cooler (only people in the West know what this is, I bet). Outside air, forced inside by a squirrel cage fan, being drawn through (fairly) fresh water-soaked pads of aspen fiber or specialized material, is cooled because the originating air is somewhat "dry," that being, air that has a measured dewpoint below around 55 degrees. Really dry air, like when the dewpoint here in Phoenix can be in the single digits at times, makes these simple contraptions really look like genius.

Make sure that the water is getting pumped to all sections of the pad(s).

Make sure the system has a "bleed-off" or some sort of flushing system to keep the water fresh. Constantly recirculating water in an evap. gets pretty green, quick.

Make sure the motor is turning the squirrel cage without slipping the belt. There are also grease fittings, usually, on the axle for the fan.

Also keep in mind that because these numbers push air into your house, it also has to have an exhaust somewhere. Open the window farthest from the cooler a little. Some places have "upducts" which allow the warmest air to push open a louver in the ceiling and exhaust into the attic. Look for a covered grate with an easily removable slide/blocking plate.

Some systems, like mine, integrate regular a/c with a cooler, so they share the same ductwork. Many times, these systems will block the main ductwork of the house off from the subsystem that supplies fresh air from the cooler by means of a removable metal blockoff plate in the ductwork, or by a set of one-way louvers that operate automatically as you switch from cooler to a/c system (or, when you forget and leave it on during a cool night, on comes the heating system).

Some homes can toggle between the systems automatically, up to the point where a simple computer can measure the outdoor air temp/humidity (dew point result) and tell the house which system to use, then carrying out the process. Mine - - - not so much. heck, the evap. cooler ran off an extension cord (and it is mounted on the side of the house) for twelve years. Now it's wired up correctly with a high/low fan speed and the option of running the pump to humidify/cool or just the fan to provide outside air. Speaking of outside air, whole-house/ceiling mounted fans can do the same thing with suction, rather than pressure, just no real cooling properties.

I just have to be careful not to run the two systems at the same time, as mine are totally electrically discreet. I have forgotten - had the nighttime heat setting at 72 on the heat pump, then the evaporative cooler that was left on for the afternoon heat cools the house down too much after dark and they fight each other until you realize there's a little too much noise coming from the duct work and the air feels both cool and warm ... ?

Anyway, congrats on getting it up and running. Sure beats the heat when the conditions are right.

John B.

I remember this from a previous post.

One way to get air-conditioned! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

Thanks, Cap'n. That was fast and accurate. The pictures were funny and smart at the same time.

John B.

I remember the first central a/c unit I ever saw - a chilled water system with and evaporative cooling tower outside with constantly spraying water on pad wrapped water tubes. We didn't buy our first window a/c unit for another 3-4 years, a Curtis Mathis 2ton with a wooden front that made about as much noise as a prop passenger plane (no civvy jets yet). My father cooled the car with soaked cheesecloth over the dash vents, until he bought a Mark IV underdash aftermarket a/c for the Roadmaster. The second home a/c unit I saw was a gas fired ammonia unit - no compressor.

My first cousin's grandfather held some of the original patents on freon refrigeration, but was otherwise a worthless jerk except for two fine sons.

And yes, I remember a picture, too. It reminded me of my window unit a/c install in a popup camper and a generator with a styro cooler cover to kill the sound (semi-melted - we learned to hook up a fan to cool the cover). I also wondered if hauling all the estra weight around cost as much gas as running truck a/c....

I've almost got my mini swamp cooler going.. it pretty much kicks ass, and makes working outside bareable.

I still can't forget how hot it was outside when Sparkem and I were putting on his 1st snorkle. Hot as <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/evil.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/evil.gif" alt="" />

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> Atleast I did not have to pay for those expensive car A/C parts at GM! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

Seriously though, we are having a heck of a monsoon season and the temps are 70-85 here every day, while the rest of the US is 95-120. Strange <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />