[RDinNHandAZ]

🤓 I decided that I wanted to build a cooler for the PM Van that didn't require additional electrical power from what I would use anyway on a hot day. Many here in AZ use "swamp coolers" also called evaporative coolers. The one in my house is VERY efficient and will cool my house 20+ degrees on a sunny day.
Here is what I began with:

The blue stuff is DuraCool evaporative cooler pad. The screen is Lath. There is a 12 volt aquarium pump (<3watts) and some vinyl hose to fit it. I had to buy a few small pieces of hardware too.
Next I drilled a bunch of holes to let the fan push out air through the pad.

I now made a mounting system for the bucket. Really just two eyebolts into the Fantastic Vent to allow a pin and clasp on the bucket to pull it up to the fan.

Once that was done I fit the lath screen and the cooler pad around the perimeter of the bucket and attached hose around the perimeter with a T fitting and some bag ties to hold it. I then heated a push pin and punched holes about 3/4" apart around the hose.

The pump goes in the bucket bottom in about 1 1/2 gal of water. Weatherstrip is around the top of the bucket to seal it to the fan.

I just wired the pump temporarily to determine the effectiveness. The van was about 93ºf with the fan on high and a rear window open.

I put in my instant read thermometer to see how cool the air was. 63ºf!

I then waited 1/2 hour and checked the van temperature at table level.

85ºf is an improvement of 8ºf not huge but the van felt cooler and the effect was better up where the vent was blowing. This is a prototype. I spent less than $20 dollars as I had the lath, bucket, and some of the hardware. Normal denial of responsibility for your trying something I never said to do only that I did it!

 

[MsNomer]

I like the way you think.

Must be nice to have so little worry about humidity.

 

[RDinNHandAZ]

I don't "worry" about much. In fact it was a somewhat humid day. The NOAA site had us at 39-43% humidity today. I expect it will work better if it is dryer but it does work better in some humidity than most people think. Here is a chart to help decide if an evaporative cooler would work.

 

[Probaiter]

Brilliant! I also live in the desert (Las Vegas). I may have to just steal your idea one of these days. Right now, I don't have a vent. So that will be something to add to my list of upgrades.

 

[2much2c]

Pat yourself on the back..outstanding design. I'd be tempted to have easily accessible areas to monitor the condition of your insulation and van skin.

 

[wspector]

RD that is brilliant!!!! W

 

[HeartlessMachine]

This is awesome. I wonder if it would work better with more holes in the bucket.

 

[RDinNHandAZ]

Good question, lets think this through. The diameter of the fan opening is 11.75 inches so the area is 108.4 sq inches. The bucket has 42, 1.5 inch holes for a total area of 74.25 sq inches. More holes would increase this number and having about 62 would have made the holes equal to the fan area, a few more might be even better as the pad must slow the air some. Making the holes 2" would probably be better still and 42 of them would be an area of 131.9 sq in. Perhaps I can increase the size of some of the holes and get the area of the holes up to the area of the fan. Thanks

 

[MsNomer]

Better to have more smaller holes than more, but necessarily fewer, big ones--both for strength of the bucket and maximum effect.

 

[keeponvaning]

Kool

 

[proeddie]

I've seen these type coolers on YouTube. Seems like most of them have a fan built in. I wonder if drawing air in from your hot roof is bringing in hotter air than if you used a fan on top of the unit circulating air from inside the van. Hmmmmm.....

Regardless, I kinda like the soft blue glow... even if it's not cooler, it LOOKS cooler!

ps. where'd ja get the pin and clasp? Looks like it would work well to attach a fan plate to my sunroof, when I get around to installing it.

 

[RDinNHandAZ]

In AZ our cooler draws its air from the hot roof too and it exhausts into a hallway in the house. The air comes in so cold you would not want to stand under it on a 90 degree day! It is a VERY good swamp cooler unlike my bucket O'cool. Remember it is working on the idea that the water is evaporated like when you step out of the warm pool in summer into a breeze and hot dry air helps that evaporation, overcoming its higher temperature. Evaporation rate is more important than temperature. My problem with many of the U'tube coolers is they circulate the interior air in the van which is not a good idea. This one blows it in and it is allowed to escape through a partially open window as our desert coolers do. Otherwise you keep adding moisture to the air and saturate everything.

I bought them from Spamazon, shipped from Asia takes about 2 weeks, They are fine except they don't cam over much so you need to install them carefully to avoid them opening under tension.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OK3UYMW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[curmudgeon]

I'm confused, doesn't the fan suck air out of the van, like an exhaust?

 

[keeponvaning]

The Maxxair sucks and blows (so to speak) not sure about the Fantastic.

 

[curmudgeon]

The Maxxair sucks and blows (so to speak) not sure about the Fantastic.

This makes sense. Thanks.

 

[RDinNHandAZ]

To use the cooler I set the Fantastic Vent to pull air into the van thus pushing it through the wet pad and into the interior. It runs either way.

 

[curmudgeon]

To use the cooler I set the Fantastic Vent to pull air into the van thus pushing it through the wet pad and into the interior. It runs either way.

Now I need a Maxxair. Should have done that in the first place. Pretty awesome idea by the way!

Anybody want a fantastic fan?

 

[RDinNHandAZ]

Thanks,
I guess I don't understand, I don't have a Maxxair, I have a Fantastic Vent and am happy. If yours doesnt reverse a new fan sourround with the reversing feature is available with out changing out the housing.

Cheap too: https://www.amazon.com/Fan-Tastic-8...361544&sr=1-5&keywords=fantastic+vent+upgrade

or https://www.amazon.com/Fan-Tastic-8..._SR160,160_&psc=1&refRID=7DPBRZPJJN587RPGDQ9T

 

[curmudgeon]

Thanks,
I guess I don't understand, I don't have a Maxxair, I have a Fantastic Vent and am happy. If yours doesnt reverse a new fan sourround with the reversing feature is available with out changing out the housing.

Cheap too: https://www.amazon.com/Fan-Tastic-8...361544&sr=1-5&keywords=fantastic+vent+upgrade

or https://www.amazon.com/Fan-Tastic-8..._SR160,160_&psc=1&refRID=7DPBRZPJJN587RPGDQ9T

Look at that! I had no idea they made that upgrade, thanks!

 

[mikemarmar]

Thanks for the writeup RDinNHandAZ. I am going to build my own version for my maxxfan this week. It is supposed to be really hot the next few days (100 deg), so it will be a good test. I will let you know how it goes.