5 months until lease is up, and I have a ton of questions.

[SoulRaven]

Thanks for keeping up with the thread guys, I really appreciate everyone's experience in these matters.

Hey camper, as far as the swamp cooler do I need to be concerned about all the moisture they put out in relation to any electronics or specific materials I put into the van?

Greetings!

These coolers do not put any moisture into the air at all. Unlike an evaporative cooler, this system is sealed, the cold liquid is circulated through a car heater core or transmission cooler core.

Up to about the mid 90°'s I run mine with just plain water, then if needed I'll add a block of ice, which will last the better part of a week. Above 120°, I'll drain the system and switch over to 2 gallons of antifreeze and get a big block of dry ice, now you have to be careful with it, and keep all but the top side wrapped in plastic, because it can't come into physical contact with the antifreeze. The dry ice will last the better part of a week too. It's kinda spendy, about $25 for a 50 pound block, but your cooler will be blowing air so cold you won't be able to sit in front of it without getting frostbite. At 130° in Death Valley, even with the fan set on low, I wound up opening a window because it was getting too cold inside, and finally I put on a sweater. So it DOES work, sometimes too good, especially if you put dry ice into it.

Just holler and I can give you specific directions on how to build one. In fact may I should start a new thread about how to build them.

Cheers!

The CamperVan_Man

 

[GotSmart]

Then it is not a swamp cooler, but another type of unit.

A swamp cooler is a evaporative cooler by definition.

What you speak of is a "sealed" heat transfer system similar to an AC with different refrigerant.

By all means post a thread to show your invention / creation.

You might have come up with the best innovation since the pharaohs had slaves bring blocks of stone into the desert to get cold at night, then set them up and fan them to keep the royal family cool in the day time.

 

[SoulRaven]

Then it is not a swamp cooler, but another type of unit.

A swamp cooler is a evaporative cooler by definition.

What you speak of is a "sealed" heat transfer system similar to an AC with different refrigerant.

By all means post a thread to show your invention / creation.

You might have come up with the best innovation since the pharaohs had slaves bring blocks of stone into the desert to get cold at night, then set them up and fan them to keep the royal family cool in the day time.

Greetings!

Well, I can't take credit for these, I don't really know who invented them, but when I was a kid these were called "swamp coolers" and what now seems to be referred to as swamp coolers were called "evaporative coolers", and while they have their similarities, they also have their distinct and important differences.

Originally, swamp coolers were sold in the humid areas, and the cheaper to build evaporative coolers were sold in the dryer areas, and of course they both touted their advantages for that area.

Now if you're living in a humid area or traveling through them, you NEED a swamp cooler, but the good news is that the more complicated swamp coolers work absolutely fine in dry areas too.

Here's a link to a video where a guy made one similar:



Now his is more complicated than mine, I just use clear tubes, a heater core, the lowest gallon per hour bilge pump or fountain pump I can find, and I don't make the wraps of tubing around the bottom like he did. I also think that his 1000 gph pump may inhibit cooling by pumping it to fast. I think 100-300 is more than sufficient.

For both weight and waterproof, I make the top box out of coroplast(plastic cardboard), and when not it use it stores neatly in the cooler.

And I use one of those "Extreme" 7 day coolers to make the water and or ice stay cool longer, and I always use a BLOCK of ice instead of the cubes because the big solid blocks will last nearly a week.

I've never done it, but I've seen people hook up thermostats to these to automatically maintain a set room temp too.

So check out the video, then shoot me any questions I guess...

Cheers!

The CamperVan_Man

 

[Starlight]

@CamperVan_Man

Wonderful story about Joe.
I've seen some sad things in my life, and one of them was an elderly couple living in a very bad area looking like they'd lost their last friend. You could see their attempt at dignity... like they were lost and desperate in a hostile new world... afraid and desperate. We simply have to find ways to help people... who would die before they'd stoop to asking help from someone else. To ask would be like admitting defeat.

I have the philosophy of "Let your needs be known" -- and trust... because there will always be someone who can help who wouldn't think twice about it. It enriches the world we live in... for everyone. The point is... to catch people before they get so desperate.

 

[SoulRaven]

@CamperVan_Man

Wonderful story about Joe.
I've seen some sad things in my life, and one of them was an elderly couple living in a very bad area looking like they'd lost their last friend. You could see their attempt at dignity... like they were lost and desperate in a hostile new world... afraid and desperate. We simply have to find ways to help people... who would die before they'd stoop to asking help from someone else. To ask would be like admitting defeat.

I have the philosophy of "Let your needs be known" -- and trust... because there will always be someone who can help who wouldn't think twice about it. It enriches the world we live in... for everyone. The point is... to catch people before they get so desperate.

Greetings!

Too often I hear things like "I'm jobless and living in my van" or something similar... Well guess what? They're better off than someone living out of a shopping cart...

And just exactly how is a simple smile or a kind word, going to negatively impact anyone's budget. That could be all that's needed to make someone else's day a little brighter.

The lives of others that we touch, on our own journeys through life, will be our legacy, either good or bad.

Every single person has the ability to be a Good Will Ambassador and we need a lot more to join our ranks. It's free, it's easy, no forms to fill out, just a simple commitment to one's self to try and make someone else's life just a little brighter.

Thanks for the kind words, I like to think that even one person can make a difference, and if I can be one of those people, then life is good.

Cheers!

The CamperVan_Man