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OK made my first run using my new "swamp cooler". It works,... not a complete solution but it does help tremendously. After 2.5 hrs of running and the ambient temp here today is about 95 degrees f. I think I can safely say that it does work. I'm in-between jars so I'll post about it.
I baught a cheep little 4"fan from Walmart.
Baught a 10' stick of 4"PVC, and a cleanout T.
And I had some aluminum window screen.

I put the 10'pipe down into my 45 gal water reservoir, marked the pipe at the top of container, cut it off there. Slid the T onto the bottom section. Drilled several holes in the bottom section for water dispersion.
Took the face shroud off the front of the fan, inserted into the T, and duck taped the hell outta it. Inserted the top section into the top of the T, measured and cutoff just a little lower than the height of my column. Drilled two holes into the top of the top section to insert the return lines. Packed the top section of the cooler with the aluminum window screen.

After 2.5 hours of running, in 95 degree ambient temp, the product is cool to the touch!!!
Here's some pics....

Max temp of the reservoir after 3 hours of running is 100 degrees f. And its 95 degrees ambient temp....

Compact and simple. Nice job. Dont ya just love it when a plan comes together?

So your pumping resivior water though a condeser then sending hot water to the top? letting it flow down , is fan pushing in or pulling out ?

mash rookie wrote:Compact and simple. Nice job. Dont ya just love it when a plan comes together?

Yea MR, and cheap too. I think all together it only cost me about $25..

vinper wrote:So your pumping resivior water though a condeser then sending hot water to the top? letting it flow down , is fan pushing in or pulling out ?

No,... the hot water coming back from my tower and my product condenser goes to the top of the water cooler, falls down through the window screen packing. The fan blows up through the dropping water. When I place my hand on top of the cooler it is blowing warm air...

Man...the more I look at that the more I like it...working on something similar, smaller scale though...how can it be scaled down>

Nice, simple idea. I like it!

Frosteecat wrote:Man...the more I look at that the more I like it...working on something similar, smaller scale though...how can it be scaled down>

Frost, not sure I would want to scale it down. I run a PSII high cap and a 15.5 keg. It definitely works for my setup but at these ambient temps I think I'm at the upper limit of what it can do. If you have a smaller setup than mine, something about this scale would work great...
Its like my wife says about me.... "better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it"...

If I remember right, your reservoir is a cooler right? Well the bottom section wouldn't have to be near as high as mine, I only made mine that high to make the T come over the edge of my trash can. The lower section serves no purpose other than height and stability. The T and the upper section are only about 4' tall and that is the important part....

Swamp coolers are ideal for ppl who want to run a lebig, or other forced flow water condensing system, and want to conserve water. They allow a smaller water reservoir, and allow it to be kept cool.

Very nice job. First I have seen of this type build. Most i have seen, have used some form of material (terry, such as towels are ideal), to allow the water to return, and allow the fan to blow air over it. Screen in a tube sounds fine, AND it is pretty compact. Good job.

H.

heartcut wrote:Nice, simple idea. I like it!

Thanks heartcut, coming from you that means alot. But it wasn't entirely my idea. I saw something kinda similar on hear awhile back. An ol boy used a computer fan and a setup kinda like a worm with holes in it to spray water through the air flow.

When I was in Walmart (ya know how everything ya see, you wonder... can I use that on my still?..) well I spotted that little4" fan for $6 and grabbed it. The aluminum screen is just a knockoff of the copper packing we use....

Husker wrote:Swamp coolers are ideal for ppl who want to run a lebig, or other forced flow water condensing system, and want to conserve water. They allow a smaller water reservoir, and allow it to be kept cool.

Very nice job. First I have seen of this type build. Most i have seen, have used some form of material (terry, such as towels are ideal), to allow the water to return, and allow the fan to blow air over it. Screen in a tube sounds fine, AND it is pretty compact. Good job.

H.

Thank-you Sir. Maybe it will help someone who finds themselves in my shoes someday. Not really my original idea, jes building on what others have come up with. Lotsa folk need to save water and this sure does help. Thank-you again for the compliment, coming from you that does mean alot..

Not really my original idea, jes building on what others have come up with. Lotsa folk need to save water and this sure does help.

That is what we do here. Share, Improve, Inspire and be inspired. It is the wonderful advantage of a forum format. Some of the best improvements are from someone looking at problem just a little differently than others. Your cooler is better than you think. I think it will become the norm for guys using recycled cooling water. Once again, congratulations.



Ps. When pressed for a drawing, explain that the tee has to face down to keep water out and the pipe sets in water to keep air going up.

mash rookie wrote:That is what we do here. Share, Improve, Inspire and be inspired. It is the wonderful advantage of a forum format. Some of the best improvements are from someone looking at problem just a little differently than others. Your cooler is better than you think. I think it will become the norm for guys using recycled cooling water. Once again, congratulations.

Ps. When pressed for a drawing, explain that the tee has to face down to keep water out and the pipe sets in water to keep air going up.

Your exactly right MR, a regular T has a single sweep to one side, if a regular T was to be used the sweep would need to sweep down so that the water wouldn't pool. I used what was labeled as a clean out T, it has a sweep going in both directions. I thought that the sweep going up might help to send the airflow in the right direction, while the other sweep going down would prevent any pooling.

And yes, the bottom definatly has to be in the water so that the airflow is directed up through the falling heated water from the still.

I had a 6.5 hour run with it. The water temp increased by almost 20 degrees, but.... the ambient air temp(reached 96 yesterday!!) increased by more than that. My product temp remained cool to the touch when in the past, I've had problems with it... I'm happy. With ita and I hope it can help someone else....

Works just like the water cooling towers at industrial plants, just on a smaller scale. That's awesome!

stillin wrote:Works just like the water cooling towers at industrial plants, just on a smaller scale. That's awesome!

Thanks man, easy ,cheap, and it works!!! Looks like you might ride... If ya ever get a chance, come give the Ozarks a spin. Lots of twists and turns, some of the best roads in the country. Oh yea, by the way, welcome!!!

Goin to lake hamilton at the end of july and goin to sturgis the first weekend of august. Damn my company gives me a lot of vacation!

I run a koi pond and they do a thing with window boxes . called a trickle tower 3 stacked boxes with lava rock in them . I will send a picture . Now cooling comes from evaperation so your limited how much evap you can get through the 4" pipe . I think I can help you tweak it and get more heat transfere out .

vinper wrote:I run a koi pond and they do a thing with window boxes . called a trickle tower 3 stacked boxes with lava rock in them . I will send a picture . Now cooling comes from evaperation so your limited how much evap you can get through the 4" pipe . I think I can help you tweak it and get more heat transfere out .

I'm open to sugestions, that's what we do hear. How would you tweak it??

here's the window box concept.. Im working on some suggestions for your tower http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXF4orXAvmour" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Trying to keep it simple, its harder than it looks ,either have to get more air in or add cooling source . I think the fan exhausting air is more efficient but you risk the moisture hitting the fan.

That is BEAUTIFUL wacabi, good job, I'm gonna have to make me one of those. Thanks for that little idea. Do you run a BOK? That's where I run into some serious cooling issues, the pot still don't have issues, but damn sure could use some help. Those little fountain pumps aren't really rated for that hot of water anyways. Thank's buddy for the idea

Hello Wacabi, I had a quick question, when you put the window screen inside the tube, did you just leave it on the roll rolled up? Or you reckon packing it in there would be better? Just wondering. I'm a big fan of that little invention. Next time when my wife gives me a PO to go to the home depot. I'm sure I can sneak this one in I'm sure the married guys know how that one works

whiskeytripping wrote:That is BEAUTIFUL wacabi, good job, I'm gonna have to make me one of those. Thanks for that little idea. Do you run a BOK? That's where I run into some serious cooling issues, the pot still don't have issues, but damn sure could use some help. Those little fountain pumps aren't really rated for that hot of water anyways. Thank's buddy for the idea

Thanks, though I wouldn't exactly call it "beautiful" but it works!!! And I'm a practical kind a feller...
I run a PSII high cap 3" withpot a 15.5 keg. Sometimes a spirit run can take me 6hrs!!! That's a lotta heated water. I initially had a 40?gal trash can, then I switched to a 50gal drum. The swamp cooler works great, its cheap, and easy to build. I scrunched up the aluminum window screen in the center of the role then left the outer edge of the role flat/normal?... I was thinking that the twists and turns in the center would break up the droplets better, while maybe leaving the outside of the role smooth might fit better against the walls of the pipe and might help peal some of the water off the wall instead of running straight down... hope this helps ya...

Good deal, I cannot wait to build one, Im not sure I can find one locally or if it will fit inside a 4" pvc pipe, but they make a duct fan that has a fan inside a piece of 4" galvanized duct. I have time to research that later, but either ways thanks Wacabi, much apprecieted

I guess your talking about the fan? I baught mine at Walmart. It was like a little desk fan. Think it cost like $6. I had to take the front shroud off. Little duck tape. Worked like a charm. When I place my hand on top of the cooling tower, it feels like a slightly damp heater blowing hot air.

Hello Wacabi, just gonna let you you know I finally got mine built, I kinda screwed up though cause I bought a regular "T" for it and glued it in with the sweep facing up, it had been awhile since I read this thread I guess I should have re-read it before I went to Home Depot. SO, now I have the water pooling up problem, I'm going to try to fix something in there though to help it not pool up. I'm going to try building it up a little with silicone, on the top where it cascades down, and on bottom

I might just need to go and buy a clean out "T" and call it a loss.

Looks like a real winner though when I get a chance to Use it finally

Hey man, glad to hear yer on yer way with the cooler. Sometimes we overlook the obvious, but in an effort to help... can't ya turn the whole thing upside down??? Think about this, the bottom, the part that goes down into your tank, is really only for stability. It would still cool without the bottom section, the trick would be getting it stabilized.
Another option might be to take a sawzall (with a long blade), and cutting a drainage grove where yer water is pooling.

I already made some holes on the barrel side, but you might be in to something cutting it with the sawzall either ways I know this is gonna be a winner, thanks bud

I drilled lots of holes in the barrel side so that water would freely move through the newly heated water that fell down through the pipe. If the inlet holes coming from your tower are the only thing keeping you from turning it upside down, hell, yer gonna need lots of holes in the pipe down in the tank anywayz.... I'm sure I must not be understanding whats wrong with turning it upside down so that the swoop drains down. Typing isn't as good as a pic.
Anyway brother, "Remember the Alamo!" , (the watched it today)...