Building My Own Evaporative Cooling Wall (AKA Swamp Cooler)
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- čas přidán 11. 07. 2024
- Building my own evaporative cooler (aka swamp cooler or cooling wall) WATCH THE SECOND VIDEO FOR ALL THE STATISTICS! • Evap Cooler - The Cold...
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MORE ABOUT THE FARM
www.BigelowBrook.com
0:00 Intro
0:24 Design
2:08 Sump & Collection Tray
7:55 Upper Bracket
10:04 Spray Bar and Plumbing
13:35 Testing Spray Bar
15:13 Pad Installation
16:25 Auto-Fill Install
17:50 Testing it out!
19:17 Thanks! The End
#EvaporativeCooler #SwampCooler - Věda a technologie
Another great video. Such an underrated channel.
Share it with your friends. ;-)
@@Bigelowbrook Friends?
Used one of these with a big fan behind it on a rig in Oman during the summer, working on the drill floor in 45’C....it was a godsend
اخي انت عربي؟؟؟
How it was working when u run a fan behind the rig. Is it perform well or not
@@hamzaaziz2955 very well, made a big difference. The fan was the same size as the radiator
Yes evaporative systems work best in desert areas because there is very less humidity in the Air and the rate of evaporation is very high due to which it produces super cooling
Perfect, I followed your dome build and built my 36 ft. 8/5 dome 5-6 years ago. With the temp/humidity swings throughout Alaska’s sometimes long days, I have considered doing this very thing. Thanks for all the great info over the last decade or so!
Maintenance in the poultry industry many years, we found 1. Enclose the top cool pad cover/diffuser completely 2. So the spray bar should be spraying upwards under pressure to diffuse on the top cover (We used regular home style pool pumps) 3. Depending on your water quality, one might find cooling efficiency drop due to salts/calcification, might need to add a descaling agent. < we eventually decommissioned the paper style pads for that reason and installed 8"-10" thick black poly cool pads, additionally a small amount of chlorine (pool pills) in the bottom cool pad catch tank prevented algae. About every 6-8 months, we would hi-pressure wash them to remove dust spiders feathers leaves etc the correct method is to wash from inside /the clean side to the outside so not to force junk buildup into the pad core.
Alternative is shade cloth - folded/pleated or hang several curtain layers 1" gap between each, frame the whole curtain border with atomising misting garden sprayers - need several sequential shade cloth curtain layers to capture the water for efficient thermal evaporation - still need a bottom catch tank. this works just as well as commercial pads and easier to maintain.
Shade cloth comes in many weave densities 30-40% would be more suitable to allow for maximum air flow but still capture water molecules for thermal conversion.
After those comments, I did some testing myself and found that just adding 5 layers of shade cloth to the outside of the commercial cool pads (no spaceing between) with minimal intermittent mist sprays, have resulted in significant extra cooling 5-10c - eg 25% ambient humidity 33 Celsius, I'm able to achieve 19c.
@@user-di8il8ks5i Hello sir, a few questions please. I like the idea of shading cloths. Based on your experience, does adding layers, like 10 layers instead of 5, increase the efficiency of the cooling process? And why atomising sprayers? Would not be sufficent just water that fills the cloths from the upside? Another question if you please, is it possible to recirculate the water?
@@offlimit88
1. **Efficiency of Adding Layers of Shading Cloths**:
Increasing the number of layers of shading cloths can indeed improve the efficiency of the cooling process. This is because each additional layer offers more surface area for water evaporation, which is crucial for enhancing the cooling effect. However, it's essential to consider the balance between added layers and potential diminishing returns. If the weave density or hole size of the shading cloth becomes too restrictive, it may limit airflow and hinder evaporation efficiency. To address this, one approach could be to increase the physical area covered by the shade cloth. For example, if the cooling pads cover an area of 4 square meters, expanding the shade cloth area to 10 square meters would provide more space for air circulation and enhance the cooling potential. It's important to note that the shade cloth primarily serves as a pre-cooler to the cooling pads, enhancing their overall effectiveness in cooling the greenhouse environment.
2. **Atomising Sprayers vs. Water Filling the Cloths**:
Atomising sprayers are used instead of simply filling the cloths with water from the top for several reasons:
- Atomising sprayers create smaller water droplets, which increases the surface area exposed to the air, leading to faster evaporation and more efficient cooling.
- By atomising the water, it can be evenly distributed across the shading cloths, ensuring uniform cooling throughout the greenhouse.
- Atomising sprayers allow for finer control over the amount of water dispersed, preventing oversaturation of the cloths, which could lead to dripping and inefficient use of water.
3. **Recirculating Water**:
Yes, it is possible to recirculate the water in the evaporative cooling system. Recirculating water can help improve water efficiency and reduce water usage, as well as potentially lower operating costs. However, it's important to monitor water quality and periodically replace or treat the water to prevent the buildup of minerals and contaminants, which could affect the efficiency of the cooling system and potentially cause damage over time.
In summary, increasing the number of layers of shading cloths can enhance cooling efficiency, atomising sprayers are preferred for their ability to create smaller droplets and ensure even distribution of water, and recirculating water is a viable option to improve water efficiency in evaporative cooling systems.
This is awesome. These wall are fantastic during the summer months. I like that you elevated the pads off the bottom, nice water flow down there.
Nice build Rob.
Just realised my Patreon bounced due to having a new card when I saw this clip. Back on board now though. 😁👍
Off to check out the update clip over on Patreon now.
Cheers.
20yr master plumber. Instead of cleaner use clear primer it softens the pipe and fitting making assembly much easier. 👍
I've got a fan at work with one of these behind it. It works amazing
I lived and worked for 30+ years in the high desert of California and 'swamp' coolers were pretty much all we needed to use. Electricity was too high to afford for air conditioners. There is a porous cloth available to distribute the water across the top of the pads. Biggest problem we faced was the alkali in the water from the hard minerals from our well. The best we could expect was about 3 years for the pads.
Kudos!
This is GREAT my friend. Using it for your crops is a good idea but expensive unless your using free energy. (solar/wind)
With free energy, This has incredible possibilities!
That's pretty cool seeing one so big, I've been experimenting with that on a much smaller scale. Thanks for sharing the process!
Evaporative cooling systems are used primarily in dry air climates but also work in humidity at a lower rate. This air conditioning method can be found as early at 2000 years ago most likely more. Far as the treatment of the pads is concerned its easy to keep the build up of algae etc by simple chemical processes used in drinking water. Not only that but its used in ventilated areas that the humidity escapes from continuously. If your concern is mineral build up use a water filter system, if your concern is biological build up use the proper water treatment. These coolers are widely used even to this day for air conditioning.
Won't using a UV filter, which is just a shitty UV lamp in a UV transparent and watertight enclosure, in the sump prevent growth of algae? a cyclone filter could take away any solids in the water, but would require figuring out where to place it due to this system being made quite compact in terms of not having a place to put it.
used to build these for industrial applications at my old job loved seeing these types of air handler units come in lol
What a great idea. Great usage of scraps. It will work great.
You are an unbelievable person. Thank you for your amazing instructions.
It's wonderful, chief. I cooled the air with a cooling tower from 40 to 28 at one time.
It's just crazy how something like this can have such a massive effect. Thank you for sharing this.
They do work... But they only work WELL in very dry places like deserts. In more than 50% humidity they are essentially useless and just make things miserable.
Check the followup video on the efficiency. They aren't useless at the higher humidity....even a few degrees drop in the greenhouse is a help! czcams.com/video/XbXaj45hiuc/video.html
I think you should pin the 8" PVC in place laterally with form stakes on either side of it. You can bailing wire the stakes together, between the pads, for more security. Other than that, nice build.
I know you're a data hound, so I'd be curious to see the before and after temps in the greenhouse.
The sump area is buried in ground now (didn't show that part) which holds everything in place. There's enough weight on it where nothing will move. I had to push it around a bit to get everything aligned and had to use a pry-bar just to move it around. Link to the temperature data is at the end of the video in the credits. ;-)
0:33 CAD - Crayon Aided Design
I clicked on this video as a curious HVAC tech and I have some botanist buddies with greenhouses of their own. Seems like a fun project if it were ever necessary for them.
Fantastic and well explained.
Peace,
Amazing work bro, appreciate you.
Have a great evening.
You really ought to start consulting!!
You are really, really ingenious.
Been watching for years now!
I do, but not for the ag industry....there's no $$$ in it. ;-)
Disappointing.
I usually add few drops of anti-fungus, mold and algae to the water to prevent any smells or growth on the fins of the evaporator (those are used in swimming pools, so they are safe)
If it is a closed system (the water) you can also add water treatment like few drops of citric acid to prevent calcium from water from clogging the evaporator fins. Few drops of liquid soap makes sure the fins stays clean as well
That was on my mind. Good idea.
Really good video and information! Thanks 👍
Getting ready to buy a greenhouse and was wondering about how I needed to do this I can get the system pretty cheap but wasn’t sure how it needed setup thanks for sharing
Make it look so easy that’s some professional work great job much respect 🔥🔥💨💨💨💨🤩💯😎
PVC primer cleans but more importantly softens the surface of the pipe so the glue gets a better bite.
He said that in the video.
Nice work buddy!
Very good work Sir
Thank you very Much.
Good job
Great job.
Great video - been subscribed for ages... have really enjoyed ALL of your videos, very informative! Hi from New Zealand .. Stay safe and stay at home if you can!
Thanks 👍
I remember changing these things (I call them Cool Cell panels) in our greenhouses we had at my high school.
Neato! Thx for sharing!
I learned a lot... I love this technology. Thank you ancient Egypt and Bigelow for your modernized version! One question if you don't mind-why would a 1 1/2 inch spacing resolve the drip issue? I don't get it. TIA
Well done
Good job
A friend of mine has a 100 foot greenhouse and has a system like yours.He grows hydroponic tomatoes, uses well water, and has no trouble with his here in NC He has been using it for over 10 years with 0 problems.
He is using cardboard?
Great video, just stumbled on your channel by clicking the wrong thing but so glad i did :), just subscribed.
Awesome! Thank you!
nice work!
Nice greenhouse walls
I'd be interested in an efficiency test comparing this to another channels new version of evaporitive cooling AC
Worked on a large poultry farm in southeast Georgia,
We had koolcells like that in some of the houses, on others we had misting systems( Polair)
Always wondered how combining the two would preform.
Cool cells and foggers will cool the chicken house down very well!!
Yes, but their are differences on the way you use each system's,
I had the same problem putting the caps on some 6" PVC pipe then I found a way to bevel the ends on my table saw which helped a lot.
You are a badazz sir. I really needed this video. Nice to know i dont need the prefab systems. So what about the louvered vents you have. Do you have a good place for those?
Very Good!!!
I like how the spider says hello at 0:35. :3
These kind of systems are ideal for desert areas due to less humidity in the Air
Maybe turn and point the water feed tubes down again with the cooling boards butted up to the holes. That might create enough back pressure to keep tubes full with even distribution and possibly eliminate the little waterfall, splashes and drips?
Amazing..👍
A quasi-fix for the spray bar, drill the holes in a partial spiral.
standing at the end of the system facing the sump, drill the first hole at approximately 10 o'clock steadily arcing towards top center.
to prefect the spacing you could face them all down again to see how far the sump was able to push water to each hole out to the final distance it could reach. divide time by the distance and that number into the arc length of your starting hole to the first top center hole. but thats only if you're like me and will be driven insane by the uneven flow/wear on the cardboard
...edit...
thinking on it, you wouldnt even have to redrill a pipe, just add in holes. the extra holes will only reduce the pressure leaving the holes nearest the sump
facing the holes up is the best way to do it. As long as the spray bar is level, there is even distribution down the entire length.
When he beat that pipe I thought my phone had switched to Seven Nation Army.
LOL. good song.
JOY JOY
Video: Well made, descriptive, clever
My brain: " B i g T o o b s "
What'r these pad things you've got a hold of?
Evaporative cooling pads....design just for this. Most greenhouse suppliers sell them.
@@Bigelowbrook i have never heard of them before. Are they a recent product to market?
I would have liked to have seen a before and after heat test to show its efficiency.
There's a second video with some good data.
I would be interesting to see the difference in temp before and after the cooler.
Link to that is at the end of the video. ;-)
This is a well proven tech for cooling water and used everywhere in large commercial facilities. That is what a cooling tower is.
Curious where you bought the pads? I've been a long time sub, love the videos. Keep up the hard work!
most greenhouse suppliers sell them. I got them from Greenhouse Megastore
You'll have an easier time getting your pvc together if you chamfer the edge a bit.
Ok one question........? How soon til can you start at my house lol?! Great job man!
Aaron from Ocala Florida
Nice!!!!!!( do you think you would benefit from a water filter on your top feed line to remove dust and contaminates....?)
Yes, definitely
I don't want to talk bad about your project, but you may have built a bacteria spinner there.
I work professionally with open cooling water systems. It is used to cool production machines via heat exchangers. Quite simply, actually. A large water tank (cold / hot divided), pumps that pump the water up into the system and cooling towers that sit on the roof. Similar to you, the water trickles downwards from above through slats in honeycomb structure. To increase the effectiveness, fans that push the air in the cooling towers press the air from bottom to top so that the water cools better.
What I actually wanted to say. Over time, germs and bacteria form in the water. These in turn have to be killed with chemicals and ultraviolet light. For some time now we have had to prove to the state that we take samples every week and that the systems are flushed regularly. Because the water is harmful to health.
You should be careful with the water and avoid standing in the water mist if possible.
I work for a company that builds controllers for cooling towers so am fairly well educated about this. ;-) There's a bottle of bleach sitting next to the system.....
@@BigelowbrookOk nevermind ^^
What's that drill bit you use to expand the ends of the tubing? I've been looking for something like that but always end up only finding ones used in the automotive industry to expand tailpipe fittings.
It's a special tool used for expanding PEX tubing, not a drill bit attachment.
that was an M12 PEX Crimper
You need to look into getting a 3d printer. It is going to be very helpful. I have hist some road blocks where I am to make it useful yet. But I will be soon. Between having a kid recently and being tin the hospital for a while and the one winter that was so bad my greenhouse collapsed under a heavy snow fall. I have to start over. I was able to save one IBC tote though which saved me a little money. The laptop and all my gear are gone though.
I have three 3D printers, a laser cutter, and CNC cutter. ;-)
would the black of the pads facing the outside heat up and create convection in the wrong direction? I would think you would want a white outside facing pad and a dark inside facing pad so the tendency to produce convection in the direction of the heat would be in your favor. Are you using a fan on the other side of your greenhouse to draw the air in?
they're on the north side so there is no direct sunlight hitting them. The manufacturer says they should face this way to prevent algae from grown on them. I just installed them as told. ;-) There are two 48" fans on the other side of the greenhouse
Mr. Bigelow, my sisters and I hope to build one just like yours. By any chance do you have the supply list ?
how much temperature drop were you getting? and how much humidity was added?
the link to the second video is in the end credits. ;-) czcams.com/video/XbXaj45hiuc/video.html
went back here to say the project is a success! cheers!
16:31 - What is that handheld device called? What is it doing to the plastic piece?
It's used to expanded the Pex so it will fit over the barbed fitting. Then it shrinks back down and will never come off.
You could have angles the water drip pipe away from the pump so that the water can flow further faster, not much of a incline or decline, all depends how you look at it, from the pump it would be a decline towards the opposite end, I would say no more than a 1/4 to 1/2 inch drop in elevation.
You can also mount the T in the middle and put 2 caps at the ends without the need for a connection plug between the pipes ... This way you will be able to dig more easily, using the space from above and on the sides. What do tou think??
I thought about doing it like that but it would be difficult to get to the pump since it would be under the pads.
Where did you get the honey comb material? Also, be careful with the recycled water there are several diseases now that can grow in you cooling tower which can kill you! Treat your water and control the PH WELL! Great video. Look up " treating cooling tower water"!
These are standard cooling pads you can get from a greenhouse supplier. I keep a bottle of bleach next to the sump. ;-)
Do you have numbers of before/after with the cooler? How many BTU of cooling does each pad provide? I'm assuming the temp drop is based on ambient temp and humidity.
0 cooling at 100% humidity
There's a link at the end of the video that shows all the data on how effective it is at different humidity levels.
I hope it work great for you, from your Aeriel videos it looks like you might be in a high humidity location, please let us know how well it works for you. I know from past, that swamp cooler works a treat in low humidity region's.
We're in CT. During the summer the humidity is usually over 70% during the day.
Great Video! Nice engineering on the fly!
Maybe a mesh screen under the spray bar to diffuse the water a little more evenly?
It's already installed. ;-)
Bigelow Brook Farm (Web4Deb) excellent, did it help?
Are you using well water? I noticed what appears to be formation of minerals on the pads. I have a similar system, but use R-O water because our well water has about 500+ ppm of total dissolved solids and here in the desert, I run the system nearly year around. Get this, my aquaponic sump is 2-55 gallon plastic drums buried. The evap in the greenhouse is fed by the water from my system, and even when it's 105F, the water in my two tanks remains in the mid 70's. If anything, the water is too cold for some of my plants, but the fish like it.
our water is crystal clear. The well is 500' and through solid granite. It will take a while before anything will start to accumulate on them. It's the intake of bugs and pollen that will be the long term problem.
There are additives to keep build up minerals suspended in the water which can be drained off periodically, and cleaners that help remove them,
The pads seem to preform better on the second season.
2 questions. What are the "panels" your using called? and... What is that yellow metal material you made the brackets with called?
the pads can be found at most greenhouse suppliers. The brackets are made from some scrap metal I found
Celdek
Nice project. Can you provide a link to the autofill valve?
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FYN7OM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Will the pads get contaminated with minerals in the water over time, can they be cleaned? I know my home humidifier gets quickly clogged from hard water.
Yes. Thankfully we have very good water. At some point I will have to replace the pads. If they last for a season, I will be happy.
I'm told running a vinegar/water solution through the system for an hour or two as regular maintenance is pretty effective.
What material are those slabs built of?
How long did this project take you? Also, what is the name of the adaptor you used to expand the ends of the flex hose to add your elbow fittings?
a couple of days because of the time to film it. The expansion tool is common for plummers that use pex tubing.
Pex Expander
How does this system work in regards to mold? Separately, how often would someone have to replace those pads?
no problem with mold. At the beginning of the season I'll add some bleach to sanitize it. These pads are 5 years old...probably will be ready to replace in a year or two.
I'd like to see some stats. Temps before and after running, inside and outside. I'm crazy impressed. Just want to quantify how well it actually works!
There's a second video that shows this. ;-)
Ok didn't know that. I'll look for it! Thanks
@@craiggreenwood6496 czcams.com/video/XbXaj45hiuc/video.html and czcams.com/video/m0PiUP29taE/video.html
@@Bigelowbrook Don't know how I missed that. I've now seen it. Incredible! Thanks
Amazing. We really need to look backward and modernize old forms of technology to fix all of our climate problems :-)
The only Climate problems we have exist in your mind after Indoctrination has done its work on you.
@@macclark4112 Yes of course. Floods, hurricane seasons for half of the year, volcanos erupting for months at a time, the extinction and endangerment of species, forrest fires around the globe that extend without end, the polar caps melting and the waters moving closer to the shore eradicating beaches and coast lines because of rising sea levels. The only indoctrinated are those who ignore science and evidence to puppet the lies and conspiracies fed to them by the ignorant, who‘s agendas are motivated by greed, while they illogically cut off their proverbial noses to spite their proverbial faces. It’s very clear who is who.
Those man-caused volcanos are a real bitch.
Do you have a link for the pads? thinking of doing a wall for my porch. Awesome
What he has essentially built is what the commercial/industrial HVAC industry refers to as an air-wash. I'd research there limitations before proceeding with this type of evaporative cooling. Humidity and ambient air temperature (wet-buld) will determine their cooling capacity. I believe his build was based off this video:
czcams.com/video/WrqBfNTWSgI/video.html
I based mine on the FarmTek setup, but this video looks about the same. Relative humidity has a huge factor on the efficiency of these.
Thanks guys
Blue 🔵 prints will help a drawing board.
Where did you get evaporative cooling pads from?
most greenhouse suppliers sell them. I got these from Greenhouse Megastore
What's the temp difference with and without starting the water flow.
Please watch the follow-up video. czcams.com/video/XbXaj45hiuc/video.html
Good day sir! may I have the list of materials used this project?
People saying not to use cleaner... No wonder I'm in this plumbing business, lmao.
what about fans? Are there any tests for efficiency?
Make a homemade solar pattern to run the pump, then you don't have to ask the question.
Based on what I know (which isn't saying much), using Pvc cleaner is becoming less common in favor of Solvents that supposedly work without the need for PVC cleaner
Late reply, but I have used solvents before that claim that cleaner is not needed and personally have still had leaks and other problems. I would recommend still using cleaner, its not that expensive and doesn't take much time.
PVC cleaner is awful stuff that makes my head spin. But......I use it anyways because without it I have had the occasional leak.
What but was that bit you were using on your drill to expand those hoses in the pump?
It's a special power tool for expanding pex tubing.
It's a tool you get to expand uponor pex. It makes water tight fittings that don't use any adhesive.
everybody liked that!
Where do you get those evap pads??
Were I get mine.
www.qcsupply.com/catalogsearch/result?q=evaporative%20cooling
Where do you live? The only place I know they work is in Phoenix and the middle east. They were invented here back in the 1940s. The Gottel Brothers manufactured them here and end up sell lots in the middle east. Nead a real dry climate if you expect them to work at all. Last thing for them to work you need to discharge as much air from the space as the cooler puts in.
Connecticut. Check out the second video! czcams.com/video/XbXaj45hiuc/video.html
That’s a bit of a misconception ... my company exports thousands of evaporative coolers to the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Turkey, UK, Germany, Spain, India, Bangladesh and South America (and Middle East and Northern Africa) But as you say, the key is letting as much air out as you pump in.
BTW a strip of the filter media cut at 90 deg to the main pad (about 1 1/4” high) and glued across the top will spread the water evenly over the width of the panel.
I saw one working well in Michigan years ago.
We had them in Dhahran. They were 2 stories high and filled an entire traffic roundabout. Huge fans and the waterfalls were noisy and audible for blocks but forced the cold air thru underground pipes to homes up to a mile away. Air was so cold you almost froze to death inside the homes when it was 125 F outside. Of course it is very dry there next to the Persian Gulf, except at sunrise when all the moisture 'rains' for about 10 minutes and disappears.
The guys that complain about using the cleaner, are same that don't use degreaser and primer to paint, their not here tonight, their busy fixing a leaking elbow on their toilet pipe
My mom and stepdad had a swamp cooler in Tucson, AZ. Their walls kept rotted and black mold kept forming. I'm not sure what my stepdad ended up doing but they ended up taking it out.
the water should be treated with chlorine...they really aren't great for cooling a house...something like a chicken coop or greenhouse is ideal!
Well I think they figured out it was a mistake. This was ten or so years ago. They're both gone now.
Arizona has the ideal climate for evaporative cooling... hi temp, low humidity. Sounds like they didn’t open enough doors and windows to keep the air moving through. That’s the biggest problem with lack of performance... ie: user error. And please, don’t ever put chlorine into a cooler for your home! Just make sure to drain all the water out every time you turn it off.
@@axelknutt5065 As I've said, this was my parents. I have no idea exactly what happened as I lived in WA state. It's possible that the person who installed it in their house just didn't know what he was doing. It's unlikely my parents kept their windows closed because they loved the outside air. I know that because when I visited them, they always had their windows opened and this was in the spring.
Mold is a killer.
Come here for the Cooling wall, stay because of the editing. :D