Build 8our 9 n Solar Evaporative Cooler

By: Jim Eddy - Susanville, California

I live in an all solar house in Northern California. It is a passive design so the sun heats it by shining in the indo s. I solar heat our ater and have a ! "ilo att solar ele#tri# #harging system providing !!$ volts of %C po er. &he one thing I #ould not do as #ool the house easily in the summer ithout ta'ing the system. I pur#hased an evaporative type unit for indoors but it did not do mu#h good. % #ompressor type air #onditioner ould use more energy than I #ould supply and a regular evaporative #ooler ould use a lot of energy. I figured that some sort of solar #ooler #ould do the tri#". I spent sometime loo"ing for a solar evaporative #ooler on the Internet. &hose that I found ere bul"y, ugly and e'pensive. (ost #ost around ) *$$.$$ and up. &he above pi#tures are of a solar evaporative #ooler that I made using easily pur#hased #omponents to #ool our !*$$ s+uare foot house. I spent roughly ),$$ to ma"e this unit. It is in it-s fifth year of use. If you have some of the #omponents already you #ould spend mu#h less. &he #ost of a ne solar panel to po er the unit is around )..$ and #an be pur#hased at many lo#al or on line stores. %fternoon Summer temperatures range bet een /.0 to 1.0 in this part of California. &he #ooler that I pur#hased is smaller than I should have for my house si2e, but it does a good 3ob of "eeping the house #ool. 4ith the fan and pump modifi#ations, it maintains a temperature differen#e of about !.0 bet een the outside and the inside. %s I am riting this it is 5:,$ in the afternoon. &he outside temperature is 160 and the inside temperature is 770. %nyone ith an e'isting evaporative #ooler of any si2e #an ma"e a similar loo"ing #ooler, or you #an buy one li"e I did.

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I de#ided to use an e'isting evaporative #ooler be#ause I didn-t ant to reinvent the heel. %ll the #omponents are already there, the #ooler pads, a trough to hold ater, a float valve to let more ater in and a ater distribution system. %s you #an see from the pi#tures I mounted a !6 volt radiator fan in front of the e'isting opening and I opted to leave the e'isting %C pump, motor and s+uirrel #age inta#t. Sin#e I have !!$ :olt %C po er available at my house, on o##asions, I use the e'isting %C pump and motor after the sun has gone do n to #ontinue #ooling the house. I as #on#erned that leaving everything there might signifi#antly blo#" the airflo , but it seems to or" 3ust fine. 8ou #ould remove the e'isting motor and pump and It might or" even better. If you do use the %C fan, ma"e sure the !6 :olt fan does not turn as it #ould #ause it to burn out. I use a #oat hanger inserted through the front and pla#ed bet een the !6 :olt fan blades and it-s housing. It seems a little hoa"y but it "eeps the fan from turning. I pur#hased the ele#tri# radiator fan at a lo#al auto parts store. I paid around )/$ for it and have seen similar fans on the Internet for ),.. &he pump is a !6 volt bilge pump that I pur#hased at 4al (art for around )!5. (a"e sure that you don-t use too strong of a pump or you ill blast the ater into the feeder tubes. %t full speed the fan pulls ...amps ; !6 volts. &he bilge pump pulls around !.. amps ; !6 volts. % !$$ att solar panel ill po er the fan and pump ni#ely. I am using a (itsubishi !!$ 4att panel that is mounted on a solar tra#"er that I made. &he panel and tra#"er are mounted on the ground in front of the #ooler. In previous years I have pla#ed the panel flat on the roof 3ust above the #ooler. &hat or"ed fine for most of the day. &he tra#"er e'tends the time in the afternoon hen the summer temperatures are "eeping things hot. 8ou #an de#ide for yourself ho you ant to mount the fan. I drilled holes in the sheet metal and used sheet metal s#re s to atta#h it. I did have to do some #utting of the sheet metal ith a <remel tool to ma"e it fit. =adiator fans #an be
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hoo"ed up t o ays ele#tri#ally so the fan #an blo air in either dire#tion. (a"e sure you hoo" it up #orre#tly to blo the dire#tion you ant.

I removed the e'isting front #over to e'pose the opening. I then pla#ed the fan over the opening to determine the best fit and drilled holes in the sheet metal.

I opted to leave the #over in ta#t as mu#h as possible so I had to fit the fan ba#" into the #over before mounting everything to the main housing. It as a tight fit>

%fter sliding the fan into the #over, I mounted both onto the main housing ith the e'isting sheet metal s#re s and 5 ne ones for the fan.
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&he bilge pump #an be pla#ed in the ater right alongside of the e'isting %C pump. 8ou #an dis#onne#t the hose from the e'isting pump and pla#e it on the bilge pump. 8ou may have to use additional hose and an adapter li"e I did.

I mounted t o ne ro#"er s it#hes to the front of the e'isting #over on the side opposite of the e'isting s it#hes. I as able to drill holes in the plasti# and they mounted ni#ely.

&he finished front installed inside.

&he panel and tra#"er that I use.

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4iring the solar panel to the fan and pump is relatively easy if you have some e'perien#e. Solar panels have different types of #onne#tors depending on hi#h "ind that you have. Some have 3un#tion bo'es that allo ire to be pla#ed into the bo' and a se#ure #onne#tion made. Ne er panels have (C #onne#tors hi#h allo for a snap fit for multiple panel #onne#tions. &hese ould probably have to be #ut to #onne#t the ire. &he better ay to do this is to buy an (C e'tension hi#h has both male and female ends on it. It #an be #ut in half and then #onne#ted to the panel and then to the ire. I used ire #onne#tors that ere #rimped to the positive and negative ires and then to the fan and pump ires and s it#hes. 4hen I pla#ed my panels dire#tly on the roof I ran the positive and negative ires over the eave and along the outside all to the #ooler. I pla#ed the ire in fle' tubing to ma"e a neat 3ob. &here as an e'isting hole on the top #orner of the #ooler that I #ould run the ires into. &he negative ire ent to a #ommon ground hi#h then ent to the fan and pump. &he positive ire as run to the t o s it#hes that #ontrol the fan and pump. &he ires ere passed through an opening bet een the inside of the #ooler and the portion that goes into the indo here the e'isting !!$ %C volt ires ere run. &hey ere #onne#ted to the s it#hes and ba#" to the fan and pump. I used tie #onne#tors to "eep the ires in pla#e and neat. I do not use a voltage regulator on my #ooler. &he fan and pump seem to or" fine ithout it. &here are some panels that have built in regulators. &hey might fun#tion the best. A LITTLE ABOUT EVAPORATIVE COOLERS Evaporative #oolers perform best hen the humidity is lo . 9n days hen the humidity is really high, the house #an feel muggy inside. ?or those ho have another type of air #onditioning system, that ill be the time to use it. ?or the drier days the evaporative #ooler #an do +uite ell. If you #an, pla#e the #ooler in a indo that is shaded. &he sun ba"ing on the metal surfa#e #an redu#e the effe#tiveness. I a#tually don-t have mine shaded, but you should do hat I say and not hat I do. Evaporative #oolers dra air from the outside and as it passes through the pads it is #ooled and blo n into the house. It is best to #lose all the indo s in the house e'#ept for one that is farthest from the #ooler. I open the ba#" bathroom indo about half ay. 8ou #an feel the air e'iting the house at the indo . I pla#e a pie#e of toilet paper up to the s#reen and it ill stay in pla#e from the e'iting air. &he #ooler is a little noisy and it #an be irritating hen the sun goes behind a #loud and the fan slo s do n and then speeds up hen the #loud goes a ay.
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Updates July !7, 6$$1 @ast year to ards the end of the season, the fan began slo ing do n and eventually +uit. I had to repla#e it ith a ne s-blade fan that I found on the Internet for around ),$. I have had a fe problems ith the bilge pumps. I have repla#ed several of them, usually at the first of the year. I am not +uite #ertain hy. It #ould be the higher voltage #oming from the unregulated solar panel #ausing the pump to burn out +ui#"ly. &he other reason my be that I have not totally dried the pump out before it gets stored a ay for the inter. It may 3ust rust and sei2e up hen the air gets to it.

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&he follo ing is a partial list of items that you ill need. Materials: Ne Evap #ooler ,$$$C?( Evap #ooler you have !6 :olt radiator fan !6 :olt bilge pump B6C !6 :olt s it#hes !6 guage ire %dditional hose for pump 7. to !6. att !6 :olt solar panel Purchased at: Price

4al (art, @o es, Aome <epot ) ,$$-5$$ Aome )$ Internet, %uto Supply ) ,.-/$ 4al (art ) !5-!/ =adio Sha#" D %uto Sup. ) 5 ea =adio Sha#" D %uto Sup.) !$E6.feet Aard are store )6 Internet ) 5$$-*$$

4ire #onne#tors, fle' tubing to #over ires, sheet metal s#re s, fuse and fuse holder, tie straps to ma"e a neat 3ob and "eep ires in pla#e. Food @u#">

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