Re: Evaporative Coolers/Fans etc..?

[Christian McArdle]

I've seen "evaporative coolers" which seem to work by passing water

> through/over a filter/membrane.

Evaporative coolers are for hot, dry conditions, such as are found in continental arid regions. They are utterly unsuited to conditions pertaining in the UK.

The only solution that really works is real air conditioning using an external unit (mobile boxes with a tube out the back are useless).

If you don't want real air conditioning, use a large fan and open windows in such a manner as to promote convective flow. This is easiest with sash windows. You allow a space at the top and the bottom. Don't just raise the bottom sash. The top sash must also be opened.

Even with no wind, the hot air at the top of the room will exit the window, allowing cooler air to be pulled in through the bottom hole.

Christian.

[N. Thornton]

I can say from experience that even something as crude as a portable evaporative cooler does help significantly. As explained theyre not ideal, but yes they work. They will never give as much cooling as real a/c, but several degrees yes, and that gives a big comfort improvement. And on the odd especially sticky day they may not do a lot. But theyre a cheap workable option even in our climate. There are however far better options.

Now I'll offer my favoured system.

Outside air is hot in day and cool at night. Houses (brick, block, and concrete ones) have a lot of thermal capacity. If ventilated heavily at night, the whole structure is cooled, and day time temps stay much lower. Biggest temp drop I ever achieved this way was 10C! All for the cost of a couple of 12" fans.

There are several other methods too. Combining them makes a very effective cooling setup. Once you know whats possible, a/c is simply redundant. Its overpriced to buy, overpriced to run, an irresponsible waste of energy, and there are much better alternatives.

Regards, NT

[Mike Mitchell]

Mine got Dad to dig a hole (in the garden) in which she placed bottles of milk. That would suffice, even on the hottest days, to stop the milk from going off. The hole was about a spit deep, I seem to recall.

MM

[tony sayer]

In article , IMM writes

Yes well I suppose that will work in IMM land, though in the real world its different.

Bloody humid outside today, but not in here with the aircon on:)

[Mike Mitchell]

I think it has to be in the sun for the evaporative effect to really kick in. However, even if the pot is in the shade as the afternoon progresses, the cans still end up a lot cooler than they would be otherwise.

MM

[tony sayer]

In article , IMM writes

So your saying that I can pull "cool" and low humidity air through my loft that will be less humid and cooler than the outside air?.

Perhaps I've got that wrong, because it did work well, I'd do it!....

[IMM]

The outside air will invariably be less humid than inside.

[tony sayer]

In article , IMM writes

Well IMM must be in another universe then. That settles it;!......

[IMM]

It will be even more wicked inside as the outside air does make its way to inside. Moistuire content are the key words. Inside will moisten the air further as people breath, water, in baths, sinks, etc. Outside seems more humid as the air is hotter. This is about preventing the roof timbers rotting.

Yep, as it is less humid than inside.

[tony sayer]

In article , IMM writes

Funny but they seem in perfeck nick to me?...

Well come over and demo that proposed Idea, and if it works then I'm sure you could become a very rich man:)

As long as its "somewhere" near as good as the air con unit;!!

[raden]

In message , IMM writes

Go on, we're listening ...

(this should be interesting)

[tony sayer]

In article , IMM writes

Kettle black and all that then...

Well start manufacturing them then, and let the market decide:)

[IMM]

IMM

,

My kettle is chrome.

[G&M]

But rural properties generally don't need it as we've got more than enough water from springs and streams.

But both my rainwater drain and my septic tank outflow feed into the reservoir for the nearest town :-)

[Huge]

I hope you have an abstraction license.

BTW, can you stop deleting the attribution lines from quotes, please?

[Huge]

Apologies. You only did it once...

[sylva]

There always used to be an exemption below 20m^3/day, which I would have thought was plenty for most domestic purposes?

AJH

[Huge]

Ah, I stand (or rather, sit) corrected.

[IMM]

Maxie, you could do with enlightening, that is for sure.