new member DIY project

[jcloi]

BwlF9R5.jpg3gpFwsr.jpgxw7vPMK.jpg well , I already posted here- https://www.solarpaneltalk.com/forum...ir-conditioner before I saw this thread - "New members, please introduce yourselves here " . So I'll let you all know about my little DIY project . I don't think it really qualifies as much of a real "solar project" .
I saw this vid - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj2PBnCdRgM and was inspired to "improve on it " . so I bought a 2" x 4' x 8' sheet of rigid insulation from Lowes to build my own larger styrofoam AC and followed along with vid for the rest of the purchases to power the thing . I found 50' of 1/4" copper tubing on ebay; a 12v submersible pump and the panel mentioned in my other post . 1st thing I found out is that many glues tend to severely melt styrofoam . after I finally glued the pieces together and had a quite large box ; I found out when I put water in it that this insulation is permeable and it would probably make a great filter with good flow . so, since I'm stubborn and don't give up easily and love wasting my small pension I went ahead and continued ... with a smaller plastic container and lid - 10 bucks - and cut apart and glued the styrofoam to the plastic box . Great!, it pumps , it gets cold and all the ice I made melts in about 1 1/2hrs . Utter failure . So I now am going to spray the inside of the plastic box with expanding foam insulation . if it doesn't stay cold much much longer I'll have to write it off . If it does then I will need a smaller fan than the one I used at first . I'll look for a small 10" ? 12v fan . so, then I'll need some help choosing a correct fan since I don't know anything about voltages, amps , wattages , inverters ,converters or anything at all to do with electricity . Seriously , a lot of cognitive dysfunction here . really need help with these basic things .

[Mike90250]

your ice is going to melt as it is a donor for cold. You wont get cooling without melting ice

[jcloi]

yes totally Mike - but I'm hoping there is an algorithm , ha ha , ; you know , I figure I should be able to seal it well enough and insulate it well enough that I might have to only change /add ice 2-3 times a day ? maybe I need a real cooler ? these expense got way out of hand tho . I may just let it go .

[J.P.M.]

yes totally Mike - but I'm hoping there is an algorithm , ha ha , ; you know , I figure I should be able to seal it well enough and insulate it well enough that I might have to only change /add ice 2-3 times a day ? maybe I need a real cooler ? these expense got way out of hand tho . I may just let it go .

Let it go. Drilling holes in cheap insulation and expecting leak tightness will not come to a good end.

More junk from the new idiot's bible.

Get a fan and blow it over a plastic box full of ice. Less hassle. Better heat transfer. Better use of resources.

Or, get a swamp cooler.

[jcloi]

too late , already bought 2 cans of expanding spray; might as well spray the dang thing ; don't have any other use for the spray . also , saw some other ideas ; can't see just tossing the thing out .I'll make some mods . we'll see if it gets any better . I appreciate the suggestions but the swamp coolers I saw are way out of my league price wise and the ones I saw are for a dry climate ; not like what we have here in Fl. . maybe there's others that would work that I didn't see .

[J.P.M.]

too late , already bought 2 cans of expanding spray; might as well spray the dang thing ; don't have any other use for the spray . also , saw some other ideas ; can't see just tossing the thing out .I'll make some mods . we'll see if it gets any better . I appreciate the suggestions but the swamp coolers I saw are way out of my league price wise and the ones I saw are for a dry climate ; not like what we have here in Fl. . maybe there's others that would work that I didn't see .

Yea, forget swamp coolers in FL, kind of like A/C at the South Pole.

Still, you'll get as much cooling out of a bucket of ice and a fan as that junk on u-tube.

[azdave]

I figure I should be able to seal it well enough and insulate it well enough that I might have to only change /add ice 2-3 times a day ?

Don't you get that using a better quality cooler or further insulating the one you already have is utterly pointless? You have cut a large hole in the cooler top and are pumping it full of warm air! Of course the ice melts quickly.

[jcloi]

of course I get it . the hole is not going to remain. just stubborn I guess . for 7 $ worth of foam and some reconfiguration maybe it'll be usable on a small scale . I realize it will never cool the garage but it'll provide some relief while I'm working on my scooter . that's why I wanted it in the 1st place .