infinitwisdom
05-13-03, 07:17 PM
sorry folks, i don't have a camera to post pix with and if i did i am not yet allowed to post. it's not hard to imagine a 48 quart coleman cooler (holds 63 cans) with one hole in the lid at each end for the 3/8 ID hoses to enter and leave the water with a submerged aquarium pump held in place by the bracket and suction cups it came with. this plumbing is of unequal length because of the difference in locations of the holes in the lid. the pump is as close to the bottom as it can get. if you have seen one swiftec water block that is blue, you've seen them all. my plumbing is wrapped with plastic blister packing used for shipping to minimize the loss of cool water in the plumbing. i had to put a fan facing directly at the water block to prevent condensation from occurring. this is a very easy setup to make and costs little to run, the aquarium pump puts out 230 gallons per hour and is smaller than a baseball by a little bit. i already gave you the websites to obtain the same equipment, and told you where to get cheap plumbing and teflon tape. i got the cooler brand new at the family dollar store for $15 where alco wanted twice that much.
as for the blue gel packs, yeah i suppose if you had enough of them the would keep things chilly for as long as my water bottles, but besides paying for the soda i drank from them, the bottles are free! not to mention RE-USABLE!!!! it don't get any simpler than that, and probably dont' get any cheaper either. i do my homework before starting a project like this. i was going to use a automotive fuel pump, but decided it would pressurize the system to much. (i am a disabled auto technitian). you could buy one test it, and if necessary undervolt it to acheive the proper flow. for certain makes and models of cars they can be quite expensive, but a inline universal pump used to retrofit an old car would be affordable. if you choose to use this option DO NOT LET THE PUMP RUN DRY-----IT WILL FRY IT. that is the number one reason people with electronic fuel pumps have to replace them, they ran out of gas! pretty simple.
another free method of cooling the water is to bury the lines at least 3 feet down, where all over the world exept at the poles the temperature is always 68 degrees no matter what time of year it is. it must be buried at least 3 feet down though. some folks cool and heat their homes this way. the plumbing goes thru the wallls and into the back yard at said depth and water is constantly being pumped thru a maze of plumbing underground and in the walls of the house. don't go diggin without finding out where your utilities run!
glad i could help, sorry i cant provide pix, wisdom.
as for the blue gel packs, yeah i suppose if you had enough of them the would keep things chilly for as long as my water bottles, but besides paying for the soda i drank from them, the bottles are free! not to mention RE-USABLE!!!! it don't get any simpler than that, and probably dont' get any cheaper either. i do my homework before starting a project like this. i was going to use a automotive fuel pump, but decided it would pressurize the system to much. (i am a disabled auto technitian). you could buy one test it, and if necessary undervolt it to acheive the proper flow. for certain makes and models of cars they can be quite expensive, but a inline universal pump used to retrofit an old car would be affordable. if you choose to use this option DO NOT LET THE PUMP RUN DRY-----IT WILL FRY IT. that is the number one reason people with electronic fuel pumps have to replace them, they ran out of gas! pretty simple.
another free method of cooling the water is to bury the lines at least 3 feet down, where all over the world exept at the poles the temperature is always 68 degrees no matter what time of year it is. it must be buried at least 3 feet down though. some folks cool and heat their homes this way. the plumbing goes thru the wallls and into the back yard at said depth and water is constantly being pumped thru a maze of plumbing underground and in the walls of the house. don't go diggin without finding out where your utilities run!
glad i could help, sorry i cant provide pix, wisdom.