Solar cooler

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  • Mike90250
    Moderator
    • May 2009
    • 16020

    Solar cooler

    Odd situation. We have a pantry 4x6, built with the garage (not a limpet shed, but part of the building, with std insulation) It's on the north side and never gets direct sun, and last few years, we've been cooling it with an open door 6am - 8am and capturing the morning coolness inside. We keep the fresh garden veggies and spare sodas & beer & reserve supply of chocolate bars.
    But playing doorman for it daily, is boring, and sometimes, we're not around to do it. So I'm wondering if using a bathroom vent fan in the ceiling, on a timer, to suck cool air in from 3am - 8am is good, or maybe there is some sort of thermalelectric Peltier (energy hog) cooler would be more interesting to run during sun hours.
    Opinions, suggestions? Cut the cold air intake in the door and block it with a chunk of styrofoam in the winter (to keep stuff from freezing), inlet vent to another north facing room and draw cool air off the slab? Summers, we have oodles of spare power, but not going to use a noisy window shaker


    Found some TE cooler specs (0 hot/cold offset)
    485 watts
    (1,654 Btu/hr) 3.41w / BTU
    240 watts
    (818 Btu/hr) 3.40w / BTU
    Last edited by Mike90250; 05-27-2018, 09:23 PM.
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount (2) | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister
  • Sunking
    Solar Fanatic
    • Feb 2010
    • 23301

    #2
    Mike the most efficient way is with the Attic Fan approach. As you likely know fan in the ceiling to draw air out of the room, and an inlet vent near the floor to let fresh air inside. Otherwise all you get is negative pressure and not much airflow. That way you get natural air convection and fan pulling cool air in near the ground/floor level, and then rising warmer air lifted up by the fan and out she goes.
    MSEE, PE

    Comment

    • Mike90250
      Moderator
      • May 2009
      • 16020

      #3
      Originally posted by Sunking
      Mike the most efficient way is with the Attic Fan approach. As you likely know fan in the ceiling to draw air out of the room, and an inlet vent near the floor to let fresh air inside. Otherwise all you get is negative pressure and not much airflow. That way you get natural air convection and fan pulling cool air in near the ground/floor level, and then rising warmer air lifted up by the fan and out she goes.
      (and it cools the attic space a bit too !)

      Yeah, that involves cutting a vent in the door (for outside air) or vents to other inside air spaces. And wiring in a bath vent fan. But that saves a condensate drain line, and the kewl factor of solid state air conditioning .
      Powerfab top of pole PV mount (2) | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
      || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
      || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

      solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
      gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister

      Comment

      • SunEagle
        Super Moderator
        • Oct 2012
        • 15126

        #4
        The Attic fan idea sounds good unless you want to install a gate (door) opener on a timer.

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