Evaporative Cooler:
I designed and built one for use in my '80 Westy.  It "almost" worked, last
summer, and I'm working on a revised version for this year.  It blew cool
air, but not enough of it -- I think the intake was too restrictive.  This
year I'm going to use the two blowers mentioned below, side-by-side intstead
of in line, and open up the air intake a bit.  I'll report on how well it
works after I fuss with it.

Briefly, it went as follows:
Intake: cardboard scoop in passenger window, connected to a 4" dia. flexible
dryer hose.
Fans: 2ea 130 CFM 4" bilge fans, one on the intake side of the evaporator
pad, one on the outlet side.  (Aircooled owners may recognize these as the
fans used as heater booster fans)
Evaporator: 1/2 of a standard home swamp cooler pad, contained in a large
plastic tote bin.
Pad Soaker: 75 GPH submersible bilge pump, soaking the pads through a
perforated hose.
Reservoir: 5 gallon paint bucket.
--Eric
Ogden, UT
The 1980 Westy Formerly Known as the Vanagon Valdez

>
>  Date:    Wed, 19 Jun 2002 12:40:58 -0700
>  From:    Nolan Hester <waywest@EARTHLINK.NET>
>  Subject: anyone actually _use_ an evaporative cooler
>
>  I've combed through the archives and founds lots of discussion about
>  the _idea_ of using an evaporative cooler for those of us in the arid
>  West. But I haven't seen comments from anyone who's actually
>  installed one.
>
>  So... anyone have actual experience with either the Swampy
>  (http://www.swampy.net/t154page.html) or the ClassicAire Car Cooler
>  (http://www.classicaire.com/page3.html)?
>
>  thanks in advance,
>  Nolan
>
>  87 Westy (Hanz)
>