Low-tech Swamp Cooler Not Working

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MamaSheepdog

MamaSheepdog

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I made a redneck swamp cooler with burlap bags and a concrete mixing tub of water. I wet the bags down first, and then draped them in the water. They have been in there since yesterday, and it is only wicking up water a few inches. Does it work better with cotton? :? Or maybe they need to soak for a long time to saturate the fibers more thoroughly. Hubs just bought a bunch more bags for me yesterday, so I hope I can figure this out and make it work. At least they have shade for now. :)

The only other alternative I can think of is putting the water source on top of the cages so gravity will help me. The issue with that is the weight of the water.

What to do?
 
Soak the bags and lay them on top of the cages? Change bags as needed? Dont really have any good ideas...sorry....
 
I don't know that burlap does a very good job of wicking water. Do you have any old cotton bath towels or beach towels you could use instead? If possible, I would add an oscillating fan to blow across the towels to speed evaporation.
 
trinityoaks":6tr7o9ga said:
Do you have any old cotton bath towels or beach towels you could use instead?
Click to expand...

We use them for dog towels and then rags. I don't have enough of them though.

I have the rest of the bags soaking now. I liked the idea of burlap because of the open weave it has, which will allow air flow. A fan would be nice, but there is usually a bit of a breeze, especially in the afternoons.
 
I'm thinking that the open weave of the burlap also prevents it from soaking up enough water to make a difference, especially if you're trying to wick water with it.
 
Do you have some old cotton sheets? You might be able to fold them into quarters or eighths (so they won't dry out so fast) and use those.
 
Yeah, I have lots of sheets... some old flannel ones, too. Those are nice and thick, so no need to fold probably. :? After I try the well-soaked burlap bags if it still doesn't work, I will try both cotton and flannel sheets.
 
Cotton should do a much better job of wicking, I think. Probably would need to be 100% cotton for best wicking... polyester doesn't absorb water.
 
a7736100":2vu2otn1 said:
How about using the hose a few minutes daily to wet the burlap?
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I think it would be pretty labor-intensive to try to keep the burlap wet. Burlap just doesn't absorb a lot of water.
 
Miss M":6fw77s8w said:
Probably would need to be 100% cotton for best wicking
Click to expand...

I'll check fiber percentages when I try them out.

a7736100":6fw77s8w said:
How about using the hose a few minutes daily to wet the burlap?
Click to expand...

That's great when I'm here, but on Sundays we are gone during the worst heat of the day. Plus, I like to save labor whenever possible- there is never enough time to get everything I want done as it is! :lol:
 

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