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DIY swimming pool cooler.

DIY swimming pool cooler.
Build a mechanically drafted, counter-flow cooling tower for your swimming pool. These would be especially useful to people living in gulf coast states and the SW deserts.

For more detailed instructions: DIY Pool Cooler
 
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Step 1Obtain or build some kind of "tower".

Obtain or build some kind of \"tower\".
First you will need a "tower". Pictured are a couple of options we have used. The first was made from a couple of HDPE barrels. The second is made from PVC pipe, fittings, and corrugated roofing material. Your tower will need to have some sort of catch basin at the bottom, and area for fill material in the center, an area for a water sprayer systems, and finally you'll need a fan that fits the top.

Learn more at: www.davidwilbur.com
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54 comments
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Feb 21, 2012. 7:32 AMHotinDallas says:
Great idea Dave! I did find a small product that looks great and worked amazing! Check out www.swimminginbathwater.com. I purchased these and ran them through the summer. In Dallas we had consistent 105+ degree days and the pool remained at 86 degrees!
Jul 27, 2011. 8:06 PMkstanley4 says:
I also live in Dallas my pool temp 93 it feels like bathwater.Great ideal !!! I was thinking of a tower letting the water run down pine slats with the tower open allowing the wind to be your evaporating fan..??do you think that would work??
Jul 20, 2011. 5:32 PMcmorris12 says:
looks like you turn the fan down ..... blowing over the water tricling across the fillers(coils)... in that your making a radiator ( some what ) right.
Jul 4, 2009. 7:07 PMBartboy says:
So it cools the pool? lol
Jul 7, 2009. 11:41 AMBartboy says:
I've never been somewhere where the pool was too warm...
Aug 18, 2010. 3:11 PMjames1913 says:
Guess you haven't been to Dallas after months of 90 degrees.
Aug 19, 2010. 10:08 PMBartboy says:
Nope. Although, it was 110 in alberta where I'm visiting currently.
Jun 22, 2010. 2:39 PMcowscankill says:
LOL. When I walk into my pool, my body temperature goes up.
Jul 9, 2009. 2:26 PMenomis1971 says:
You should live in South Louisiana.....
Jul 9, 2009. 5:02 PMBartboy says:
Mmmmmm...... hot sauce Canada is nice...:P
Jun 23, 2010. 11:52 AMRedgerr says:
im with Bartboy, i have never heard of one of these however it seems like it would work, very cool
Jun 23, 2010. 1:58 PMBartboy says:
Well, I might use it in my house in Ontario, but I don't have a pool there. In Canada, we pay a fortune for pool heaters...
Jun 28, 2010. 9:54 AMRedgerr says:
pool heaters is where its at, expencive.. but warm none the less
Jul 5, 2010. 6:51 AMmikewrobel says:
I assume the fan blows up (based on some other internet research)?
Jul 2, 2010. 10:43 AMharry88 says:
you could do the reverse with a metal jug and your old baseboard heaters
Jun 26, 2010. 2:14 PMmiiwii3 says:
if only this worked in reverse...
May 14, 2010. 4:26 PMTray says:
Im going to give this a shot, in a smaller size for my worm hotel.   Composting worms slow down when they get too warm.  There is another Ible that details building an ice chest based worm hotel that is plumbed with cooling tubes fed from an iced water bucket.  This system would eliminate the need to periodically fill a feed bucket with ice.  Run all the pumps off of a battery that is solar charged, and viola.  COOL IBLE!!
Apr 14, 2010. 6:20 PMTrPPnN says:
Hahaha... heater?  daniel... here in the desert, we can't turn off the sun when we want... can you? if you can... you've got to show me how... perhaps write an instructable!
Mar 10, 2010. 6:45 PMteslafan100 says:
nice!
Jan 24, 2010. 10:08 AMDanny_Payne says:
 cant you just turn the heater down? that way, you will save energy!
Dec 26, 2009. 7:08 PMkill-a-watt says:
Mar 4, 2009. 1:25 AMthermoelectric says:
You would be suprised, Many people would be interested in that but the CPU wiuld most likely make too much heat for the cooler to disperse.
Sep 26, 2009. 2:34 AMbeehard44 says:
PLAN B: Grab an ice maker and plug in the inlet to ur pool and put the ice outlet to your pool. Added feature: Millions of floating toys in your pool!!!!!!! PLAN C: Pour liquid Nitrogen to the water!!!
Sep 2, 2009. 5:42 AMmr.incredible says:
This is the same way commercial air conditioning works. Large buildings use cooling towers which is the same thing you have here. The water temp from the evaporation process gets down to 60 deg even in the hottest Florida heat.
Jul 8, 2009. 11:19 PMalex-sharetskiy says:
well if it's 110 outside, and your pool temperature is 90, using your device would be warming the water
Jul 14, 2009. 8:00 AMcrazyrog17 says:
Could you clarify this a little bit? In the first few steps, explain the ambient wet bulb temperature for everyone and how it works to cool your pool. Did you pump the water into the barrel/sprayers? How? Is the fan blowing down into the barrel and being exhausted at the bottom or pulling up out of the barrel blowing out the top?
Jun 6, 2009. 12:43 PMhleon says:
since it is evaporative, wouldn't the pool LOSE water, since it is being transferred to the air?
May 29, 2009. 3:03 PMaltgrave says:
i've never seen this idea, either, but i do recall lukewarm pools in new jersey. ugh! nicely done!
Jun 25, 2008. 6:25 PMPatented says:
Lol! In Canada we try to make our pool warmer!
Sep 4, 2008. 1:20 PMbmlbytes says:
I was thinking the same thing. Here in Minnesota, we make our pools warmer. Some people put hot tubs outside, so you can swim with the snow all around.
Jun 27, 2008. 9:01 PMT3hpw9ag3 says:
You live in a desert? you must take great care of your lawn, it looks more green than my lawn in Illinois! anyway, nice instructable
Jul 4, 2008. 9:41 PMjojo200517 says:
That is pretty nice, I hope you washed the barrel out damn good, since I spy a corrosive placard. The pool place tossed in a cheapo fountain when we got ours, and occasionally I put it in when its horribly hot in the summer. It does seem to drop the temperature a few degrees.
Jul 4, 2008. 2:16 PMlooking4ideas says:
My mom lives in Doha they have cooling and heating lol
1-40 of 54next »

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