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Oilerfan
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# Posted: 4 Aug 2014 13:59
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Hey everyone its been a bit since I posted on the forum. Always interested to hear what people have to say.
Anyways I was out at our 12x16 off the grid cabin this weekend and it was +30C (86F for you americans). Bloody hot for this Canadian boy. We are fully insluated with 2x6 walls. This keeps the cabin manageable but still quite toasty by afternoon. In the evenings we open all windows including the one up in the loft to vent the hot air and bring in some cool air. We have shade curtains for our windows.
Curious how other off-the-grid'ers keep their cabins cool in the summer heat. Small AC units? Small fans? I realize that this is a 1st world problem and understand that I am not complains...just curious what others do.
Thanks in advance!!
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 4 Aug 2014 14:16
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Same as you, open the windows at night and see how cool we csan get by morning. Being at 8800 feet it usually cools off nicely. But we have a small A/C just for the few weeks when it gets too hot. It runs off the PV/batteries system for 2 - 3 hours; for longer the generator is called upon.
FYI, split minis are very workable off grid
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 4 Aug 2014 17:17
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I bought a portable swamp cooler, requires some cold water or ice to make it cooler. I have never used it yet. Its stored in my cabin attic.
Bought from amazon
http://smile.amazon.com/SF-609-Portable-Evaporative-Cooler-Ionizer/dp/B000R48G5K/ref= sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407186988&sr=8-1&keywords=swamp+cooler
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groingo
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# Posted: 4 Aug 2014 18:05
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I head down to the creek, today I tried the white plastic over the roof, it helps but not enough, today not only is the sun beating down the air is just plain hot which just goes through everytbing.
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creeky
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# Posted: 4 Aug 2014 20:50
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My solar system is large enough that I can run a small a/c unit in the studio. Actually set a record last week. 5750 watts of solar electricity produced and consumed in one day. Ah the little things that make all that work worthwhile.
I ran the a/c for six hours. did two loads of dishes with the dishwasher. and a load of laundry.
The studio also benefits from doors at either end. Nice flow through ventilation.
If you check out my washroom build you'll see I used an innovative roofing system, it won't cool the washroom to below ambient, but it does keep the room from heating up under the sun ... and then an open door/window late in the day when the temperature drops works wonders.
http://www.small-cabin.com/forum/6_4282_1.html
The original idea comes from africa where the fellow used two layers of metal roofing ... something to think about.
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toofewweekends
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# Posted: 5 Aug 2014 01:06
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It's an expensive solution... but I moved to Alaska.
Still there are a few (count on one hand) when it hits the upper 80s and beyond. That's time for a dip in the lake or creek.
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ILFE
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# Posted: 5 Aug 2014 04:58
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I live in SE Asia. We just keep all the doors and windows open, and the screens cleaned. To help cool us a bit, we keep fans running.
Although I have two 1 horsepower air-cons in my home, I don't use either one of them. I have lived over seas for a very long time, and have become acclimated to the temperatures, so that no air-con is needed - or wanted, honestly. Once you go into an air-conditioned place, then walk back into the heat of the day, it can drain your energy like a shorted battery. Not to mention, power here is too costly, at almost .40c US / kWh.
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missouriboy
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# Posted: 5 Aug 2014 15:19
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I am lucky that I have electricity, so I have a very small AC window unit. It barely keeps up but at least it will cool it enough at night to sleep comfortably.
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rayyy
Member
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# Posted: 6 Aug 2014 16:29
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Here in Western New York we get probable 4 to 8 extremely hot muggy summer nights a year.I haven't tried hooking up a window A/C yet.My cabin is 20x30 and I don't think even a 10,000 btu a/c would cool that much open space down to well so I take cold showers and run a box fan all the time.At night when I shut the genny off (for the box fan)I have a 12 volt blower fan hooked up to my battery bank.It's not the greatest set up but for the most part it work's for me.
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razmichael
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# Posted: 6 Aug 2014 17:17
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We have not been at the cabin yet during those long stretches of heat both day and night so, with the use of blinds in the daytime and generally getting a breeze off the lake things have been okay - unlike last year before we had any insulation and the metal roof would just bake the cabin. We have a 12v Vari-cyclone ceiling fan and it does an amazing job of moving the air using a reasonable amount of power. I know at some point we will find the loft too hot to sleep and move down to the screened in porch. I figure that is what having a cabin is all about.
I would love to finish off enough other projects to get to where I could try pumping water from the lake through a radiator with a fan blowing air through and see how well that would work (and how much power would be needed). Seems like the lake would be a great source of colder water. I also wondered about pumping it up and doing a light spray over the metal roof to cool the roof down. This is a standard technique in some locations but it would depend on whether the cost (power) was worth the benefit.
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creeky
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# Posted: 6 Aug 2014 20:07
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this is a great problem.
(for background) check out my bathroom roof (link posted above). it details a cheap solution that uses a sun powered stack effect to remove solar energy from your metal roof. proven effective. my first test worked. eh. But I've done two experiments now. the second on the shizzer shack is not just cheap but after two seasons is proven very effective. my washroom experiences no "metal roof baking" despite being exposed to hours of southern sun (note: i did not invent this process, just played with it)
now pumps are pretty cheap (energy wise to run). but rather than pumping water out of the lake to spray on your roof.* if you could use that solar driven movement of air to pull air across a radiator full of cold lake water ... instead of simple removal of the solar heat might you actually achieve cooling. esp. given that moisture management is (sorry) baked into the roof design.
in the 70s there were various experiments in using water/ground as absorbers and stack effect solar to create air movement for cooling.
one BIG problem they ran into: warm air carries humidity and as soon as you cool it the water drops out of the air.
then the water pools. bacteria, molds, bugs grow in the stagnant water. and you can move the water away. but a constant replenishing supply keeps the contaminants active.
so you cannot bring air cooled across a radiator into habitable spaces. you don't want to breathe moldy air. (air conditioners move the moisture outside the building for this reason)
so the real quest is to find a process that brings cooling to the habitable space while eliminating the risk of contaminates.
So using a cold lake water radiator and two layers of roofing, sun on one side, air being drawn in running through the radiator. moisture managed by the lower layer of metal roofing. and the cooled bottom layer of metal roof (at least at the lower end) should cool the air inside the building. okay.
but the moisture in the hot interior air now precipitates on the interior side of the roof. How do you manage that moisture? * and this is the problem with spraying cold water on your roof. yes it cools your roof. but it cools your roof. so interior air is now going to dump moisture ... how do you manage that moisture?
ideas?
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razmichael
Member
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# Posted: 6 Aug 2014 21:28 - Edited by: razmichael
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Creeky, in my case I have a "hot" roof design (appropriate description for the topic) with R36 of closed cell spray foam insulation so no amount of roof cooling would cause any precipitates on the interior. On the flip side a spray might not really provide any useful cooling. Really brainstorming and wondering if it might just reduce some of the heat. I'm not sure how much condensation you would have on the inside of a bare metal roof if the amount of spray/cooling impact was controlled. I'm trying to think back to pre-insulation days when a storm would roll in and rain on the heated roof.
Regarding a radiator based system, I was thinking it would really be built much like a standard ac unit so condensation would drain. The concern about mold is very valid but could be well controlled. You can also add those pellets you buy for humidifier systems that control any issues with the residual water. I have seen descriptions of this type of thing actually using old AC units (tubing used for the water) or small engine radiators. If an old AC unit you would need to get the refrigerant properly removed.
All interesting speculation - I think my wife wants me to finish up the kitchen and trim first (followed by a more permanent shower system, followed loft closet, followed by ...).
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creeky
Member
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# Posted: 7 Aug 2014 08:30
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If you had two radiators, one inside the house on the line direct to the lake and then a second outside in the sun. as the sun heated the outside radiator (now an accumulator) the warm water would rise, this could be your free pump pulling cold water from the lake.
the interior radiator with a fan would cool the room air.
and you're right. it would be a simple thing to move the condensation down a drain.
Initially I was thinking about moisture on the interior of the roof. where condensation might run into walls or insulation or someplace where you don't want it.
r36 on your roof. wow. doesn't sound like your house is being heated by the roof.
... always something. my shower is 1/2 tiled. I'll get to it.
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old greybeard
Member
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# Posted: 7 Aug 2014 13:17
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We are at 2300ft so it stays pretty cool. But when its hot we are near naked most of the time with a shower bag hanging to help cool off. Blind and window management help keep the cabin cool. Usually its down in the 50's at night so keeping warm is more of a issue, heck I am colder in august most nights than in February when the woodstove is in use.
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