Options For Cooling Down A Room

[OldChinaHam]

That orange bucket filled with water and foam and a fan is a great idea. But what does it do to the relative humidity?

The reason I ask is that computers don't like high humidity, and if you are sucking air through a bucket filled with water, and then blowing it at your computer,

Well what does this do for your motherboard?

I suppose if you really wanted to hasten the evaporation process you could even add a handful of table salt to the water to increase the partial pressure and make it cool faster.

You know, like human sweat?

But I don't think that human sweat does the computer any more good than high humidity.

Still, I really like this idea and have earmarked it for another project.

It is very simple to build and the parts are cheap.

You could even carry it outside with you.

[gavin310]

Buy a cheap aircon and close your door !

It's funny how people are finding problems when they aren't any.

If you can burn a 80k computer you can also burn 15k for an aircon and few thousands a month for electricity.

There is no other solution, don't waste your time thinking and mine trying to explain you how it should be.

:-)

I'm so sorry to have wasted your time. Obviously you're an extremely busy man with nothing better to do than browse Thai Visa and make rude assumptions about people you don't know, in threads you haven't properly read.

[gavin310]

Honestly, I'm fine with just a fan blowing on me, but I need to keep the air cool for my computer. I just ruined an 80,000 baht MacBook Pro I believe from a combination of overheating and shoddy electrical wiring. I'm not going to let that happen again.

Looks like you are stuck with fans Gavin. The last thing you need in a small space is a refrigerated or mist system for the purpose of cooling. The water content in the air will very quickly give you major problems with your computer.

I would suggest a seperate small fan for your computer; it will not bring down the ambient temperature but will help with the airflow in the tower (or around the laptop)

Chris, so even the portable units create humidity? Does the humidity come from "exhaust" or from the cool air blowing out? If it's from the exhaust maybe I could run a large diameter tube from the unit out of the house? I'm only renting this house and I'm not sure how long I'll stay, so I don't want to invest in a proper A/C unit.

This house really heats up in the day time. In the evening it's comfortable, but the whole reason I want to do this is so I could work inside in the day time without worrying about my computer. Not sure if you saw my thread before about my MacBook's problems, but nothing would cool that thing down. I'm not sure if I got a bad laptop or if the cooling system in a MacBook just isn't powerful enough for Thailand's heat. I'm having to use a cheapo Tesco Windows laptop now until I can afford to get my MacBook fixed (probably a new logic board) that has a more robust cooling system and it doesn't heat up at all. The new MacBooks have a solid state drive, so I'm sure they stay much cooler.

[sunlong]

Seal the room best you can, can get spray-insulation cans to fill in gaps, and then put in a properly sized split unit, place it so the downdraft falls right on your desk area and in that case don't use a fan.

Or if you're long-term resident and out in the countryside a small well-insulated purpose-built room will pay for itself and be most comfortable.

I've repeated the above, in my opinion nothing more needs to be said about the A/C issue, unless you can get used to be comfortable enough with fans.

I concur that your computer didn't break from overheating, you'd have to really try, actively plugging up the vents like letting it sit embedded in blankets - only very old/cheap motherboards don't have automatic shutdown triggered by the sensors built into modern CPUs and GPUs.

You shouldn't need a conditioning power supply (built into decent UPSs) for notebooks, as they run from the battery which is charged by the power brick, but DEFINITELY need one for any regular desktop/tower computer as well as any electronic devices you value, stereo equipment etc, or their life will be grossly shortened in Thailand by the normal mains power supply.

I do concede it is possible that even with a notebook, the combination of a UPS and air con may well extend its life, but the economics probably don't justify the added expense, you should be replacing computer equipment every 2-3 years anyway.

[OldChinaHam]

Honestly, I'm fine with just a fan blowing on me, but I need to keep the air cool for my computer. I just ruined an 80,000 baht MacBook Pro I believe from a combination of overheating and shoddy electrical wiring. I'm not going to let that happen again.

Looks like you are stuck with fans Gavin. The last thing you need in a small space is a refrigerated or mist system for the purpose of cooling. The water content in the air will very quickly give you major problems with your computer.

I would suggest a seperate small fan for your computer; it will not bring down the ambient temperature but will help with the airflow in the tower (or around the laptop)

Chris, so even the portable units create humidity? Does the humidity come from "exhaust" or from the cool air blowing out? If it's from the exhaust maybe I could run a large diameter tube from the unit out of the house? I'm only renting this house and I'm not sure how long I'll stay, so I don't want to invest in a proper A/C unit.

This house really heats up in the day time. In the evening it's comfortable, but the whole reason I want to do this is so I could work inside in the day time without worrying about my computer. Not sure if you saw my thread before about my MacBook's problems, but nothing would cool that thing down. I'm not sure if I got a bad laptop or if the cooling system in a MacBook just isn't powerful enough for Thailand's heat. I'm having to use a cheapo Tesco Windows laptop now until I can afford to get my MacBook fixed (probably a new logic board) that has a more robust cooling system and it doesn't heat up at all. The new MacBooks have a solid state drive, so I'm sure they stay much cooler.

I think I have just the solution for you! (IF YOU LIVE IN A HOUSE and not in a building)

You just need to go to the garden supply or wholesale for farm supplies and buy some of that BLACK NETTING and then tie is over your whole house. It sounds difficult but it is not if you only have a one floor house with a poorly insulated room, which is what it sounds like to me.

Many people do this in Taiwan, but there they also have problems with Typhoons so this means they need to keep putting up and taking down these big awnings.

The material is light black fine netting that they also sometimes use to cover young plants, or fish ponds to keep them from heating up during the daytime with direct exposure to the sun.

THIS WILL work for you and it will keep your house cooler, far cooler, so that you can probably work inside your house just using a regular fan.

Let me know if this works for you.

I will try to find a few images on the net.

Or you can probably find them too.

Let me know if you decide to use this idea because stringing these nets also makes your outdoor area lots more fun in the daytime while you sit in the shade.

[gavin310]

Seal the room best you can, can get spray-insulation cans to fill in gaps, and then put in a properly sized split unit, place it so the downdraft falls right on your desk area and in that case don't use a fan.

Or if you're long-term resident and out in the countryside a small well-insulated purpose-built room will pay for itself and be most comfortable.

I've repeated the above, in my opinion nothing more needs to be said about the A/C issue, unless you can get used to be comfortable enough with fans.

I concur that your computer didn't break from overheating, you'd have to really try, actively plugging up the vents like letting it sit embedded in blankets - only very old/cheap motherboards don't have automatic shutdown triggered by the sensors built into modern CPUs and GPUs.

You shouldn't need a conditioning power supply (built into decent UPSs) for notebooks, as they run from the battery which is charged by the power brick, but DEFINITELY need one for any regular desktop/tower computer as well as any electronic devices you value, stereo equipment etc, or their life will be grossly shortened in Thailand by the normal mains power supply.

I do concede it is possible that even with a notebook, the combination of a UPS and air con may well extend its life, but the economics probably don't justify the added expense, you should be replacing computer equipment every 2-3 years anyway.

It lasted slightly over a year, and this laptop would have lasted me well over 4 years. The problems showed up right after the warranty expired. I think it was a combination of overheating and getting fried from bad electrical wiring. It would definitely overheat, especially when plugged in. I couldn't touch the area around where the charger plugged in. I replaced the charger and it helped, but then the video card went haywire shortly after. DVD drive and USB ports also went nutty even before the video card. So I think maybe it got fried a little inside, maybe from the electrical in the building or maybe from a faulty charger, and then started overheating because of that. Who knows.

Anyway, I'd still like to cool this room down with something other than a fan. From what I've gathered a portable A/C unit will produce too much humidity, so a properly installed A/C unit is the only option. Or a Home Depot bucket.

Edited June 5, 2013 by gavin310

[OldChinaHam]

I found a few images of the black netting which is probably your best solution. It can lower the temperature by quite a bit because you are sitting in the shade. Most people in the countryside use these all during the summer in Taiwan.

Let me know if this works out well for you if you have a house with a yard. This is easily strung up with just a few lines/ropes by two people in a matter of about 1/2 hour. Buy as much as you need. You do not need any heavy structure to hold it up over your roof or yard.

Edited June 5, 2013 by OldChinaHam

[gavin310]

I found a few images of the black netting which is probably your best solution. It can lower the temperature by quite a bit because you are sitting in the shade. Most people in the countryside use these all during the summer in Taiwan.

Let me know if this works out well for you if you have a house with a yard. This is easily strung up with just a few lines/ropes by two people in a matter of about 1/2 hour. Buy as much as you need. You do not need any heavy structure to hold it up over your roof or yard.

That's actually pretty cool. I thought you were joking at first. I don't think there's any way it could work for my house though. It's a really big house. I actually only rent half of it (other half is unoccupied) and my side is still really big. Still, that's really cool. Thanks for letting me know about it.

[taotoo]

Aircon is probably the only real solution. Other than that, using a desktop computer (not an all-in one though) would likely be less affected by the heat and arguably would be better suited to long term use in a fixed position.

[OldChinaHam]

"That's actually pretty cool. I thought you were joking at first. I don't think there's any way it could work for my house though. It's a really big house. I actually only rent half of it (other half is unoccupied) and my side is still really big. Still, that's really cool. Thanks for letting me know about it."

You know Gavin, even though this may not work for your particular house, if you have a yard, then it is easy enough to just make an awning over part of your area, and then it is very comfortable to sit outside no matter how hot the sun gets. I used to live in a village where all people there would string these things up and then sit outside for three months out of the year, when being inside their house was just too hot. It is comfortable enough to read, chat, or work on a computer, and you don't pay anything for electricity to run an air conditioner. You still might try it out if you have a yard.

No I was not joking about the netting, and I used to buy it myself and use it. You just need to be careful that it does not blow up against any sharp edges, or it will begin to tear in places. These will last for a few years.

[Digitalbanana]

>My house is hot. Right now when I work on my computer I have to sit
outside, but I want to get a desk and nice comfy office chair and have
an office in my house. The office room only has 3 walls, so it's not
going to trap any cool air.

I am curious why the house is hot and how the office has only 3 walls? Without further info hard to say. A hot house is usually cooled with a roof a ceiling design. Only an aircon will do for any room to cool it I think, if is already too hot.

[aussiebebe]

Hi gavin310 - some solutions for you would be the other poster's idea of the black netting, or creating external shade with trees/plants if that's possible. In the US and Australia companies actually sell what are called 'solar shades' that fit outside windows - it's just strong mesh - the black netting will give you the same effect.
Does your office have a window? window film would be effective if it's in direct sunlight during the day.
An extreme idea, if you wanted to avoid AC is to use a ventilated car seat. Look at these on ebay - they are mesh seats designed for cars that suck in air and blow it through the mesh seat back. You can also search online for water-cooled seats using piping or tube inside a seat and a small pump. They then pump ice-cooled water from a bucket or cooler through the tubes and this cools them.

You could also buy one for your laptop.

Out of interest, having never owned a Mac - why are they so expensive? I looked at the specs online, what can you do on a Mac that you can't do on a laptop? I'm just interested, thanks!

[evadgib]

1. Purchase or otherwise obtain a few 1 litre containers (ice cream tubs do the trick)

2. Fill them with water or add salt as the latter has a lower freezing point therefore is colder. Be sure to leave space at the top to allow for expansion or the tub will split.

3. Freeze them.

4. Place one behind your usual fan & allow the cold air to be blown through the fan towards you.

5. Replace as needed.

You'll need an oven tray or similar to stand it on & a bowl beneath for the water but they'll keep you going all day.

HTH

Edited June 5, 2013 by evadgib

[Kitsune]

1. Purchase or otherwise obtain a few 1 litre containers (ice cream tubs do the trick)

2. Fill them with water or add salt as the latter has a lower freezing point therefore is colder. Be sure to leave space at the top to allow for expansion or the tub will split.

3. Freeze them.

4. Place one behind your usual fan & allow the cold air to be blown through the fan towards you.

5. Replace as needed.

You'll need an oven tray or similar to stand it on & a bowl beneath for the water but they'll keep you going all day.

HTH

do you have a pic of this?

[isawasnake]

What about a full grown tree. Maybe one of the few things not so expensive here? I see them go up at new condos like nothing - one day nothing, the next a huge shade patch from a bunch of trees.

[isawasnake]

1. Purchase or otherwise obtain a few 1 litre containers (ice cream tubs do the trick)

2. Fill them with water or add salt as the latter has a lower freezing point therefore is colder. Be sure to leave space at the top to allow for expansion or the tub will split.

3. Freeze them.

4. Place one behind your usual fan & allow the cold air to be blown through the fan towards you.

5. Replace as needed.

You'll need an oven tray or similar to stand it on & a bowl beneath for the water but they'll keep you going all day.

HTH

do you have a pic of this?

just any old ice in front of a fan. this does work i have tried it, but not with blocks. the problem is people kinda instinctively think this is free, nothing could be further from the truth. it takes a lot of energy to freeze warm water, especially huge blocks of it.

[Kitsune]

1. Purchase or otherwise obtain a few 1 litre containers (ice cream tubs do the trick)

2. Fill them with water or add salt as the latter has a lower freezing point therefore is colder. Be sure to leave space at the top to allow for expansion or the tub will split.

3. Freeze them.

4. Place one behind your usual fan & allow the cold air to be blown through the fan towards you.

5. Replace as needed.

You'll need an oven tray or similar to stand it on & a bowl beneath for the water but they'll keep you going all day.

HTH

do you have a pic of this?

just any old ice in front of a fan. this does work i have tried it, but not with blocks. the problem is people kinda instinctively think this is free, nothing could be further from the truth. it takes a lot of energy to freeze warm water, especially huge blocks of it.

also you said behind the fan and now in front of

which one is it?

is it not dangerous to have water dripping on an electric appliance?

[isawasnake]

1. Purchase or otherwise obtain a few 1 litre containers (ice cream tubs do the trick)

2. Fill them with water or add salt as the latter has a lower freezing point therefore is colder. Be sure to leave space at the top to allow for expansion or the tub will split.

3. Freeze them.

4. Place one behind your usual fan & allow the cold air to be blown through the fan towards you.

5. Replace as needed.

You'll need an oven tray or similar to stand it on & a bowl beneath for the water but they'll keep you going all day.

HTH

do you have a pic of this?

just any old ice in front of a fan. this does work i have tried it, but not with blocks. the problem is people kinda instinctively think this is free, nothing could be further from the truth. it takes a lot of energy to freeze warm water, especially huge blocks of it.

also you said behind the fan and now in front of

which one is it?

is it not dangerous to have water dripping on an electric appliance?

Me? When I did it I put it in front. I guess the other guy put it behind. I am not sure which one is better. Maybe you could find some sort of 5th grade experimental data on that.

There is no dripping water, the ice is in a container of some sort. Are you not able to picture this? Ice in front of a fan?

Edited June 15, 2013 by isawasnake

[isawasnake]

Googled "ice in front of fan".... he has an interesting strainer setup, which i never thought of. more air flow. catches the water with a plastic container. not bad, will try that next time.

Edited June 15, 2013 by isawasnake

[Sicarius]

For people dealing with overheating laptops. Try replacing your thermal paste. My machine was at nearly 80c and replacing the thermal paste it is now hovering around 55c and drastically increased in speed.

[gavin310]

Do you guys know if the ice and fan method generates much humidity? I wouldn't think so, but who knows.

[boosta]

what's an under computer fan ?

-

Really?

A fan you put under your computer to help keep it cool, raises it up off the desk.

[gavin310]

I bought an under computer fan for my MacBook. It really didn't make a difference. Maybe a couple degrees. The MacBooks get hot on the top mainly, so that's probably why.

[boosta]

Yes, they're pretty useless a regular room fan flowing over the general area is at least as good. Best of course is air con 8-)

But it is important that your notebook's vents don't get blocked, often on the bottom edge so can't sink down into say a couch - "lap top" isn't a good idea in bed with a fluffy blanket, best to use a hard flat surface, keep your legs cooler too.

Edited June 15, 2013 by boosta

[Ungabunga]

Do you guys know if the ice and fan method generates much humidity? I wouldn't think so, but who knows.

No it would actually de-humidify up until around 6 deg C in liquid state.

But did you know.... that Arabian caravans in the deserts used beaded curtains soaked in water so that whenever the breeze would blow through it would create a cooling effect. The water on the strings would evaporate in the warm air naturally (latent heat of evaporisation) the same key principle used throughout most ac systems to this very day!

If you need any further useless information just PM.

[Kitsune]

Do you guys know if the ice and fan method generates much humidity? I wouldn't think so, but who knows.

No it would actually de-humidify up until around 6 deg C in liquid state.

But did you know.... that Arabian caravans in the deserts used beaded curtains soaked in water so that whenever the breeze would blow through it would create a cooling effect. The water on the strings would evaporate in the warm air naturally (latent heat of evaporisation) the same key principle used throughout most ac systems to this very day!

If you need any further useless information just PM.

lol

no that's fantastatic info !

I am thinking of many unused curtain that I could transform in arabian aircon

[ABCer]

AC is the only other practical solution in Thailand.

Not true. Go out of the city. Live on floor 20+. Near the beach. Never close windows. Beautiful! But you have to let go of the land...

[ABCer]

Do you guys know if the ice and fan method generates much humidity? I wouldn't think so, but who knows.

No, not really. The fog you see is actually condensation of water in the hot humid air due to its cooling.

But you must see that the water from melting of ice is drained away, Good luck.

[boosta]

I'm sure many have seen those powerful fans incorporating water sprays used to cool down the outdoors at upmarket hotels and catered functions.

[danielwhite532]

Relocate the office to a room with 4 walls and an aircon in the house. AC is the only other practical solution in Thailand. Probably too much humidity for swamp coolers and those fans that blow a water vapour spray from a tank are not effective indoors after a few minutes.