Homemade Pot-in-Pot Refrigerator "Off Grid Fridge" cools air up to 40F (evaporative cooler/chiller)

[@sallywasagoodolgal]

My daughter's grandmother lived back in the hills (in the 1950's) with no utilities. She had a screen box outside her kitchen window (shaded by the porch roof). It was wood frame, covered with metal screen on the sides, and that covered with burlap. She'd wet the burlap down, and as it dried it would lower the temperature. It was her 'cooler', year around.

[@The_New_Abnormal_World_Order]

​@ Nothing wrong with asking questions but your comment sounded very rude that's all. It sounds to me like the original commenter was referring to their partner's Mother, but didn't want to mention their partner, for whatever reason.

[@lesliekendall2206]

My great Gpa and Gma made and had one of those.

[@in_vas_por8810]

@@Unknown-qi9zl Also, maybe not even his wife. Maybe a child out of wedlock otherwise he would have said "my mother in law". But yeah, I laughed at how confounded David was 😂😂😂

[@TheGEODEAHOLIC]

stand the zeer pot on the little pots to get it in the air for more area exposed for more evap. put it in full shade & in slight breeze too for quicker evap. you will git better results.

[@neilfoster814]

My late father was in the British army in the 1950's stationed in the Middle East. They would wrap a water filled jerry can in a wet army blanket, keeping the blanket wet would cool the jerry can water down so much it would freeze! That's evaporative cooling for you!

[@beavisroadhog9629]

Uhhh,....I gotta call bullshit on the frozen can. Cold? Plausible. Frozen? Bullshit.

[@jshaw4757]

​​@@beavisroadhog9629If its windy enough it's possible that's the whole point off it is the wind hitting the water n evaporating it and cooling it (evaporation cooling) like sweating or some fridges n freezers so the windier the cooler it will get so use a couple PC fans or a fan or find a place that has some kind off exhaust or outlet off air and use that put your pot near that..for some reason with these pot videos nobody mentions the most important part the wind (and water)..call it the wind chill factor don't they and its often what sets people into hyperthermia much much faster than if wasn't windy especially if you and your clothes are wet because off evaporation cooling taking place the wind chill factor and if the army Jerry can was made off metal it would cool faster especially if was alluminium wrapped in a wet big blanket in a very windy spot easily could freeze maybe not solid but ice crystal form

[@jshaw4757]

​@@beavisroadhog9629Check out the ancient giant domed freezers in the deserts off Iran called yatchels 👍

[@cathys949]

Imagine how cool and refreshing that water would be to drink in such a hot climate! Aaahhh.

[@deb7518]

I think I'd want a Zeer Pot HOUSE, lol!

[@sigma2247]

I have a suggestion for you, place a foil sheet the shiney part facing outward over the wet towel this method should keep the contents inside the clay pot even cooler, try that. :-)

[@fletcherpersinger5102]

I think that would reflect the light. The evaporating process if in tandem with wind will actually make it cooler. Example just like how sweating cools your body. You can say we have a natural heating and cooling system in us.

[@Yngsatchvai]

@@fletcherpersinger5102 for the longest time I thought perspiration was just to get you wet and that cools you, didn't know the act of evaporation was the kicker. I've tossed all my cotten summer shirts for the breathable fabrics. They make a HUGE difference

[@MrRasZee]

wow the foil will cool and water will remain and not evaporate so much

[@AndrewHelgeCox]

You'd want the inner chamber covered by a disk of foil at the most. The sand and sides of the outer pot need sunshine to drive the evaporative cooling. I wonder if a disk of insulation with foil facing out plugging the inner pot would be the best option, with no wet towels.

[@janetlee191]

I don't think you should have it out in the sun. It should be in the shade or enclosed. Kind of counterproductive putting it in the sun

[@desertsun02]

good questions. no, the pots have to be made from something pourous like clay (to allow for air flow).

[@viceroytheproducer]

Can you use salt water? If you were trying to save on fresh water and happened to have salt water could you use that instead?

[@OldMacDonaldsWife]

Would it still work if the outer container was made of plastic or metal and the inner was still sand and a clay pot?

[@hugokp2845]

@@viceroytheproducer yes that’s fine

[@hugokp2845]

@@OldMacDonaldsWife ideally not, as it’s reduce the external porous area massively

[@hili467]

You have to use a closed pot so the evaporating water cant get inside. Also, skip the sand. Water holds ALOT of thermal energy. The way you’re using the sand is basically the same as putting your pot in a bucket of water and setting it in the sun. It wont be hotter than the bucket of water, but the bucket of water is going to heat up because its going to absorb energy faster than it can evaporate. Ever hang out in a shallow pool in summer? Water gets pretty warm, but when you get out and there is a breeze you suddenly feel much cooler than when you were in all that water. Only water on the surface can evaporate and that’s where the cooling happens - all the water that’s in the sand cant evaporate till it gets to the surface; it’s like a pool of warn water. You want to keep the water on the surface. Take two pots of the same size; wax the inside surface. Turn one upside down like a lid to make a closed chamber with the two pots. Put the towel over closed pot and pour water over the towel, repeat a few times as the towel starts to dry out. I think you’ll have much better results with this method.

[@shedroids]

Make a video and share a link to teach us..

[@Metqa]

the water is going to evaprate through the terracotta pot. it doesn't require sun to evaporate just heat. the terracotta pot is not watertight. the water will escape. Putting the pot in the sun is not required. all there needs is higher temperature and low enough humidity for the water to evaporate. Putting it into the sun will increase evaporation but also increase heat, counter to the goal of cooling. It iS a good idea to put a cover over the pot but it doesnt' have to be a water tight cover, in fact if the cover can hold and evaporate water, that is just another surface contributing to the heat transfer from the cooler.

[@wmstroup6474]

The way he displays this is the way the ancient Egyptians used to keep foodstuffs cool, except the sand is supposed to be exposed to sunlight so the water can evaporate - this is what cools the inner container... evaporation. Covering the whole thing with a towel keeps water from evaporating from the sand. Only the innermost vessel should be covered. You will need to check the water level 3x per day due to evaporation, or the thermal mass from the sand will heat up and start keeping the inner vessel warmer than the outside. I don't know about skipping the sand part though - this method came from ancient river lands so if water was more efficient I suspect they would have just chosen to keep their cooler in the river rather than sand-filled amphorae.

[@hili467]

@@wmstroup6474 look up videos of indian workers taking clay vessels into the fields to cool their food while they work. the vessels have lids, they cover them with a cloth, they pour water over the cloth - the cloth retains the water against the surface (the same way the sand does), the water absorbs heat from the vessel, and as the water evaporates the vessel cools down.

[@desertsun02]

i would think you could use very large pots and still get good cooling. the shape of the container shouldn't matter. square or rectangular pots should work fine too.

[@paigedavis8198]

No impact man brought me here. This is crazy!!! How cool!!! A bit extreme for me but half I got a better explanation of what it is and how it works.

[@84adl2012]

LOVE all your ideas--shows more thought goes into making something with as little to no cost, while incorporating design with function, and with uncompromised functionality.

[@theantithesis1]

Have you tried soaking the pot in water before assembling? Getting the pot to soak water before adding wet sand may improve performance.

[@mikesteacy8387]

I love the little pots. Because, know body could ever tell the size of the big pots when you walked up to them. That's funny stuff.

[@kalidechastaine5784]

The round pots are Better, completely wet the Clay pots prior, put sand around and leave in shade ideally. Could even be half inserted in the ground.

[@Hobbypayday]

Whoa, you living in hell or something? 122F???

[@binnykhadgi1874]

So funny 😂😂

[@ThyBookie]

No wonder he makes all these ac units

[@samuelmuldoon4839]

If you put a thermometer in direct sunlight, the temperature will be wrong. red alcohol thermometers don't really measure air temperature. If you put one in the shade, the result will be very different.

[@cluelessincalifornia9134]

fwiw sounds like Arizona weather to me.

[@in_vas_por8810]

Las Vegas or Arizona in the summer.

[@Mounia_MJD]

Hi there! Good Idea old idea from the grand parent... We gonna try it soon is amazing thing to do!! Thank you for the video.

[@Treva2000]

How cool will the pots get when you set them in the shade instead of direct sunlight?

[@MrSmoothbanana]

+Treva2000 it must be iin the sun , as the it works off the wet bulb temperature, air cools to a temp pf 40 degree F Reply ·

[@hedgemcnorry9459]

I like the idea of cooling a couple of grapes, or a strawberry :D

[@sf55514]

How fun is your since of humor.

[@beavisroadhog9629]

Not gonna cool much more in that pot. A couple of sandwiches at most.

[@beavisroadhog9629]

​@@sf55514*sense?

[@Mrs.R.D.Oviatt1776]

Shady spot too helps and I sink mine half way in the ground. In a breezy area. Make a video trying that please😁

[@gwenkilby]

I was gonna say, definitely don't have them in direct sunlight!

[@inoutterspace]

People dig old little refrigerators in the ground and say it works. Actually keep regular refrigerator food in it

[@cluelessincalifornia9134]

It is most likely that what limits the cooling is the rate at which water can evaporate from the system. Addition additional insulation by additional pots or sand probably won't help much. If you could increase the surface area/volume ratio, you should get a greater cooling rate--so a smaller system might achieve a lower temperature. However you could fit less stuff in it (eg: your grapes example) and would need to re-wet it frequently as it can't hold as much water. The primary emergency use I can imagine for a zeer is to keep refrigerated medicines, especially insulin, cooled after a natural disaster until help arrives, or until evacuation becomes possible.

[@cluelessincalifornia9134]

Oh--I'd also consider improving insulation on top by creating a lid of some kind (inverted small pot or terracotta saucer?) and putting wet sand on top, instead of the wet towel. Also key to this system is the pots have to be water permeable--it won't work with a glazed pot. Not sure if you mentioned that.

[@cathys949]

The sand is not for insulation - it is supposed hold the water against the clay so the breeze blowing around the pot evaporates the water and brings down the temperature inside the inner pot. You need a way to keep the sand wet all the time so there is always water to evaporate.

[@starsbydaylight]

Thanks so much for making this video about creating this brilliant Stone-Age :^) fridge. For starters I am definitely going to make 1 Stone-Age-pot-fridge. Here in Ireland electricity-prices are now Brutal. Old Age Pensioners with only a state pension, those who have storage heaters only, can't afford heating their homes. They pack sandwiches, thermos with tea, medicines, wrap up in warm clothes, use their free travel pass, get on a bus or train, travel aimlessly from A to ? and back home again, just to be warm. Heart breaking. That's the doing of the IMF Bankers-Gangsters who have Ireland too financially on her knees. Peace ...

[@vodafine32dublin27]

starsbydaylight

[@notacrazyperson3416]

Are you serious, the dole pays 180 a week. Come to NI were minimum wage is 1000 a month and we can afford SSE airtricity mate.

[@RoamingAdhocrat]

Don't get food poisoning…

[@davidschmidt270]

I know it's been 7 years friend but I hope your Country is better, ...I'm sure it's not all better but hopefully a little...may God be with you... prayer's and blessings to you and your family and your Countrymen

[@davidhayes5382]

@@davidschmidt270 best wishes from Ireland 🇮🇪 to you and your family 👪

[@christinebaker3293]

Thanks for the video and testing with 3 pots. I'm wondering if there is a difference in performance depending on the sizes of the pots. I'm off the grid and really would like a place outside my fridge (which is really a freezer that runs several times a day) to store tomatoes and Armenian cukes. The tomatoes aren't supposed to get very cold anyway or they lose flavor, so this would be better than a fridge. How big could they be while still having good cooling? Do they have to be round?

[@dennispatton5827]

Question I have would you ever park it right directly in the sun No put it in the shade at least direct heat won't hit it and dry your sand too and it's better to use a terracotta bottom to cover your pot then a wet towel You use a wet towel after the fact

[@crazysquirrel9425]

Those do not work well or at all in humid conditions. Lower the relative humidity (dew point perhaps) the cooler it will become. Avoid setting them in the ground or any other heat sinking surface. And keep out of the sun! Also, the Zeer pot was invented in North Africa some 2,000 years ago.

[@MrSheepboy]

This is awesome! Once again! Would it not be even more effective and efficient if it were buried also? Just a suggestion :)

[@garygartin2757]

Would using vermiculite (from a garden center), be a better insulator? It would also absorb more water. It should be worth trying.

[@notacrazyperson3416]

Gary Gartin I'd say ur spot on

[@sherryk30]

taking it out of the direct sun will drop that temperature, too.

[@jimmartin7899]

Could you not fill copper capillary coils with nitrogen and have a closed system within the pot to keep things frozen or cold? Not to mention making a cold sink for home cooling needs?

[@roseanndewitz9314]

I was wondering if maybe you added some rock salt to the sand (as they do to freeze ice cream) , if it would be cooler? Just a thought! ?

[@ramrod132]

I know this is old, but I'll answer it anyways. It's not a bad thought, but I don't think it would help. When water changes from a solid to a liquid or a liquid to a gas, it absorbs energy from its surroundings and cools them. Salt chemically forces ice to melt, and that melting absorbs heat which is why it gets colder. This pot works because the liquid water changes to a gas (evaporates), and absorbs energy when it does. The salt wouldn't make it evaporate faster, so it wouldn't make the pot cooler.

[@TheRealTomahawk]

This reminds me of those 3-D printed houses that I was watching today because in those 3-D printed houses, the there is a gap in between parts of the 3-D print or I imagine you could pour sand into it and I assume use the same technique add water and it will keep the house insulated and cool like this pot in pot cooler.

[@skinpro2000]

You need to pour more water, one liter is not enough, it will also help if you use cold water, or let ice cubes melt in the sand, the inner pot will be significantly colder, you can actually feel the frigid air inside the inner pot., if you put the wet towel and cover it with one of those pot bases that look like a plate it will stay even colder, and even more if you wet the pot base before putting it on top, it will help keep everything cold inside, try it and make a video about it.

[@beavisroadhog9629]

If you need to make an improvised refrigerator, where- smart guy- are the ice cubes going to come from?

[@badbenito]

I wonder how cool it can get if it's in the shade.

[@CarbonConscious]

Would this also work inside the house or does the pot really need to exposed to the sun to get proper evaporation going?

[@fredhampton321]

Yes it will work in doors as well

[@itwasentme17]

I think as long as there is wind or air flow to trigger evaporation then it will work. I’ve read that the zeer pot is less effective or not effective at all once you get to humidity above 40% or something like that though.

[@libragirl4471]

​@@itwasentme17dang, I'm in Florida. I want to try this.

[@aneesahmad641]

Really appreciate the idea ,I will apply it ...I have to wait a couple weeks before I buy a refrigerator , thank you 💕

[@desertsun02]

hi. i'm glad it's helping you!

[@aneesahmad641]

@@desertsun02 it's really helpful, For the last few days it helped me with storing eggs , milk and wheat dough .... Dunno how to send a pic here , however I'm grateful... 😊❤️

[@Based_Face]

This is called a zeer pot refrigerator btw.

[@Winter-qs4ds]

If I put a terracotta dish on top would that stay cool? I've seen some where you use the terracotta water catcher to cover the top. I was wondering if it would give feral cats a place to cool off a little bit if it's in the shade

[@technoforever888]

Other videos show this zeer pot off the ground for ventilation. That could cool it off more, as well.

[@brians7927]

Does it matter what kind of sand it is? Like would fuji beach sand work just as good as the Sahara desert sand?

[@artsymamanana]

White marble is cooling, I wonder if crushed white marble would work, and if there were some sort of tiny fan, such as a little solar fan blowing on it to speed up evaporation.

[@desertsun02]

hey there. both are interesting ideas. ✔

[@hot2warm]

Have you tried this with a liter of frozen bottled water as an "ice pack?"

[@jasonschulte8133]

I am an engineer. A domestic electric powered refrigerator cools down one enclosed space. Industrial cryogenic refrigerators that cool down several dozen degrees below zero are, as a bit of an simplification, a refrigerator in a refrigerator. In other words, one refrigerator cools down a refrigerated space to a temperature well below what the primary refrigerator can do. I wonder if a "pot in pot in pot in pot" system like this could cool it down more than 40 degrees. If the ambien temperature is 38 Celsius and you want to cool it down to 2 degree Celsius, could it be done?

[@lm2193]

works for dry weather country.

[@janvingst]

how about if you put 2 pots inside the 2 pot fridge - with a gap of air inbetween? i would think it cools even lover - but will probably take longer to cool down.

[@desertsun02]

hi. the extra insulation might help. it's worth trying 🙂✔

[@docink6175]

could this be used as an air cooler? Maybe drill holes around the bottoms of both pots for pvc pipes tp get air flow in and an exhaust fan on top or an intake tube from the lid that almost reaches the bottom

[@noneofyourbusiness2437]

So, what would happen if you put one of these inside an even larger one? Would it cool the smaller one even more? I mean obviously there has to be a limit, but as long as its hot enough for evaporation to take place couldn't you theoretically just keep making larger and larger pots or sealed brick chambers with layers of wet sand between them in order to fit the smaller pots until evaporation is slowed to the point of not making a difference anymore? Am I over thinking this? Probably. I just find it interesting to think about.

[@superfluidity]

You have to have airflow to keep the evaporative cooling going- if you have anything damp inside a sealed space then if it doesn't dry out eventually it will bring the humidity up to 100% and evaporation stops, and it doesn't cool any further. Then over time the temperature equalizes with whatever's outside of that space.

[@AndrewHelgeCox]

Since they are powered by evaporative cooling, is the inner chamber cooler if the pot is in sun rather than in shade?

[@MrRasZee]

thats a 20 degree centigrade temperature drop.. thats a lot

[@drmystique]

Appreciated the temperature statistics

[@J.Feliciano-FOREVER-JAM-N]

125 degrees out 😮, Where do you live? Get’n 110-115 up here in northern cal above the Bay Area and that’s hot enough

[@desertsun02]

hi. i'm in the desert southwest.

[@soinat9682]

you’re the coolest. my new fave page thank u so much

[@johnndavis7647]

I hope to experiment with this idea. I hope to get two pots big enough to hold a gallon glass jar. I hope to set the pots up on two layers of offset bricks. On the first layer of bricks lay a 12 volt fan horizontally. The fan is direct drive off of a 12 volt solar panel. The zeer pot sits on the upper layer of bricks. The theory is that the zeer pot stays in the shade and the solar panel stays in the sun. The hotter the sun gets the faster the fan runs. The fan will increase the rate of evaporation cooling the pots. I am also interested in finding out if there is any improvement in performance using salt instead of sand between the pots. Salt is hydoscopic. It pulls moisture Out of the air. What I want to do is set this close to my chicken coop. Put a cup of lime desolved into a gallon of water and put it in the gallon jar inside the cooler. I hope to store my excess eggs in this cooler. They should keep for up to a year in the lime water. Keeping them cool doesn't hurt either. In the markets in North Africa they Make a bigger cooler like this for storing vegetables. They set four or five plastic laundry baskets on a brick floor then they build a wall of bricks around the baskets. Then they build a second wall four inches away from the first wall and fill the void with sand. They wet the sand and the bricks and it does the same thing as the zeet pot.. They put an insulated lid over the cooler. These are built under thatched roof shelters to keep the sun off of them. If you have a lot of stuff to keep cool this might be a better way. Big pots aren't cheap. Bricks are sometimes free.

[@wompstopm123]

how the hell is it 125 degrees out? where do you live? mars?

[@stipeivancev5985]

lol mars cant have temperature higher then -100

[@wompstopm123]

Stipe Ivancev the hottest it got for me where i live this year is 115f but that was with 100% humidity and a uv index of maximum. so it really felt like 140f

[@jeffbeck9347]

Bro, I think blanketing the sides of the pot with a towel hinders the process of evaporation. The sides I think need to breathe to effectively draw out heat from the inside.

[@desertsun02]

hi. that is correct. i don't use blanket (towel) on the sides just the top. it holds in the cold and adds cold to the unit

[@Imhotep-the-7th]

Can i use this clay-pot to store milk & meat? also, how often should i reintroduce water to the sand between the pots?

[@desertsun02]

hi. yes, you can use it to store milk and meat. how much water it needs depends on how much evaporation occurs. the drier the air the more evaporation and the cooler it will be.

[@Imhotep-the-7th]

@@desertsun02 Thanks, i'll try it asap.. electricity bills are going insane!!

[@josephdupont]

why not use this technique to extend the ice life in an ice chest????

[@libragirl4471]

Yes I want to see some experiments trying variations of this. Get some old yard sale coolers and make a video

[@vixwolf2037]

A darker towel might be more effective because the white towel will be reflective; as a black towel should get hotter therefore evaporating at a quicker rate- but thats just a suggestion based on color science as black absorbs all wavelengths. Where as white reflects all wavelengths (except when it comes to paint that's a bit more complicated) Edit:typo

[@desertsun02]

hi there. i'm not sure. the towel might get hotter if it's dark and transfer some of that heat into the fridge? i'd be curious to know what others think.

[@ryanelliott4700]

Mohammed Bah Abba Nigerian invention won a Rolex Award for the Invention.

[@JohnDuPreez-r4z]

Oh bullshit man...this concept of evaporative cooling has been around forever....Your Nigerian buddy probably won the Rolex for coming up with the most innovative scam or for being the best drug pusher of the year.😂😂

[@somebody6048]

You should have made a lid that is the diameter of the most inner pot to cover the pot. And leave the surface area of the outer pots open so the water can evaporate, since it is suppose to be an evaporative cooler, to cool the inner pot and outer pot. And if you can line the lid with aluminum foil, it will keep the inner pot even cooler since the aluminum reflect the heat from outside from entering the inner chamber of the inner pot.

[@marlene-rr2ih]

Can I put canned food or food in glass jars in the Zeer? I have an extremely large clay pot that would take another large pot inside. Does it work as well with larger pots? Thank you.

[@desertsun02]

hi there. you should be able to put both canned food and food in glass jars in the Zeer. anything you can put in a regular refrigerator you can put in the zeer. it works great with large pots. 😎✔

[@240x9]

How much cooler it would be if it were put into the ground?

[@GASHUBOY]

+240X That's actually a great question. I guess we'd have to just try it since nobody in-the-know has answered.

[@michaelburgess413]

240X I buried a Styrofoam cooler in the ground at my Arizona home. ice stays ice for 3-4 days. It isn't cold beer cold, but it keeps my wine chilled well, even if it is 120 degrees out. I also keep the location shaded from the sun.

[@240x9]

Kick Ass I wondered if that would work any better!

[@braveheartlioness]

@@michaelburgess413 I'd love to know how to prevent the ice from melting to make it a perpetual freezer....I love everyone's input!

[@naleenidas8444]

I need this sort of cooler to keep my Amaryllis bulbs dormant for a couple of months. Did you say 40 deg fahrenheit it cools down to? That is 4.4 deg celcius! Does it really get that cool inside?

[@desertsun02]

hi. it won't get down to 40F (but it can drop the temp up to 40F)

[@mkmason2002]

Would it be better to keep the frig in a canning room where it's 60-65* ?

[@MrSmoothbanana]

+mkmason2002 it must be iin the sun , as the it works off the wet bulb temperature, air cools to a temp pf 40 degree F Reply ·

[@Hawtload]

you can cool things with water and air you can boil things with sun and a reflective surface

[@BloodTar]

If you have to have it outside, I would place it against the house on the north side and that way it'll never see any direct sunlight and you might get lower temperature readings. The best thing to do is to probably bury it up to an inch of the rim.

[@sandybarbee8401]

NO sun on the north side of your house ???? WHERE do you live ?????

[@BloodTar]

@@sandybarbee8401 In the United States the north side of your house gets the least amount of sun....especially during the winter months.

[@Braided_by_brit]

Wonder how we could do this on a large scale for an outside dog house.. would be great! Could connect it to a 5 gallon refillable water tank to keep the sand wet. 🤔

[@desertsun02]

one idea would be to make the dog house using some porous brick or brick material for the sides of the dog house. (make a double wall then put sand in between the walls. wet the sand occasionally. that's just a quick idea off the top of my head.

[@marlene-rr2ih]

When you bury the pot, don't insects eat the food inside?

[@desertsun02]

hi there. i don't bury the pots. i leave them out (so that the natural air currents can pass over the unit. the towel on top is a pretty good seal

[@rommelfcc]

Good video man, 👍😊 put the thermometer in the shade out of direct sunlight... Evacuated thermal tube heaters can get up to 300+ degrees Celsius... Larger the light collector area, that hight the temp... Keep the thermometer in the shade so you can test the air temperature not the sun thermal infrared temp output, which can be very high 😳 Oh or can invest in a laser thermometer...

[@colleenforrest7936]

It may sound counterintuitive, but would putting the clay pot in direct sunlight and cutting the towel shorter so it didn't cast large shadows over the pot make this work better? It's my understanding these pots work using evaporation cooling, so that means the faster it evoporates the faster it should cool? Would mean adding water more often. Would a clay saucer filled with wet sand over the top work better than the towel?

[@chrillemartinez5950]

Does it cool better if we add water more often?

[@superfluidity]

Sunlight only makes the water evaporate by heating it. The cooling effect of the evaporation can never be bigger than the heating effect of the thing that's driving it. So no, best to put it in the shade. But if you can put it in a breeze that will speed up the evaporation and help.

[@superfluidity]

​@@chrillemartinez5950 If any part of the surface dries out then that bit will stop providing cooling. So yes it will cool best if you add water often enough to keep the entire surface of both pots damp.

[@colleenforrest7936]

@@superfluidity next bit of wondering. If you put an appropriately sized mesh dew harvesters net set up in a in a cylinder shape to drip water into the dirt layer, could you eliminate or at least significantly reduce the amount of human time to add water to the pot?

[@superfluidity]

@@colleenforrest7936 Perhaps - but this fridge and mesh dew harvesters can't both work at the same time. The mesh harvesters only work in low temperature / high humidity conditions (relative humidity of more than 100%). The fridge only works in higher temperature / low humidity conditions. But maybe the dew harvesters could work in the cool night / morning and then you could use the water to run the fridge during the day. But I think you'd need very big dew harvesters to collect enough water to be useful.

[@uday20101]

How long does it keep the veggie fresh

[@desertsun02]

the average time is 3 to 5 days but that will vary based on the temps that you get.

[@alexanderrahl7034]

"Literally gets so hot in my yard the thermometer busted" Peak humanity right there. "Its inhospitable" "Nah, we'll make it work." 😂

[@hardythistle7334]

Interesting but it would only work in dry climates.

[@My_friend_is_ReaReaOnPaws]

What about trying it in the shade?

[@alf72632]

Do you change the sand often or no need?

[@desertsun02]

i've always used the same sand (i've never changed it)

[@cathys949]

You just need to keep it wet - it won't dissolve.

[@awardedaqua580]

Do you just put food inside there.

[@mannyalali2022]

How about using this to cool water for fog system

[@desertsun02]

maybe scale it up. I pictured one of those clay chimeneas (freestanding clay fireplaces) when I read this comment. might work?

[@erinlong1987]

Can you use this to cool the air in a room?

[@desertsun02]

hi. you'd have to scale it up ...but i can see possibilities

[@blackthornknives]

Excellent experiment

[@Fatima18-h9g]

أختراع مفيد❤

[@desertsun02]

hi. yes, for sure 👍

[@Heinrich99]

You should make a whole clay house with an inner clay layer with sand in between and have some kind of misting or water system for the center you would never need air conditioning.

[@desertsun02]

it could work.

[@reneelosie2644]

Put it in the shade with a lid on it then the towel.

[@mkmason2002]

Do you know if fine or coarse sand is more efficient?

[@fenderstratguy]

That's a great question. Seems like the moisture having more mobility through the medium is important, so I'm thinking possibly coarse is better? But that's only an uneducated guess.

[@malcolmburton2709]

Hey, I did not hear the sizes of the clay pots you used for this: can you provide it please?

[@OldMacDonaldsWife]

I think that you could probably just go with any size pot. As long as the outer pot is a size or two larger than the inner pot, you should be good.

[@amythinks]

125 degrees? Where the heck do you live?

[@emunahshalomselah5124]

Would potting soil work just as well?

[@thejoyofthelordismystrengt1695]

Could you imagine how much energy one could save if houses in dry hot areas were built like this.

[@edi9892]

Don't forget high ceilings and opposing windows that remove hot air...

[@TheAndroia]

In that extreme heat how often do you have to wet the towel? And can you actually cool more than a couple of grapes or a strawberry? The title says 'fridge', so I'm thinking a bottle of milk or water, or maybe a small package of meat?

[@TheAndroia]

Thanks for such a quick response. My grandsons and I will be experimenting with this over the weekend.

[@0909-p1v]

+Nidra Blades Dottir How did it go?

[@Creaserunner]

Can you Scale that up to a house?

[@desertsun02]

possibly. but a project of that size is beyond anything i'll do.

[@elektrap.9827]

How much water do you put?

[@desertsun02]

h. you should fully saturate the sand. it will depend on how much sand you use.

[@Sage_TheAmericanPitBullTerrier]

About how long will it stay 40 degrees cooler?

[@desertsun02]

hi. with the correct humidity and temp it will stay that cool consistently. you just have to keep the sand and towel moist.

[@mordys6305]

Viva las vegas! If you plant something in it, it should keep the soil cool yea?

[@adnel4142]

Pour a little sand then a little water till it reaches the top for total saturation

[@sarahhavillamelooliveira5825]

I'll be making one to store fruits and fresh watter in my room (where I live is pretty hot and a small fridge just for me would be a total waste)

[@sumanrao1739]

Will it work if we put soil/mud instead of sand (we cant get sand).

[@johnporter9034]

Well if need be and you have alot of time and accees to water. (Can be dirty river water you not going to drink it) you can separate sand (and clay) from your soil which i admit it works better in sandy areas for sand by socking the mud in the water until the dirt dissolves leaving behind rock and sand. But for sonething the size in this vidoe unless you live in a 40% sandy soil arar it going to take you a month to do so. Better to grind up sand stone.

[@cathys949]

You can usually buy a bag of sand at a builders supply store.

[@hassanraza-zc5rp]

I'll try this with my house mate.

[@cathys949]

Before AC in homes became common, in the dry desert areas they used "swamp cooler" units, that would be large panels of wet fiber with fans blowing on it, to cool by evaporation.

[@jeffpiper7430]

u forgot to mention best to use unfired pots as then the clay will soak some of the water in m on a mates property back in the mid 80s we used a single pot with a lid sitting on a saucer we kept filled with water .. lol we got use to boiling up green meat for dinner

[@davidfine9323]

What happened to your lid?they don't use towels in India to cover them....use a clay lid

[@MoMo-bq6yz]

I'm thinking of making an underground ice test.

[@ryanbrownnew]

would it work with wooden boxes?

[@elarcadenoah9000]

instead of sand?

[@ryanbrownnew]

@@elarcadenoah9000 nested boxes with sand inbetween

[@elarcadenoah9000]

@@ryanbrownnew wood will work but it doesnt have long period life in wather and u must seal all corners so you dont damage vegetables

[@Mounia_MJD]

Hi again! another idea I saw it in other video, that we make a hole large in the soil and put inside in the hole a pot, without any pot inside ! After put a little bit of water in the corner, Time to time ;) By by.

[@demeteriorico3963]

thank you for posting you are a blessing.

[@israalbarahmeh1298]

You forgot to put more salt that is the secret for a cooler pot and to dug a not to deep hole ablut 3 feet in your yard and put it inside with the towel and that will be very cool

[@Hawtload]

living in AZ like: "it got so hot the thermometer exploded like in Looney Toons"