Cooling devices attached to drivers window
rob53 - April 9th, 2007 at 10:29 AM
Yesterday at the nationals, I noticed a few cars that have these large cylinder shaped things attached to the drivers window. I gather they are some
sort of cooling device.
What exactly are they?
Thanks
Rob
hellbugged - April 9th, 2007 at 10:38 AM
"swamp coolers"..........they use water evaporation to chill the air channelled into the cab
Dasdubber - April 9th, 2007 at 10:40 AM
They are called "swamp coolers" - very early version of air conditioning whereby cold/ice water was used to cool the air as it flowed through the
device and into the cabin.
I've never had one so others may elaborate on this basic description!
Alan
rob53 - April 9th, 2007 at 03:43 PM
Thanks for the info! 
baybuscamperkid - April 9th, 2007 at 03:53 PM
would love to get some specs on the inside of these, considering remanufacturing them in fibreglass as i would love one for my amazon.
Bizarre - April 9th, 2007 at 04:06 PM
Works on Evaportaive Cooling principle
From Wiki:-
Evaporative cooling is a physical phenomenon in which evaporation of a liquid, typically into surrounding air, cools an object or a liquid in contact
with it. Latent heat describes the amount of heat that is needed to evaporate the liquid; this heat comes from the liquid itself and the surrounding
gas and surfaces. When considering water evaporating into air, the wet bulb temperature, as compared to the air's dry bulb temperature, is a measure
of the potential for evaporative cooling. The greater the difference between the two temperatures, the greater the evaporative cooling effect. When
the temperatures are the same, no net evaporation of water in air occurs, thus there is no cooling effect.
Design Conditions for various towns are
Sydney 32 dry bulb 24 wet bulb
Brisbane 32 dry 26 wet
Melbourne 38 dry 23? wet
Broken Hill 38 dry 22 wet
So - great in broken Hill, rubbish in Townsville
Like throwing a bucket of water in your car every couple of hours.
aussiebaja - April 9th, 2007 at 05:57 PM
its a wonder the cops dont try too book people having them out there window
warb - April 9th, 2007 at 06:15 PM
nah, well, pigs will try anything...
how about "sir there is dead rat in your thermador"...
avwboy - April 9th, 2007 at 06:16 PM
| Quote: |
Originally
posted by stacy b
its a wonder the cops dont try too book people having them out there window
|
funny enough i got pulled over on the way home from the nats
got let off with a warning as i was literally in my street and promised to remove it , they said it was an "obstruction that could injure a
pedestrian "
didnt phase me as they didnt even mention the ride height ......
twoguns - April 9th, 2007 at 06:24 PM
| Quote: |
Originally
posted by avwboy
| Quote: | Originally
posted by stacy b
its a wonder the cops dont try too book people having them out there window
|
funny enough i got pulled over on the way home from the nats
got let off with a warning as i was literally in my street and promised to remove it , they said it was an "obstruction that could injure a
pedestrian "
didnt phase me as they didnt even mention the ride height ......
|
there is no way that they could fine you for that. it is a period accessory available for that era. so not relelvant to the above ruling. that is for
cars post a certain age or non factory/option accessories.
i had a young police man trying to fine me for my tacho that was on the dash of my splitty... didnt get very far with that one either.
empi - April 10th, 2007 at 10:55 AM
| Quote: |
Originally
posted by Dasdubber
They are called "swamp coolers" - very early version of air conditioning whereby cold/ice water was used to cool the air as it flowed through the
device and into the cabin.
I've never had one so others may elaborate on this basic description!
Alan
|
thats pretty much it ,
baybuscamperkid - April 10th, 2007 at 11:27 AM
| Quote: |
Originally
posted by twoguns
| Quote: | Originally
posted by avwboy
| Quote: | Originally
posted by stacy b
its a wonder the cops dont try too book people having them out there window
|
funny enough i got pulled over on the way home from the nats
got let off with a warning as i was literally in my street and promised to remove it , they said it was an "obstruction that could injure a
pedestrian "
didnt phase me as they didnt even mention the ride height ......
|
there is no way that they could fine you for that. it is a period accessory available for that era. so not relelvant to the above ruling. that is for
cars post a certain age or non factory/option accessories.
i had a young police man trying to fine me for my tacho that was on the dash of my splitty... didnt get very far with that one either.
|
thats a bit so-so though, theres nothing to say that they were legal when they were new, you can buy anything you like from an auto shop today, legal
or not, most shops sell illegal headlamps, perfectly legal for them to sell them, but illegal to fit to a car, brilliant laws hey? so unless there
werent laws about such obstructions when the car was new... then again it isnt any worse then a bollbar or sidestep or something overhanging a
roofrack, and because of how curved beetles are it may not even really stick out wider then the mudguards.
pete wood - April 10th, 2007 at 12:47 PM
| Quote: |
Originally
posted by avwboy
didnt phase me as they didnt even mention the ride height ......
|
rotf lol.... 
that's classic.
BTW, I bet half the factory headlamp protectors and bullbars they sell are sus these days. even cop cars are not legal. the screen and switches they
put in for radios and lights/sirens are not compliant with ADRs, so I think it's rather hypocritical that they can pick on you for a swamp cooler. If
I was fining your for the swamp cooler it would be for having a device that blows cold air on your right ear and distracts you. 
BenettonVW - April 10th, 2007 at 08:24 PM
I drive about a block at the maximum. I just put em on when I get there, and then the best bit... watching peoples reaction and intrigue..
avwboy - April 10th, 2007 at 10:09 PM
if i throw it on i normally do it before an event and leave it on there and back
valla last yr i didnt fit it till i was near the park , but i left it on all weekend and didnt take it off till i got back home to sydney
twice on the way home i noticed in the corner of my eye a blue and red travelling next to me matching my speed , i tried to just pretend i didnt see
them and didnt turn my head lol
both times they stayed with me for over 2 mins , and both times (lucky for me) i came to long inclines on the highway ......so i just let the car slow
down to around 60 each time as tho it was ultra gutless..... and after alittle while doing 60 they just took off 
PHAT BUG - April 10th, 2007 at 10:31 PM
I've been pulled over a few times but only to have a look at the swampy and the car, never anything negative.
filbury - April 11th, 2007 at 10:30 PM
i may be wrong but as they were never sold here, they cannot be a period accessory in aus. also being that they were made for left hand drive
vehicles, by putting them on a right hand drive vehicle can interfere with drivers line of sight and be deemed a hazard, Phil