Hobo Jungle

[webenda]

You are up early Jon (0621 HRS.) I was still snoring.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Happy Birthday, Jon!

Got the entire class singing for you!



While your out and about, see if you can spot any UFO's - here's a handy identification chart for you to use:

[jw_clarke54]

Happy Birthday Jon. Hydrate often and constantly James

[jw_clarke54]

Wayne-question-what is that on the top of your roof??or is it miltary secrets??? James sc??

[Berk765]

Rufus...

[webenda]

James,

Swamp Cooler.jpg (99.35 KiB) Viewed 1753 times

Pipe is to exit exhaust gases from house heater above the box on stilts because the box sucks huge volumes of air into the house and we want no CO2 brought in with the air.

The box on stilts is a Swamp Cooler. It has water in the bottom (the swamp) and a water pump to pump the water over aspen pads in the sides of the box.
In the center is a squirrel cage to blow air into the house. Air being pulled through the pads, at first, takes any water molecules hot enough to leave the water (those at 212 deg F or hotter) and be blows them into the house. The remaining water molecules fall off the bottom of the pads and into the swamp. This leaves only cold water in the swamp. After a few minutes of operation the swamp water measures 60 deg F. Now the air being sucked through the pads makes its way through the aspen pads (a very tortuous path) losing its heat to the cold water. When the outside temperature is 100 deg F, air coming out of the cooler measures about 65 deg F. This particular cooler is rated 6000 cubic feet per minute. It cools the house in a hurry.

The reason it is on stilts is because cold air is heavier than hot air. The column between the cooler and roof is full of heavy cold air, which falls into the house without having to run the squirrel cage, giving us cold air for free (almost, the little water pump still has to run.)

Reference: http://swampcoolersonline.com/Products/ ... /TC571.htm

[rogruth]

I remember those from my Arizona trips.

For anybody as slow as me,it's a desert air conditioner.And it works.
I saw them on all types of buildings including gyms.

[HONDO74]

The reason those swamp coolers work out west is because of the lack of humidity in the air. Try to run one in this part of the country and you would think you were in a shower all the time.
Robert

[webenda]

Robert,

You are so right!

Here is a chart of swamp cooler temperature for different outdoor relative humidity values:

Swamp Cooler in Wasshington DC.png (9.02 KiB) Viewed 1740 times

Keep in mind all that air passing through water saturated aspen pads picks up a lot of water. Most of our hot months in Tucson have relative humidity of 10 to 15% outside. Inside a house cooled by swamp cooler the humidity is about 50%. I don't know why, but during our summer rainstorms here in Tucson, the indoor temperature and humidity numbers are almost the same. When this happens, we either turn the swamp cooler off and sit in front of a fan (dreaming about installing refrigeration on the house), escape to the swimming pool if we have one, or escape to the shopping malls.

I am guessing a swamp cooler would produce the same result in Washington, DC. If you used a swamp cooler in Washington, DC, on a 100 deg F, 75% RH day, the cooler would output air at a temperature of 97 deg F and 97% relative humidity.

Reference: http://www.sugartech.co.za/psychro/index.php

P.S. I was going to show the effect of altitude but the temperature difference between sea level and my altitude got lost in rounding.

[2railjon]

Wayne's World!!!!!!!

[webenda]

Nice photo of two (Opuntia santa-rita) Jon.

The internet claims Purple Prickly Pear (Opuntia santa-rita) can get 4 feet tall by 5 feet wide. In my back yard stands one 12 feet tall by 14 feet wide.

12 Feet Tall:


Bloom:

[Rufus T. Firefly]

I have 2 (currently...) Opuntia brasiliensis, one of which is now 30 years old. I grew the 1st one from a single leaf cutting and I keep it at ~8 feet tall while the 2nd is only about 6 feet tall. They winter just inside the front door - guard cacti. They will go outside this Sat. and become porch entrance guard cacti for the next 5+ months.

[2railjon]

you won that one Wayne, but you can't beat my sock monkey cactus!!!!!

[webenda]

Opuntia brasiliensis, ...I keep it at ~8 feet tall

Opuntia brasiliensis (Brazil Cactus) can reach 66 feet (20 meters) height. That beats our 50 foot Carnegiea gigantea (Saguaro)

Reference: http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/ ... rasil.html

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Opuntia brasiliensis, ...I keep it at ~8 feet tall

Opuntia brasiliensis (Brazil Cactus) can reach 66 feet (20 meters) height. That beats our 50 foot Carnegiea gigantea (Saguaro)

Reference: http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/ ... rasil.html

Yes, I end up pruning off 2-3' off every Fall when they come in for the winter. They grow like weeds in the DC area humidity.

I just wish I could get them to bloom.