Tag: frankencooler
The Right Components
Anyone who’s personally seen or built a Frankencooler knows how well this design works. Building one isn’t that difficult, but the ease of building and the ultimate effectiveness of the cooler can vary significantly depending on the components chosen. Cheap blowers that pull high amps will quickly deplete a battery. A motor controller that’s rated too low for the total load won’t last. The majority of marine pumps are bad choices for battery power. Most common-shaped heat exchangers are a pain to mount and difficult to seal. Choosing the right ice chest can by itself easily halve the time it takes to build a Frankencooler.
For over four years I have continuously tried new components in an effort to find the best mix of performance, ease of installation, and cost (you should see my inventory of stuff that didn’t cut it). Thanks to new wholesale accounts and large-scale purchasing, I am pleased to announce that I am now able to offer $$$ high quality, squared, easy-to-mount heat exchangers with threaded. solid brass 90-degree swivel fittings in all of my major component packages at no additional cost. In addition, I am now including intake heat exchangers like the one featured in my grey and orange ‘Ultimate Frankencooler’ in place of the large and cumbersome automotive heater core units : )
To kick off the summer, I have also re-instituted free UPS shipping for all component packages.
Thanks to everyone who has built their own Frankencooler and spread the word that these hideous looking contraptions outperform every other ice-fueled cooler on the planet, regardless of cost. Your word-of-mouth has made Frankencooler a success, and I sincerely appreciate it.
Extreme Temperature Test
Testing my ice chest air conditioner on a hot, humid day over a period of 7 hours.
Notes: The cooler was holding 35 lbs of ice and one gallon of water.
The actual outdoor temperature in the shade according to my infrared thermometer was 105 degrees (temp sensor under intake grill was in direct sun for a period, indicating 111). Humidity was 70% average.
The cooler was not moved or opened during the test. The camera was removed from the tripod and brought inside between takes.
Ultimate Frankencooler
But does spending twice as much money equate to dramatically better performance?
At least as far as the radiators go, not really. My original design’s lightweight and affordable components cool nearly the same for many hundreds of dollars less.
Nevertheless, this cooler incorporates some significant improvements and my Frankencooler Build Plans have been updated to reflect some of these changes.