Smittolis
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2017
***As photobucket has prevented any element of free 3rd party hosting, I opened up a facebook page for all of my write ups and videos, so feel free to look through the information below while i come up with a hosting solution, but in the mean time check out my facebook page for write ups and pictures of this and other Disney things on my page:
https://www.facebook.com/TheGizmodi/
Smittolis.
Ladies and Gentlemen, it's been in the works so here it is!......
For those that may not have seen my previous thread, this is an 'evaporative' cooling system that helps keep kids cool when in the heat. It's a very simply process that relies upon the transfer of heat using ice and the movement of air.
My original design was utilizing a cylindrical gallon cooler (just because i had one laying around i didn't need) and i hung it off the back of the stroller handle bars. It worked great! The kids really appreciated the cooling air when they were hot and tired, especially when sleeping and at times when there were low breezes around the parks. I wanted to see if I could combine some additional functionality and use a larger cool box / bag that could store drinks, snacks etc.. as well as the ice to create the cooling effect. I searched and searched for something that would be slim enough to either hang from the handle bar, fit under the stroller in the basket, or would attach to the back of the stroller's frame without being a hinderance to walking / storage. I checked out a million things online and went to every local store i could think of to check out their options. Randomly, i saw a youtube video about a 'Rubermaid' 'Slim cooler that was placed on the back of an ATV so i began to look into it. To my surprise, i had never seen one! It was a little bigger than I was ideally looking for, but after checking over the dimensions and figuring out a method to mount it a little lower it was worth a shot! I also didn't want to purchase a cooler for $50+ only to drill holes all over it!
The rubbermaid slim cooler was $24 shipped from amazon on a special (regular $33)
https://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-B...F8&qid=1489872573&sr=8-1&keywords=slim+cooler
The idea was to use a 'slim' cooler / ice box that would increase the volume of ice and ability to carry food, but do so without being too cumbersome. I was pleased to see the 'Slim cooler' was perfect! I first removed the 2 lids and set about creating an insert made from the same insulation foam as my first ($4 from Home Depot), i cut out 2 holes for the hand held fans and then 2 more for the air hoses then wrapped it in the same insulation foil tape to aid its resistance to moisture as well as create more strength. You can see the insert here along with all the other parts:
Rubbermaid Slim Cooler ($24 shipped prime amazon)
Custom cut insulation foam insert wrapped in foil tape, ($6, but i already had it)
2 x personal handheld fans (amazon $9 each, already had them)
1 x CPAP medical grade air hose (6ft, free!... $8 from amazon if you need to buy)
Here is the insert within the cooler:
Insert with hoses and fans attached:
The addition of an extra fan and a larger volume allowed for a much higher pressure of air to be pushed through the air hose. I also decreased the diameter of the air hoses by over 50% to make it easier to mount through the stroller gaps, this also helped with a little bit of pressure for a more perceived 'blow' effect. It also allowed me to use both fans at the same time on low or medium to prolong the use of the 'AC Unit' instead of having to place it on high which drastically reduces the batteries life.
Now that the actual cooling unit had been designed and conceptually built, it was now all about how to mount the cooler to the stroller. I had a number of thoughts...
Epoxy bond on some simple 'U' style brackets to the cooler and have them 'hook' onto the stroller frame. Drill some mounting brackets through the top of the cooler (wouldn't effect waterproofness of the cooler as it would be so high and always kept upright), make some custom wooden 'hook' style mounts to rest the cooler on. They all had their pro's and con's, but i wanted to try something simple... simple is almost always better! lol.. So i went to home depot for some inspiration and ended up picking up some Zinc coated flat steel for $4.18 (36 inches). I figured i was going to need around 16 inches or so to bend the metal around the top stroller strut and have enough 'slack' to bend out a support at the other end for the cooler to rest on. I had them cut it in half there to make life easy for me. I then used a combination of brute force, some very therapeutic hammer blows! and precise bending ;o) to create a very simple S/Z style hook / brackets...
I didn't take into account the angle of the cross strut so i will have to 'twist' the top mounting hook, but they hang very well! I put a little gorilla tape on the underside of the mounting hook during mock up to prevent any scratching. The brackets are really strong and will more than hold the cooler when it is full (i did some load testing with various things in the cooler to simulate being full of ice and drinks). To provide overall stability I used one 'flat' 48 inch bungie cord from Home Depot (no i am not sponsored by them i promise!) that cost $2.47. I attached it to the central post in the middle of the stroller then ran it around the outside of the stroller frame and cooler then back onto the same central post. It provides great stability and prevents it from rattling around even when empty.
Here is the cooler attached and mounted with the insert placed inside and the fans on top. This gives an idea as to clearance from the seats. (randomly, the fans fit perfectly inside with a solid 'pressure fit' between the walls of the cooler so no real mounting solution needs to be made here!)
Here is a side view to show the clearance from the seats and the floor / wheels:
And once again here is it all mocked up:
The brackets are currently drying after their first coat of 'plastic-dip' rubber style paint, the hoses run up the center of the stroller and out via the central hole by the main hinge. I am still working on a final placement of the hoses within the stroller, i am leaning towards attaching close to the canopy with some velcro but still playing around with it. The hoses will also be insulated using some old 'fleece' we have laying around thanks to the helpful input of a fellow forum member.
As I said in my previous build, it may be a little OTT for some, but it gives me a way to keep my brain in shape and the kids sure do appreciate it when we are there!
Definitely open to suggestions and improvements!
Enjoy!
https://www.facebook.com/TheGizmodi/
Smittolis.
Ladies and Gentlemen, it's been in the works so here it is!......
For those that may not have seen my previous thread, this is an 'evaporative' cooling system that helps keep kids cool when in the heat. It's a very simply process that relies upon the transfer of heat using ice and the movement of air.
My original design was utilizing a cylindrical gallon cooler (just because i had one laying around i didn't need) and i hung it off the back of the stroller handle bars. It worked great! The kids really appreciated the cooling air when they were hot and tired, especially when sleeping and at times when there were low breezes around the parks. I wanted to see if I could combine some additional functionality and use a larger cool box / bag that could store drinks, snacks etc.. as well as the ice to create the cooling effect. I searched and searched for something that would be slim enough to either hang from the handle bar, fit under the stroller in the basket, or would attach to the back of the stroller's frame without being a hinderance to walking / storage. I checked out a million things online and went to every local store i could think of to check out their options. Randomly, i saw a youtube video about a 'Rubermaid' 'Slim cooler that was placed on the back of an ATV so i began to look into it. To my surprise, i had never seen one! It was a little bigger than I was ideally looking for, but after checking over the dimensions and figuring out a method to mount it a little lower it was worth a shot! I also didn't want to purchase a cooler for $50+ only to drill holes all over it!
The rubbermaid slim cooler was $24 shipped from amazon on a special (regular $33)
https://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-B...F8&qid=1489872573&sr=8-1&keywords=slim+cooler
The idea was to use a 'slim' cooler / ice box that would increase the volume of ice and ability to carry food, but do so without being too cumbersome. I was pleased to see the 'Slim cooler' was perfect! I first removed the 2 lids and set about creating an insert made from the same insulation foam as my first ($4 from Home Depot), i cut out 2 holes for the hand held fans and then 2 more for the air hoses then wrapped it in the same insulation foil tape to aid its resistance to moisture as well as create more strength. You can see the insert here along with all the other parts:
Rubbermaid Slim Cooler ($24 shipped prime amazon)
Custom cut insulation foam insert wrapped in foil tape, ($6, but i already had it)
2 x personal handheld fans (amazon $9 each, already had them)
1 x CPAP medical grade air hose (6ft, free!... $8 from amazon if you need to buy)
Here is the insert within the cooler:
Insert with hoses and fans attached:
The addition of an extra fan and a larger volume allowed for a much higher pressure of air to be pushed through the air hose. I also decreased the diameter of the air hoses by over 50% to make it easier to mount through the stroller gaps, this also helped with a little bit of pressure for a more perceived 'blow' effect. It also allowed me to use both fans at the same time on low or medium to prolong the use of the 'AC Unit' instead of having to place it on high which drastically reduces the batteries life.
Now that the actual cooling unit had been designed and conceptually built, it was now all about how to mount the cooler to the stroller. I had a number of thoughts...
Epoxy bond on some simple 'U' style brackets to the cooler and have them 'hook' onto the stroller frame. Drill some mounting brackets through the top of the cooler (wouldn't effect waterproofness of the cooler as it would be so high and always kept upright), make some custom wooden 'hook' style mounts to rest the cooler on. They all had their pro's and con's, but i wanted to try something simple... simple is almost always better! lol.. So i went to home depot for some inspiration and ended up picking up some Zinc coated flat steel for $4.18 (36 inches). I figured i was going to need around 16 inches or so to bend the metal around the top stroller strut and have enough 'slack' to bend out a support at the other end for the cooler to rest on. I had them cut it in half there to make life easy for me. I then used a combination of brute force, some very therapeutic hammer blows! and precise bending ;o) to create a very simple S/Z style hook / brackets...
I didn't take into account the angle of the cross strut so i will have to 'twist' the top mounting hook, but they hang very well! I put a little gorilla tape on the underside of the mounting hook during mock up to prevent any scratching. The brackets are really strong and will more than hold the cooler when it is full (i did some load testing with various things in the cooler to simulate being full of ice and drinks). To provide overall stability I used one 'flat' 48 inch bungie cord from Home Depot (no i am not sponsored by them i promise!) that cost $2.47. I attached it to the central post in the middle of the stroller then ran it around the outside of the stroller frame and cooler then back onto the same central post. It provides great stability and prevents it from rattling around even when empty.
Here is the cooler attached and mounted with the insert placed inside and the fans on top. This gives an idea as to clearance from the seats. (randomly, the fans fit perfectly inside with a solid 'pressure fit' between the walls of the cooler so no real mounting solution needs to be made here!)
Here is a side view to show the clearance from the seats and the floor / wheels:
And once again here is it all mocked up:
The brackets are currently drying after their first coat of 'plastic-dip' rubber style paint, the hoses run up the center of the stroller and out via the central hole by the main hinge. I am still working on a final placement of the hoses within the stroller, i am leaning towards attaching close to the canopy with some velcro but still playing around with it. The hoses will also be insulated using some old 'fleece' we have laying around thanks to the helpful input of a fellow forum member.
As I said in my previous build, it may be a little OTT for some, but it gives me a way to keep my brain in shape and the kids sure do appreciate it when we are there!
Definitely open to suggestions and improvements!
Enjoy!
Last edited:
look forward to seeing your finished product (and not just reading about it 
