Water pools to keep cool ( no A/C )
 

I saw an interesting show on the History Channel a while back.
It turns out that several hundred years ago in India, architects had designed palaces with pools built in such a way that (warm) breezes would circulate around the pool and blow cooled moist air through vents into the chambers that the king lived in.

Is anyone more familiar with this ? If I had a house, I would try something similar.

I wonder if placing a small water trough in front of my windows would have the same effect ? Probably not. It would most likely just bring in humidity ... or attract mosquitoes !:p

Cd -

Get some mosquito fish and call it a fish-pond.

Sounds like a passive swamp cooler. It's effectiveness would be a function of how humid it already is where you live.

CarloSW2

Isn't India usually close to 80% Humid all the time anyway?

Christ -

Yeah, I'm just saying the standard-issue answer for humidty.

In India, especially at that time, the king would have been "acclimated" to hotter, sweatier temps, so the degree of efficiency wouldn't necessarily need to be as good as what we are accustomed to with A/C units.

I think this solution implies a need for lots of (flat?) acreage for the pool. You would need to fabricate a shading device to shade the pool. You could use a solar panel to run a fan to create the breeze at will.

CarloSW2

I'd have to yield then. Much cheaper/easier to install "Earth Pipes", which blow fresh air through a pipe that brings it up/down to sub-earth temp, then blows it into the home through a HEPA filter. (~55*F)

No, not ALWAYS. The North is typically humid only in the Monsoon months - June to September. The summer and winter are very dry and extreme (well, winter by our standards...). Summers can reach ~115-120 deg F, and winters down to 35-40 deg F.

The most famous water channel example is Nahr-i-Behisht, from the Royal Palace of Red Fort, Delhi. Visit the link, its interesting.

Hummingbird, thank you for your response, and the link.

I have a great appreciation for Indian architecture.
After seeing the examples of the water channels and their function, I now have an even greater appreciation !

Thank you

A good way to keep cool with no a/c is to use a high capacity dehumidifier which can treat a large or small area. Removing the humidity and using a fan can make rooms more comfortable. Dehumidifiers consume about 650 watts. Also you can recycle the water extracted and use it in garden or plants.

When I first read this title, I thought about hopping into a kiddie pool to cool off and then coming in and standing in front of a fan. That keeps me pretty cool. :)

:D A spray bottle works much better - that or a wet T-Shirt.

Ladies ... any volunteers ?