Remember when I said something about clay pot refrigerators in the last post? Let's go over them now. I'm going to tell you how these are made, what makes them work, and then share a couple links to articles and videos about them. I don't think these would be good for anything more than storing fresh produce or maybe for cooling drinks, but being able to lengthen the fresh state of fruits and vegetables alone makes it pretty handy. I don't currently have one, but as long as I can make my way through my to-do list, I should have one in the near future that I can share progress, updates, and notes about. Let's get started.
You'll need:
1 large clay or terracotta pot (one with no holes in the bottom, or you'll need to close them)
1 smaller clay or terracotta pot (again, no holes)
Sand
Water
1 Towel
What to do:
*When you choose your pots, make sure that the smaller one will fit inside the large one. There will need to be a couple centimeters of space in between the pots.
*Place enough sand in the base of the large pot so that when the smaller one is set inside, the tops of both pots are level.
*Fill the area in between the small and large pots with sand, making sure to fill it all the way to the top.
*Pour cool water into the sand, giving it plenty of time to absorb. Gradually add water until the sand can't hold any more, being careful not to overflow it into the smaller pot.
*After your clay pot fridge is set up, wet your towel in cool water, squeeze out as much of the excess water as you can, and lay it across the top so it can start cooling your 'fridge' down.
*Check the temperature inside with either a thermometer, or just your hand, until it cools down. After it cools, you're ready to put in your fresh produce or whatever else you decide to keep inside.
This clay 'fridge' works through evaporation. As the water is evaporated from the sand, it pulls the heat from the inner pot with it.. kind of like when your body sweats and you feel cooler. If you keep the pot in a dry climate and allow it to have the complete outter surface ventilated, without sticking it in some corner where the surface is blocked from air flow or anything, it'll work best. If it's in a humid climate, the pots won't cool so easily either, so sticking it in a root cellar or something is also a no go.
Like I mentioned, I don't know that this would be good for anything other than produce or drinks, but if the temperature was monitored and found to be stable at fridge-like temperatures, I don't see why other things couldn't be stored in it. The sand will need to be checked a couple times a day to make sure it keeps the moisture needed to work.
If you want to see how one is made and watch temperature checks on half-hour intervals, you may want to watch
Zeer Pot Fridge: Cool your food or drinks with no electric needed
You can also check out MixCatCom's channel for more DIY videos
If you're interested in reading more about these, you can click through these links:
Off-Grid SHTF Survival: Ancient Technology For Refrigeration
Zeer Pot Fridge
There's a lot of articles and videos on these, but nothing really covers anything new or different from everyone else's content. It's all a very basic concept.
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