The Red Shed Project: Surviving the heat

Hello to all my faithful followers ( which is exactly one LOL Thanks Lisa 👍). Welcome back to the The Red Shed! It has been awhile since my last post. Busy, busy, busy. I thought I would catch my readers up on life in The Red Shed.

Originally I had planned on doing some posts on my solar array, rechargeable batteries and chargers but as the heat is on the top of the priority list I will catch you all up on that topic.

When I moved in The Red Shed late last September 2019, staying cool wasn’t a problem. I did have the foresight to plan for this summer. Some of you may have heard of a ‘swamp cooler’ and that is the option I chose for my air conditioning.

I work in a food distribution warehouse and was able to utilize a lot of resources there. We sometimes get sample products shipped to us in Styrofoam coolers packed in dry ice. I scavenged a few that were to be thrown away as they are one time use only.

We distribute both dry goods and frozen so an unlimited supply of free ice is not a problem. I have a few gallon jugs and two liter bottles that I saved that I use as my ice bank. The two liter bottles were actually scavenged on site from a fellow coworker; Jerry Hill. He never buys anything less than a two liter because he says “Why pay for a 20 oz when you can get a 2 liter for almost the same price?” He drinks about one a day so it did not take long to acquire the bottles and jugs I needed.

Everyday I pack them up and carry them to work and place them in our freezer, bring them home in the morning and stock my ‘swamp cooler’ with them. I have to admit it is a chore but lately my mantra is “do what you can with what you have.” It is a prototype and I intend to build a better one later. If you are looking for ideas on swamp coolers I suggest checking out Pinterest.

The following pictures will give you an idea of my set up. You will see my cat Sage or as I affectionately refer to her as ‘Bun Bun’ giving it her approval. She stays in the big house while I am at work.

If you all get a chance PLEASE check out a fellow blogger at Our eyes open for some great content and breath taking pictures. Come back soon!