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One thing I've always wanted on my XS11 was chilled water. Many times I rode thirsty for miles because there was no convient place to stop. In the old days I carried a canteen but now 90 degree water just doesn't have the same appeal. Hmmm - Did it ever ? I can't remember. Anyway 5 weeks ago I was up for a challenging project and decided to take this problem on.
The design parameters were simple.
1 Must be able to drink with a full face helmet while underway.
2 Delivery tube must retract.
3 Must not consume more than 4 amps.
4 Must have good capacity.
5 Must have pump fed delivery.
After much experimentation here's how I got there. I eased into the project with something simple to start, the reservoir. This consist of a Cammelback 70 oz. replacement reservoir. I made an insulated cover for it from an old wet-suit top and then a vinyl bag to slip it into to protect the insulation from chafe inside the fairing. Next down the line after a short length of tubing is a restrictor to match the pump output with a comfortable drinking pace. It's simply a brass fitting made from round stock and drilled out to 11/64". After that comes a short length of tubing and then a quick disconnect. This disconnect has valves built into both parts to prevent water leakage when disconnected. All the plumbing was done with food safe 5/16" ID vinyl tubing and insulated with 3/8" thick non-slit Buna-N/PVC elastomeric foam rubber 1/2" ID. The pump comes next. I was able to get a nice unit from West Marine as a replacement part for an electric sink kit. The fittings where sized for the tubing I'm using and it was a sturdy compact unit that runs on 12v. I wrapped the pump with pipe insulation to protect it and keep it from rattling in the fairing. Output from the pump goes into the chiller. This was the most challenging part of the project. To get decent performance the heatsink, thermo-electric module and insulation had to work together. There were a number of revisions until the final design. I initially tried to run without vents in the fairing but heat build up killed the efficiency of the chiller. After adding a fan and two vents things were back on track. The main body of the chiller is 1 1/2" x 10" copper pipe. This goes through aluminum round stock where an adaptor plate and the thermo-electric module are mounted. A 1 1/2" brass plug in the end has taps for IN, OUT, and TEMPERATURE PROBE. A dash mounted indoor-outdoor thermometer keeps track of water temp. The chiller has about an inch of insulation all around and it too is covered in vinyl with a drawstring closure on the hook-up end. From the chiller flow goes to the reel. Although not technically difficult this part was time consuming. The retract spring for the reel came from a seat belt retract mechanism. The hose and bite valve came with the Cammelback reservoir and were relocated on the reel. Most of the reel parts are 3/32" aluminum. A few custom brass fittings had to be made as I couldn't find anything off the shelf to work directly. The system in operation consumes just under 4 amps. To keep power demands within reason when the 1.2A pump is activated (by handlebar button) a relay shuts down the chiller until drinking is done. The chiller holds around 8 oz. of water. On an average summer day - 88º, water temp inside the chiller will drop 20º in a half hour and 30º in about an hour. On the day I tested the system (88º) the chiller temp bottomed out at 41º after 75 min., 47º below ambient temperature. By contrast the first design I tested (without fairing vents and fan) was lucky to get down to 58 degrees. I've been out on the road with it about a week now and it's been great. I don't usually run the system around town but I'm spoiled now and wouldn't want to be without it on those 5 - 9 hr. rides.
Now I know some are going to say, "Man thats complicated why didn't the idiot just use ice! ". All I can say is where's the sport in that :-). This project for me although frustrating at times was a lot of fun. One thing I have to remind myself when problems crop up is, the project is only a failure when you give up on it. I hope you've enjoyed reading this and it starts the creative juices flowing for your own projects.
-Mike
The design parameters were simple.
1 Must be able to drink with a full face helmet while underway.
2 Delivery tube must retract.
3 Must not consume more than 4 amps.
4 Must have good capacity.
5 Must have pump fed delivery.
After much experimentation here's how I got there. I eased into the project with something simple to start, the reservoir. This consist of a Cammelback 70 oz. replacement reservoir. I made an insulated cover for it from an old wet-suit top and then a vinyl bag to slip it into to protect the insulation from chafe inside the fairing. Next down the line after a short length of tubing is a restrictor to match the pump output with a comfortable drinking pace. It's simply a brass fitting made from round stock and drilled out to 11/64". After that comes a short length of tubing and then a quick disconnect. This disconnect has valves built into both parts to prevent water leakage when disconnected. All the plumbing was done with food safe 5/16" ID vinyl tubing and insulated with 3/8" thick non-slit Buna-N/PVC elastomeric foam rubber 1/2" ID. The pump comes next. I was able to get a nice unit from West Marine as a replacement part for an electric sink kit. The fittings where sized for the tubing I'm using and it was a sturdy compact unit that runs on 12v. I wrapped the pump with pipe insulation to protect it and keep it from rattling in the fairing. Output from the pump goes into the chiller. This was the most challenging part of the project. To get decent performance the heatsink, thermo-electric module and insulation had to work together. There were a number of revisions until the final design. I initially tried to run without vents in the fairing but heat build up killed the efficiency of the chiller. After adding a fan and two vents things were back on track. The main body of the chiller is 1 1/2" x 10" copper pipe. This goes through aluminum round stock where an adaptor plate and the thermo-electric module are mounted. A 1 1/2" brass plug in the end has taps for IN, OUT, and TEMPERATURE PROBE. A dash mounted indoor-outdoor thermometer keeps track of water temp. The chiller has about an inch of insulation all around and it too is covered in vinyl with a drawstring closure on the hook-up end. From the chiller flow goes to the reel. Although not technically difficult this part was time consuming. The retract spring for the reel came from a seat belt retract mechanism. The hose and bite valve came with the Cammelback reservoir and were relocated on the reel. Most of the reel parts are 3/32" aluminum. A few custom brass fittings had to be made as I couldn't find anything off the shelf to work directly. The system in operation consumes just under 4 amps. To keep power demands within reason when the 1.2A pump is activated (by handlebar button) a relay shuts down the chiller until drinking is done. The chiller holds around 8 oz. of water. On an average summer day - 88º, water temp inside the chiller will drop 20º in a half hour and 30º in about an hour. On the day I tested the system (88º) the chiller temp bottomed out at 41º after 75 min., 47º below ambient temperature. By contrast the first design I tested (without fairing vents and fan) was lucky to get down to 58 degrees. I've been out on the road with it about a week now and it's been great. I don't usually run the system around town but I'm spoiled now and wouldn't want to be without it on those 5 - 9 hr. rides.
Now I know some are going to say, "Man thats complicated why didn't the idiot just use ice! ". All I can say is where's the sport in that :-). This project for me although frustrating at times was a lot of fun. One thing I have to remind myself when problems crop up is, the project is only a failure when you give up on it. I hope you've enjoyed reading this and it starts the creative juices flowing for your own projects.
-Mike
Now, start working on a water cooled vest/jacket for summer riding.
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