Zeer Pot (Evaporative Cooler)
A zeer pot is an evaporative cooler used in rural Africa and the Middle East to keep vegetables fresh. They consist of two terra cotta pots, one nested inside the other, with the gap between them filled with wet sand. The sand serves as a thermal mass that helps keep the pot cold once it has cooled down, and acts as a wick to spread the moisture up the walls of the pot. When placed in a shaded, breezy location, the evaporation of water off the outer surface chills the pot. If you have a good breeze, or a fan powered by a solar panel blowing the pot, the pot can get quite cold.
Making a zeer pot is very simple, all you need is two porous clay pots, one larger than the other, as well as some sand, water, and a cloth. First plug the holes in the bottoms of the pots with a waterproof material; you don’t want the water leaking out. Then, you just put one pot inside the other, and fill up the space between them with clean sand, and wet the sand to start the cooling effect.
Unless the air is very dry and the pot is exposed to a constant breeze, they generally do not become as cold as a refrigerator, but they will keep vegetables fresh for a couple of weeks. If you do have cool dry air and a constant stiff breeze, the interior of a zeer pot can chill down to around 40˚F.
References:
A Practical Zeer Pot (Evaporative Cooler / Non-electrical Refrigerator) (https://www.instructables.com/A-Practical-Zeer-Pot-evaporative-cooler-non-electr/)
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