A pot-in-pot refrigerator, also known as a zeer pot, is an evaporating cooling system that has been used for thousands of years in ancient Egypt, India and Pakistan—and is still used today in developing countries. With no electricity involved, this simple device cools down edibles in the midst of dry, scorching heat. It’s the perfect chiller for when your electricity goes out, or you want to rig up yourself a makeshift cooler with no ice around. In the video above, HouseholdHacker walks you through the steps to make your own zeer pot, and includes tracking of the temperature changes within their pot fridge. To begin this easy project, all you need are two porous terra cotta flower pots - a large and small one, water, sand and a cloth. You simply plug up the holes if there are any in the pots – duct tape should do, and pour sand into the large container, leveling it out so the second smaller pot’s rim is even with the large one. The video doesn’t go into much detail about leveling both of the rims, but from various other zeer pots made, this seems to be an important factor. Then, pour sand around the inner gap of the two pots. Next, dampen the sand by pouring water over it, this is what keeps the pots cold! Grab yourself a wet towel, put your drinks or fruit inside, and drape it over the pots. Depending on the temperatures and humidity outside, the cooling temps are based on the lovely laws of psychics. It works on a very basic principle, when the water from the sand evaporates, the inner pot becomes cool since heat is drawn from it—causing cold “refrigeration” to occur. Of course, zeer pots won’t maintain frigid temperatures like our high-tech fridges, nor hold anywhere close the storage space we’re used to, but it’s a neat way to keep things cool. Or a cheap outdoor experiment.
Photo by: Youtube Screenshot
