Quick Links
Summary
You’re melting, and it’s crucial that you cool down.
So, what can you do?
The solution is simple: build your own air conditioner!
Gavin Phillips/DALL-E/MakeUseOf
These DIY air conditioner projects demonstrate how easy it is to cool down your home and beat the heatwave.
Rather than blowing air around a room, the fan blows cool air.
Here, the ice is on a tray in the form of cubes from your freezer.
The fan is angled down slightly, and the air is cooled as it passes over the ice.
But how well does this work?
Having tried this myself, it works, but has a few flaws.
For example, the ice cubes melt far quicker than a larger ice block.
Also, a faster fan gives better results than a slower one.
This is a homemade aircon that anyone can make.
It’s a good way to get started, but there’s considerable room for improvement.
These bottles have been perforated with holes using a soldering iron to hold the ice.
Air is drawn through the bottles by the fan and cooled by the ice.
This great low-budget air conditioning solution can be assembled in just a few minutes!
It’s another homemade air conditioner that uses ice, so check that you have plenty on hand.
Similarly, it’s a good, compact AC solution for your car.
Here, two circles are cut into the lid of the cool box.
One is big enough to fit the fan, which is placed face-down into the box.
The other is for the outlet pipe.
Here, a Styrofoam ice chest is combined with a compact fan and two angled PVC pipe joints.
Just remember to keep a bucket handy to empty it.
Also, lifting the ice chest can risk structural issues that lead to cracking.
Find the best position for all-round cooling and avoid moving it regularly to prevent leakage.
Here, a compact fan is mounted face down into a bucket lid alongside two short lengths of pipe.
The pipes can be secured with hot glue, expanding foam, or even bathroom sealant.
This time, of course, the DIY air cooler is portable.
Just lift the bucket’s handle to transport it around.
Mounted on the front of the fan cage, a fountain pump drives water through the tubing.
The water runs through vinyl tubing first, then into the copper tubing, and back to the pump.
Ice bags placed against the vinyl tubes cool the water before it reaches the copper.
The copper coil is wound inside a large PVC pipe and then connected to plastic tubing.
Inside the cooler is simply water, ice cubes, and the water pump.
The fan sits on the outside and is not built into the cooler box.
Consequently, it is simple to reposition and direct the air exactly where you want.
With a good selection of tools and a few inexpensive parts, the build takes about 90 minutes.
If you live in a humid climate, this design is even better.
Because the fan doesn’t blow over ice or water, it doesn’t add humidity to your room.
Pinned to a wooden frame, it can potentially reduce the temperature indoors by over 20F.
Evaporative cooling is the process by which the temperature is reduced via the evaporation of liquid.
It’s basically how sweating works, removing heat from the skin’s surface.
Simply cut a hole in the lid, glue a discarded computer fan, and make ventilation holes.
Three wet sponges stand inside the container, with the fan powered by 12V battery.
Because evaporative cooling adds humidity back into the air, it’s ideal for dry climates.
If you want to put computer parts to good use, this amazing project is for you.
Instead of ice, this small and portable AC system uses a Peltier-12706 thermoelectric cooler.
This tiny, thin electronic component is usually found cooling computer CPUs.
Made from semiconductor material sandwiched between ceramic layers, you will need an aluminum heat sink to prevent burning.
Using the same system to cool a computer, you might also cool your room!
(Plenty of sunblocks, hey, and only for short periods.)
A DIY air conditioner project should be enough to help you stay cool.
Thankfully, these homemade air conditioning tips can help ease your melty suffering!
