DIY A/C

[fllaw No.264707]

I'm sure its been here before, but I just made my first homemade A/C. Specific pic requests will be obliged and explanations offered. Suggestions and criticisms welcome. Parts list, instructions, and results incoming.

[fllaw No.264709]

Pic relevant, its my DIY A/C.

Cooler $0 (already had it, but Styrofoam ones are free on craigslist all the time)
Box Fan $0 (freecycle, but $15 at Big Lots)
Fountain pump $8 (craigslist)
Vinyl Tubing $2 (8 feet at Lowes)
Copper tubing $17 (20 feet at lowes)
Zip Ties $0 (about 30, already had them, but $2 at Big Lots)
Ice $0 (my refrigerator)
Hose Clamps $0 (had them, but $1 at dollar store)

So, it cost me $27, but I guess if you didn't have ANY of the supplies it would be as much as $50 or $60. I also spent $5 to spray paint the damn metal part of the fan because the moron I got it from treated like shit and it was covered in dust, dirt, slime, and rust. Now it looks brand new. Actually, better than new, because its glossy as fuck and it has rubber feet now.

[Anonymous No.264718]

Interesting. How well does it work?

[fllaw No.264717]

1. First clean and prep all parts.

2. Then remove the grate from the fan, and begin placing the copper. 4 zip ties per revolution, spiraling towards the middle. I put mine on the inside, so condensation wouldn't drip every where and so it would be hidden, so I had to drill two holes in the side of my fan. Big deal.

3. Put the grate back on the fan, slide on hose clamps, slide on vinyl tubing, tighten clamps.

4. Fill cooler with ice and enough water to cover the pump. Push inlet tubing into pump outlet. You may need to get an adapter. Place outlet tubing into cooler.

5. Turn on pump, turn on fan.

How to get parts:

If you don't care about money (I don't see how this is possible, because you're trying to make a/c out of a cooler and a box fan, but anyways) you can always just buy everything. But I got on old cooler from my dad, scoured freecycle for a fan, got a pump that was $25 at Home Depot for $8 on craigslist, and just bought the little cheap parts since it wouldn't have even been worth driving further than the store to get them for free. The copper tubing is the one expensive thing I had to buy, since people don't usually just have copper pipe sitting around, its usually in a wall or something. Plus it came in a coil, which made it super easy to slowly unwind as I put it on the fan. The moron who made a fan (just good diy a/c and you'll see it) and snaked it back and forth over the front of the fan really messed his up, I don't know how.

[fllaw No.264722]

The longest part of this project was painting the cleaning the damn fan. Once I had that done and the paint dry, attaching the copper and the tubing was fast, less than an hour.

So far, seems to work pretty well. No leaks, fuckloads of condensation and frostiness since Florida is a goddamn forsaken hell swap that God should destroy as soon as I can leave. Thing is, it FEELS cold, but it obviously isn't going to cool off my WHOLE HOUSE. And seeing as how I don't have a thermometer to check temps, I'm just guessing if it works at all.

[Anonymous No.264724]

I made one like this OP. I used more copper tubing though. It was great for the crawl space in my attic during summer when I had to do electrical work up there.

However, it condensates like crazy and had massive puddles of water everywhere. I live in a very hot and humid area in the summer. If you could catch the dripping water and toss it out, the unit will work as a dehumidifier as well.

I zip-tied my copper tubing to the outside and used a cheap fountain pump to the cooler of water. The tubing was about as big as your finger and I don't recall the specific diameter.

[Anonymous No.264727]

>>264722
It is only best for spot cooling or remote cooling. The making of the ice water causes heat where ever the fridge/freezer is. So trying to cool the space where the freezer is wouldn't work at all. But, trying to cool off a location that the freezer is not in will work.

[fllaw No.264729]

As a side note, I made this since my buddy just got a pool table in his garage. Its 90 to 95 outsite, I'm guessing 80 to 85 in the garage. its bearable, but its warm. I figured that with as little as I spent, even if I just end up with a slightly cooler breeze, its worth it, plus I still have a fan and a cooler. However, I'm hoping it'll drop garage temps a few degrees.

[Anonymous No.264733]

>>264729
Have the air directly blow across you will be the best cooling for you. Lowering the ambient temperature in a room will require a great deal more than a couple coolers of ice. So, yeah, spot cooling is best.

[fllaw No.264735]

>>264727

well, i AM trying to cool off a different area, plus I am going to just fill some 1 gallon jugs with water and freeze them instead of working the icemaker.

[fllaw No.264741]

>>264724
yea, thats a lot larger diameter tubing. Seeing how cold the tubing is getting, im not sure how much good bigger tubing would do in this case, and I am happy to report that i'm getting condensate all the way through the return line, so the whole system is staying pretty cold. although I guess that means i could be pulling more out with LONGER tubing, but i'll live. it was just a fun project.

and since you mentioned the dehumidifier aspect, that was actually a big draw for us...the drier we can keep the garage the better, and since dehumidifiers are basically heaters, this is a much better option. the heat isnt as bad for the pool table as the humidity, so i'm happy to see it pull the water out of the air.

The condensate drips off the copper at the bottom of the outside most ring, and collects in the bottom of the fan. there are a few drain holes in the bottom, and if I tilt the fan a bit in either direction I can just pour it out. I'm actually debating a return for the condensate, since I don't want it going everywhere. A simple tray, tilted, in the bottom of the fan, or even just tilting the hole fan and adding a drain hose going back into the cooler would really clean things up.

[Anonymous No.264750]

>>264741
Putting the condensation water back into the cooler....I'm not sure if that is a good idea. It would be better if it was removed from the room entirely so it can take the heat it absorbed with it. Otherwise, some of the heat it absorbed will merely be put into the cooler and cycle through the water system.

Also, it might fill up the cooler.