When the weather’s hot and the temperature is high, most people tend to turn on their air conditioner and escape the heat. However, the price of such a machine and its operating cost are not exactly cheap. That is why you should only use them if the situation is nearly unbearable. For a more immediate solution, you can try making a homemade air conditioning. It’s very easy to make and use while offering an effective relief from the intense heat. Â Don’t know how to make one? Then this article can help you
Homemade air conditioner is not very hard to make, you just need to assemble some common items together. The overall cost of the components and fuel are way more economical than the average A/C on the market. Â Expect everything to cost you less than 50$ compared to the hefty price of hundreds or thousands of dollars for a factory product. You can also cut down a lot of electric expense in this manner too. Right below are instruction on how to make homemade air conditioning by yourself
The Ice Chest A/C
As the name suggests, you will modify the usual ice chest and turn it into a cooling machine. While there are indeed certain models of A/C that can adapt to use the ice chest, they usually cost a lot. Â So why don’t you make your own Ice Chest A/C to save up some money, right?
The principle is rather simple: First, you pour packs of ice cubes or ice water bottles into the chest and then add waters. The iced water will then be circulated by a bilge pump which pushes the iced water through a heat component. Finally, a fan will blow the air generated from the component, which also helps to cool it down and deliver coolness straight to you. The Ice Chest is light, mobile and requires little electricity to work. The ice will only last for a maximum of one hour or so though.
What you need to build it
- An ice chest: The primary component to build up your A/C. Go with the one that has generous capacity and has a double- layer lid
- Heat component: A heater core or defrost heater would be nice to use here and easy to obtain. You can either purchase them from the store or salvaged from old refrigerators and cars.
- A bilge pump and fans: Available at most auto and mechanic shop. Ebay and Amazon also got them
- 12V battery and plug: Like the above
- Hose, tube, wires, bolts, screws, etc and associated tools: To secure everything together. You should have most of them around your house
How to make homemade air conditioning
Step 1: Cut down the lid
Proceed to cut the ice chest lid with a saw or blade. You should try to cut 2 circular holes in the first layer of the lid. After that, turn it around and cut 1 rectangle hole in the second layer of the lid. This will better accommodate the heat component later. Try to keep the cuts clean, straight and mod so they don’t hinder the installation of later components. Sand the holes edges to make sure that they are absolutely smooth.
Step 2: Install the heated compartment and fans
This step is really simple, just attach the fans into the pre-cut holes by screwing them in. For the heat component, whether you use a heater core or defrost heater, caulk and adhesive is your best bet. Center them it right in the middle of the lid with the nozzle pointing down. When everything seems ideal, apply an adequate amount of caulk and adhesive around the heat component then let them bond. If everything goes smoothly, your heat component, fans, and the lid should hold together quite well
One important thing to remember is that the nozzle of the heat component must not be obstructed by the edges. Saw the edge that near the component to make sure that it’s clear
Install the heated compartment and fans
Step 3: Put in the bilge pump and fix the lid in place (if necessary)
Install the pump in the bottom of the chest and connect it with the hose. In order to secure the pump, you can try heavy duty and water-resistant glue. Make sure the pump is not in awkward angles that make it hard to connect with the hose or twist the hose around. Â In the case that your ice chest lid is a detachable type, now is a good time to permanently fix the lid with the body. A door or cabinet hinge would be wonderful at this task
Step 4: Connect the hose and do the wiring
Connect the other end of the hose to the nozzle of the heat component. Technically, any nozzle will do but if you prefer a quiet operation, use the output nozzle. And the final thing to do is to complete the wiring and your homemade A/C should be ready. Base on the colors, you should see that there are blue and red wires from the pump, fans and the battery plug. Attach them all together using wire nuts and that should be it. As long as everything is in order, your A/C should be ready for a test run
Step 5: Give it a go
Pour in packs of ice cubes so that they filled about 2/3 of the ice chest then add about 2 liters worth water. Attach the plug to the 12V battery and flip the switch. The fans should start turning and the temperature would drop down fairly quick. If you use it within your car cab or a small space, the drop in temperature could reach as high as 12 degrees Celsius. This means a lot for something that you make by assembling items around you.
You may like too see this:
- How To Make A Portable Camping Toilet By Yourself
- How To Power CPAP Machine While Camping | Tips & Tricks
- How To Get Water In The Forest | Short Guide For Camping
Conclusion
And that is pretty much it, very easy to understand, right? Knowing how to make homemade air conditioning is very useful in hot summer day and you don’t want to have a headache with electricity bills. With a few packs of ice and a makeshift A/C, you can comfortably enjoy your day without breaking too much sweat. All you have to do is to follow the instruction above and at the end, heat will no longer an issue.
Last update on 2023-09-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API