Anyone at all can make one of these DIY air conditioners and get 42F air in an 80F room! One of the nice things about this design is its portability. The DC fans will work from any battery power source, even a car battery, and the built-in handles mean transport is a snap. You get cool air where and when you need it, even if the power goes out! To make one of these babies you need a few simple tools, a spare cooler and a fan, along with a few other items. Everything is shown in the video.
Regardless of power, this doesn’t work like an AC unit does. I built one and unless you are standing directly in front of it it will not make the entire room comfortable. This is basically like an old watercooler. And if you don’t know what that is you should just go ahead and quit with the thought of this.
Just get a cooler full of ice and stick your arm in it. It will work better.
That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen.
Not so dumb. These were extremely popular back in the late 1950’s-into the 1960’s. Window a/c and central air was not common. The “average” person did not have and could not afford a/c. It was extremely expensive and only the more wealthy had it. Fans just blew hot air around. These were manufactured and sold…not homemade like this. You could use block ice or even ice cubes. They did work. Only problem is you had to be in front of the air flow to benefit. Back then the desperation to get comfortable was enough to keep you sitting where you could get cool!!! We are pampered and spoiled today. Lucky us! But there are still many, many people out there today who do not have A/C and can not even afford a fan. 🙁
This looks like it would work better than the bucket idea.
Forget the ice, how are you going to use the fan if the power is out?
he shows you what the energy source is…he’s got it hooked up to a solar panel (you can buy one at Harbor Freight Tools) if you don’t have access to a solar panel, he used a 12 volt battery
How do you make the ice without power and run the fan? Besides when ice is made in the freezer, the freezer puts out just as much heat as it does cold. Where does this heat go? In your home! Try leaving the freezer open all day and see if it cools down your house. This is not a great idea or invention. It makes no sense at all.
We made one!
These are pretty neat little coolers, as far as I am concerned, & the fact that it runs off solar or a 12 volt battery makes them all the better! I can think of several camp outs in our trailer where we didn’t have electrical hook ups to use our air conditioner where one of these would have been really handy! I don’t think that he was intending anyone to try & cool an entire home with one of these, but maybe someone in a small apartment, or for camping, or heaven forbid your power does go off the grid. People don’t know how to do for themselves in this modern digital world we live in. There may come a time in your life when you might be grateful for this little DIY cooler idea.