Homemade Air Conditioning

Are you tight on budget, meaning you couldn’t buy a air conditioning for this summer? Well, if you have $25 dollar and time, hack together a homemade air conditioning! Probably this is not the best design in the world - but hey, this is better than sweating!

Here’s the basic setup. The garbage can is filled with ice water, which is then fed by gravity (a siphon) through the copper tubing coiled along the back of the fan. The hot air passing through the tubing warms the cold water, cooling the air. Waste warm water is then pumped outside.

The system will cool an average room to a comfortable level in approximately 15-20 minutes. Depending on flow rate, a full bucket of water will last approximately 1-3 hours. I use a single bucket before bed on hot nights, which lets me get to sleep. Once the water runs out, the house has cooled off enough that the fan alone provides sufficient cooling.

It doesn’t rip quite as hard as central air, but for less than $25 CAD I’m not complaining. (and, btw, that’s my girlfriend’s makeup mirror, not mine)

The main factor affecting the performance is the temperature of incoming water. Cool water will work, but ice water will result in a cooler room, quicker…

Geoff’s Homemade Air Conditioner