Homemade Air Conditioner

Ian

Ian

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With only 1 exam to go and 2 days to revise, I should be cramming like mad... But, it was 32oC (and really humid) in my room today so it was far too hot to do anything (I live on the top floor of an apartment block, and the windows only open a few inches to stop people throwing things out).

So anyway... I did the logical thing and made a homemade air conditioner :) Sad eh, but it was too hot to work :)

I'm in a prototype stage at the minute, so it is rather primative. It consists of a large polystrene box with a 12V fan in the top blowing down into it, with a directional vent on the site of the box to control the outgoing air. Inside it a huge box of ice, fresh from the freezer!

It actually seems to work really well, and lasts for about 2 hours.

Stage 2 begins after my exam, and will involve several 85W peltiers cooling some water, with the hot side of the peltier vented outside of my window :)
 
cool

Very innovative :)

Portable Air Conditioners are very expensive so your home made cooler really makes sense. How long does a bag of ice take to make?

I could do with something like that here, very hot and humid at the moment indoors.

Well done :cool:
 
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How do you keep the humidity down, although it sounds cool!
 
Re: cool

floppybootstomp said:
Very innovative :)

Portable Air Conditioners are very expensive so your home made cooler really makes sense. How long does a bag of ice take to make?

I could do with something like that here, very hot and humid at the moment indoors.

Well done :cool:
Click to expand...
It takes a good few hours to make a bag of ice - although I now have a whole carrier bag of water freezing overnight!
 
Quadophile said:
How do you keep the humidity down, although it sounds cool!
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Now that part, I haven't figured out ;) If you have any ideas, I will try it!

My room is very humid now!!!
 
I already figured that out, your room should be very humid. I am no engineer but a friend of mine is who worked on giant chillers and airconditioning plants, now retired. If I get a chance I will talk to him and if I get some nice ideas (cheap) will come back and report
 
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Quadophile said:
I already figured that out, your room should be very humid. I am no engineer but a friend of mine is who worked on giant chillers and airconditioning plants, now retired. If I get a chance I will talk to him and if I get some nice ideas (cheap) will come back and report
Click to expand...
Excellent! Thanks :D
 
I have a big american fridge freezer in my kitchen and you all know what that means...

BIG ASS ICE MAKING MACHINE :P

I should make me a air conditioner hmm...

would a 92mm wantec tornado blowing into the box work? i could hook one up to a battery and fill a box with ice cubes... My conservatory gets to above 110 degrees on the farenheit scale so thats way too hot.

What with PC, 19" crt monitor, speakers that are up to my waist, TV and amp in my room, it does get hot in here to! and like ian i am doing exams at the mo to - my GCSE's
 
OK well heres my adaptation of one originally excellent idea - the fact i tried it means it was a great idea Ian - here are the pictures attached of what my one looks like - a 92mm Vantec Tornado sucking air in through the top then a 80mm YS Tech blowing it out the front. All powered by a single tescos 9v battery - awesome CFM too!
 

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Good grief Mr Cunningham, I do believe you've started something, hehe :D

Nice Gizmo there CP :cool:
 
Haha :D

Excellent Christoper :) One thing you might want to think about is the 9V batter, it will go flat in no time. You could give a few big rechargebles a go, or use a 9V/12V transformer?
 
hehe thanks... the 9v battery (economy style lol) ran everything for about 20 minutes then just - nothing slowed down first it just died!

Im not sure i would know how to use a 9/12v transformer - not too good with electrics - i know that red is positive and black isnt so if you get the bare wires and touch them on the battery and the appliance is small it will work :D

is it easy?

my box is beginning to leak :(
 
£180 though - that compared to a clients CDDVD combo box and a couple spare case fans, ice from the machine and a 9v battery from a drawer!!!
 
I got an idea...instead of using a bag of ice, you could one of those big cheap tubs of Ice cream from ASDA or wherever; when it's melted you can mix it up with a nice glass of lemonade for a delicious, refreshing Cream Soda!
 
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