Author Topic: DIY Air Conditioner?  (Read 6895 times)

teadirt

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DIY Air Conditioner?
« on: August 10, 2015, 02:26:57 PM »
Unfortunately, our used window a/c unit bit the dust 2 weeks ago. We've been trying to 'tough it out' for the last few weeks, but trying to sleep with the room temperature above 80 degrees has been VERY difficult for the 2 of us. With temps soaring even higher, it's likely the room temp could approach 85+. Ugh... The temps this week may just be the worst of the whole year, with 100F days forecast later in the week. I live in a 1br ground-floor apartment with one window and two doors (only one with a screen, bugs get in the front door if we leave it open), and by the evening it is HOT. The evening sun heats a brick wall which I think is partly why it gets so hot. We have overhead fans which move air around the room, but not in any direction out of/into the house.

I'm reluctant to buy a used AC unit in case it breaks on us again. I'm reluctant to buy a new one because I may be moving across the US before next summer, and wouldn't want to bring it with me. Around here the hot weather should only last another month or so, so a temporary solution should be good enough.

So that brings me to my question... has anybody had success with a DIY cooling solution? I have heard of homemade swamp coolers, but do they work well?

I have very basic knowledge of electronics. As a last resort, would I be putting myself in danger if I opened my A/C unit up to find the problem?

sokoloff

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Re: DIY Air Conditioner?
« Reply #1 on: August 10, 2015, 02:46:52 PM »
I realize you're on the DIY part of the forum, but $50-60 on Craigslist gets it done. The likelihood that a used AC would be working when you bought it and die in the next month is low, very low.

A swamp cooler can work in exceptionally dry climates. By the time you farf around finding the parts for it, I think the $50-60 will look like a bargain. If you have humidity in concert with heat, forget the swamp cooler idea.

velocistar237

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Re: DIY Air Conditioner?
« Reply #2 on: August 10, 2015, 03:04:42 PM »
Will you move before or after it gets hot next year? You could get one now and sell it later. It would be easiest to sell when it's hot outside.

teadirt

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Re: DIY Air Conditioner?
« Reply #3 on: August 10, 2015, 04:13:42 PM »
I realize you're on the DIY part of the forum, but $50-60 on Craigslist gets it done. The likelihood that a used AC would be working when you bought it and die in the next month is low, very low.

A swamp cooler can work in exceptionally dry climates. By the time you farf around finding the parts for it, I think the $50-60 will look like a bargain. If you have humidity in concert with heat, forget the swamp cooler idea.

I just checked, the cheapest one is about $75. I think you have a good point. There's a reason air conditioners weren't available 100 years ago: it takes some real engineering and technology to make it work well. Your average joe (me) can't just whip one up with duct tape and cardboard, haha.

Will you move before or after it gets hot next year? You could get one now and sell it later. It would be easiest to sell when it's hot outside.

Yeah, hopefully. I'm actually shooting for the Boston area. I'm curious, do you guys need A/C in the summer? I'm assuming the ocean keeps temps a little cooler?

babysnowbyrd

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Re: DIY Air Conditioner?
« Reply #4 on: August 10, 2015, 04:18:36 PM »

MoonShadow

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Re: DIY Air Conditioner?
« Reply #5 on: August 10, 2015, 04:29:20 PM »
So that brings me to my question... has anybody had success with a DIY cooling solution?


Yes, I have.  I took an aquarium pump, a styrofoam cooler, an 8 foot section of vinyl tubing, and an air stone.  I wrapped the air stone with an old sock, and placed it under the blankets at the foot of the bed.  I then placed the air pump inside the cooler with a frozen jug of water.  It pushes cool air slowly up toward the head of the bed, and the temp can be regulated by controlling the blankets.

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I have heard of homemade swamp coolers, but do they work well?

Not anywhere that get above 70% humidity on a regular basis.

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I have very basic knowledge of electronics. As a last resort, would I be putting myself in danger if I opened my A/C unit up to find the problem?

Not likely, just make sure that you don't let the freon out, and work on it outside.

Spork

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Re: DIY Air Conditioner?
« Reply #6 on: August 10, 2015, 04:52:41 PM »


I have very basic knowledge of electronics. As a last resort, would I be putting myself in danger if I opened my A/C unit up to find the problem?

My one side here is: Window units are made abysmally cheaply.  They just don't last and are not really made to be repaired.  That doesn't mean you wouldn't be able to repair it...  but that a replacement might actually be cheaper.

They're also really damn inefficient.  We pay significantly less to A/C 2300sqft using central air and good insulation than we paid to A/C 600 sqft with window units and mediocre insulation.

But I feel your pain.  I was right where you are back about 4 years ago.  It was 95 indoors.

velocistar237

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Re: DIY Air Conditioner?
« Reply #7 on: August 10, 2015, 04:59:10 PM »
I'm actually shooting for the Boston area. I'm curious, do you guys need A/C in the summer? I'm assuming the ocean keeps temps a little cooler?

Sometimes we'll have a week of highs in the low 90s. We have window units that we use for those. Most people don't have central A/C. This week, the highs are in the low 80s, and our windows are open right now.

sokoloff

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Re: DIY Air Conditioner?
« Reply #8 on: August 12, 2015, 06:58:58 AM »
No one really "needs" AC, but as a 25 year Boston area resident, I can confidently tell you that you're going to want AC here at least 3 weeks out of the summer, but we are weaker and run ours about 6-7 weeks out of the summer. Makes sleeping and other bedroom activities a lot more comfortable.

HipGnosis

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Re: DIY Air Conditioner?
« Reply #9 on: August 12, 2015, 08:57:56 AM »
You have another option.
A dehumidifier for your bedroom.
There are small, thermo-electric (aka Peltier) dehumidifiers.  They don't use a compressor or freon so they are cheaper than standard dehumidifiers.  They're not as effective, but also not as noisy.
I got one because I don't want to cool the whole house - I close all the bedroom doors when I run the A/C.
I turn it on a couple hours before bedtime (on hot, humid days) and shut the door.  I empty the water cup when I go to bed.  And I use a small fan pointed across the bed.
It's not as 'nice' as actual A/C, but it makes a difference that makes it tolerable and uses much less electricity.
I recall that there is a wide range in the consumer ratings of these dehumidifiers.
I occasionally think of putting mine on a timer - and of getting another one for really muggy nights.



velocistar237

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Re: DIY Air Conditioner?
« Reply #10 on: August 12, 2015, 09:40:14 AM »
No one really "needs" AC, but as a 25 year Boston area resident, I can confidently tell you that you're going to want AC here at least 3 weeks out of the summer, but we are weaker and run ours about 6-7 weeks out of the summer. Makes sleeping and other bedroom activities a lot more comfortable.

Agreed.

The higher you live in a building, the more you'll wish you had A/C.


You have another option.
A dehumidifier for your bedroom.

I disagree. Dehumidifiers are heaters. A/C's are dehumidifiers that put the heat outside.

Pav

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Re: DIY Air Conditioner?
« Reply #11 on: August 12, 2015, 11:26:49 AM »
Another option may be to purchase an A/C from Lowes or HD, and check their return policy. If you don't ding it up during installation, they'll probably take it back at the end of the summer, no questions asked.

My SO and I pulled this stunt for our honey moon. We were staying at her aunt's rarely used beach house, and realized that the central air unit lost most of it's freon.

velocistar237

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Re: DIY Air Conditioner?
« Reply #12 on: August 12, 2015, 11:32:21 AM »
Another option may be to purchase an A/C from Lowes or HD, and check their return policy. If you don't ding it up during installation, they'll probably take it back at the end of the summer, no questions asked.

This sounds unethical. Just sell it on Craigslist.

teadirt

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Re: DIY Air Conditioner?
« Reply #13 on: August 12, 2015, 02:18:51 PM »
So I was out of town when our A/C unit "broke". I guess I should've asked SO to clarify, because the only thing that broke was the switch. I fixed it by opening the front of the unit and turning it on with a pair of pliers. Now the on/off switch is just the power cable.

I guess the lesson here is.......... that it never hurts to take a closer look? The a/c isn't 100%, but it's good enough to keep the apartment cool!

After looking around the net, and a few answers here, a lot of people seem to use ice as part of the DIY solution. But if you freeze the water in the freezer, and then 'cool' the house by melting the ice... isn't that a 0 sum game? I mean, the freezer will work overtime to freeze the water, thereby heating up the house.
I guess you could outsource the ice to a gas station or grocery store, but it seems like that would get expensive REALLY fast.

MoonShadow

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Re: DIY Air Conditioner?
« Reply #14 on: August 12, 2015, 06:49:44 PM »
But if you freeze the water in the freezer, and then 'cool' the house by melting the ice... isn't that a 0 sum game?

Not really, because the ice based DIY solutions are very localized.  As in, you are cooling the chair you are sitting in while watching a movie.  You are not cooling the entire room, and not on a continuous basis.

HipGnosis

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Re: DIY Air Conditioner?
« Reply #15 on: August 13, 2015, 12:28:00 PM »
I disagree. Dehumidifiers are heaters. A/C's are dehumidifiers that put the heat outside.
Thermo-electric (aka Peltier) dehumidifiers are not heaters.  They are heat pumps.

HipGnosis

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Re: DIY Air Conditioner?
« Reply #16 on: August 13, 2015, 12:33:51 PM »
So I was out of town when our A/C unit "broke". I guess I should've asked SO to clarify, because the only thing that broke was the switch. I fixed it by opening the front of the unit and turning it on with a pair of pliers. Now the on/off switch is just the power cable.

I guess the lesson here is.......... that it never hurts to take a closer look? The a/c isn't 100%, but it's good enough to keep the apartment cool!

After looking around the net, and a few answers here, a lot of people seem to use ice as part of the DIY solution. But if you freeze the water in the freezer, and then 'cool' the house by melting the ice... isn't that a 0 sum game? I mean, the freezer will work overtime to freeze the water, thereby heating up the house.
I guess you could outsource the ice to a gas station or grocery store, but it seems like that would get expensive REALLY fast.
Glad to hear you found a solution.
It reminds me of living in the dorm of tech school - in Mississippi, in summer.  I had the coolest room even though all the thermostats were locked at the same temp.  I made a cardboard box that hung over the thermostat with the opening of the box at the bottom.  Then I put a lamp right under the box.  The light heated the air in the box.

sokoloff

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Re: DIY Air Conditioner?
« Reply #17 on: August 13, 2015, 01:40:49 PM »
I disagree. Dehumidifiers are heaters. A/C's are dehumidifiers that put the heat outside.
Thermo-electric (aka Peltier) dehumidifiers are not heaters.  They are heat pumps.
They're still subject to the first and second laws of thermodynamics. If you add heat to the room (the device takes electrical power and all that electrical power ends up as heat) and have no way for the heat to leave the room, it's going to get warmer.

AZDude

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Re: DIY Air Conditioner?
« Reply #18 on: August 13, 2015, 03:21:54 PM »
I have tried making a DIY air conditioner, but its incredibly loud and only sort of works. I probably would not recommend trying it since it will take more than $75 to make one that actually works and does not sound an aircraft is flying through your living room.

MoonShadow

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Re: DIY Air Conditioner?
« Reply #19 on: August 13, 2015, 04:46:44 PM »
I have tried making a DIY air conditioner, but its incredibly loud and only sort of works. I probably would not recommend trying it since it will take more than $75 to make one that actually works and does not sound an aircraft is flying through your living room.

As I noted above, I did fine with an aquarium air pump, an air stone & a styrofoam cooler.  $15 total and it barely hummed.

Kaspian

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Re: DIY Air Conditioner?
« Reply #20 on: September 17, 2015, 02:29:02 PM »
I made a weird thing when I was a broke university student.  It was basically a thin wire screen (from an old screen door) wrapped around two 2x2's (spaced about a foot apart and screwed to a base).  I kept it in a small plastic flower box.  I'd put it in front of my square window fan and load ice cubes in the top.    I guess it's really hard to describe?  You could fill the empty area between the screen with ice cubes to the top and they'd melt over the course of the evening as the fan blew wind through it.  You'd expect some dampness to result, but there wasn't any really--maybe because the place was so warm and the window was open.

Papa Mustache

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Re: DIY Air Conditioner?
« Reply #21 on: October 02, 2015, 09:22:11 AM »
Another thing to consider is how one lives in hot weather. Take advantage of the cool early morning weather. Siesta during the hot hours.

Window fans. We can avoid a/c for weeks more each summer by pulling air into the house through the windows of the room we are in and then exhausting it out the back of the house (bedrooms). At bedtime, reverse the fans (a switch on the fan) so that the bedrooms are getting the first air into the house and exhaust the air out of the common areas which are now empty of people. Side benefit - house smells really great from the fresh air.

If I was dealing with long term heat (living further south or no a/c at all) I would seriously consider ditching our American style upholstered furniture for something different like wicker or European (thinner cushions, form fitting cushions). Furniture that did not trap heat as well as the big overstuffed chairs and couch we have now. Nice in winter, sweaty in the summer. 

We can't use any of the swamp cooler style solutions b/c the humidity is high enough here that evaporation doesn't happen fast enough to help us.

One solution I hope to pursue in a few years is to screen in our patio and put a roof over it. Folks love to build decks and patios but there are many days when it is too sunny and hot to sit in the direct sun. And the mosquitoes are thick enough to threaten to carry off the kids and critters. A screened in porch is the obvious answer but they are rare among the people I know best.

Guess a screened in porch is more $$$ and people would rather sit inside with the a/c on making a porch pointless.