Homemade Portable Air Conditioner DIY - Runs on 120 volt or 12 volt.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ต.ค. 2024
- This portable air cooler runs off of 120 volt or 12 volt. It is super cold and puts out a lot of air. Easy DIY project.
Parts & Tools List:
Cutting tool for sheet metal - amzn.to/3flljb7
4" Black Elbow - amzn.to/2SBNVTF
Coleman Cooler - amzn.to/2W6BxNT
120 Volt Blower Motor (seen in video) - amzn.to/2A3brCQ
12 Volt Motor - amzn.to/2LIN2GZ
Aluminum Duct - amzn.to/2xCXGdf
4" White PVC Pipe - amzn.to/2SAZWZG
4" White PVC Elbow - amzn.to/2WorB0U
White PVC Shower Drain - amzn.to/2xGphu4
Dap Quick Seal Plus - amzn.to/2u6G6Mi
Other portable air coolers I have built:
Version 3 - • Homemade Portable Air ...
Version 2 - • Homemade Portable Air ...
Version 1 - • Video
If you shield your ice from the air flow (Plastic bag or ABS panel on top of the ice) it will melt much slower. Salt helps also. Your aluminum box needs fins on the inside so the air flowing through the box comes in contact with more cold surface area. Some air will never contact the box walls and go directly out. Your PVC parts are insulating. If they were also aluminum the cold surface area would be increased making the air colder.
Keep in mind that though the salt will lower the temperature of the melting ice, it will also corrode metal ducting, so I'd keep everything plastic that comes in contact with the salty water.
big in house air conditioning went out yesterday.Used A plastic white 2-1/2' tall garbage can, fo icer container
Made one as you directed putting duck outlet under ice. made a hardware cloth table over the Inside duck work which is attached to a sheet metal duct T., going all the way to bottom.
all duct work & top exit elbow used was 4inch. Container has about 18" filled with frozen small ice bags.
works good for big bedroom. thanks !
I recreated this today using the cheapest materials possible.
A 40 quart styrofoam cooler, $6
Small USB fan $7
2 Aluminum foil pans square, $5
6 x 1 liter seltzer bottles, empty $0
If you cut the bottom at the widest point of the bottles and cut the top just before the widest part, it fits inside the first one.
Duct tape, $1
Total cost, $19
It works!
It gets into the 120s here in Arizona so you have no idea how much I appreciate your videos. It’s important for me to have devices that I can plug into a solar charger when the power goes out that will literally keep me cool enough to survive the heat
When I lived in AZ years ago I used an evaporative cooler. The air is so dry the high rate of evaporation provided really chilled air, circulated by a fan. Doesn’t work for mobile applications, like a delivery truck.
Bro thank u for sharing ur passion...now my Afro won’t be cooking this summer ✊🏽
👊
Thanks for sharing! Not only do I love your projects, I also like how helpful everyone is in the comments. Great stuff!!
You my friend have built the only one that I would ever repeat all the other ones blow the air across the top of the ice your idea is phenomenal the only way I would ever build one
You champion. Thanks for teaching us less fortunate lot that idea. To think at least three 2lb bags of ice will probably cool for at least 6-8 hours if not more. That should help you sleep once you got past the noise of the fan. Great for a campervan
Great idea. I might try it using 6" diameter metal (galvanized) duct pipe with a couple elbows. Seems like it would conduct better, but who knows. Thanks for the video.
This things should be marketed and I will buy one since gasoline is so high for cars nowadays.
Should definitely get a mini portable freezer and do the same thing !
This is one of the better design I have seen. Awsome job. I would of not thought of the dryer pipe.
Holy cow, this one got significantly more complicated from last year's! Stoked to give it a try though
I think this design is by far the best one.
I like that.
IDEA: With metal flex pipe,
Would really get that temperature down. Because you know how metal absorbs temperature.
Especially with rock salt.
OMGGG IVE BEEN watching for a couple days on how to make one of your cooler and you just came with a new one !!!! much loveee
Hi there, thanks for the idea. I'm planning on doing the same with a Webasto BL41, it's a top loading deep freeze/fridge with a compressor. I have the same in my campervan working as a fridge and I have this one (spare) and I will try to convert it into air conditioner. Cheers from Belgium.
I’ve been toying with a similar design that just pushes air without ever becoming “wetted” by the ice. This is the closest thing to what i want that I’ve seen.
I have made three of these kind of coolers . They work O.K. as long as they are blowing right on you. But you can't put enough ice in them to cool a 10' X 10' room. There just not enough cold in 100 pounds of ice to do it. I enjoyed makeing them . Gave 2 away and sold the 3rd for less then half what it cost to build it.
I'll buy one from you... How do I contact you?
Wow, lot of work and skill involved.
Definitely see why people would just buy one.
Not taking anything away from your efforts.
Still subscribed, I enjoy the journey.
👍
This is awesome, I watched this video years ago. I just made a similar a.c unit the other night that was to be setup for batteries incase I wanted to have solar. So now I have an a.c unit! Not the same design but works very similar! I was surprised with how long the water bottles stay frozen for! I don't even have the isolated lid! I can emagine how much more efficent this would be from having a full seal
Made one this afternoon: used a 3 speed fan approximately 9" placed on top of a 3inch piece if styrofoam that covers the 3ft tall white plastic garbage can. works good thanks
Again real good design. I like all 4 versions of the air cooler but I like this one the best because you mounted the fan(motor) on top! I think that looks better aesthetically!
Can u sell one for me plz
Great job with this design. Your DIY air conditioner designs make a lot of sense. I'm building a similar one now to use in the event of extended power outages this summer. I plan to power it with a lithium battery generator. We had a spare window AC unit, but it needs too much power, and the lithium battery generator is much quicker to set up and use. I've enjoyed all your DIY AC versions.
I'm going on the road in a box truck soon and I plan on using this to sleep in the cabin overnight. Hotels get expensive and I can't afford that right now.
I would say at least half of these videos use the same cooler i have. I have no real need for one but it would be nice on the porch or camping. One flaw i hear is that the ice melts faster submerged in water or with a fan directly on the ice. So a tube on a grid seems the better choice.
Note to self: Do Not assemble my cooler in the living room... wife will go nutty. 🤣🤣 Great Video!
Awesome project, thank you for calling it what it is. Air Cooler and not Air Conditioner / AC
I like the way you did yours the illumin will get really cold too
Wouldn't it be a lot simpler to use 4" aluminum flex hose? Or even 2" flex and lap it several times around the bottom of the ice chest? It would eliminate most of the fab work. Love the idea tho'
Damned right. Perfect example of "If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a (hillbilly) nail."
7/13/2020 I think the 3rd one you made is simple and effective. I plan on building one this weekend. Thanks
my ideas: i'd suggest a 2-3 tube directional blowers to widen coverage for 2-3 people hangout.
to all DIY, in this age of rolling blackouts, people need 7-day heatwave power outage sos units that dont use ice or cold water (no electricity to make it), able to run on motorbike or marine battery or solar kit and last 7 days.
unit should be able to cool (not freeze) two whole bodies in an 8x8ft area ex queen bed by 10-15f while running consuming the least amount of energy. it'll likely need a heat exhaust hose or have a 'radiator' element outside etc. demonstrate proof with video.
Very innovative. But I'm thinking it would make more sense to have the blower motor pushing warm air into the cooler?
That way the warm air created by the blower motor itself can be cooled before exiting the cooler.
Better to use a flexible aluminum tube .snake it through the cooler and pour ice over it.,.and blow air through the tube , the snaking will cause the air to bang into the cold surface of the tubing and increase transfer of cold
Hey oh, you found my old Wham-O air Blaster and made use of out of it!
I've never built one of these, but I had a few thoughts watching your videos.
To get even colder air, use metal/aluminum ducts.
Insulate the exterior of the pipes exiting the cooler to prevent condensation/loss of cold due to temp difference between pipe & outside air. PVC doesn't conduct cold/heat too well.
Also, pushing the air through may be better in the long run, to expose the electric motor to as little moisture as possible.
What do you think?
How about leaving the ice in the bags then refreezing it later to re-use
Yes, I'd like to see a drain at the bottom of the interior of the cool air area (I suppose you could do that through the drain in the bottom of the cooler - it would probably take some fancy plug/tube setup but it should be doable). Also, since this is a "squirrel-cage/centrifugal" blower, it would work to push pressurized air into the cool air interior area, then any air leaks would be cool air into the room, not warm air drawn into the already-cooled area. It would also work to set things up (air in and air out) through the lid of the cooler - since there wouldn't be any place for standing water, it would simplify sealing of external parts.
Overall, it's a very smart and efficient design. The fan that he selected 28 watts to move almost 200 cf/minute is incredibly efficient.
@@walterwilliams9547 Or maybe freezing water in gallon or 1/2 gallon containers?
So, the blower is pulling the air through the drain and into the ice chest? Its not blowing air into the ice chest and out the drain right? This may be the one I go with. I might calk and flex seal to be sure its waterproof.
I love this design. I made one that blows the air across the ice. The ice is melted in about 10 minutes. I will definitely try your design. How long does the ice last? Thank you for sharing.
Exhaust needs to be able to move . Also can use a t to slo air down and spread in multiple locations. Try different heads on the exhaust 👍😎🥶✅
Always liked the different designs, but noticed that the lids of the coolers could use a touch. It's adds a bit of cost and time but why not drill a few holes and shoot some foam instulation in there. Dry and set it. Cut off what comes out put some dots of silicone on there and the ice will last a bit longer still. Way to take a cheaper cooler and insulate a bit better. Never see that in any of these designs really, not just his. Love the designs and ideas btw.
I received some of the materials from Amazon today. I went with the white 12V DC motor. The black 4" 90-degree elbow doesn't fit the end of the white motor. Not sure if anyone else experienced the same issue. Gonna see if I can find a coupler or another 90-degree elbow that will fit. Thanks for Sharing this video. Can't wait to get started on my build once remaining parts arrive. I plan on using this cooler inside of my hunting blind in the evenings here in the brutal Texas Summer.
Did it work?
I would think you would want the bottom to have some of the cold water, say like an inch . I was thinking you could get a little colder, what do you think?
I'd put my eye out building that! 😅
My DIY A/C feels cold and works if I am right next to it, so I use it to help me fall asleep. By the time the ice melts, the night time air has cooled, I dont need an A/C and I am sleeping comfortably.
So this blower motor...is this a better way of moving air than one of the standard 8" or 10" fans people frequently use on these DIY ice chest AC builds? The motor's description has it measured at 195 CFM, but it's hard to make a comparison since most fans won't have that information available.
Thanks!
It's perfect for a semi truck
Obviously is a 3 or 4 hour deal
Perfect for camping
If I were close to you, I would like you to help me make one for my motorhome.
Hello, I love this idea! I have one question, would it be possible to get the same cold air if I used a 4-inch aluminum dryer vent "rolled" in an ice chest? I have a small truck and am trying to figure out how to keep me cool on the drive home from work.
out of all the air cooler you've made, which is the best in your opinion
Which one of your designs do you like best. I was going to do the copper tube design. Was there a problem with what one?
You should invent one where you use reusable ice packs or something. Because as cheap as ice is. When it melts, you gotta dump it out and therefore kind of inconvenience. I use cold water bottles and it's just not as cold compare to ice seen on TH-cam.
So many videos on making these but no one ever shows any tests or what it can do...ugh. Cool none the less but yeah. Does it cool down a hot room or? Would it cook down a non insulated hot garage?
I made something similar but it didn't meet my expectations, so now I have a mini-split running off solar in my detached 3 car garage lol
Awesome ideas you have. When comparing the(red) cooler with the 4 inch metal duct in the bottom covered with ice and the blue cooler with the 4 inch PVC with the metal duct. Is the output air that much cooler? Thank you
its as easy as that! My brain still on step 1 lmbo
😂
What are your thoughts on using an adhesive on the bottom of the aluminum duct to keep it from floating as the ice melts?
ABS slurry would bond to both the plastic and aluminum. Tons of epoxies will do the same thing.
I made...and still use your 1st gen design in my van. A big device charger battery (27k) powers 2 quiet computer fans.(same cooler box as this video) Using a 10lb bag of ice... I have slept uninterrupted for 7hrs...in 95degrees (at night) heat. This new design looks amazing. Can it match the performance and noise levels?
This would be a game changer if it could keep my small RV cool during summer evenings. Can anyone who's done this tell me how well it can be expected to cool a small room? My RV is less than 100 sq. feet.
we are making it today
I have a few questions. Do you recommend this one or your coil version? I live in Texas and I have created 2 insulated dog houses that are pretty awesome. I have an extension cord ran right now with a box fan hooked up in a window I made specifically for them. I was looking at doing something like this and installing the cooler itself in the ground. Also, would dry ice work for this one?
Good video. I want to take this to the beach. What is the 12 volt power source, how is it connected and how long will a cooler full of ice last?
You'll need a battery of sufficient ampere hour capacity for whatever the fan consumption is. It's all explained on the web. But realistically, do you actually think you'll accomplish much by blowing cold air into the open atmosphere?
@@joewoodchuck3824 - I'm not looking to cool a space as much as I want cold air blowing on me when I'm sitting in my beach chair in 90 degree heat.
Hey bro what if you dix just the way your doing great design by the way ut what if instead of just letting the cold air run across the top of ice to ofher side of lid then come out what if yoh reall utelized that are with a sloping type of swamp cooler pd with a litte pump pumping the melted water over the sloped pad making sure air still flowing under. That way your utelizingevery bit off tht cold ice and water and make it last longer.hopebyou under stood if not get back to me and ill draw you a quick diagrim of ahat im thinking. Great job im going to start my tomorrow. TKe care. Scott
what an amazing video! well done!
Very cool I was thinking about your video all day and I'm wondering if you had 2 coolers and you bridged them so you have the outside air come in the first cooler and be attached to the 2nd cooler so you can cool the air in stages and of course you can also add more coolers i have a Chevy Suburban with no A/C so I'm really trying to figure the best way to have cool air for long drives ✌
If you live somewhere with dry heat you should look into a window swamp cooler, these were really popular back before AC in cars was a thing.
I was thinking about coming on here and saying the same think. Id add another cooler and snake the pipe thru the cooler. But have it where ice can sandwhich the pipe in that cooler then coonect it to the other cooler. Never built one before but it might work. Not sure if you would need 2 blower motors to make it work. 1 motor might not move enough air thru 2 coolers.
I made his 3rd design (without the duct). The biggest problem is that the air is so hot (mid 90's) that it melts 20 lbs. of ice in about anhour and a half. Seems like somehow I have to get colder air to the intake. Any suggestions ? Thanks
I like this concept but I curious about two things, why the duct and not justa flat piece of tin about 4 inches off the bottom and sealed around? Also I noticed everyone uses only ice, is there something wrong with using get packs? They have a freezing temp of 18 deg typically vs 32 and last much longer.. plus no mess.. nor worry about excess water and you can just take em out and freeze them again. Truly curious as thats what I intend to do. Also would be nice if somebody actually tested over several hours to show if they really work or not.
Will this cool the back of a toyota sienna?? Im sleeping in my van and need some cold air overnight about 9 hours straight. tnx!!
HOMES COOL you need 40lbs of ice tent off your sleeping area to make more small, I was sleeping in my van in Las Vegas heat 2years ago and bough my ice at Costco’ it made me very cool’ my unit I built where it blew on top of the ice with $10 wal mart fan’ smaller fan would be better. It was too cold. Need adjust air flow
Depending on outside air temp and ice cube size, it should give you plenty of cool air. I'd worry about the current draw on the battery, though. His recommended fan is 60 watts, that's 5 amps at 12V and that would be 45 Amp hours at 9 hours. Since you can damage a battery by pulling more than 1/2 it's rated power, you'd need a battery of about 100 Amp hours and a 100 Amp hour battery pulled down to 50% might not start a van engine.
You'd probably do well to buy a separate "trolling motor" deep-charge battery and a way to charge it up (solenoid off the engine alternator???).
Just a thought, but you should make these run off Dewalt batteries. I am also curious if a fitting exists that fits at the outlet and can split the airflow in four different directions. 🤔
You can download an app on your phone that will show decibels. can you use that and let us know how loud the motor is?
2 questions that are related. 1. you have sealed the air flow, what happens if you use dry ice? You are not blowing across it so you are not releasing carbon dioxide. If you put a few vent holes high up on the sides should solve the carbon dioxide expansion issue. 2. What if you replaced the A/C duct with copper pipe that covers the entire bottom in a circular pattern?
The air is blown across...watch the end of the video again.
Do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT use dry ice in one of these units as it raises CO2 levels to the point that you cold pass out.
I’m about to make one of these to have cool air in my chicken coop. Looked at a lot of designs. This is really nice. I’m looking for a way to use either blue ice or jugs of ice so I don’t have time used cubes or crushed. But this has me thinking hard about my design. I really like getting the duct under the ice.
..wonder if blocks of ice would work better? Like put water into a square or rectangular tupperwares (couple of them) then freeze em and then empty them in. I would think itd melt slower in small blocks than crushed or small cubes?
It may be that the iced water actually helps keep things colder, even if that sounds counter-intuitive. But I don't know - it just seems familiar that that might be the case.
Why not shove steal wool into the aluminum duct to have more cold surface for the air to hit? Have a drain foe the melted ice and a inlet hole to drop more ice without opening the cooler, one that can be closed.
Which of them was the best budget/ value wise? making 4 for family
Is this better than the one you made 2 years ago? Would really appreciate a response thank you
Buddy, at 6:57 did you mean the air circulates and not the water? I'm super confused , I have a similar idea which I wanna' try as I can't get the motor but I just want to make sure I understood the instructions correctly.
Is there a place to buy one of these already made???
Why don't you just sell them ? I'd buy one from as always I am in a hurry. Lol 😆
Me too
Me too!! Don't have all the tools!
Me too !!
He explains why in a video he made on top questions he gets. Watch it!
@@valerieschaeffer1909 I'll make you one
Looks good.
With the 12volt configuration ( and a good LiPo battery (or 2) for power ) would it work well to cool the interior of a small 4 - 6 seater airplane?
Thanks, Chuck (NE Florida) : +)
Seems like the aluminum ducting is a lot of work for little gain compared to an aluminum dryer hose based system. Am I missing something?
These look cool but as they only cool air at you seems better to buy those portable air conditioners. Theres the as seen on tv arctic breeze for $40 & theres a one on amazon called Auznik or Auznit(forget ,weird name) For $40-100. They do same thing to just cool air directed at u and both are smaller(bout size of a cheap paper shredder) than these cooler air conditioners.
Which direction is the air flow......
Is the motor blowing air into the cooler.......or is it drawing the air out
Could I use a muffler and wheels for easy transportation?
What will happen if you was to put another fan on the outside to make the cold blow out stronger for a larger room.
I wonder how efficient these would be if you used a 12v freezer cooler instead with ice inside as well. I haven't seen anyone make one...
Can I use a rechargeable 120 volt lithium battery for power?
Trying to figure out which of his four versions to build. Version 2 seems like it would be best for a longer outdoor trip, as the ice would last the longest right? Since in v2, the ice doesn't come in direct contact with the air, that should mean it will take the longest to melt. Anyone have any thoughts?
Not that cold though.
I know your previous version got degrees close to zero degrees. Whats the lowest temperature you have gotten on this one?
There are loads of these swamp cooler projects on here - but this is definitely one of the better designs - you must have the air flow UNDER the ice, seen so many of these where they just have a fan in the top & outlet on the side near the top & the air is simply being drawn in & over the top of the ice - useless
nicely done but why are you doing that in your living room instead of garage, workshop, or outside? Maybe too hot?
Hey man you should make one outbof a 55 gallon metal trash can ..
What kind of tools you used to cut the container, is there cheaper way to cut the holes? Thanks
Harbor freight has jigsaws for around 30 or amazon would have some, also you could just rent one from home depot or ask someone you know if they have one.
This would be great to put between the two front seats in an old VW bus if the fan could point upward.
Yeah? Put a 90 degree elbow on the blower....
@@breburo8866 or no elbow at all, straight shoot it
Cool but here in Australia they would need 2 tons of ice everyday lol..
cool designs
What type of screws are used for the cooler? Any particular ones work better and not strip?
I want to make this for an airplane. What is the weight of this cooler with all of the parts attached?
There was only one guy came up with this cooler AC Idea back in 2014, since then there are 20'000 copycats coming up with their own twist spending as much as an actual air-condition and acting like they are genius.
Can I use the 12V...and still have less humidity since its under the ice right?
Mans talking about airflow like he an expert
He majored in airflow in college
Have you experimented with lower cfm rating fans? I'm a bit concerned about battery capacity to support such large fans as you've been using.
I'm also wondering about condensation building up in the duct. One of the main functions of an AC is to lower humidity, the result of which is condensation that is normally draining to somewhere.
I'm sure its a water cooler and not AC dealing with condensation.
@@WebDeveloper08 ??
That particular fan is 32 watts/.50amps, so it is FAR from a battery drainer. Even though it has a 110v plug, I plan to run it through a 100 watt inverter cigarette lighter male plug, then into a female cigarette lighter input with a USB end on the other end. Run off of USB, you could use a portable charger power bank, like say 15k mAh, and it should run for 33 hours just off of the battery pack before the pack needs to be recharged.
How long does it stay cold?
How long does your ice last. The one that I built today, although different design...only lasts on average 30 minutes.
damn thats a lot of work compared to other ones ive seen...