Finally we can enjoy the pleasant spring weather, and the days that keep becoming gradually hotter as we advance towards summer. Many of us are happy about this, and many of us are not. Heat is indispensable for going to the beach or the riverside, but our home may become insupportably hot during the dog days of the summer.
Heat has a negative impact on our rest and daily activities at home, so it’s important to find a solution. One of the options is air conditioning, which can certainly solve the problem. However, not everyone can afford this device, as it consumes a lot of electricity, and its maintenance may cost a fair amount of money too. Fortunately, there are people who like to employ their creativity to make useful things. One of these creative and practical handy people built a homemade air conditioner, using only a fan and a few other low cost items. The greatest advantage of this device is that it uses very little electricity.
What you will need is a 20 liter bucket, some PVC pipe, a polystyrene sheet, ice and a cheaper fan. The diameter of the PVC pipes can vary, but it doesn’t make much sense to use very thick or very thin ones – it should be about the diameter of an egg. Cut the pipe into 3 equal pieces – the length is not really important, but they should be at least 10 cm long.
Drill three holes into the wall of the bucket with a few centimetres distance between them, approximately halfway between the top and the bottom, with the same diameter as that of the pipes, which will be inserted into these holes later on. Drill the holes keeping in mind that the air will be blown into those directions.
Line the wall of the bucket with polystyrene, and drill it exactly where you have drilled the holes into the bucket. Then, insert the pipes into the holes.
Measure the diameter of the fan, and drill a hole into the lid of the bucket, which is slightly smaller than the fan, so when you place the fan onto it face down, it won’t fall into the hole.
You are practically ready now. All you have to do is to fill the bucket with ice, place the lid onto the bucket, and insert the fan into the hole. 3 kilograms of ice will provide 6 hours of cold air if the fan is on. Of course the fan consumes some electricity too, but not nearly as much as a store-bought air conditioner.
See the video for the step-by-step instructions.