So, im hot. No, not in that way, though id like to think so, in the sweaty balls way. Anyway i saw this site which is fairly old by now and im sure most of you have seen it as well: http://www.eng.uwaterloo.ca/~gmilburn/ac/geoff_ac.html its a homemade Air conditioner he made with copper tubing a fan and a garbage can...i was thinking of doing the same, but expanding on the idea. So, heres where you all come in, what do you think of this: I would hvae the copper tubes set up around the fan as in Geoffs model but I was thinking of useing an actual small refridgerator instead of a trash can. If i go out and buy a mini fridge and a small plastic cooler, i could put an aquarium pump or something in the cooler and the cooler in the fridge, then drill 2 holes on the sides of the fridge so the tubes can get to and from the cooler inside (would have to caulk the area around the tubes of course). This way instead of just cooling the room for a few hours, it could be on all the time kind of a set it and forget it type thing. And if the minifridge is energy effeciant, it would cost less to use it that run a real AC i think. So what do you think?
minifridges would still use more energy, i would think. but i'm not sure. something to ponder, and indeed a good idea.
I have worked with refrigeration systems over 35 years. Thats one crazy home made system. I guess if it works you can't complain. The problem you will run into using a mini fridge to get the water colder is that you will probably end up with a lot more condensation off the copper tubes on the fan--ending up with a wet floor. All refrigeration systems produce condensation that has to go somewhere. The bigger difference between the cooling tube temp and room temp will produce more condensation. They use to sell a system like that home made one that had a big container on top of the fan that you filled with ice. As the ice melted, it dripped down a foam filter material in front of the fan cooling the air that was blown through it. The water was then collected in another container at the bottom that you just emptied. All you had to do was add ice, no tubing to worry about. It worked but don't expect to get a 90 degree room down to 70 degrees. Have fun. Jerry
ah just the type of man i was hoping to meet : ) i was thinking aboutthe condensation thing, what if i put a garbage can lid underneath the fan and poke a hold with yet another tube leading back into the container inside the fridge. so the condensation would drip off the wire, into the lid and back into the container again. I see 2 potential problems with this though: 1) cold air escaping out of the hole poked in the garbage can lid and 2) perhaps tyhe fan would simply blow the small droplets of water onto the floor in front of it, making the garbage can lid useless. i like the ice container on top of a fan idea, but i dont want something i have to keep moitoring. im loking for something i can just turn on and let go all day while im at class for as little as possible. So...any additions/comments/critiques/suggestions? Edit: just thought of something after i posted, would wraping the copper wire around the back as opposed to the front make any difference? In Geoffs model he had it both ways but never said which was better. If it makes no difference, id imagine if i just wrapped it around the back of the fan that that would solve potential problem # 2. on the other hand, the more copper wire the more heat will be able to be picked up, correct? so maybe front and back would be best...oops thinking while typing ill stop now.
just did a search for some numbers and was kind of suprised, thought id share. The lowest price/voltage miniture airconditioner i could find was about $120/125V. While the lowest price/voltage mini fridge i could find was about $60/110V. Im not sure how energy costs are measured or anything, but im assuming less voltage = less cost, granted its only 15V less (not much right?) but thats still something. And at about half the cost of a real one...i think i may be on to something here : )
I don't mean to sound negative but that fan with copper tubing wouldn't cool down a toilet let alone a normal size room. I would probably just run a cold bath on a hot day. Much much cheaper.
I'm one of the managers at an appliance outlet so I'll give you a few things to consider. The voltage on an appliance is what it is rated at. 110 volts or 125 volts is basically the same, its to be used on normal outlets. I don't know where you are located but I'm in Pennsylvania in the USA. Normal house power here will vary between 110 volts to 130 volts. As to the cost, we run sales in the summer on 5,000 btu window air conditioners for $59.00. Stores like Wal-mart around the same price or very close. Price goes up as the btus go up. 5000 btu's will cool most rooms 9x12 up to 12x12 if you can keep the door closed. That homemade fan system will only feel slightly cooler if directly in front of it and may actually make it feel warmer because its adding humidity to the air. A big part of cooling a room is removing the moisture or humidity. Its a good project to play with but as OZY stated it may be a waste of time and effort. The condensation problem we were talking about is the unit trying to get rid of the moisture in the air. If it can be drained to the outside it may help. If it gets pulled back into the room air then it won't do much. Hope this helps somewhat. Jerry
If you're really hellbent on doing something like the site you mentioned in your first post, you could also look around google for a DIY cooling system including a fan, copper tubing and dry ice, or look for it here : http://www.hackaday.com/ *it's in there somewhere in the archive for last year, between may and the end of august* I tried the method and it wored for me, but then again, temperature here doesn't usually go very far over the 39° mark... And i had some means of keeping condensation to a minimum, which, like Jerry746 mentioned, could cause some obvious (seriously big) problems.
Thanks for all the opinions and comments, I think I may actually go through and build it just to see how it works out (hey its a good excuse to have fun building something!). Unless it turns out to be too cost ineffceint, then i may end up just buying a regular AC (60 bucks is a good deal, I couldnt find any prices below 100 when i browsed through a couple pages online). But just buying one wouldnt really give me the do-it-yourself satisfaction im craving i think haha. Anywho, to sum up, im going to give it a shot and when i complete it ill post up some pics and give my analysis of it : )
Building stuff is always half the fun. If done right it should work to some extent. Running the fan will be cheaper than a regular air cond. Have fun and keep us informed. If you run into a problem and need some advice just post here or PM me. I'm no expert on that WATER SYSTEM but will try to help if possible. Jerry
