This publication is mostly addressed to those readers who do not yet have the opportunity to purchase a factory-made air conditioner, as well as pay for the rather “heavy” electricity bills that accrue as a result of its use. In addition, there are a number of shortcomings in the devices on sale, forcing some particularly “choosy” users to abandon such equipment - this will be mentioned below.
But to live in an intolerable summer stuffiness, which is especially typical for premises that are not thermally insulated enough apartment buildings– is also a completely bleak prospect. Therefore, homeowners have a question about whether it is possible to make an air conditioner with their own hands.
There are several options that will help cool the air in the room using homemade devices. Probably, we should immediately warn that there are many skeptics who do not want to make efforts and conduct such experiments. They actively criticize these inventions, posting derogatory comments and predicting the inoperability of the project in advance. However, there is nothing easier than to check the effect of homemade products on yourself, especially since each of them will not require high costs and excessive efforts, since any person should cope with their manufacture if he is tired of the constant stuffiness in the rooms.
So that anyone can try to make and experience one of the homemade air conditioners, a few simple designs will be presented below. Some of them can be made in just an hour, and using the most affordable materials.
What is an air conditioner. Advantages and disadvantages of factory models
To begin with, it is worth understanding what it is, what is the principle of its operation and what it is used for.
Everyone knows that such devices are used to maintain a comfortable temperature for a person in the premises. Air conditioners, the most affordable and simple in design, are designed only for cooling air. However, today innovative models are being produced that can not only fully control temperature regime in the room at any time of the year, but also to purify and humidify the air.
Basic device of air conditioners
All commercially available devices are divided into evaporation and compression
In terms of their functions, they differ in that evaporative models can only cool and humidify the air, while compression models can be designed for both cooling and heating it.
Compression conditioner
Compression air conditioners can be called the most common devices. They can be seen everywhere, built into window openings or hung on the walls of buildings.
The design of a compression device, like any other refrigeration equipment, consists of the following main nodes that perform certain functions:
- The compressor keeps the refrigerant moving around the appliance circuit.
- The condenser (radiator) is intended for cooling and condensation of freon.
- The evaporator is designed to turn liquid into steam with a sharp decrease in freon pressure.
- Thermostat - controls the current flow of freon passing through the evaporator, thereby maintaining the temperature at a given level.
- Fans are installed both outside the air conditioner and inside, and are designed to activate heat exchange processes and provide a directed flow of cooled air.
The operation of a compression air conditioner can be briefly described as follows:
- The refrigerant in the gaseous state, having a temperature of +10÷20 degrees, enters the compressor from the evaporator under a pressure of 3 ÷ 5 atmospheres.
- The compressor compresses the refrigerant until a pressure of 15÷25 atmospheres is reached, while it heats up to a temperature of 75÷90 degrees.
- Further, freon enters the condenser, where it is cooled by the flow of "outboard" air driven through the heat exchanger, turning into a liquid state. The refrigerant at the exit from the condenser has a high pressure, and its temperature is 12÷20 degrees higher than the environment.
- From the condenser, the heated refrigerant enters the temperature control device. This is usually a thin copper tube-spiral with the ability to adjust the cross section for the passage of freon, the pressure drop in a thin tube with an increase in the speed of the refrigerant, in strict accordance with Bernoulli's law, causes a sharp drop in the boiling point of the liquid, which leads to the beginning of the process of active evaporation.
- Then the refrigerant enters the evaporator, where, due to a sharp expansion and removal of heat from the air in the room, it is finally converted into a gaseous state. It is this stage that serves as the key to lowering the temperature in the room.
- Further, the refrigerant in the gaseous state again enters the compressor, and the whole process is cyclically repeated.
Prices for air conditioners
air conditioner
The same principle, by the way, underlies the device of refrigerators.
Find out how by studying step by step instructions, in a special article of our portal.
Evaporative air conditioner
An evaporative air conditioner is a fairly simple design based on the direct evaporation of ordinary water, that is, it does not use special refrigerants (freons), which are often hazardous to the environment.
The main nodes of this class of devices are:
- The case in which all units are located, with a pallet (pos. 4), made of materials that are resistant to moisture and significant temperature changes.
- Water pump equipped with a filling tank (pos.1), water supply valves. Designed to saturate the cooling filter with water. Water is taken from the tank, where it is pumped from the sump. There is a drain valve that is used to regularly remove contaminated water from the sump.
- Evaporative filters or gaskets (item 2) are designed for the most efficient evaporation of water entering them. They are made most often from cellulose, although the use of special polymers is also practiced. Most often they have a honeycomb structure of the structure - this contributes to the maximum contact of the humid environment and the pumped air.
- The fan ensures the intake and forced movement of the required volume of air through the evaporative filters.
Even from the name of this scheme, it becomes clear that it works by evaporation, and water is used as a liquid that passes into a vapor state. It is interesting that such devices have, one can safely say, a very ancient origin. It was in this way that indoor cooling was organized several millennia ago in Persia and Mesopotamia, where such “air conditioners” were called “wind catchers”.
The principle is known to everyone - the evaporation of water always leads to cooling of the surface. A simple experiment: wet one hand and leave the other dry - the difference is obvious. By the way, clever nature has provided each of us with its own "cooling system" - it is the release and evaporation of sweat that saves the human body from external overheating.
During the operation of an evaporative air conditioner, warm outside air is drawn in by a fan and passes through filters that are constantly saturated with water from a tank. Due to the evaporation of water, the air flow is cooled, humidified and passes into the room. It is characteristic that the lower the humidity of the outside air, the more intense the evaporation of water from the filters, respectively, the air conditioner functions more efficiently. Unlike compression air conditioners, the air in the room is always pumped in from the outside, that is, it needs to be filtered (that's why evaporator filters are used). In addition, this makes it necessary to ensure the exhaust flow from the premises.
This type of air conditioner has a much simpler design, much more economical in operation compared to the compression design in terms of electricity consumption, with equal cooling capacity.
A significant disadvantage of such devices is that they show extremely low efficiency in a humid climate. In addition, the costs include the need for constant replenishment of water or its supply.
So, in order to make an air conditioner with a compression principle of operation, it will be necessary to make significant investments, and its assembly requires some knowledge and skills. At the same time, it will not be difficult even for a schoolboy to make a working model of an evaporative air conditioner.
Advantages and disadvantages of ready-made air conditioners
Air conditioners are installed everywhere nowadays, since in summer, when the temperature outside rises to 35-40 degrees, and sometimes even higher, it is quite difficult to do without additional cooling equipment in the premises. Any of the air conditioners has numerous advantages that any manufacturer gives and, in principle, does not deceive the consumer. However, not everyone knows that, in addition to advantages, each such device has plenty of disadvantages, and some of them are extremely dangerous for the health of people in an air-conditioned room. But in order to compare the advantages and disadvantages of devices, they must first be known.
The well-known "pluses" of air conditioners include their following characteristics:
- The main advantage of these devices is the creation of a comfortable microclimate in a house or apartment in the summer or all year round.
- The air conditioner is able to filter the air masses passing through it in the room. In some models, in addition to filters, ionizers and humidifiers are installed, which significantly improve the air quality in the rooms.
The negative aspects of having an air conditioner in the house include the following:
- Air conditioners consume a lot of electricity, so bills for it will increase significantly. In addition, these devices require professional, regular service, and you will also have to pay for these services.
- The biggest disadvantage of air conditioners is that they, collecting dust from the air, with all its attendant components, accumulate it on their filters. As a result, a favorable microclimate is created in the filters for the reproduction of dangerous microorganisms. One of these characteristic bacteria is Legionella, which causes a very serious lung disease called Legionellosis.
- Air conditioning requires by special means- It is usually done once every three months. If this procedure is not carried out on time, the device will become a hotbed of dirt and bad smell who will stand in the room.
- If you use the air conditioner without a humidifier, the air in the room will become dry very quickly - relative humidity will be only 30÷40% when for a person comfort air must be moistened up to 45÷60%. Dry air makes it difficult to breathe, leads to damage to the mucous membranes of the eyes and nasopharynx, as well as skin aging.
- The use of air conditioners often causes a surge in colds in a seemingly "harmless" summer period, especially in children or adults with a predisposition to this.
- During operation, the air conditioner makes a constant noise, which negatively affects the psyche of some people.
- Finally, although prices are not the same as they were, say, a dozen years ago, not everyone still has the opportunity to purchase and install such a device in their apartment or house.
Unlike the factory device, homemade version does not require large expenses or special conditions. It is easy to operate and maintain, so it can be easily handled without the involvement of specialists.
DIY air conditioners
It might be worth starting with the most simple ways cool the room. They are well-known and have been used since ancient times - for example, a damp sheet, which is used to curtain an open window, or a container filled with water and wrapped in a wet terry towel, the end of which is lowered into the water. Such a “cooling system” is installed on a window sill with an open window or in a doorway facing the street. The role of the fan in this case will be played by a banal draft. Everything is the same as it was discussed above - when water evaporates, the fabric cools, and the desired coolness enters the room.
Most mini air conditioners operate on the same principle, which you can quite easily make yourself.
Next, we will consider several options for devices that can be made at home without much difficulty and high costs. Of course, the created models will not be able to compete in terms of cooling power with factory-made air conditioners, but they will not cause so many problems either. In addition, the cost of electricity will be several times less than when using real devices.
Advantage homemade device cooling also lies in the fact that if the design seems inefficient, it can be easily disassembled and folded, so to speak, into a box. Due to the fact that everything necessary for the manufacture of devices is inexpensive, it will not be a shame for the money spent. But how much pleasure the master will get if he is satisfied with his “creation”!
The first option is a mini-air conditioner from a fan and a copper tube.
Such a compact air cooler is not difficult to make, but it must be borne in mind that for it effective work you need running water or a bucket filled with it, which will have to be carried after the device, in the event that it is decided to move it to another room. If a water meter is installed in a house or apartment, then it is better, of course, to choose the second version, with water recirculation.
Fan prices
fan
For the manufacture of the air conditioner shown, you will need:
- A fan of any model that has a front protective grille.
- Copper tube 1/4˝ or 6.35 mm. Its length will depend on the diameter of the fan grille and the density of the spiral. A standard floor fan will require approximately 5000÷10000 mm of tubing.
- Plastic clamps or thin wire.
- Transparent flexible plastic tube with an internal diameter of 6 mm.
- Submersible pump for an aquarium with a capacity of 600÷1000 l/h.
- A thermal box, such as a cooler bag or a plastic bucket. It should be noted here that ice will melt much longer in a thermal box than in a bucket, so it is preferable to the latter.
- Metal clamps.
- Cold accumulator.
You need to talk about the cold accumulator in more detail, since it will come in handy not only for this, but also for other models of home-made mini-air conditioners.
Prices for copper pipes
copper tubes
Cold accumulators are used in car or portable refrigerator bags to maintain the required temperature in them. This convenient fixture is a hermetically sealed plastic container having a flat shape. The battery capacity is filled with a rapidly freezing liquid, and before being placed in an isothermal bag or a plastic box, it is frozen in the freezer of the refrigerator.
The cold accumulator can be used an unlimited number of times, and it is able not only to cool the interior of the refrigerator box, but also to keep it cold. On sale you can find three types of batteries, which differ in filling substance. So, the container can be filled with a water-salt solution, gel or silicone.
- A water-salt accumulator maintains a temperature in the refrigerator box in the range from -20 to +8 degrees.
- The gel version of the cooler is able to maintain both a positive temperature of the desired level and a negative one.
- The silicone battery is sold in a bag of durable plastic film - this option can keep the temperature from 0 to +2 degrees for seven days, provided that the refrigerator is not opened.
Therefore, to cool the water entering the air conditioner, it is more expedient to purchase a silicone battery. But for it to work effectively, we repeat, a tightly closed box with effective thermal insulation is required. If there is none on the farm, then you can pick up a closing container (for example, there are buckets with a rectangular section) and paste over all its surfaces (including the lid) from the inside or outside with a layer of expanded polystyrene 30 ÷ 40 mm thick.
Having prepared everything you need for work, you can proceed to the manufacture of a mini-air conditioner:
| Illustration | |
|---|---|
 | The first step is to remove the front protective grille from the fan. Then a copper tube is taken, and, starting from the center of the grate, a spiral is twisted from the tube, as shown in the illustration. |
 | The more turns the spiral has, the faster the room will cool. However, do not forget that if the spiral is twisted too tightly, it will interfere with the normal movement of air pumped by the fan. The ends of the tube are left free - they will later be inserted behind the rear grille of the fan, after installing and securing the front one. This design will become a heat exchanger for the air conditioner. Water cooled in a sealed container will circulate through the copper tube, and the fan, blowing the heat exchange circuit, will direct the flow of cool air into the room in the right direction. |
 | The tube is fixed on the front grille with plastic clamps, puffs, but if they are not there, then you can use ordinary thin soft wire to fix the spiral. After the heat exchanger is completely fixed on the grille, the ends of the clamps must be cut off, since the air conditioner will not look aesthetically pleasing with them. |
 | The next step is to install the grille with the spiral on the fan. The ends of the copper tubes are brought to one of the sides of the device or are wound behind the rear grille. In any case, they should be turned in one direction, where it is more convenient to install the cooling box. |
 | Next, the ends of the transparent plastic tubes must be attached to the ends of the copper coil. So that they are tightly fixed, and complete tightness of the connection is ensured, they are fixed from above with metal clamps. |
 | After that, one of the tubes is connected to the pump nozzle. The length of both hoses must be such that they freely reach the container in which the coolant will be located. Here it is necessary to clarify that the tube can be selected according to the diameter of the pump nozzle, and if it is much over size copper tube, then on the latter, before putting on a transparent hose, you need to wrap electrical tape, and also fix the connection with a metal clamp. |
 | After connecting all the tubes, they, together with the pump, are placed in a container. In this case, a foam box is used, but a refrigerator bag or a plastic bucket is also suitable, but it will need to be thoroughly thermally insulated using polystyrene foam or other insulation. In order for the container to close tightly, the tubes can be passed through the holes drilled in the walls of the container - then the lid will be tightly closed. |
 | The thermal box is filled with cold water, and then the system is checked. To do this, the pump must be turned on and when the water begins to circulate through the tubes, check the connections. The water taken by the pump must go through the entire coil and return to the tank through the second drain transparent tube. |
 | If the test was successful, then ice and cold accumulators should be added to the water container, and then tightly closed with a lid. Now you can turn on the fan and check the performance of the entire assembled system as a whole. Ice will have to be periodically added to the thermal box as the mini-air conditioner works. |
The second option is a mini air conditioner from a table fan.
In order for the air conditioner to be more powerful and cool the entire room, you will need a fan with a larger capacity. But it is quite possible to organize local cooling of the air flow, for example, near a place to work or rest.
In this case, the master used the usual table fan, which is in almost every home. It does not have to be disassembled to the ground, so if you want to use it in the traditional way, it will be enough to put it in its original position.
In addition to the fan, to create this design, you will need cardboard box a suitable size, wide scotch tape, a saucepan or other container that will completely fit into the box, shoe threads and ice. From the tools you will need to prepare a clerical knife, scissors, a marker, a ruler or tape measure, a large (gypsy) needle. If you look at the list of tools, then a logical conclusion suggests itself that even women's hands can make such a mini-air conditioner.
| Illustration | Brief description of the operation to be performed |
|---|---|
 | So, any large box of corrugated cardboard, since you can easily make a small one out of it. In order to start its manufacture, it is necessary to prepare a suitable container. You can take any pot from the kitchen, as you can return it at any time if necessary. You don’t have to drill and cut the container - it will remain in its original form. |
 | The task of the first stage is to make a box without a bottom from corrugated cardboard, which will be 150 ÷ 200 mm higher than the container, and have such dimensions in length and width that the selected container will easily fit into. To do this, the cardboard box is marked, its bottom and lid are cut off. This work is done with a sharp clerical knife. |
 | Next, a box is assembled from cut cardboard. The edges of the box are fastened with high-quality adhesive tape, which is glued in two to three layers. |
 | The result should be something like a box, as shown in the illustration. If there are holes or windows in the walls of the box, then they must be sealed with the same adhesive tape so that the cold that will come from the ice is directed in one direction and exits through one channel specially designed for this. |
 | In the next step, the remains of the cardboard are measured, and on one of the fragments that do not have folds, a lid is drawn and cut out, which must exactly match the previously made box. In the central part of this cardboard square, a circle is marked, which should have a diameter that exceeds the span of the impeller of the existing fan by 20 ÷ 25 mm. The fan blades should not only enter the cut-out window freely, but also not touch its edges when turned on. It is best to make this cover from two layers of cardboard - this will turn out more reliably. |
 | The next step is to fix the prepared square cover on top of the box. The parts are connected around the perimeter with adhesive tape. |
 | Then, the height of the container, which will be under the box, is measured. At this level, a rectangular hole is marked and cut, 35 ÷ 40 mm high. The length of the opening can be different, but it is important to deviate from the corners of the box at least the same 35 ÷ 40 mm, thereby maintaining the rigidity of the structure. |
 | The next step is to cut out two identical parts from cardboard - strips, the length of which will be 4 ÷ 5 mm less than the rectangular cutout in the box, and the width will be 5 mm more. The parts must be connected with threads, at a distance from each other, which should be equal to the height of the rectangular gap cut in the box. The threads must be started at a slight angle from the top part to the bottom, i.e. fix them through the top panel, stepping back from the edges 7 ÷ 8 mm, and on the bottom 12 ÷ 15 mm. |
 | In the next step, the connected parts are inserted into the cut-out rectangular case window, as shown in the illustration. They must enter freely. |
 | Next, a gypsy needle is taken with a thread inserted into it and the details are freely fixed in the window, each of them in three places. One of them is fixed to the upper line, along the length of the opening, and the second - along the lower border. The threads should not be tightened tightly - passing them through the cardboard, you just need to tie knots. |
 | The result should be a structure, similar to ordinary blinds, which can tilt down, up or set exactly horizontally, directing the air flow in the right direction. |
 | In this illustration, you can see how the curtains of the resulting blinds move upwards with the movement of a finger. They will remain in this position until someone decides to change the direction of the flow. |
 | Now you can start assembling the structure. In order for the air conditioner to work more quietly, it is recommended to put a bedding on the surface of the floor or table under the container - it can be a cloth folded in several layers or an old towel. But at the same time, the pan must be very stable. |
 | On top of the container, the front mesh, removed from the fan, is laid with the convex side down. It will serve as a stand for pieces of ice. |
 | Now ice can be laid on the grid - it should be prepared in advance. If the summer is hot, and the air conditioner is planned to be used daily, then the ice will have to be harvested constantly. This is the only inconvenience in using this design. However, its advantage is that it will consume no more electricity than a conventional fan. |
 | Now, the container with the mesh and ice is covered with a box. When the ice melts, the water will drain into the substituted container, but in order for the cold to enter the room constantly, the ice will have to be constantly placed. It is best to prepare the ice used for such an air conditioner in large pieces by freezing water, for example, in plastic glasses. In this case, it will melt more slowly than the one made in small cubes. |
 | Next, a fan is inserted into the opening of the box, with the blades down. If a table-top appliance is used, as in this case, then it can not be removed from the footboard. When used for the construction of a large, floor model, it is better to remove the axis with blades from the stand. For a larger fan diameter, you will have to make a larger box. |
 | When the whole structure is assembled, you can proceed to its testing. In this case, in order to visually evaluate the functionality of the air conditioner, the master used polyethylene tapes. |
 | To visually determine the direction of air flow, so to speak, “in real time”, several polyethylene strips can be glued to the shutters of the blinds with adhesive tape. If you always use ice of the same size, then over time it will become clear how approximately one bookmark is enough. Although, the period of ice melting will also depend on the air temperature in the room. |
Using such a mini-air conditioner to cool the air, you need to periodically empty the container in which the melt water will collect, otherwise it will go over the edge. If the cardboard of the box gets wet, the fan may well fall into the spilled water, which will lead to a short circuit. Therefore, a homemade air conditioner of this type requires constant monitoring.
The third option is a desktop mini air conditioner
This model of air conditioner is perfect for those who spend all day at the computer or just at the desktop, as its range is very small. However, this device also has its advantages - it works quietly, takes up little space and consumes minimal amount electricity.
| Illustration | Brief description of the operation to be performed |
|---|---|
 | To create this model, you will need a computer fan (cooler). It can be purchased at a specialized store or even simply removed from an old system unit or power supply. |
 | A mayonnaise bucket or a deep plastic food container with a lid can be used as an ice container. |
 | The cover of the container must be at least 5 mm larger than the dimensions of the fan. |
 | In addition, this mini air conditioner model will require a 12 volt power supply. It will run a fan. |
 | You will also need a regular plastic bottle of 0.5 liters. To be more precise, only its upper part, the neck, will be used. |
 | To assemble the structure, you will also need to purchase a small switch and a socket for the power supply from the store or remove it from old equipment. |
 | When purchasing a socket, you need to ensure that it fits the power supply plug. It is best to buy them at the same time, so as not to be mistaken. |
 | A fan is attached to the container lid, then it is marked with a marker. First, the fan is outlined around the perimeter, and then a circle is defined inside the square in which it will later be installed. |
 | Further, it is necessary to ensure free passage of air inside the container. To do this, a large number of holes are burned in the inner part of the outlined circle with a soldering iron. |
 | But it’s better to do it even easier - an opening for the fan is completely cut out along the indicated circle. This operation is easy to perform with a sharp clerical knife with interchangeable blades. |
 | The cylindrical case of the fan should fit into the resulting window as tightly as possible, if it is on the existing model. If not, then it is necessary to ensure the tightest possible pressure of the plane of the body to the surface of the cover. Be sure to cut off all the burrs remaining after cutting out the window. |
 | After that, the fan is again applied to the cover, and dots are made on the cover with a marker through the holes located at its corners. Then, mounting holes are drilled or burned through these designated centers. |
 | The fan is mounted on the cover and fastened with short screws and nuts. At the same time, it is necessary to correctly orient it - it must work to force air into the container, and not vice versa. |
 | In order for all the air blown by the fan to enter the container and then be discharged through a channel specially designed for this, it is additionally recommended to seal this assembly by gluing silicone around the entire perimeter using a thermal gun. |
 | The next step is to unsolder the switch and the socket for connecting the power supply. The red wire (plus) from the cooler is soldered to one of the switch legs. The end of the wire is pre-cleaned and lubricated with soldering flux, which results in a stronger contact connection. |
 | Next, you need to take a piece of wire, strip it at the ends, and then process them with flux. One end of the wire is soldered to the second leg of the switch. It is desirable, of course, and here to observe color coding wires, use red, so that it is clear that it is the “plus” that is interrupted. However, with due care, this is not necessary. In the example shown, the master uses black, apparently what was at hand. |
 | In the next step, the switch can be immediately fixed to the fan housing using silicone hot melt adhesive. For the key, you need to find a suitable, convenient place to turn it on. |
 | Next, the power socket is taken. As a rule, in most models of power supplies, the central contact of the plug is the "plus". Therefore, here, too, the master connected the output located at the end of the socket to the switch, where, as we remember, it is the “plus” that breaks. |
 | Then, the second pre-stripped wire from the fan (“minus”) is taken and soldered to the “minus” of the power socket. It is very important not to mix up the positive and negative wires, otherwise the fan may fail. If there is no certainty, then it is better to ring the switching before turning it on, making sure that the wires are correctly polarized. |
 | Now it is necessary to carry out "running tests" of the assembled electromechanical part for performance. To do this, the power supply is connected to the network, and its plug is inserted into the socket. The switch key is pressed. |
 | If the tests were successful, the fan works and directs the flow exactly in the right direction (into the container), the socket is also fixed with silicone hot melt adhesive on the cooler case, next to the switch. The illustration shows the location of parts and wires well. |
 | As a result of the assembly, the structure should look something like the one shown in this photo. |
 | When the main and, I must say, the most difficult part of the air conditioner is done, you can move on to an easier stage - to work on the container. To do this, first a plastic bottle is marked with a marker and the upper part is cut off from it, which will be used in the design as an outlet channel for cooled air. It is desirable to make the cut line as even as possible in order to simplify the sealing of this node. |
 | In the next step, the cut off part of the bottle is applied to the upper part of the container wall and outlined with a marker. |
 | But the hole should still be somewhat smaller. Therefore, another circle is drawn inside the outlined circle, with a radius of about 2 ÷ 3 mm less. After that, a round window is cut out along the line of the inner circle with a knife. The work must be carried out slowly, very carefully, since the knife can easily move to the side, and the cutout will turn out to be larger than necessary. And this means that you have to look for another container. |
 | A cut-off bottleneck is inserted into the cut hole on the container from the inside, and then the junction is “sealed” with silicone hot melt adhesive from the outside and from the inside. The sealing joint must harden well, and only after that it is possible to carry out a control test of the structure. |
 | The cap is removed from the neck of the bottle, and polyethylene strips can be glued around the outlet, which will visually show the strength of the air coming out of the neck. |
 | Then the cover of the container with the fan attached to it is installed in place, and the assembled structure can be checked for operability. The illustration clearly shows how the strips of polyethylene visually demonstrate the strength of the air flow coming out of the container. |
 | Now the container capacity is filled with ice, approximately to the bottom edge of the glued bottle. Ice in the space of the container will cool the air, and the fan will provide its inflow with subsequent exit through the neck fixed in the wall. Instead of ordinary ice, you can use its dry version - by the way, it lasts for a longer period of air cooling. If the capacity allows, then in addition to ice, you can also install a cold accumulator in it. |
 | These two photos show how, having made such a desktop air conditioner, the master took measurements of the temperature at the outlet before turning on the fan and after it had been running for several minutes. The thermometer shows a drop in temperature from 32 degrees to 21 - what is required. |
A significant disadvantage of this design can be considered that the cooled air will be supplied by a “jet” in only one direction. However, the device can be installed in such a way that the air flow blows over the face of its owner, and this will already be enough to not suffer so much from stuffiness in the room.
The fourth option is an “air conditioner” made of plastic bottles and a sheet of plywood or cardboard
This method of cooling rooms was invented in Bangladesh and is used everywhere today.
This air conditioner will require almost no costs for its manufacture, and during its operation - for electricity, as it works naturally. This design of the air conditioner does not need not only electricity, but also ice or water.
The principle is that air naturally (due to a draft) passes through a sharply narrowing channel, and then, with an instantaneous expansion at the exit, cools. This principle is illustrated by a simple experiment. Blow on your hand with your mouth wide open - you will feel warm. And now, with the same effort, but pass the air through the lips extended by the tube - there is an effect of an air stream cooling the skin.
The design can be made of any size, which will depend on the linear parameters window frame, which is planned to be opened wide.
Now we need to consider the simple process of manufacturing this model of "air conditioning" in some more detail.
- So, you need to prepare a sheet of plywood and required amount plastic bottles. They can be of any color - this factor does not matter for the operation of the air cooler being created. However, if there is a desire to create a color design, then bottles of different shades can be arranged in a certain way, creating a beautiful ornament that will be visible from afar.
- To create a conditioner, you only need the tops of the bottles, ⅓ of their height. Therefore, they need to be cut off and corks twisted from them. However, do not rush to throw away the corks, since they will perfectly serve as fasteners, such threaded bushings, for fixing bottle parts on the plywood panel.
- You need to cut so many bottles that after putting them on a plywood sheet, they are located tightly, but do not touch each other. To mark their places on the panel, you need to take a long pencil, and inserting it through the top into the center of the neck of each of the bottle segments, alternately mark the place of the future hole.
- To drill holes, you will need a drill bit. Since the diameter of the threaded part of the neck is standard for most of the bottles encountered, a drill with a diameter of 18 mm is required. It is installed in the drill chuck, and holes are drilled according to the previously made marks.
- Now it remains only to install segments of bottles into the holes. To keep them securely, you can fix them with lids by twisting them from the outside, after cutting off the top from them so that they become “through”.
Get a plastic ring with a thread inside. These couplings are screwed onto the necks of the bottles, and they will be securely fastened to the plywood sheet.
plywood prices
- The finished air conditioner is installed on the window opening with funnels outward. The developers of such a scheme claim that due to the fact that the warm air entering the funnel, passing through the narrow neck, is cooled, the temperature in the room is guaranteed to drop by five degrees. And this is a lot in the conditions of summer heat!
True, you will have to come to terms with the fact that the window practically stops letting in daylight, which, you see, is not very convenient.
Fifth option - a mini-air conditioner from a fan and plastic bottles
This air conditioner model is similar to the previous one in many ways, but is reinforced with a fan, and it can be installed in any room, easily moved to the right place. In addition, there are no problems with daylight in the room.
In order to make this version of the "air conditioner", you will need the following materials:
- Ordinary household fan.
- Six plastic bottles.
- A sheet of thick cardboard or thin plastic.
- Plastic clamps.
- Stationery knife.
- Silicone hot glue.
Work on the manufacture of this model will not take much time if everything you need is in store in advance. When making such an air conditioner, you do not have to solder or carry out complex connections of individual parts - you only need to cut and glue. Such an air cooler, equipped with a system to be manufactured, will work according to the same principle as the previous model.
- So, the first step is to cut off the lower part from all six bottles, focusing, for example, on the label - the cut line will pass exactly along it.
- The next step is to prepare the base. On cardboard or plastic, you need to draw a circle that will correspond to the diameter of the fan, and then carefully cut it out with a clerical knife.
- Further, on the resulting round panel, the cut off parts of the bottles are installed and evenly distributed, funnel down. Each of them must be circled with a pencil. Then the marked windows are carefully cut out with a knife.
- The result should be such a round panel with even holes corresponding to the diameter of the bottle.
- Now, the cut parts of the bottles need to be attached to the holes in the panel with tape so that they do not move when they are glued. Having fixed the parts in one position, they are glued with silicone hot glue using a gun. Glue is applied around the circumference of each of the six windows on both one and the other side of the panel.
Prices for popular air conditioners
- Further, closer to the edge of the round panel between the bottles, two holes must be made at a distance of about 30 mm from one another. Plastic clamps are inserted into the holes, with which the structure will be fixed to the fan. How the puff is threaded is well shown in the illustration.
- Now it remains to fix the panel on the front grille of the fan with the help of clamps-puffs, the remaining free ends of which must be cut off, otherwise they can interfere with the rotation of the fan and make an unpleasant sound during its operation.
- The result is a design as shown in the illustration. The convenience lies in the fact that such an air cooler can be directed to any area of the room, transferred to another room, it does not need additional Consumables, as well as the fact that if desired, the panel can be easily removed.
In addition, for such an "air conditioner" you do not have to buy any expensive parts, and it will consume no more electricity than a conventional fan.
In conclusion, it must be added that there are other models of homemade air conditioners that can be simple or complex. If the task is to choose the optimal one from them, it is worth starting to experiment with the simplest and least expensive ones. To expand on the information received, see also the video below.
Video: Another model of a homemade air conditioner, easy to manufacture
The heat is annoying, but there is no money for air conditioning? You can try to make an air conditioner on your own. Actually, it's not as difficult as many people think. Numerous videos and articles on the Internet provide step-by-step instructions. In this article, we will consider the most simple and effective ways make your own air conditioner.
First, let's get acquainted with the theory. Everyone knows that an air conditioner is a device that can maintain a certain temperature in a room. The simplest and cheapest air conditioners can only cool the air, more modern models can comprehensively affect the microclimate of the room: humidify and purify the air, eliminate dust and allergens, kill germs, etc. Despite the apparent complexity, all air conditioners are divided into compressor and evaporative.
In order to make the first type of air conditioner with your own hands, significant financial investments will be required. Assembling a compressor air conditioner will require in-depth knowledge of the principle of operation of the device. The operation of the second type of air conditioner is based on the simple evaporation of water. It is known that during evaporation, the temperature decreases, since part of the energy leaves with the evaporated molecules.
Let's finish with the theoretical part and move on to considering the simplest air conditioners that you can make yourself.
How did our ancestors cope with the heat?
One of the most common means of cooling since time immemorial has been a wet towel. A towel was wrapped around any container and placed in a through, ventilated place. As the water evaporated, the towel cooled. Most DIY evaporative air conditioners work on the same principle.
Do-it-yourself air conditioning from a fan and cold water
The simple design is suitable for office workers. The device requires a fan with protective housing, water tank, dense fabric and wire.
A fabric is placed in front of the fan on a fixed wire, the lower edge of which is lowered into a container of water. The design is placed in the window opening. The design will constantly maintain active evaporation of water, and the stronger the evaporation, the lower the air temperature.
A hand-made fan air conditioner has a number of advantages: it works silently, consumes little energy and is easy to assemble / disassemble. Water consumption is approximately one liter per hour.
Do-it-yourself air conditioner from plastic bottles
To make an air conditioner, several plastic bottles with cold or pre-frozen water are taken. The bottles are hung on the fan in the direction of the air flow in a row, leaving small gaps for the air to pass freely. Bottled fluid should be changed as it warms up.
Do-it-yourself air conditioner from a hose and a copper pipe
A thin plastic copper pipe is bent into a spiral and fixed on the surface of the fan's protective grille. There must be gaps between the turns of the pipe for the free passage of air. One end of the pipe is connected to a garden hose connected to a cold water faucet. The other end goes down the drain. The end intended for draining can be plugged with a stopper. Then the tap opens and the pipe fills with water. As the water in the pipe heats up, it needs to be renewed. Also, instead of a plug, a valve (including an automatic one) can be provided.
Do-it-yourself air conditioning from a tank, fan and ice
To make an air conditioner, you will need any unnecessary container (but a heat-insulated one like a portable refrigerator case is best), on the lid of which holes are made, ice is placed inside the container. A fan is built into the lid of the container so that the air flow goes inside. Thus, from the second hole you will receive a stream of cold air.
Do-it-yourself air cleaner and fan air conditioner
This type of air conditioner will require more effort and cost. To make it, you will need a car air cleaner and a conventional fan. The fan and air cleaner are connected to each other with a pipe or hose. The housing for the resulting installation is made from any available materials. The filter, attached to the bottom of the housing, is made of fine-mesh mesh, folded 3-4 times. After the assembly is completed, the air cleaner tank is filled with water, and the system is connected to the mains. With the help of a fan, the air mass is sent to the evaporation chamber, where, passing through the water, it is cooled and exits through the mesh holes, which contributes to the evaporation of moisture.
Do-it-yourself spray conditioner
Any suitable container is taken and filled with water, an air duct is put on the container filled with water. A sprayer is mounted in the evaporation chamber, which has a nozzle for regulating the amount of liquid taken from the tank. The device is driven by a ventilation system.
Freezer air conditioner
One of the most affordable and efficient air conditioners you can make yourself is installing from an old freezer. To do this, the freezer is hermetically mounted in the window with the back wall with a heat sink radiator out. In order for the generated cold to be evenly distributed throughout the apartment, a fan is installed in the door of the freezer. You can drill a few additional side holes through which warm room air will flow.
Do-it-yourself air conditioner from a portable refrigerator
A radiator is mounted in the refrigerator body, and a small submersible pump, for example, an aquarium, the wires are brought out. On inner surface cover is made a hole for the radiator. Outside, a pair of round holes for fans is cut out. Fans and heat sink are attached with silicone, fan wires are combined. The pump is connected to the radiator, and the refrigerator itself is filled with ice water. The pump starts pumping water to the radiator. The cooled air exits through the fan.
As you can see, making an air conditioner with your own hands is quite easy. A homemade device will significantly save the budget and will not cause additional trouble during installation.
Not all people calmly endure the summer heat, being indoors. For many, it negatively affects performance, reduces appetite and worsens well-being. The solution to the problem is the installation of an air conditioner or a split system, but for various reasons this option is not available to everyone. Therefore, savvy home craftsmen came up with several ways to make an air conditioner on their own with minimal financial costs and with the help of improvised means. Those who suffer greatly from the heat are invited to consider these methods, choose the right one and make a cooler with their own hands.
How does a conventional air conditioner work?
To identify strengths and weak sides homemade coolers, for starters, it does not hurt to understand the structure of traditional split systems and understand how they work. Such a climate control system consists of several parts and assemblies:
- an external and internal radiator, called a heat exchanger;
- radiators are interconnected by copper tubes, where a gaseous substance - freon (technical name - refrigerant) circulates;
- a compressor is installed on one line, which creates excess pressure and causes the freon to move through the pipes and condense;
- a special expansion valve is embedded in the second line.
Split system device
Important. The principle of operation of a refrigeration machine, which is also an air conditioner, is based on the ability of freon to evaporate at low temperatures, due to which thermal energy is transferred from the room to the street.
The refrigerant is constantly moving in a closed circuit, evaporating in one heat exchanger and condensing in another. The heat transfer algorithm looks like this:
- Freon enters the internal radiator (it is also the internal module of the split system) in liquid form. Flow room air blown by the fan passes through the fins of the heat exchanger, causing the refrigerant to heat up and evaporate. At this moment there is an intensive selection of heat from the air environment of the room.
- Further, gaseous freon enters the compressor, which increases its pressure. The goal is to compress the substance to such an extent that it condenses in an outdoor radiator, where the temperature is even higher than in the room.
- Getting into the external heat exchanger, blown by its fan, the refrigerant passes into a liquid state and moves through the tube back into the room. At the moment of transition, it gives off the heat taken from the room to the street air.
- On the way back, liquid freon passes through an expansion valve that reduces pressure so that it can evaporate in the internal radiator. Then the cycle repeats.
The scheme of the air conditioner
Note. All processes occurring in the split system are controlled by an electronic unit using various sensors.
As you can see, the device of the factory air conditioner and the principle of operation is quite complicated. It can be implemented at home by a technically competent specialist in this field, but not by an ordinary user. Yes, you will have to spend money on parts. Homemade designs cooling devices are much simpler and cheaper to manufacture.
Options for homemade air conditioners
From improvised means and materials, home craftsmen make the following types of air coolers:
- devices operating on cold water;
- devices that extract cold from ice;
- homemade air conditioners from portable or old household refrigerators.
In the first two versions, the source of cold is water and ice, blown by a simple axial fan from some household appliance (for example, a computer). The third method allows you to assemble a device that is similar in principle to a full-fledged air conditioner, but with certain limitations. How these options are implemented technically is worth considering in more detail.
Assembling a cooler from a car radiator
Units of this type operate according to the old principle proven in practice and are identical in design to industrial heaters, otherwise - water fan heaters. The bottom line is that water of the required temperature is passed through a radiator, which is blown from the outside by a fan. The air passing through the fins of the heat exchanger is cooled by 5-15 °C, depending on the temperature of the flowing water.
Components for assembling an air conditioner
An important point. Heaters have one valuable advantage: they are able to function in summer for cooling, and in winter - for heating the air flow. To change the mode, it is enough to send hot water from the heating system to the radiator instead of cold.
To make an impromptu winter-summer air conditioner at home, you will need:
- car cooling system radiator in good condition;
- outdoor household fan with a large impeller;
- a plastic or metal tray with low sides, equal in length to the size of the radiator;
- a case where you can embed the listed elements (for example, from an old TV);
- connecting hoses and adapters;
- clamps and fasteners.
The radiator and fan are placed in the case from the TV
Advice. If you want to get more comfort when using the air conditioner, then take a fan with a remote control.
Water hoses must be connected to the radiator
You can make the body for the cooler and the tray yourself from materials available in the household. The purpose of the latter is to collect condensate that forms on the radiator fins from the temperature difference between the flow and circulating water. Assembly is done in this order:
- Check the car radiator for leaks, if necessary, solder leaks or seal cold welding. Then install its body and attach it with steel corners and self-tapping screws (bolts).
- Attach a tray underneath the radiator. If the sides come out too low and the container begins to quickly fill with condensate, then attach a tube to it to drain water into the sewer.
- Behind the heat exchanger, install the fan impeller, separating it from the rack with control buttons.
- Attach hoses to the radiator pipes for supplying and discharging water. This completes the build.
There must be a condensate pan under the radiator.
To start a homemade air conditioner, connect the fan to the mains, and the hoses to the source cold water. It can serve as such home plumbing or a pump that raises water from a well or well. The last 2 options are preferable, since the temperature of underground aquifers is just acceptable - 8-14 ° C. Send the return line to the sewer, a large collection barrel, or use it to water the garden.
In the garage, the entire system can simply be attached to the wall.
Reference. It is highly undesirable to water the plants with cold water from a well in the summer. By passing it through the radiator, you will kill two birds with one stone: cool the room and heat the water for the garden.
Homemade unit from the radiator - video
Compact air conditioner from a plastic bottle
For this homemade device to work, you will need ice, and you can’t do without a working refrigerator or freezer. But the cooler will come out compact and quite efficient for a small room, for example, in an apartment. The principle is simple: ice is placed in a container, and a fan blows air through it, due to which the latter is well cooled. To assemble the air conditioner you will need:
- a large plastic bottle with a capacity of 5, and preferably 9 liters;
- domestic duct fan which are used for hoods in the bathroom;
- thin clothesline;
- plastic folder;
- knife and drill with a drill 8-10 mm.
A set of parts for the manufacture of a cooler
Advice. The requirements for the fan are simple - it must be cheap and small in size. If desired, you can also adapt a cooler from a computer, but then the performance of the cooler will decrease significantly.
The neck is cut off in the bottle, and the second bottom is made from the rope
Making an air conditioner takes no more than an hour and is carried out in several stages:
- Cut the neck of the bottle with a knife so that the fan housing fits into the opening as tightly as possible.
- At a height of 7-10 cm from the bottom of the bottle, drill the wall in a circle. The distance between the holes is no more than 5 cm.
- Passing a clothesline through the holes, make a grid that overlaps the section of the container.
- Cut out a circle from a plastic folder, whose diameter is equal to the size of the bottle. Drill holes in it, and then lay it inside the container on a rope net.
A circle of plastic is laid on top of the rope and the case is ready
To start the cooler, you need to put on the second bottom, made of a plastic folder, more ice, insert a fan into the cut-out neck and turn it on. The air forced inward will pass through the ice, cool down and exit through the side openings.
To work, ice is placed inside the case, and a fan is inserted on top
Advice. In order to have enough ice for a long time, freeze it not in a special mold, but in plastic cups. You will get large chunks that take longer to melt. Another option is to use commercially available cold storage batteries instead of ice.
If you build a fan and a pipe into the lid of a portable refrigerator, you get an air conditioner
In the same way, a cooling device is made from a portable refrigerator. Its insulated body is used instead plastic bottle, and cold accumulators or frozen water in small containers are placed inside.
Ready cold stores
DIY cooler video
Air conditioning from an old refrigerator
Since the air conditioner and refrigerator operate on the same principle, the latter can be used to cool the room. The main thing is that the compressor and heat exchangers of the old refrigerator remain in working order, otherwise you will have to spend money on repairs and pumping freon. What else is required:
- household fan;
- 2 coolers from the computer;
- fastener elements;
- locksmith tool for disassembling an old refrigerator.
Heat exchangers must be removed without disturbing the freon tubes
Note. It will be possible to assemble such a structure only in a private house, for residents of apartments this option not available. Later you will understand why.
You need to put coolers inside the freezer
When manufacturing, you can go in two ways: remove the heat exchangers, compressor and tubes, or leave them in the old building. The task is to bring an external black radiator to the street along with a compressor. If there is an opening in the wall of sufficient size, then the entire refrigerator can be built into it without removing the insides. When the wall opening is small, only the internal heat exchanger will pass through it. To remove it without violating the tightness of the tubes, the refrigerator case must be carefully cut. Then proceed like this:
- Attach the black outdoor radiator to the wall outdoors, and the indoor one indoors. To make the latter look decent, make a decorative case for it.
- Fasten the impeller of the household fan so that it blows over the compressor and the external radiator.
- Place the coolers inside the heat exchanger, which used to serve as a freezer.
The fan must blow over the heat exchanger and the compressor
The air conditioner from an old refrigerator will never turn off until you do it yourself. The reason is that the automation is set to turn off the compressor when the temperature of the indoor module is minus 5 °C, which is impossible in the middle of summer. The second nuance: the unit is not designed to cool large volumes of air, so it makes no sense to install it in large rooms, there will be no sense from it.
Built-in refrigerators - rear view
Important. Before connecting to the mains, be sure to provide grounding of the device so that in the event of a breakdown and short circuit, none of your loved ones will be shocked.
Air conditioning from the refrigerator on video
Simplified designs for the home
One such design is a water heat exchanger combined with a conventional floor fan. To make such a primitive cooler, you need to take a copper tube and roll it into a spiral, attaching it to protective grid fan. For installation, you can use plastic clamps used for fastening wiring in cars. The ends of the tube are connected to the water supply, and the fan is connected to the network.
Copper tube attached directly to the fan grille
Note. The described design is ineffective, since tap water is not cold enough, and the usable area of the copper heat exchanger is too small. The air flow from the impeller will cool slightly and nothing more.
Bottle air conditioner is placed in the window opening
The original design was invented in one of the African countries, where it is traditionally hot and, in addition, there is no electricity supply. The device works on the basis of the law of physics, which states that the temperature of a gas passing through a sudden contraction and expansion drops by several degrees (up to 5 ° C). The neck of the same plastic bottle acts as such a narrowing, and in order to get more chilled air, you need to use a dozen of these necks.
For manufacturing, you need to drill plywood and cut the bottles
A non-volatile air conditioner is done like this:
- Cut a piece of plywood or fiberboard the size of an opening window. Check how many bottles you can put on it close to each other.
- Cut off the necks on all bottles and twist the corks. Then place them on a sheet of plywood and mark the centers of the holes with a pencil.
- Make holes with a core drill whose diameter matches the neck. Insert cut bottles into them.
- Attach plywood to the outside of the window opening so that the bottles stick out to the street.
Assembly is easy - bottles are inserted into the holes
The device is suitable for country house where other options cannot be applied due to the lack of the required amount of water or power outages.
Video instruction for assembling a non-volatile cooling device
Pros and cons of homemade coolers
The undoubted advantage of improvised home-made air conditioners is their cheapness. As a rule, most of the components needed for assembly can be found in your own pantry or garage. The rest of the parts are purchased in the distribution network for relatively little money.
When assembling any of the proposed types of coolers with your own hands, you need to understand that you will have to put up with the numerous disadvantages of such units:
- Models using running water, work inefficiently when connected to cold water pipes. Reason is too heat supplied water. In addition, the air conditioner "winds" cubic meters on the meter, and you have to pay for it.
- When using well and borehole versions of water installations, the question arises of where to put the water pumped through the radiator.
- Ice devices cool the rooms well, but at the same time humidify the air. With a glut of moisture, the heat in the room turns into stuffiness after the device is turned off.
- Ice needs to be frozen in the refrigerator, that is, you need to spend electricity and pay for it. The second nuance: while you are cooling one room with a home-made air conditioner, in the next room the refrigerator catches up with the heat released during the freezing of water.
- Cooling with a freon circuit from an old refrigerator is ineffective, because the system is not designed to operate in this mode. Again, a continuously operating compressor "winds" the electricity meter.
Note. The only model whose manufacturing and operating costs correspond to the effect obtained is an air conditioner made from bottles inserted into a plywood sheet. It reduces the temperature in the room by a maximum of 5 °C, partly by blocking the light opening.
Homemade air conditioners that operate with cold water and ice are a temporary relief from the heat until you buy a split system. The same applies to the option with the old refrigerator. Yes, they are easy to manufacture, but at the same time they suffer from poor cooling capacity, and there is no need to talk about comfortable operation. The use of such sources of cold is appropriate in the country or in the garage, where you visit periodically, so it makes no sense to put a split there.
As everyone knows, if the car does not have a complete set, then installing it there is very problematic, and often not possible at all for technical reasons. However, every year the heat makes people develop their ingenuity.
There is one way to "air-condition" your car, which, despite all the complexity, attracts more and more experimenters. This refers to a thermoelectric cooler based on Peltier elements. The most important advantage of such cooling with the help of the thermoelectric effect is the minimum number of moving parts and the absence of a complex and expensive compressor.
Such an automobile does not require freon, does not need a lot of tubes and radiators, which must be sealed. To work, it will be enough to apply 12 volts to a very thin plate and remove heat from one side by blowing with a fan, and get cold on the opposite side, even with the formation of frost or ice.
Creation of a thermoelectric air conditioner
For example, consider the operation of a conventional Chinese-made car refrigerator powered by a cigarette lighter. The refrigerator itself consists of two parts - a cover with a thermoelectric cooling system and a heat-insulating box.
In the cover there is a plate of a Peltier element with a power of 65 watts, to which a 12 volt wire is connected from a conventional car cigarette lighter. Fans blow over each of their radiators, causing air flows to mix, forming a cold breeze inside the box.
On the basis of this simple design, you can easily make "air conditioning". The most curious idea to create from a cigarette lighter is to make a panel of Peltier modules and insert it into the glass of the back door of a car.
The glass is lowered, and a model with thermoelectric modules is installed in its place, then it rises to fix the received one. The most important advantage of this simple system is that the separation of the cold and warm sides is very easy.
WITH inside cold streams are removed by additional fans, and from the outside - by air flow from the movement of the car. In traffic jams, of course, the heat dissipation will deteriorate, but cold air will be clearly felt at speed. To do this, you need to connect the module to the on-board 12 volt network, or to the cigarette lighter.
Consumption ecology. Manor: In the summer, the issue of air conditioning is especially acute. When it's hot outside, you want to have a corner where you can hide from it. It happens that there is no money or opportunity to buy a ready-made air conditioning system. Then a homemade air conditioner from improvised means will come to the rescue.
In the summer, the issue of air conditioning is especially acute. When it's hot outside, you want to have a corner where you can hide from it. It happens that there is no money or opportunity to buy a ready-made air conditioning system. Then a homemade air conditioner from improvised means will come to the rescue. Such a device will fit especially well into the interior of a summer house or a country house, but it can also be successfully used in an apartment. It is better to start making the air conditioner in advance, before the hot days have come. Since it is not known how long it will take someone who has no experience in such matters.
WHAT ARE HOME-MADE AIR CONDITIONERS?
If you decide to make such a complex device as an air conditioner yourself, then you must first decide what can be used for this. Very often you can hear that the air conditioner was made from an old refrigerator.
Indeed, both devices serve practically the same purpose - to produce cold and cool something. The refrigerator cools food, the use of the air conditioner is wider, it cools the room, the people who are there, as well as everything that falls within its radius of action.
THE MOST POPULAR WAY TO MAKE AN AIR CONDITIONER FROM AN OLD REFRIGERATOR
In order to make a homemade air conditioner from the refrigerator, you need to find an old unnecessary freezer, which, nevertheless, is in working order. If you do not have it, then you can buy someone else's by finding it on the ad.
To work, you need a household electric jigsaw. With it, you can make curly cuts on metal surfaces. Suitable for drainage tube corrugated pipe. It weighs less than pipes made of other materials. Need insulating material and insulation, as well as mounting foam. Fans are needed for cooling, it is better to have two of them.
You should start creating a home-made air conditioning device by cutting a hole in the freezer. An electric jigsaw will help with this. It is easy to make with it round hole about 10 cm in diameter, into which the drainage tube will then be inserted. The rubber seal is removed so that air can flow in well.
The tube that is inserted into the chamber should be sealed with warm insulation. You can also use mounting foam for this. And only after that fans are mounted, one of which should blow the compressor of our new air conditioner.
ALTERNATIVE WAY TO CREATE
For the second method, you will need a radiator removed from the refrigerator, as well as an extractor hood. A radiator is mounted from the back of the hood. So, the exhaust device will be able to pass air flow through the radiator, cooling it, and then release it into the room.
After that, two hoses are connected to the device. One of them is brought to the sink, and the other to the plumbing system. Fastening is carried out by homemade coasters. Under the finished air conditioner, it is imperative to substitute a drip tray to collect condensate, which will need to be drained regularly.
The equipment works like this. Air enters the hood, cools in the radiator, through which water flows from the water supply. Ideally, the water should be cold, that is, flow from a well or from a well. Ordinary tap water, unfortunately, will not give the effect we need and will cool the room slightly.
OTHER WAYS OF MANUFACTURING THE AIR CONDITIONER
What else can you make an air conditioner out of? There are even easier and cheaper ways to assemble an air conditioner from improvised means. One of them is an air conditioner made from simple plastic bottles and a fan. The bottles are filled with water and placed in front of a fan with a small gap. The water must be pre-cooled in the freezer. When the water warms up, it will have to be replaced with a new one.
The effect of such an “air conditioner” is slightly superior to the effect of just a fan without water, since here there is also cooling, and not just the movement of air masses.
Another option also applies to simple designs, but more original and effective. Take a small diameter copper tube and a rubber hose. The tube will serve as an impromptu radiator. It is twisted into a spiral. The hose is needed in order to connect our "radiator" to a tap with running cold water. The tube must be exactly copper, because copper bends better than other materials and has a high thermal conductivity. Clamps and sealant are needed to attach the hose.
A fan is placed behind the radiator. The result will be somewhat more impressive than from the first method with bottles. True efficiency will largely depend on the power of the fan.
Another option for which you need a car radiator. It is much more difficult to make such a design than the previous two, it will make more noise, but the effect will also be more significant.
The fan must be connected to a power outlet using a 12V adapter. The adapter is purchased ready-made, or assembled from the power supply of an old computer. The system will help to cool the air in the room by several degrees. The exact value will depend on factors such as:
- Fan power;
- Radiator size;
- The presence of air pockets inside the radiator.
It is better to prefer a radiator from a domestic car for this purpose. You will also need a casing and accessories for mounting the fan. The cost of such an air conditioner will not exceed 3-4 thousand rubles.
A MORE COMPLEX AIR CONDITIONING DEVICE
Craft similar device not so easy, and may even require instructions. But it can cool a room up to 30 square meters. m. In the summer it is convenient to install it in a window, where it will simultaneously not only cool the air, but also contribute to greater ventilation in the room. In winter, when the air is often dry, the humidifier included in the air conditioner will saturate it with moisture.
Air passes through the grate and enters the oil filter, where it is freed from dirt and dust. Then it enters the humidifier, and then exits the room through the grate.
It is possible to weaken the noise from the operating equipment if an electric lamp or other device is connected in series to the fan circuit. Its power should be such as to minimize the noise effect. The illuminated lamp is an indicator of equipment operation.
The humidifier looks like a box through which gauze wicks pass. Holes for them are made every half a centimeter, and their diameter is about 3 mm.
The box has 8 rows of such holes. On top of the box there is a tank with a capacity of 1.5-2 liters, in which there is water. The wicks serve to ensure that water gets into the inside of the device through them, where it evaporates and humidifies the air, which then enters the room. Excess water, however, remains in a special tray.
By the way, the pallet does not need to be emptied. After all, the water from it rises again through the same wicks, evaporates and moistens the air again. The air conditioner has an oil filter that looks like a wooden frame with a wire mesh. Its cell size is very small, about 1x1 mm. The mesh is lubricated with vaseline oil. After a period of time when the filter becomes dirty (usually once or twice a month), it should be washed with hot water.
BENEFITS OF USING A HOMEMADE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM
So, we looked at how you can make air conditioning at home. What are the benefits of using it? The main advantages of homemade devices presented above are:
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- Saving money.
- Great for garden use and country house where it is impractical to build a professional system. People come to the dacha mainly in summer, and in winter, an expensive device without security can be stolen.
- The opportunity to get a lot of positive emotions from the knowledge that you were able to do such a thing with your own hands. useful thing like an air conditioner.
- Gaining new knowledge and experience in the field of remaking one thing into another.
- There is no need for expensive maintenance and preventive maintenance equipment.
- Comfort and vivacity in the room due to air cooling in summer.
- No need to periodically purchase and change filters, since they are absent in almost all the considered devices.
As it turned out, making a homemade air conditioner in an apartment is not so difficult. And anyone can handle this. It is only necessary to delve into the principle by which a conventional household air conditioner works, and begin to act. published
