Make your own personal/portable/battery operated A/C for $10 or less (For those in need)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 2010-08-19, 11:35AM CDT
Reply to:
sale-xeyvf-1907519935@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a simple project. These instructions are free. It kills me to hear people are dying from the heat in unairconditioned houses. So, if you need them or know someone who does. This works. I used it this last weekend. Worked so well I'm making a bigger one this coming weekend.
Get a small battery operated fan. Walmart sells one from IC Cool for $6. You will also need 2 D cell batteries. $2+/-
Get a small Styrofoam cooler. The 99cent store has them right now for $1.
Get some plastic soda bottles. 2 2-liter bottles will fit in the small cooler, you can get 6 to 8 smaller bottles to fit. Works either way. Just a note: Have noticed 2-liter Coke bottles won’t let the lid close, Dr. Pepper bottles will.
Fill the soda bottles with water and put them in the freezer.
Take the fan, make a template and cut a hole in the cooler on the longer side. Mount the fan on/into the cooler. You can use tape or hot glue. I use tape. Cut 6-8 1 ¼ inch by ½ inch vent holes in the other three sides about the middle of the cooler.
Put the frozen soda bottles into the cooler, make sure the bottles go in top first, turn on the fan and close the lid. Depending on how hot it is outside, the frozen bottles will last for about 3-4 hours. So have extras to switch out. The batteries will last from 10-24 hours, depending on quality.
Know an elderly person who doesn’t have A/C? Make ‘em one and take it over. It’s cheap, it’s easy and it will score you some serious Karma points.
If this one is not large enough for your space. Get a bigger cooler. Add more bottles, another fan and modify your vent holes to accommodate the additional pull from the extra fan.
You can use just ice in the unit, but it will increase the humidity and that makes it less effective. Using the soda bottles will decrease the humidity and save on the mess of having to empty water out and buy or make more ice. With the soda bottles you just pop them back in the freezer and pull out new ones.
Good luck and stay cool.
