$100 Homemade Air Conditioner - DIY 

Well as an HVAC tech I have to say this would work in theory. Not sure exactly what the delta T would be infront and behind the fan. It would certainly be better with some form of aluminum finned type copper tubing. There's also the law of thermodynamics that energy cannot be created or destroyed... Which means the heat energy that exists within that room is simply being transferred into the cooler. Heat is energy that moves to something cooler... So the real question is how long will it take this contraption to cool the garage before the cooler itself has absorbed too much heat and the water is now just as warm as the room? It realistically cannot change that heat energy into something cooler. it can only be transferred from one place to another.

A few years ago I built an AC based on the same principle as this one. I uead a 1 sq foot solid block of Ice in my chest then filled it with cool water. It cooled great for about 12 minutes, then the heat was transfered to the water. The Ice block completely melted and the water heated up. In less than 45 minutes, my Ice Chest AC unit was pumping out air that was just as hot as the room air. It is very impracticle. If you can transfer the Heated water away from your room, this would work. For example, get rid of the Ice Chest and Draw your water from a pond or stream that has cool water during hot days. Have the system return the water to the source, then you have successfully removed the heat from your space. This kind of system would work.

I used to have a shop next to an ice plant. It had two big ice machines that ran all day long and expelled about 5 gal a minute of very cold water (about 38 to 42 usually) with all the minerals left over that didn't freeze into ice. I ran it into a igloo cooler and pumped it into the building and through a a/c cooling coil with 4 rows of tubes. It got clogged with scale after a few months and started leaking. I built a cage of stainless tube and ran a 4 tube manifold system that worked pretty well. It wasn't like ac but it was cheap and it got the temp down to 76 some mornings in my 2000 sf shop. As for a cooler full of Ice I don't think it would effectively cool a small closet with a 20 pound bag of ice and a few feet of copper tube. You don't have enough cold (BTUs) and you don't have enough coil to move any cold. The ice will work great for the first few minutes but if you are in a hot place you would do better to put wet rags on your head and arms and keep beer cold as you can in the cooler. I also used to get hundreds of pounds of ice that I would do into my cooler cage and run the fan with that. I have melted tons of ice with a box fan in my days. A cooler full of ice is a few dozen BTUs an hour. The cooling is psychological.

I'm curious the temperature difference with this, would have liked to see that digital thermometer do a before and after

You could also insulate your garage doors with rigid foam sheets. I did this and it brought the garage temp down by about 20 degrees.

I once had a similar situation. First and most importantly you must insulate the garage door. In my case, I was able to use 1/2 inch thick Styrofoam sheets that dramatically cut down on the heat transfer. I then utilized a portable air conditioner that only required a small opening to vent out the hot air. My method cost about $300 but on a 100° day I could cool this garage down to 75°.

we wanna seethe temperature testing after your homemade ac unit runs in the garage

Purchased: August 2023 - still works GREAT!I ru-vid.comUgkxxsUnXhGsSJLim_XnMHyQK0u3XVaW-CGn live in a studio and during the summer it gets scorching hot - really old building with no ac units. I can’t express how EASY it was to install. This unit has been a life savior during the summer and some days during other seasons where it can still be a bit warm at night. In this small place is my friend, a husky, poodle mix and myself. We need AC - lolI don’t use the dehumidifier option - I’m not sure if it will leak in my house, since I did not install the small draining hose that came with it. May look into it late but I don’t worry about much humidity in the apartment. I don’t understand why the negative reviews since all things mentioned, I personally did not find issues with. Definitely worth it!

You built an ice melting machine for almost the price of a small AC unit 🤣

Just for the fact that you put some thought and effort into this build I give you a thumbs up young man!

How well did it cool off the garage itself? I know it would feel amazing on a hot day standing right next to it, but if I'm working on the garage in different positions (above the engine, under the engine, under the back of the car etc) it would be kind of a nuisance to move the fan and cooler around. I'd like to do something like this but wall mounted.

What was the temp coming out from the tubing aimed at the tubing is what I wonder cause I’m really thinking about building this as well for my garage I use as a shop as well. Or the temp gauge u had on the wall style after it’s been going for a couple hours what does it get down too? Thx for the idea and the video might just build one myself thx

Great video! I'd like to know the ambient temp as well. Also how well it works with just water as water has a good heat absorption threshold. Also I'd be curious to know how much energy it uses over all as this is a great build! Thanks for the video! We appreciate you!

Good work Ben! These people who are quick to complain should be more supportive and constructive in their comments. Why others feel they have to tear people down is perplexing. So how many of you who made snide comments have a youtube channel? How many videos have you all made? Keep building and keep posting Ben, you always have my support . The way we get better is by sharing ideas and thoughts without the fear of ridicule.

It would have been nice to see the comparison between the before and after on the fan. It will surely be cooler after the fan contraption is built. What I like is you could at the end of the day take the melted water in the cooler and freeze it over night. Moreover, yo might actually be able to bury the cooler somewhere and pump the water from there. The ground typically keeps a natural temp of about 50 degrees. It is a cool project and is meant to keep things cool for a short amoutn of time.. Maybe insulate your garage door as well.

I'm in the New Orleans. It gets insanely hot here and humid. I made one of these earlier for about $80. I think I got a smaller pump but perfect for this. It's made for 3 foot fountains. It may be from the humidity but my copper line condensates like crazy. I had to make a hole for it to drip into.

Nice Video! Does it make it Significantly Cooler? Or just a Tad Cooler.

I did this with a smaller cooler. One thing I will say is that you don't need a lot of water. Just enough for the pump to recycle it through. You have to really pack it with ice. Otherwise it will melt really fast and the water going through the tubing will start to get warm. That's the key. PACK IT with plenty of ice.

how much does the ice cost you? and how often do you have to recharge the cooler with ice. and what about the condensation from the copper tubing?

This concept works. I did a similar thing (but not as fancy) with contained ice packs in front of my fan. It definitely does feel cool and adds cooling to the room. What people don't get is that A/Cs cost $ to run compared to fans. The dehumidifier mode of the A/C drops temps like a stone in humidity, though, and it's always good for that cold hit for a few minutes. Still thinking about an A/C. First was my awesome box fan to suck in the cold evening air.

Great project! At 2:58, my dad would refer to those as "coping saws" rather than hacksaws.

Cool idea! What was the temp at the fan with that temp gun?

This is fun! It's great to see how the basic idea of an air conditioner works.

What did you do about condensation on the copper tubing? I have a floor that cannot take water spilling onto all day long not even from condensation

Hey, you have forgot to measure the Temp. (for us) after installing this device....! Or could you put at the very end of the video like a subtitle that info. Please. Thnx :)

I built one for less than $50 basically the same but used items I had on hand. I used a fish tank pump. The pump was about $11. The most expensive item for me was the copper tubing. Worked great.

Looks like a fun build. Can’t wait to try it.

hey, after running this setup how much temperature drop was there in the room any idea ?

Did you meassure the temperature difference with an d without cold water running?

How cold does it put out? A temperature reading with the gun would be nice....

First minute in: oh yeah I got this, that looks easy Five minutes in: Yeah ok I'm not doing that

How does this compare to the traditional homemade cooler fans where they just used forced air over the ice? I work in an auto repair shop and an looking for something that has a more direct cool air flow over me vs trying to cool a room. Ty

Does that even work? What was the temperature of the space after u use it? I beat its about the same.

Post build temp readings ?

Why didn't you get a temp reading from in front of the fan? How do you know how efficient this is compared to a cheap window or wall mount unit?

Imagine ending the video showcasing the temperature difference/drop? That woulda been nice. Which makes me wonder if this really had any effect at all besides what a traditional say vornado fan does, lol

OK, I had HIGH hopes for this cooler. The theory sounds great, and I was hoping it would really cool the air. Nope. It sucks. My apologies to the people I replied to about their comments on here, I tried it and it DOES NOT WORK! I even filled the cooler almost full of ice, and you can't tell a difference in temperature 3 inches away from the fan and coil. Don't waste your time or your money. Go get the portable unit from Lowes or Home Depot.

Bravo Ben! You're a real MacGyver in the garage! Awesome. Question, what about the condensation?

How long will it run for and what was the room temperature differential pre and post?

Next video: How to make a space heater using a match and firewood. Stay tuned.

For pretty close to the cost of that, you could buy a real AC unit.

Put some styrofoam insulation in your garage door and this will help reduce the heat transfer into your garage.

After running for hour is there a change in room temperature. Curious cost per hour watts used vs a window unit. Now that would make a video!

Love the effort & creativity. Awesome job!

At the end of the day how much did it cool off your workshop? You left out that small detail.

Can I use my air compressor to blow out the dust in my wire round fan?

Great video! Could you please describe all the items you ended up buying like their measurement and sizing? Thank you very much!

I like it, I might make one or two for my apartment this weekend.

Should have doubled copper tube pre fan and after. Two opportunities to cool the air.

Did you measure the temperature in the shop after you had run it awhile?

You can also connect the high pressure parts of an old fridge to it, just have to find a way to route the hot air from the condenser to the outside.

What do you do about the hot humid air condensing on your tubing?

This is a great tutorial! I want to make this for next summer. It would be around $50 to $60 now, which is way less than the $200+ used air conditioners and $100+ EVAP coolers I saw this past summer.

A small fan blowing on a 50 lb block of ice would do as well. What you need are the fins, like a regular AC unit has. The surface area those hundreds of fins on the coils of an AC unit are what effectively transfers the cold to the air. Or, you could just block off the windows and insulate the garage door with styrofoam.

I think this works well for shop environment where there is no a/c available for large spaces. I plan on trying this out at my work if it don't work out I will try on tent camping ,or back up if a/c goes out .

Awesome video, and thanks for sharing your knowledge, keep up the good work and keep being creative.

it might work better if you put the copper on the other side pulling out air thru the coil is the only way to get rid of hot air, anti freeze would be better. law of refrigeration, remove heat. if he did it all with dc power it might help when you lose power

Recently had some time on my hands, and most of the materials to try this, knowing going in that it was likely a waste of time. I was right. useless.

If u have time,the copper was 25.00? Can you please let me know where cos here in l.a. it's 60.00 .2nd question,how long do the ice last? My I Suggest foam such as water noodles for power leads into ice box

How much moisture does it produce?? I might make one for my tent because of the heat

Dude, that's not a hacksaw, that is a coping saw. 😂

What happens to the condensation that forms on the copper tubing?

nice. but what about insulation, coating or shading for the workshop garage door?

Does it make a difference if the coil was in front of the fan or behind?

Goes the show with good video editing, anything is believable 😂

Ignore most of the comments here. It's a great lil build and fun. Not everything you build has to be original or completely practical. Sometimes, as a creator, we just make stuff that we've seen and want to share with others. Good on you and hopefully this helps cool down your space.

I thought the same as most hvac's on the replies. How often would you have to refresh the ice water in the cooler?

What is the efficiency compared to electric window unit? I guess it's difficult to account for the ice

This is awesome because in SoCal most ppl live in apts where you cannot use a window mounted AC. Also this is cheaper to run ... if you add a furnace filter to the back of the fan it will also filter the air a bit. Great idea and it can still be used as a fan if you do not have ice or need just a fan

Every thing is perfect in this video, the only thing he didn't show us the temperature before and after so that we can see the real difference and it is worth it or not .

Will it still work with only the clear vinyl tubing instead of using the copper piping?

I would of like to know what temperature comparison was before an after you turn it on.

Thumbs down for not testing the temp afterwards

Why didn't you show the temperature of the cooling fan like you did with the garage door? How cold is the air coming off of it?

This is awesome 😎 I might make one but what’s temp difference??

There is foam like insulation that can be cut to fit into the garage door. I have seen pre-cut kits before too, that should cut down the oven temps.

So what temp did it cool the garage down to

Can you make a time machine video so I can get this six minutes of my life back?

I’ve built one and it works well. Best when using bare ice versus bottles of water that get frozen and switched out.

Fill the cooler to about 50% full of water, add a lot of ice (3 bags if possible) then add Salt to the mix. This lowers the temperature like in the old Ice Cream Makers. The only change is that the pump system might need to be made closed loop instead of pulling the cold water straight through the pump since salt is added. It might be worth checking into.

Hi! Cool! That saw, it's not just a hack saw, it's a COPING saw. The blade is much finer and used for detail cutting as you can turn the blade within the handle, good for cutting awkward shapes in most thing including skirting board contours etc.

I’d like to see the temperature differential between the outside temperature and the one with your AC blowing air

How long will the water in the cooler last before you have to refill it ?

so what if i put refridgerante in the cooler tube, then what it needs to be heated up?

An Ice Heater! Ingenious.

whay do you do about the condensation on the coper?

what about condensation from the coil wires?? will they drip?

Always wondered about this. Missing info? How cool was the air, and did it change the temp in the room By how much?

I am impressed.... 120 degrees and you don't have a single drop of sweat on you...

Your never gonna get the satisfying cool, without compressed refrigeration(aka real air conditioning)

What's it cost to run? and how cold dose it get /cools the room off?

Sir can you answer why mine is moisting to much and the reason why keeps dropping water from the floor

you got any temp readings for proof bro?

For those saying that you could simply use an evaporative cooler (swamp cooler) - yes, of course you could. But that would introduce a LOT of additional humidity into the space, which might not be ideal in many circumstances.

How much power does this use?... My 2 portable ac units keep making the breaker turn off

Awesome work man, could u talk more about the material, like the copper tube, the thicker the better or which ones are good for air conditioning, then the water pump, all water pump can go under the water or only special ones Thanks a lot...

So what was the final temperature change? Kinda why I watched the video. Lol

I bought my eco friendly AC for $80 on sale and it works great sometimes I have to turn it off because I get to cold lol

was thinking of instead of a cooler if you have a fridge in your garage or area put a bowl of water in and have that cool water pump instead of needing to change ice. is an idea on top of this one if it helps

Could I use coolant or antifreeze or anything in this?