DIY Fridge! The Homemade "5 Gallon Bucket" Refrigerator! works awesome! and no ice needed! very easy to make. made using only 4 things (a bucket, the styro-foam, a peltier unit and the cord! that's it! the tests... I tested the unit 5 times (over 2 days) in air temps ranging from 77 to 81F (25 to 27.2C) and within 60 mins the fridge had dropped the air temp in the bucket 30 to 34F! (to roughly 47F or 8.3C). it works every time! it's a 12v unit so any 12v (12a) source will work... 12v batteries, 12v solar panels, 12v wall transformer *for AC use or a car's 12v power port! if you're thinking of getting into "peltier" this a super cool, practical, fun and easy thing to make. i'll list some links below to the items. for reference; the temp drops i'm getting are comparable or even better than many peltier-cooled fridges being sold on the market today. the store bought ones like to claim a "maximum" temp drop (usually from 32F to 36F lower than ambient air temp) but remember, that's the maximum possible temp drop (in perfect 'laboratory-like' conditions). in "real world settings" those units usually fall short of the max by a few degrees making this DIY unit just as good as those. note... i never checked the fridge temps at 30 mins or 45 mins so it might have reached the 47F (8.3c) sooner than 60 mins. also note that temp drop is based on room temp so if you keep your house around 70-75F (21.1 to 23.8C) you could see 40F (4.4C) temps in the fridge or even lower.
link to the 12v 12a peltier unit that i used. note that this unit ranges in price from $21 to $42 dollars (it changes every few days for some reason) - i got it when it was $31. www.amazon.com/Thermoelectric...
link to the leak-tite 5 gallon bucket styro-foam
www.homedepot.com/p/Leaktite-...
link to the cord. note that it's 14awg
www.amazon.com/SCCKE-Heavy-Du...
lastly, note that i sized the 12v 12a peltier unit to match the size of the bucket. it's rated to cool a max space of 20 liters (so about 5.2 gallons). they sell half size or 6a units that cool up to 10 liters (about 2.6 gallon),so that wont get you the temps you want (unless you use a 2 or 2.5 gallon bucket). also i specifically used a 14 awg cord (not a 16 awg) due to amp draw
UPDATE: 02/07/2021 i just posted another DIY peltier powered fridge video. this one shows a lunch box sized 5 quart coleman ice chest converted into a fridge and has a lighted thermostat! if interested, here's the link • DIY Peltier Fridge Air...
25 дек 2020
