This is absolute genius, it can be easily solar powered and also turned into a heater. I will make me couple of those and spread them around the house. THANK YOU GENIUS
Love your experiments. I can tell you are not married, as no wife would allow the pieces of your previous experiments to be set around (like under your table and beside your bed). They typically ruin fun stuff! LOL
LOL now, that depends on the wife, my house resembles a workshop, and I'm on a promise to clear the kitchen as I'm using most of the work surfaces with projects! TBH I think she's given up nagging...
I've ordered my parts to make this I've a quiet running fan that I've had in the garage that I got given a couple of years ago and never used it till now .. and I've ordered a coolbox to place the pump and ice into .. my partner just said to me what the fuck are you making now ! Lol 🤣 it's for her Benefit .. and mine
Have you ever done a dog cooling bed? chilled iced water through a tube snaked under the bed floor to keep the dogs cool as they lay down? Or a cooling vest for people to wear the same way?
i've thought a lot about making a cooling vest but am concerned about the condensation issue that some people would encounter. the dog bed idea is good too (but i don't have a pet to 'test it'). i like the idea though and i just thought of a great way to do it (just sitting here as i'm typing). that may be my next video
thats a great idea. another thing to do, instead of having the tubing inside the tub with water and ice packs, you could use another radiator and dump that in the tub with the icy water. the metal will get SO cold and act as a further cooling solution so the water will be colder when it hits the radiator with the fans on :)
I am wondering about getting an old mini fridge and running the pipes through the roof of it along with your idea. Am starting with this set up and going to expand it.
I knew a guy years ago did this basic concept but he used a closed system with a keg in a barrel of dry ice at first , he eventually put it inside a small propane fridge he salvaged somewhere.
Might work Great in DRY CLIMATE..... Humidity requires a tray under the coil if dripping. If air velocity is fast enough though and humidity is reasonable, then there will not be enough Resident Time on the coil for moisture to condense out of airflow. Slow down airflow to Dehumidify. Increase airflow to flat out Cool ... there is a balance required for True Air Conditioning effect involving Dehumidification and Cooling. Same principles apply to full blown Central Air.... if insufficient dehumidification is occuring then you need look at Blower Speed setting. BUT BEWARE of EXCESSIVELY LOW SPEED AIRFLOW or Clogged return air filter resulting in similar low airflow condition which will cause Ice to form on Evaporator Coil and lead to System Damage if liquid refrigerant makes it way back to the compressor outside. YEAH... Went on a bit but point was to make comparisons and Educate.
Brother DS02, Great movie!! I fwd this to a couple ppl and mentioned that, if using the 5 gallon bucket method, a couple one gallon milk jugs, filled 3/4 of the way, or so, would be cheap and easy to rotate from freezer to bucket. Keep up the good work.
Love the mini heat exchangers - great idea. 2 things that would help the time run longer: 1) put the ice/water in a thermos (something insulated). You could notch 2 holes in the side lip for passing the tubes. 2) insulate the tubes with neoprene like insulation. With these 2 things you'll be better able to control the area cooled.
I am currently making one of these using a 48 quart cooler and the same mid sized radiator you used (mine is about 7.5 X 8.75 inch). I cut holes into the top of the lid for the two tubes, so the radiator sits vertical on top and its tubes go directly in/out of the cooler. Almost no tubing is outside of the cooler. The only holes in my cooler are for the two tubes and the pump power chord. However my fan is also smaller than the radiator like one of your examples (lots of radiator space around the fan not getting airflow). Do you think that is inefficient? Would it be better to enclose the radiator somehow so that it gets a more even air flow through the whole area of the radiator? I am trying to optimize getting the most out of my ice before it melts. Really enjoying these videos. This was the perfect idea to cool down my room as well as my car for road trips (AC is broken) Plus I love DIY projects like this.
But dont make ice in the same room. When you are making ice the freezer will produce heat and when you sum heat produced by the freezer and cold produced by your cooler you will realize that you are not cooling the room.
or you can make the ice at night when it's cooler out and then use the unit during the day. i don't mind if the kitchen is a degree or two warmer when it's freezing the ice though.
hi there. i'm certainly stoked about them. they work fantastic and are easy to build. one more (a giant version i'm building) is in the planning stage at the moment. it's going to be bigger than all 3 of those transmission coolers put together with a 2000+ cfm air output. (for people who want the ultimate air cooler) - stay tuned 👍
@Sharon Metzner i built something close. i used two of the larger radiators (model 405) and attached them to a box fan. if interested here's the links... 1.) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Jfc26AH0jLI.html (original box fan conversion video) 2.) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oAuL-ScEWfI.html (extended semi-uncut version)
What are the small fans connected to? Would an AC power supply from an old gadget work as long as it provides enough volts and watts? Thanks for the great work you do! Once again you've given me a simple solution so I don't have to reinvent the wheel. I wanted a simple heat exchanger for solar heating my greenhouse in the winter and this idea will work perfectly!
Just an idea. But what if you placed a second radiator submerged in a bucket of salt water with maybe dry ice packs, and the liquid going between the two radiators being a closed system. Then potentially mixing in some antifreeze to the sealed system, depending on how low the temperatures drop.
hi. it would depend on how hot the room is, how big it is, does it get lots of sun and all of that but unofficially, i've seen temp drops in a 10x18 room (my living room) by 5 degrees (83F to 78F). the best i can tell you is it seems to cool half my living room pretty well (so maybe 2 units would do it?) or one for a smaller 10x10 room.
Great build. The 5 gallon bucket with a lid and grummets to keep all cold air tight for as long and possible. Plus rap the bucket in an insulation. Boom a win win cold all day DC 12v air conditioning. Awesome.
@@sharonmetzner1798 I think he's talking about a small 12 volt refrigerator/freezer for small trailers or in his case his van. I've used them, some are propane/12volt/110 combo. freezes his water jugs in it to use in his ac system. the older ones have a small center ice tray size "freezer" that freezes and keeps the unit cold or crank it up and freeze stuff. You could use a separate dedicated solar panel for the freezer, rotate jugs during the day in the AC unit cooling container.
I have always thought of doing that for SHTF. I have a small ice cube maker that will crank our ice all day long on 100 watts which will run off my solar. I HATE being hot, even if its the end of the world.
hi. i'm getting one to two hours of cooling just using a gallon of water and 2 ice paks. for extended cooling times (3-6 hours) use more ice or ice paks or even an ice chest. you could double or triple the time that it will cool (even more if you use large blocks of ice). for max. times fill the bucket with water and freeze the whole thing overnight. then when ready to use just add a little water to the top and put the pump in (you might get 8 hours of run time).
I made one of these a few weeks ago using a transmission oil cooler with a thick walled foam cooler. (Like they ship lobsters in) I mounter the fan with the heat exchanger onto the lid and drilled holes for the input and output lines to go into the cooler. I stuck in 4 large ice blocks (Made from freezing water in qt. size potato salad containers) and had my 4w adjustable output pump set to the lowest setting as was my fan and the air off the fan was 54 F. Nice and cold. My problem was, all the ice was gone and the water was room temperature (85 f) after only 45 minutes. My heat exchanger is too efficient I think so I need to restrict the water flow through it. If I could get 68 f air out of it I am sure it would last much longer. I still have more experimenting to do. I am using this in a small bedroom that does not get much of the ac from the heat pump.
hi. options to extend ice and cold water are smaller heat exchanger, slower water flow, smaller pump (big ones can heat the water), and one big way to extend times is to use a speed controller to slow fan even more. the slower the fan the longer the (cold) will last. i got 11 hours once on a 3lb block of ice in a foam cooler. fan was really slow but it was cool enough.
Take one of these out on the boat for a days fishing and drop the tube right in the water, keep ya cool without bothering the fish or using up the ice in your cooler 😁
I've been watching what you're doing with your project and out of all the AC system designs yours in my opinion is the best by far. I'll be printimg a housing unit for mine on my 3D printer and installing it in my electric recumbent two seater pedal assist travel van that I'm building. Try putting a lid on your bucket and insulate it all the way around and I would imagine you will get 8 times more performance before you have to change out your ice packs. Job well done desertsun02.👍👍
What if you had a mini freezer with 3 holes drilled at the top one for the pump power cord and the other two for coolant feed and return. The internal radiator then sits in a shallow or deep bath of chilled anti freeze. The tubes run out and feed the external radiators that have fans attached. This way, the coolant lasts significantly longer would it not?
It might actually not last longer because you are not taking advantage of the phase change of water melting. This absorbs lots of heat and keeps the temperature consistent which helps with giving a temporary cooling boost. If the water is cold enough then yes, it might outcompete the just ice version
I have even done dry ice and antifreeze on larger scale. Built a unit out of a ice chest….my liquid coolant recipe is still being worked out but it is some ratio of the following: sea salt dissolved in distilled water, antifreeze & vodka. I am still playing with configuration in ice chest but basic premise is a 3 gallon bucket with lid fastened to floor of ice chest with metal mixing bowl filled with either regular ice + rock salt or dry ice depending on the volume of air to be cooled & size of coils. In the lid I have quick release couplers to attach exterior hoses. One of the holes will be for CO2 exhaust from dry ice which absolutely must be vented if camping or in tight space as it could cause loss of consciousness. The other two ports are for the flex hoses that I insulated myself to connect to coil radiators or booster pump station. I also have a power connector on the bucket lid 24V only that way everything can be disconnected and not have to take shit apart. In the bucket I put 2 micro submersible pumps mounted on sides of bucket that turn on automatically if there is liquid even if the main pump isn’t running so that things don’t freeze by chance. Then I have main pump in the ice chest mounted to bottom of chest. Pump is actually very strong and is electronically variable via a couple ways (will go into in a bit). The big pump has a relay lead to manually shut off, automatic emergency shut down and for thermostat. I modified an old ice chest and rebuilt it into a nice looking rugged device that just has ports on outside that are labeled for various hose connections, power, data, etc. so I won’t go into the radiator/fan thing because that depends on your own situation but the idea i had with the main cooling unit is to have all the brains and guts in one place. I am currently working on having battery bank in the unit so that it can run on a charge being I intend it for camping. I am also figuring out what to do about the CO2 exhaust if there should be a pressure sensor inside the unit and a valve to bleed off any gas. So I used a raspberry pi as onboard computer with wifi and Bluetooth. It has a tiny 3.5 in touch screen that I bought as a all in one case but of course the main interface can be accessed on any browser or Remote Desktop service. The Pi monitors everything but the point of it is to maximize efficiency and to act as a smart thermostat by throttling 12v fan speeds (more electricity is wasted when start and stopping vs constant variable) as well as the big daddy variable main pump (boosters if applicable). There are temp sensors on radiator coils, inside of egress/ingress coolant tubes, in front of fan (air temp) as well as inline flow/pressure sensors and coolant liquid level sensors…I also added several sensors that are round discs of absorbent cotton should they get wet it will shut the entire system down and an alarm goes off and if it is connected to wifi it will alert on your phone because it would be horrible if a leak starts and all of coolant pumps out flooding the tent/house or whatever. Anyways I have had many prototypes going back starting 10 years ago so I don’t have a final product. I have some finished ones to get an idea of design. It sounds like this is an expensive habit but as long as you know where to buy stuff used and where to find free stuff and trash to recycle. I am an engineer so the #1 step is to put pencil to paper and just start writing down ideas and sketching out some design ideas! Start very loose then start drawing out designs on some graph paper then go to computer to do some drafting, 3D modeling mock-ups with exact numbers shapes and lines, etc. it is easy to change the design in digital form and you can get exact measurements before building or buying the first thing. You can design anything when you know what you are doing with the right tools and software and computer science/coding/it skills. Learning AutoCAD (free open source alternative is called LibreCAD) & Google Sketchup Make (free) will start you on a journey of making a lot of money and solving tomorrow’s problem’s! I am working on modular design style and way of building underground in-hill tiny home off grid 100% self reliant & sustainable mini homestead with all the technology we are already used to, just more efficiently and healthfully! Stay tuned because you will hear of this project in the next decade. There is a whole team of us all over the world volunteering our time to engineer new technologies and community models that will address the human rights crisis seen all over the world.
hi. there are companies that sell 20 by 20 heat exchangers but they are super heavy and expensive ($200+). here is one for $223 badger-pipe.com/products/20x20-water-to-air-heat-exchanger-1-copper-ports?_pos=4&_sid=7c37db64a&_ss=r&variant=29108329425
@@desertsun02 hello, I actually found a car radiator on Amazon for 30 bucks when it was on sale, but didn't really pull the trigger since I wasn't sure if a box fan could even push through it.
@Sharon Metzner box fans work. i actually have 2 videos showing how to make a unit using a box fan. works good. here's the links... 1.) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Jfc26AH0jLI.html (original) 2.) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oAuL-ScEWfI.html (extended version)
You must have 0% humidity. I’ve run a similar set up but reversed. I submerged my heat exchanger in ice water and pumped air through the coil so that my buddy could have some a/c in his gutted civic. But we have near 100% humidity here so it caused condensation to occur and the air would occasionally spit some water as well.
It's an interesting design. Although if you go 9 to 10 feet down in the ground. It's a study 50 to 60° year round. So a simple air pipe technology can augment your heating and cooling greatly.
Yeah these are all well and good but I don't have to keep running in and get nice what I'm asking is can I use the ice machine that I have that is a portable ice machine and or the refrigerator that I have the tiny refrigerator take out the element refrigerant elements turn that into an air conditioner using the refrigerant that I would use in a car or something like that I'm not trying to use no ice to make a refrigerator to make a freezer to make an air conditioner I don't want to have to use ice
I've been watching videos for making these for 2 weeks and this is a great idea using the trans coolers. I am going to use this method and install it into a 50qt. cooler but am researching the best ways to make cold temps that last the longest balancing the radiator size with just the right amount of water flowing through it so my ice/cold water will last longer.
Why not just send the water through a coil, placed inside an old mini fridge? We have several of them laying around, and none our kids went to college. The things just keep appearing every so often. Set he fridge on its coldest setting lay as much hose inside as you can fit, and trickle the water through it, instead of messing around with ice and stuff. Better yet, add some antifreeze to the mix, and stuff the freezer portion with hose. Make sense? The only trouble with the systems, mine and yours, is what to do with the condensation. I live in a VERY humid place. Any air blown across a cool or cold coil will immediately create condensation, which is a good thing, as it removes the moisture from the air, but a collection system will have to be made and, either,monitored, or attached to some kind of float switch, to shut the unit off when the condensate reservoir gets full.
I’m thinking of trying this in conjunction with a chiller. It’s too bad glycol chillers used in fermentation are so expensive, but hydroponic garden water chillers are a little cheaper. Im trying to build a system to cool three heat sinks and a radiator for air cooling and spot cooling on the heat sinks that get pretty hot.
This is comparative to a chilled water supply air handling unit. I a'm looking to buy the smallest freezer unit and add heat exchanger inside to make chilled water.
So amazing!! Living in Phoenix I have always wondered if there was a way to use evap cooling without the humidity. Now I know it is possible AND how it is done without making an outrageous electricity bill even worse. Your video is so on point, and the concept and build are understandable to the widest possible audience! Bravo! BTW, how could one make it quieter? Just wondering.....not a deal-breaker; anything that makes the power bill less than the mortgage payment is OK with me. I'm excited to watch your other videos to learn more! Thanks!!!
hi there. these units typically run very smooth and quiet. they just sound like a normal fan running when you are in front of them. the radiator does not increase the sound of the fan. the high speed fan sounds much louder in the video mainly because my camera has dual mics in the very front of the camera - and i didn't adjust the volume accordingly (so what you are hearing is as if your ear is right up to the unit). a second reason is that the high-speed square fan i used has a higher than normal pitch (has a very large motor in it). make sure to listen to how the unit sounds at the end of the video. (just smooth quiet airflow). that is how it will sound to your ear in most cases (with an average/typical fan).
hi. i decided to jump right in 'to the action' with this one and i put the items list and build at the end. it's just pumping cold water through a heat exchanger to produce cold air - nothing really complicated. feel free to ask any questions. (posting them as a new comment is the best way to make sure i see them. i'm not always notified about replies)
put a hole in a tiny cheap fridge and put some water in it and let the water run through it so the water gets cooled in the fridge while your using it for the ac
The paint can is a great idea for the cooling Reservoir. Just needs some way to insulate the paint can and the lines. If you could set the cooler on the top of the can make the hose fitting be all inside the paint can and only have you wires for the fans and pump coming out the lid. Would help make the Ice block last longer inside
I noticed you took reading right off the unit! But what was the temp in the room and how much did I cool the room to? Also how long will it room before you need more ice?
i've not yet tested the cooling capacity room-wide. the room temp at time of filming was about 82F/83F. i noticed in early testing that air temps across room were about 78F after running awhile and had started about 83F (but this is unofficial). size of room is 18x10 plus it's open to the kitchen and the hall so a good size area. south facing room (typically the hottest in the house). 1 to 2 hours of cooling for a smaller load of ice and guessing 3 to 6 or more with more ice and/or insulated bucket or ice chest.
hi. if power grid was destroyed you'd have to tap natural sources of cold water. (well water, lake water, river water etc.) or use evap cooling technology to cool the water source. you could also tap into the natural coolness a few feet underground (run water through a pipe underground to cool it down... things like that). ...just a few random thoughts
Thank you for sharing your time and these encouraging results. I had this same heater core based idea cross my mind over the past couple of years, after watching a video featuring a cold copper coil zip-tied onto a box fan. I knew we could do more efficiently. You have given me confidence now to actually spend money on my own compact design without worry. I propose a version that has the coolant sealed inside a vessel that can fit fountain pump in the opening, like a half gallon mason jar, or something. I also propose using cheap vodka instead of water. The Russians historically used vodka as a superior coolant in some of their older military aircraft. This way you could drop the vessel into the bucket without needing to worry about priming the system before each use. Thanks again
hi. there is a company called 'badger insulated pipe' that sells very large heat exchange radiators. i shop fan would pair up well with some of the ones they sell. check this one out. badger-pipe.com/products/36x36-water-to-air-heat-exchanger-1-1-4-copper-ports-with-install-kit?_pos=72&_sid=57f5e4057&_ss=r
IN THE SOUTHWEST, YEARS AGO, EVAPORATIVE COOLING WAS HOT, ON TOP OF THE HOUSE, BUT THE WATER SHORTAGE MAY HAVE STOPPED THAT WITH ZONING LAWS NO INEFFECT TO SAVE WATER
hi. could be in some areas, but there are evap coolers all over the place in my area. (when you go to the store they have evap cooler pads stacked halfway to the ceiling, just to keep up with the demand)
hi. the square fans are Axial fans made by AC Infinity. amazon has them. both the low and the high speed models are 4.7x4.7x1.5 in. (120mm). model numbers are LS1238A-X and HS1238A-X.
Why not just buy a water chiller, pump, and an insulated resovoir tank (like a cold plunge setup? A 1/2hp chiller can easily cool 50 gallons down down into the low 40's...of course you would need to run tubing to your heat exchangers, but that is exactly how a highrise building is air conditioned...chilled water. Its really quite efficient too.
I’ve been thinking of getting a 300-500 gallon heater holding tank. Burry it with a Accessible hatch. Run a inlet hose on the bottom and a outlet hose on top. With a pump to circulate the water throughout the house and use radiators with Fans on them to cool down our home. We also have Solar water heaters for our hot shower water. Install a Bypass to allow the hot water to also run through the same radiators in the winter to heat the house. I’m just a little worried because the hot water gets extremely hot because it’s in stainless tubes covered with glass and it gets extremely hot, maybe a Separate radiator in a isolated area and then ducted into home.
I'm thinking.use your trans cooler as in this video. If you have a 12vdc travel refrig freezer.put your cooling lines through the horizontal hatch cover with a type heat exchanger in the cooler. How much water do you put in the bucket to supply your chill lines? Any ideas.
I'm wondering if you could help me I've watched a lot of your videos and I think you're on to something I have a mobile home that the a calls the part that's inside the house by the fans on a central air central heat unit they're fine but the outside condenser got hit by lightning and caught on fire so it's no longer functional I'm wondering if I could take this same system and put it on a larger scale and heating cool the house on the on the complete house I'm wondering is there some way I could tie your experiments in to the a coil and heating cool that way without having an outside condenser if so I would like your input on this thanks for sharing your experiments great job
Awesome vids:) happy to subscribe. I see you tried several ways to cool/heat a room:after your experience i would like to know what is the best way to do it:a radiator(heat exchange) or a copper coil method? Thanks for sharing
I would love for you to help me Design One using a vintage ice chest that I can use in my aircooled vw's it regularly is over 100 where I live in California I'm wondering what it makes my car cool like a regular air conditioner my Baja Bug in the thumbnail is a sweatbox
Project looks fun👍 You could maximize cooling by a makeshift duct between the fan supply and coil. That way 100% of air the fan is pulling would blow across 100% [entire surface area] of the coil.
What if those pipes with a small bucket of water you keep in the refrigerator in freezer compartment by making a way to closing the door of it. That's how you can avoid the ice bucket outside even it will help to avoid ice most of the time.
This is a great idea for a little spot cooler to blow on you for a few hours or maybe cool a bedroom! But it’s not a good solution for cooling a living space if the freezer you’re using to freeze the ice packs is in that same space. You’re just transferring heat from the air into the water, into the ice pack, then your freezer will transfer the heat from the ice pack right back into the air… and generate more heat in the process.
So adding a pan with a hose for drainage and insulating the can to extend the coolness of the fluid....Shazam! Also if you have an efficient danfoss-like type rv-equipped fridge (think ICECO, Whynter, Dometic, etc), you can use the freezer section to continually replace the ice packs on your small living space. These fridges use no more than 40 watt/hours, so the whole ACTUAL setup for cooling your small RV/small truck camper/camper topper/minivan/full size van is about 50 watts +/- !!! Use this for your sleeping area at night or during the day your living quarters. Maybe separate the 2 areas using some bubble/foil for maximum cooling effect.
I need your help. I’ve been tasked with coming up with a way to provide cold dry air for a children’s hospital in Bangladesh. Mission work. Very humid air must somehow be dried so I can use it in an evap system/heat exchanger. I’ve got the design in mind but am stuck with that humid air. Can anyone help me???
get a large terracotta urn, aka "amphora". the seepage through the unglazed ceramic naturally cools the contents to 4C. there are charts around for the actual drop in degrees for every unit of water lost. if you have 200 odd litres of water held at 4C, you arent going to warm it up much with this set up! all about thermal mass too. its not as limited as the swamp cooler is, still works in high humidity. though of course, its better when its dry... and yeah, enclose those coolers, all the air through the fan AND the fins. the slower the air through the cooler, the more heat sucked out...
i have pull one out truck ac coils in dash n thick n bigger n use peiter 400wattage 8 them n have other one front con run out side with big fan on it blow heat out like normal ac window n find ac window brown i throw away stuff on it turn it into 12v one never have issues using ac window parts that already broken turn it into working 12vdc ac lol done it back in 2008
It's possible to make ice off grid. 12v countertop ice makers exist(so no need for an inverter). You could even DIY an ammonia absorption ice maker. Then use the ice from that to cool your room.
@walter kersting hi. that's true in many cases (but it doesn't matter in most cases). what i mean is that unless you are trying to cool your entire house 24/7 you can borrow those btu's for the cooling when and where you want it. if my kitchen is warmer by a degree or two (when the ice is freezing) i don't mind.
I wonder what would happen if you could leave that DC pump on and try to freeze it in like a bucket like maybe when it gets cold leave it outside when it’s gonna get like 10° or some shit I wonder if they’ll be able to freeze
That’s a very good concept and I commend you you are nothing short of a genius but I see one small problem. Try putting a shroud over that entire heat exchanger with the fenders so this way there’s no wasted energy just try it listen to me and I promise you you’ll get a little bit more colder air channeled through that fan thus wasting no energy and putting out more colder air 😝
This video is over a year old, so I’m hoping that you see my question. So the pump, so you just drop the entire thing in the water (wires and all) or am I missing something?
hi. these water pumps are totally waterproof (so you just drop them right in the water). btw, you can ask questions on any or all of my videos. the age of the video doesn't matter. i see all the comments. 🙂
I found a 6,000btu window unit in the trash for free, it works fine and I don't need to run a freezer to freeze ice. Yours would be great if you had an ice cold free flowing deep water well.
