Homemade Air Conditioner DIY - "5 Gallon Bucket" Air Cooler

I could've used one of these yesterday when it was 40°C. The required items don't sound hard to acquire, either: a 20 litre bucket, some ice, a fan, some pipe.

(via LiveLeak)

YouTube Description:

how to make a non-compressor based "5 gallon bucket" air conditioner. simple DIY. items needed: bucket, styrofoam liner, pvc pipe, small fan, and ice. (small solar panel is optional). one frozen gallon jug of water lasted 6 hours. temperature in house was 84F. cooled air was in the mid. 40F range.
Fairbssays...

I'm not sure the liner part is all that necessary. It also seemed like having a glass container for the liquid would transfer the cold faster, but if the temperature of the exhaust is at 40 degrees with plastic then that's good enough. Cool idea.

Another thought is that you could decrease the number of exhausts and get a stronger blast of cold air.

oritteroposays...

It looked like the liner might provide insulation, so more of the air passing through the system would be cooled, rather than the ice also being melted from heat transfer through the bucket walls.

It's not clear to me how much of an effect this would have.

Fairbssaid:

I'm not sure the liner part is all that necessary. It also seemed like having a glass container for the liquid would transfer the cold faster, but if the temperature of the exhaust is at 40 degrees with plastic then that's good enough. Cool idea.

Another thought is that you could decrease the number of exhausts and get a stronger blast of cold air.

Paybacksays...

A glass milk container would detonate in your fridge when you tried to freeze it. The plastic can give enough to take the expanding ice.

An aluminum container (properly shaped) would be even better than glass. Around 20x the thermal conductivity and be less likely to explode.

I also think he was trying for "cheap... but adequate."

Fairbssaid:

I'm not sure the liner part is all that necessary. It also seemed like having a glass container for the liquid would transfer the cold faster, but if the temperature of the exhaust is at 40 degrees with plastic then that's good enough. Cool idea.

Another thought is that you could decrease the number of exhausts and get a stronger blast of cold air.

J-Johnsonsays...

Inquiries Here for anyone that has answers?

Only place I could find the styrofoam liner is a round 8 quart styrofoam bait container at Gander Mtn does anyone else know where we can get a round Styrofoam liner, that wouldn't have to be modified to fit the 5 gallon bucket?

Also where does a person find that 12" ?? size Model Fan?

And the Solar Panel?

I was checking into a 16" 3 Speed with a Quiet motor to use in a bedroom but that might be too big for the 5 gallon bucket

I sure could be wrong, but it seems like the frozen plastic Milk container works best since even though it could/would add a bit of humidity, it's not going to be very much due to the Insulation properties of the Styrofoam liner.

Thank you to anyone that can answer these questions please?

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