Spencer’s Homemade Air Conditioner
Spencer from Ohio made this incredible build using some good old american muscle. This closed circuit version of the homemade air conditioner uses a radiator for efficient heat transfer, and looks awesome in the process.
A spare radiator from a 1976 Triumph Spitfire ensures great heat transfer between the water and the air. A wooden frame supports the radiator and attached fans.
Not just one, but two fans circulate air through the radiator and the room.
Two water fountain pumps are used to circulate the water between the cooler and the radiator.
Here we can see the warm water returning to the cooler. How does the whole thing perform? In Spencer’s words, very well.
| Homemade Air Conditioning Plans and Pictures | ||
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Original Design Geoff’s Homemade Air Conditioner Heat Exchanger Improvements Water Supply Improvements Technical Notes |
Other Designs Pete’s Homemade Air Conditioner Anonymous’ Homemade Air Conditioner Spencer’s Homemade Air Conditioner |
Final Design The Black Beauty |
Dear Sir .We are lucky to get your design about ice airconditioner in the web,because we are going to use yr idea for our seaside camping site in Galang island, a small island near Singapore but don’t hv electricity. We hope yr idea will be very useful, because
our island is hot, but the the scenery is very beautiful,Thank You
Sincerely Yours
Arianti from small Island Indonesia
Hi.
I don’t sure i understand.
Is there anything that makes the water cold? or that is a thing i should care of by putting ice in it?
Thanks!
Yoni, from Jerusalem
Hi Yoni – the water should be cold (or else it isn’t going to cool much), but how you cool it it up to you. Using ice or a cold water feed appear to be the two primary choices.
sir , iam very to get this good things in india there is no powerand hot 46degree
I was wondering about this….
If a old fridge or freezer can be found / salvaged, do you think it would be possible to utilise the cooler on these to run a DIY air con?
I was thinking if a small fridge can be burthcered a fan could be incorporated into the frame and the door removed.
Any thoughts on this?
It’s possible, but if done in the manner you describe, would actually lead to the room heating up due to inefficiencies of the fridge!
A fridge does not magically make cold, it pumps heat away from it’s interior insulated chamber – so the heat must go somewhere. That’s why the back of your fridge is always nice and toasty.
You could possibly modify it heavily so that the heat could be pumped outside via a window (like an air conditioner) but unless you’re familiar with working with pressurized gases it will likely be rather dangerous.
I think the idea of using the back grille off a fridge is brilliant. It’s already a frame of thin tubes, engineered (well..) for heat transfer. You may have to rinse out whatever poison was running through it originally, but set that thing up with a couple of box fans and you’re good..
i hope i can make complete air condition with refrigirant in my home but with my hands as i am a mechanical engineer
Sir,
Is there anything that can be used insted of water. If we fill co
per tube with Nitrogen Gas or any other gas which tubes cold permently.
pls advice.
Thx
indika
++
Hi indika – Running a loop of liquid nitrogen might be possible but would be rather impractical in my opinion. Pumping will be near impossible with retail parts, and the liquid nitrogen will quickly boil off unless you create some sort of pressurized loop – at which point you’ve almost made a real air conditioner!
You might be able to pour a small amount into a gravity fed tube that the fan then blows over, but it would be more of a “one shot deal” if you will and more useful for a demo rather than practical use.
dear, me impressed ur invitation . is it possible cool air through radiator with icy water in thermocol box please reply me ! matter is very urgent because kolkata ( india ) is very fucking hot dear .
with regards partho
I am building this system, can any give me a idea that if we manage to pump the liquid water at a higher rate say 5 lts per minute, will it change the cooling.
regards, Jeetu
Hi Jeetu – Flow rate is not a significant contributor to the cooling rate of the system above a certain low threshold. It is better to focus your energy on the efficiency of the heat exchanger itself.
Hi Geoff, thanks for your reply, you mean to say the larger and better quality the radiator and fans, it would contribute to the efficency of the system.
Thanks once again. Jeetu
Hi Geoff, I am an engineering student. I want to make project of home made air conditioner, i need some more knowledge about it & suggest me some more idea for project
Hi Aman,
First I’d suggest reviewing the concept of a heat exchanger and then identify how this homemade air conditioner could be classified as a heat exchanger. If you’re looking to build one yourself, I’d suggest working off the Black Beauty design, as a radiator will drastically increase performance. I would not recommened the copper coil approach as copper has become just as expensive as a true radiator in the past years, and does not perform nearly as well.