Make Your Own D.I.Y Air Conditioner For Less Than $10

We are right in the middle of summer and even though we have a few cooler days ahead, you know we also have a few, if not several scorchers still on the way.

This has all been top of mind for me since I have an air conditioner unit that is starting to have issues. What to do....well I'll just run to the store and get another one. Hmmm...if the stores had any. Oh there was one, but it was $700, much more than I am going to pay. How about I order it online? Well, if you can find one in stock but then there is also the issue with getting it delivered before October, when I won't need!

Oh what to do...I got it. I remember I read an article or saw a video a few years ago about making your own D.I.Y air conditioner. The nice thing is, it's super cheap, and you may even have most of the stuff already at your house. Even if you don't, there are plenty of places to get the stuff you need, for low cash.

Here is what you are going to need for materials:

• A cheap Styrofoam ice chest
• Two dryer vents or PVC joints
• A small fan
• Ice to fill the ice chest

Here is how to prep your homemade A/C:

• The two vents will come out on top of the ice chest lid, spaced out so the fan can be attached in the center of the lid. them far enough apart that the fan will be able to fit between.
• You will need to use a cutting tool of some sort to cut out the two holes for the vents. Make sure the holes are sized such that the vents will be able to fit snugly inside them.
• Cut out a hole for the fan, you may have to mark it first, just make sure this hole is a bit smaller than the fan itself. The fan needs to be able to rest on top of the chest but not fall into it.
• Fit the vents snugly in their holes and set the fan on top of its hole face down so it will blow air into the ice chest.

That is it! See, how simple was that? Now just fill the cooler with ice, you could also use frozen bottles of water, that you can also refreeze for later. Finally, just turn on your fan.

So the concept is, the fan forces air into the chest, which cools over the ice and comes out the vents as ice cooled air. It should also be as cold as any other air conditioner and will keep blowing that cold air until the ice melts.

If you are having a hard time visualizing the whole thing, here's a video I grabbed off YouTube that walks you through.

Stay cool my friends!