Technical Self contained electric air conditioning (tech week)

Hopefully this will help others of you as well. I don't have AC in my truck, and 400 for a Thermador just wasn't going to happen. So after a bit of looking around I found some ideas, and modified them to create my own system.
I've got less than 50 in this, and if you had some of it laying around you could do it for even less

Parts needed:
Any cooler you want to chop up. (I liked the igloo style, though an old Coleman or anything would work) I think I paid about $20 for it
Trans cooler, heater core or similar. (be smarter than me and CLEAN it good first) 10 at pull and pay
Some computer fans. (can be found in scrap easy, or online) Free from scrap
Tubing of a few sizes (free from scrap)
Bilge pump (I got the lowest GPH I could find) (7.50 on flea bay)
plug in or clips, however you want to hook it up

I started by picking the cooler, I liked how the igloo had a triangle shaped top, let it open with the tubing going through, and left the fans on an angle when assembled, so the cold air can blow to me.
Shown is the cooler a couple steps ahead:


I then went to the salvage yard and found a trans cooler that was about the same size as my cooler lid,


Once I had the cooler I attached my fans to it. Be sure that you have them oriented to blow through the cooler, this way the cooler can act as a finger guard.


I then drilled 4 holes in my cooler lid to mount the cooler. I used some bamboo sticks that were laying around, whatever you have, just be sure to space it off the cooler for some air flow.
This is my fans and trans cooler mounted.



I mounted my bilge pump in to the cooler with some double stick trim adhesive. The pump runs water into the trans cooler, and a second line comes from the trans cooler and dumps in the igloo.


Here you can see the inlet and return water lines to the trans cooler. I then tied all the computer fans together and the bilge pump with them. I used an old broken charger to make them a plug for my cigarette lighter.



To run the AC I pack the cooler full of ice (can fit a couple pops in it too) and add a bit of water. Usually I drive a bit before it gets warm enough to need it, so the ice starts to melt. Then just plug it in and go. The pump circulates the cold water through and the fans push the cold to you. May not be the most effective in a large car, but I can feel the difference in my truck cab. Its gotten cold enough to get frosty on the trans cooler before.
I'm sure there's room for improvement on it, but for less than 50 bucks its cold air

 

Ugh,,,, someone remind me how to embed photos and I'll fix all these dumb links

 

Well that is unique. I grew up with evaporative coolers on the farm. Not exactly the same, but similar concept. I like the fact this is small and switchable from vehicle to vehicle. Thinking outside the box.

 

Fucking awesome !

 

If you are using external links and not the Hamb's uploader you need to do [8img]insert link here[/img8] without the 8's

 

Man,those are some small photo's. HRP

 

Hey, really cool idea!

 

I built a system like this to try to cool a room at a nightclub that was getting insanely hot and humid at the time.

I used a radiator from a junkyard zip tied to a box fan and plumbed to a 700GPH aquarium pump inside a CUBE cooler filled with water and as much ice as I could get a hold of.

I had to build it like this, a closed system, because the humidity was way too high for an evaporative cooler to work or even if it did, to want to add fuel to that fire.

These systems only work as long as the fluid is cold. Once the heat in the room has been sunk into it, you have to change out as much water as you can and add more ice and cold water to keep pulling heat out of the space. They do work though!

 

A link to the album for photos you don't have to strain your eyes as much for : https://picasaweb.google.com/103825...&authkey=Gv1sRgCPHB0e-J5IjHQA&feat=directlink

 

That is super cool (pardon the pun!). Theoretically you could remotely mount your cooler in the trunk and be able to use a larger container. Also dry ice in a water bath would really get your temp down.

Hillbilly HVAC! Love it!!

 

Yeah, its expandable for sure, bigger cooler, more ice. Like Patmanta did, the bigger the radiator/fan combo the more space. And it gets cold, as long as the liquid is cold. I can usually run 2/3 hours with this one. By then I'm ready for a gas stop and a new bag of ice.

 

I plan on doing something like this for the 51 and have for quite some time. I am going to plumb it through the heater core for the summer. Then I can just open the cowl vent or turn the heater fan on. There's other details as far as the cooler and lines and all that but I won't bore you with that.

 

Hell yeah !!!

 

I wonder if I have a good sized heater core laying around? I might have a bilge pump, left over from an underwater robot project. And I have a few coolers, and several fans

 

Hopefully this will help,you should be able to copy them and add them to your post.

You will need to put them in order.HRP

 

Missed one..HRP

 

Wonder if an inside coil would increase efficiency? Like a cool can.

 

NO DRY ICE IN A SMALL SPACE!
http://www.dryiceinfo.com/safe.htm

Unless you plan on having a vent in the floor, I'd stay away from dry ice in a tiny old truck cab.

As for using a coil inside the cooler, that would only be worthwhile if the fluid cycle is a closed loop, in which case you could look beyond just water cycling through the heat exchanger, to other mixes or fluids that may perform quicker/better, but you would need twice the stuff to do it (2 heat exchangers, one exposed to cabin air, one in the cold bath). Personally, I think for the sake of simplicity and the confines of the space, the open loop system is likely more efficient at transferring the heat in the cabin air into the water.

 

Yes, most definitely! Might get a little sleepy. I was thinking in my little pea brain at the time of a pick up bed.

 

I think you nailed it size wise. If you're getting 2-3 hours that definitely leg stretching time. The really cool thing (again, pardon the pun) is you still have cooling when you're parked.

I think you need to patent this thing because the gears are turning in my head!

 

Build one out of one of these...imbed hide the cooler a little and make sure there is room for a few beers!!!!

 

I'm really digging this thing,
You can take it from car to car to car.
You can have it in your race car,
You can have it in your 100% over the top period perfect traditional hot rod too.

 

cool idea!!!

 

If you're not planning on drinking the water, rock salt would help bring those temps down too.. Think old ice cream makers during the summer.

 

Watch out Vintage Air !

 

Love it. In many ways, your gizmo reminds me of those cool suit systems that racers use. Instead of bag ice, they pre-freeze blocks of solid ice they make at home in their freezers in plastic storage containers. They select container sizes so that when the blocks of ice are popped out, they can be stacked as tightly as possible in the cooler. You get much more cool from a nearly solid block of ice than by using crushed or cubed ice. Try it, you might be able to extend your cooling range. Gary

 

I am always amazed by what I learn here. I'm giving this one a try! Thanks for sharing.

 

Fantastic idea. Very well thought out