DIY Evap Air Cooler! (Simple "Box Fan" Conversion) - Homemade Evap Air Cooler! New Design! Easy DIY
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- Опубликовано: 5 июл 2023
- This Video Shows How To Convert a Standard Household Box-Fan into an Evap Cooling Box-Fan! very easy to do! unit drops air temps 15 to 25 degrees below the ambient air temp. a fan speed of medium or high works the best. unit uses 0.5 to 1 gallon of water per hour (depending on ambient air temp, humidity and fan speed). many types of containers can be used to hold the fan including: planter boxes, ice chests and plastic totes. all items (except the pump) can be found at the home stores (home depot etc). the pump can be found at harbor freight tools or amazon. the home stores may have it too, but i didn't see it there. total cost: about $45 (not including fan). parts list is shown at the end of the video. tip: don't skip the "styro-foam block" step of the project. the blocks create the needed air-space between the evap pad and the back of the fan. (you can usually get styro-foam for free just by looking in any old boxes you may have). works great inside or outside. if using it inside place it near a door or a window and use the cross ventilation technique to keep humidity levels low.
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I made one similar to this a few years ago with a wooden frame and I used hardware cloth to hold the Aspen pad in place. I got a little fountain pump and I ran tubing up over the top of the pad and just poked holes in it with a pushpin. On mine the fan was completely separate from the cooling unit. It worked quite well. Always enjoy your videos.
Keep in mind that in order to use it to cool your house it must be placed in a window at one end of your home and crack a window at the other (just like an actual swamp cooler) Otherwise you will simply saturate your home with moisture instead of cooling your home you will swim through air so humid you won't need a shower. Peace be with you.
Not really. You can buy portable evaporative coolers and if you do a little testing you'll find that they cool anything in front of them even when they are placed nowhere near a window. You should have some window open in your house but it doesn't have to be a crack, any window open anywhere will allow the humidity out but even if you don't I've sat in front of the indoor ones for hours and hours as it pushed ice cold air with no window open and the velocity of the air dried me quicker than the humidity built up so it was never a problem. Swamp coolers are made to be used in places with zero humidity and no matter how many of them you run you're never going to make your house more humid than it would already be if you were in any other part of the country.
Got the itch to make a "new" swamp cooler after using the 5-gallon bucket one for a couple years. It's been working great. Came back to check your channel to see if you've got any new designs - was pleasantly surprised to see you uploaded under an hour ago!
awesome! the 5 gallon one is great. that might have been my very first evap cooler. i've made 10 or more different models over the years since the 5 gallon one. tip: if you want to see all of my videos on that topic (in one place) check under the playlist tab on my channel page. i've got a playlist just for those. makes for easy viewing. this newest one is probably the best "box fan conversion" one i've done. i've also gotten into the "indirect" evap units (those are the ones that don't produce any humidity). a little more involved with those but still easy to make
Thank you for another great video and sharing every thing to have and do to make it! Awesome!
Great and simple. As evaporative cooling is completely dependent on relative humidity a search for "effectiveness of evaporative cooling at different temperature and humidity" (look for images to quickly find charts) or similar will advise the effect one can expect to achieve. A regular or dissicant (calcium chloride) dehumidifier in a closed off room may make more sense than cross ventilation in areas where the outside humidity is too high for effective evaporation. I would post links but I believe youtube would block them in comments. Thanks for simplicity, just don't want anyone to think they aren't getting good results without knowing why. In Arizona an open ventilation will usually be fine. In Florida, not so much.👍
hi. evap cooling charts are one of the best ways to see what temps an evap cooler will generate in a certain climate (if you know the temp and humidity). i find that they are pretty accurate.
I was planning to do this more as a dehumidifier than for cooling. My plan was to pump/sprinkle liquid calcium chloride over a $1.50 fiberglass air filter (super thin, large surface area, not as expensive as evaporative cooling pads have gotten). I have lots of small piles of calcium chloride in my basement in plastic cups already and days later it will be a small pile of calcium chloride with an inch or two of water. I'm curious how much it improves simply by adding a lot of surface area and some airflow. May get to pumping the excess water outside and burning it off with the sun's heat, but for testing the plan was just to take the bucket outside and let it heat up to release the water.
@@orangezeroalphaFor the amount of effort that would take, you may as well get a compressor/refrigerant based dehumidifier. TCL makes a good small 22 pint model for small basements. Midea is also a great brand. I have the 50pint model. No problems
Well done. Short, to the point, simple instructions! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I need a cheap solution for my greenhouses!
Glad it was helpful! it should work well for a greenhouse
Always learning something new from this guy…
Been watching for years bro, I love this stuff for jobsites
hi and thank you!
You heatedd us in the winter, now you're cooling us in the summer!
you bet. following the seasonal patterns.
Great content 👍
Dont forget he is an expert in rocket stove making so we can eat whilst comfy😊
You always have such great ideas. Going to share your channel with a couple of friends who could use your ideas.
Awesome! Thank you!
How simple is it dang mate you got it all right 👍
great design, thanks for sharing
Thank you so much for this video. This is Awesome. Simple, elegant and super effective. Can't get over such a super elegant yet such an effective design. Just Subscribed! 🤩
hi there and thank you! i'm glad you liked the video (and thank you for subscribing!)
I like this setup... very nice!
hi and thanks! been working on this on and off for a few months. the main thing was really deciding to use the "egg crate lighting panel material" to hold the pad. that really brings the whole thing together. that and the styro-foam blocks (to set it apart or hold it away from the back of the fan) made it work out great!
Good stuff, thanx Friend.
you bet
I appreciate this content its inspired me alot. I hope at one point you revisit dehumidification. Its a big problem where I live and I want to do a DIY project like yourself to figure something out. Have a wonderful day and thank you again.
hi and thanks! dehumidifiers are a tricky thing to design and make. i've made one video on the topic but the unit is a smaller model. models of a larger size take a lot of power and get complicated pretty quick. i'd love to hear any ideas that people may have for a DIY model.
Nice video , thanks for sharing , God bless !
hi and thank you!
excellent idea thanks
you bet
Very nice. We were just talking about excessive heat up here in the mountains of western NM. 82 in the house but low, low humidity makes it almost tolerable
hi and thanks. 82F with low humidity is almost the perfect temp and humidity to get the lowest possible temps out of these. you could probably get 58F-to 60F air coming out of it. just as good as AC in your case 👍🙂
Very nice and compact design. I thought evap coolers need to sit outside, with a flexible duct bringing the cool air in.
Would this work inside an enclosed space (say a tent?)
you can use them inside or outside. if you use it inside you just need to cross-ventilate the area so the humidity does not build up. the best way to use it with a tent would be to place it just outside the tent blowing in through a window on the tent. that way the unit always has a fresh source of air. then cross ventilate the tent so the air as somewhere to exit.
hey man love the videos. i was wandering if you could do a dehumidifier and evap cooler conversion. thank you
You're worth your weight ln gold in that house.
hi. that's nice of you to say. i always hope that what i do helps a lot of people.
Good job bud!
Thank you! Cheers!
very good
Bro you the official fan man🫡🫡
I like it. No use jere in the S.E. but were I still in Texas or AZ it would do a good job. Had something similar on the porch in AZ and the house had a swamp cooler itself..
they do work the best in places like AZ, TX, UT, NV, CA etc... but in general they work pretty decent anywhere in the western half of the country. and in some areas of the eastern half. depends mainly on daily temps and humidity.
Hot Tip: if you can get an old bar fridge, use that to store the water. Will get the temps cooler, but will use more power of course.
Hello! I've finally received my cooling pad in Canada (only option was an EBay hobby shop due to shipping) and will be building my unit this weekend. Thank you very much for sharing your designs!
Is there any reason not to combine this design with the 1/4" copper tubing one, provided the water runs through the copper tube before the 1/2" PVC tube with its pressure loss from the 16 holes? I figure I may as well have 25' of 1/4" copper tubing on the output of my 20"box fan for maximum cooling.
I figure I could get quick effect with the copper tubing by starting the system with large frozen gel packs in the tap-cold water. Within an hour I'd return the gel packs to the freezer as the water would be at its coolest sustainable temperature by then.
Before this we've been managing by using a box fan to remove the hottest air from the apartment and select coolest replacement air source...but the best this can do is equalize to the source temperature. I created a cardboard/duct tape tube system supporting the box fan 14" down from the ceiling, firing down & out a window in the center of the apartment. It is very efficient at cooling the apartment in the evening. Without, there was no way to get rid of the warm air above 4' in the 1-level space.
Thanks again, I look forward to going through the rest of your work! I've only watched the cooling videos so far, but have subscribed. =)
In review, the reason to use separate pumps is, the 1/2" drip tube of the design from this video isn't functional when supplied by a 1/4" tube. =) Flow works well with 1/2" tube.
I've only been getting 2C of cooling with my version of the evap design of this video, but that's just round one. Perhaps I've squeezed my pad and impeded function? Gap between fan & pad 'cage' is 1~1.25", which can't be more than 1/2" from this version? Have covered side & top gap with duct tape to force more air to go through pad.
Love the design and we can’t wait to build one. What kind of “panel” do you use to hold the pad? Thanks!!
hi. the panels are called 'egg crate lighting panels'. you can get them at places like home depot
Heya, and did you put the pad at the back or the front of the fan?
I’m in sunny Michigan and it’s hotter than two shits on a Easter Day here.
Very neat design. I guess you could feed the pipe in the middle through a "T" so the hose is behind the unit.
Where did the mesh plastic come from?
the tee is a good idea. it would streamline the 'look' even more. i get the mesh at the home stores. that mesh (egg crate lighting panel) came from home depot. (currently though that is not the cheapest place to buy it).
About the outdoor blue cube evaporative cooler...what size drill bit did you use to drill the holes on the pvc frame? The reason I ask is because I'm going to be building one tomorrow.
7/64" or 1/8" is probably the best. i think they were smaller at first, but i've expanded them to about one 1/8" recently.
What is the appx water usage per hour? Also, Have you considered using a toilet float valve to control new water entering the tank below, hooked to a garden hose?
Thank you! Can you just use the clear tubing across the top and put holes in that! It would be simpler
hi. that might work but it may be harder to keep all the holes lined up and facing straight down. the clear tube might move around and cause issues.
Bought some evap pad you recommend and tested this quickly. Flow rate of air seems pretty low through the pad… worried it won’t cook a small room effectively. Any advice?
hi. i've noticed the unit works best on high speed. medium is decent too. make sure to cross ventilate the room and you should be all set. the blue pads are rated 2200 to 2300 cfm (which is the typical airflow of a box fan on high - so it works out good. make sure to use a good strong box fan for the best airflow.
Is the pad on the suction side of the fan? If so, does it pull water into the fan?
hi. all of the water stays inside the pad. none of it escapes. i designed the unit so that there is no chance of any water getting into the fan.
I was wondering, if I made it so that the pad was longer dipping into the water on the bottom, do I still need a pump and tubes? Or will the pad absorb the water like a wick?
hi. the wicking action isn't strong enough to soak up the water from the bottom more than an inch for two so the pump is needed for sure
Great video! I just built a carbon copy. Is there a reason to space the pad off the fan and have an air gap? Wouldn't it be better to have the pad right up against the fan so all the air has to come through the pad?
the gap makes sure that no water touches the fan. you could add a DIY shroud to block the gap if you want. i've done that before with a couple other projects. consider using corrugated plastic sheeting. home depot has it. looks similar to cardboard but is made of plastic. btw, it's awesome that you made it!
@@desertsun02 cool makes sense, thanks for the reply! Yeah I tried to shroud the gap with some gorilla tape and it seemed ok, I will look into this plastic sheeting. Thanks, and great design! Came together very easily.
Is that a small bilge pump.for a boat?
I looked at the HF pumps and says water temp no higher than 77 but my house 84 and today 45% humidity but has been 30-37% this past week while outside humidity was 12-22%
So I looked into boat bilge pumps for a dc solar setup.
hi. it's just a basic water pump (not a bilge pump). most water pumps will handle water at least to 110 to 120F. i've never heard of one that is only good up to 77F
just built one of your example wish I could show you. having trouble getting a cooler pad . everyone wants to order me one in but need it tomorrow when its a 100 degrees
have you tried home depot or lowes. they usually have those pads 'stack up to the ceiling' this time of year.
@@desertsun02 not in saginaw mi they are not commonly used here like in a dry weather county. plus home depot keeps very little stock atleast thins I need. ended up getting one from ebay. ive made three trys building this so far but learned what I did wrong each time. thanks for replying
I think next time Ill be a little more selective on what type of box fan I use
Hi I recently built this and I am not getting as cool of temps as I want. I was wondering if my foam blocks that are seperating the pad is too large. Would it be ok ziptie the crate straight to the fan? or should I just reduce my foam size? My foam thickness is about half an inch
hi. i'd leave the foam size the same. i think mine is about an inch thick. (the blue pads are generally rated for an airflow of up to 2200 to 2300 cfm *which is perfect because box fans generally move anywhere from 1000cfm to 2500cfm). i wouldn't recommend skipping the foam blocks. you might consider making a shroud to block any air that may be entering through the gap between the pad and the fan. you can make a simple shroud with something called corrugated plastic sheet (it looks like carboard, but it's made of plastic). you can use that to block the air that may be going around the pad. another thing is to make sure that the pad is getting evenly saturated. also, it might just be that you have a slightly higher humidity. you might want to check an 'evap cooling chart'. those charts can be found online and can tell you what type of temp drop to expect with a given humidity and temperature.
@@desertsun02 Thank you! I will try those options, I appreciate it
Can a cut to fit air filter be used! It's also made out of polyester.
it's unlikely that an air filter would work. evap pads are made in a specific way
What was the blue square you put. Is it some sort of sponge?
hi there. it's called evap. cooler pad. it's basically like a loose-knit sponge. it holds water but also lets air through.
In some area's of the country that will be an indoor humidifier.
hi. that is true. these types of coolers work in about half of the country (USA). to see if it will work in your area, you can check an 'evap cooing chart'. they show the approx. output temps and temp drop if you know the temp and humidity.
I'm confused. Is this going to cool with just cold tap water or iced water? How does the water keeps in circulation? How much more cooler is it than just the fan itself? I'll have to feel it to believe it. Too bad I'm elderly and unable to get this done. Would love to try it. Do you sell them ready to use? If so, what is the website so I can order.
hi. there is no ice or cold water needed. the great thing about evap coolers is not only do they cool the air that is pulled through the pad but they also cool the water that is going down the pad! (this happens because it's the pad itself that gets cold) - due to the evaporative effect. this water-cooling effect allows you to use any temperature water when you fill the tub. i started with 84F tap water and in 5 mins the whole tub is cooled to the upper 50's. notice when i show the temp of the pad in the video. (that temp you see is also the temp of the water). again, there's no ice or cold water needed. the unit cools the water down itself. the water pump in the bottom of the tub pumps the water through the tubing. that is how the water is circulated. the output air is anywhere from 15 to 25F colder than the input air. i don't sell them but maybe a friend or a neighbor could help you build it?
@@desertsun02 Thank you for the clarification. I understand the process now. Amazing idea! Great job! I will share your video to neighbors and see if anyone is willing to build one for me. Have a blessed day.👍
@@gooddeals1082this is basically what AC's do but exactly opposite. Swamp coolers are best for low humidity while AC's are generally used in humid climates.
Will the water be carried away by the air?
Hmm 🤔 have you ever experimented with automotive grade radiator fans because wouldn't those be waterproof and have good static pressure on such a dense pad
hi yes, i've used those fans in a few of my projects too. they work very well. i've got a video that i call my "blue cube evap cooler". that has an automotive radiator fan in it. it's 12v fan it so can be run on batteries or solar panels.
Just to clarify - the fan is sucking air through the back, through the damp pad, and blowing it out the front? It's not blowing air through the pad? I used to work overseas in a very dry area and we had these. I now live on the east coast of the USA where it is very humid so the chance of this working is not good. I'm going to pass this along to a friend who lives in an arid climate. Thanks.
hi there. pad is on back of fan. if you put the pad on the front it acts like a barrier and most of the air won't go through. yes, these struggle to work if the humidity it too high.
Why do you want the space between the pad and the fan? Thanks 🙏🏼
hi. it's for safety (to make sure that no water will get on the fan).
Dang I built this and only getting a 2-3 degree drop. 81F and 38% humidty ambient temp and about 78 degrees coming out of the fan. I spaced my cooling pad a few inches further from the fan and made a shroud, other than that I have all the same parts as you.
hi. i checked the 'evap cooling chart' and it shows that you should be getting about 68F air coming out of the unit (at your temp and humidity levels). one possibility is that the pad is not thoroughly and evenly saturated. air likes to take the path of least resistance so maybe the air is going through a dry (or drier) area of the pad. having the pad a few inches farther away from the back of the fan could be the issue. even with a shroud, the air may be 'skirting around' (avoiding) the pad altogether. that can happen if the pad is too far away from the back of the fan. the other possibility is that the humidity is higher than 38%. they may say the humidity is 38% officially but it can vary quite a bit even from neighborhood to neighborhood. note: if the air is going through the pad and the pad is evenly saturated then you'll get the temps listed on an evap cooling chart. it always matches up with the chart (within a degree or two). i'd try the pad closer to the fan. i have the pad mounted 3/4" of an inch from the back of the fan
@@desertsun02 Great reply, thanks! I will try saturating the pad manually and checking the temperatures, and then moving the pad closer and noting any difference.
Is the pad on the front or back of the fan?
hi. it's on the back of fan. (it acts like a barrier or wall and will block most of the air if on the front)
I made one of these for a shed, it keeps it from being 120 degrees during the day, when the day is 100 degrees it will be 100 degrees in the shed instead of 120.
It only works in dry climate area.
@@Ajiponferret That's true, we live in West Central Texas, East of here evaporative coolers are impractical, but West of here they work fantastically. Here we have humid mornings at around 70% and then very dry afternoons with the humidity around 20%, sometimes the humidity can fall below 10%, and our house will be 72 degrees while our electricity bill is at least 1/2 lower than if we use the AC.
Good evening sir, here's another question from Rotterdam, where can I buy such a nice flat fan?👍
hi. i'm not sure where they would be sold in your country, but in the states they are very common and sold at the home stores (like home depot) and most of the discount dept. stores (like walmart). i've never checked but i'm sure that amazon sells them too.
Amazon in Germany has them.
@@YWill100 Thank you👍
@@desertsun02 I've looked around, including Amazon Germany, but I can't find the fan you are using, can you also tell me what the brand of this fan is?👍
@@johndevries7122 His fan make is irelevant, not important. Any box-type fan will work. Look at the Numbers as far as people saying they Like or dislike the fan-youn do not want to buy one that is garbage. Otherwise he has given you the basic layout of putting it together, just don't get caught up in the minor details trying to use exactly what he used. Check the hunidit where you live-that is the biggest factor. :)
Where do you get the cooling pads?
hi. you can get them at places like home depot and lowes.
Can anyone explain how the cooler is working actually? I mean that is a normal fan right ? Then he added stuffs . What the pump us actually doing ? What happens to the water that are gather in the bottom container ?. I don't understand. Someone help .
hi there. yep, it's just a standard box fan. the pump is pumping the water up from the bottom and into the pipe that goes along the top of the pad. the water is then sent down the blue pad and saturates it. whatever water that doesn't soak into the pad just goes back into the tub. (the pad is kind of like a 'loose knit' sponge. it holds water but it also lets air through). when you turn the fan on it pulls the hot air through the wet pad. this causes some of the water in the pad to evaporate. (and that evaporation cools down both the pad and the air that is going through the pad). note that a lot of the water makes it back to the tub again and the water just goes around and around. since the pad is cold (because of the evaporation) the water will get colder the longer you run the unit. i hope that helps you 🙂
@@desertsun02 wow . really thanks for the easy detailed info . I got it now . thanks a bunch
i'm glad it helped you 🙂
What are the panels and where do you get them?
they are called 'egg crate lighting panels'. places like home depot sell them.
@@desertsun02 Thank you.
@@desertsun02where did you get them? When I search for them they are like $75+ and your description says this project is about $45.
@rythmicjea i got them at home depot. they were about $15 there at the time (they are now about $19). i also saw them at ace hardware for $13 recently. i've also seen them online for $8 to $9 but it was a company that i'd never heard of.
i want to ask you something
how did you get that mini radiator in this video: ruclips.net/video/g9bB0BwlQKA/видео.html ?
i mean what did you enter into the search engine? i can't find it or anything similar on the web
Would this make create more humidity? Sorry if that a dumb question I live in Florida some of the store broke stuff I got mad made my room hotter then it should
hi. it does, but if you 'cross ventilate' the area then the humidity stays low (since it never gets a chance to build up). this type of cooling works great in many areas of the world. in general, (in the USA) it works for about half of the country. in another 20% of the country it works okay (or sporadically) depending on humidity, and not so great in about 30% of the country. evap cooling charts (found online) can show you what temps to expect depending on the temps and humidity in your area. note that i also have DIY indirect evap units. those are a little more involved but they don't add any humidity at all to the air that you are cooling.
@@desertsun02 compare to your cooler designs how easy is it to build or would recommend one that would best for me in Florida and thank you for replying
@pspwilliams i would consider making one of my cold water or ice based units or possibly a hybrid ice based evap or indirect system. the cold water or ice based systems don't use any kind of evaporation at all so they would work great in florida (even when humidity is 90% or more).
@@desertsun02thank you !!
Great idea. Except it will make me pee the bed with the running water sounds!
that's funny. if you're any distance from the unit you can barely hear the water over the sound of the fan so you should be okay. it kind of sounds the same as an indoor 'water feature' (or indoor water fountain etc.) so maybe if you think of it that way, it would help. 👍🙂
@@desertsun02 which of the latest models do you think work the best. Box fan with trans coolers, this model, Cylinder?
Do you have a webesite i can buy anylready put together
hi. i don't sell the projects, i just show how to make them. i don't have a website but i do have Pinterest and Instructable pages for extra info.
India has been using this for decades and on a much larger scale 😂😂😂
nice. i bet these work really well in many parts of India.
Put ice in the return tank
hi. for a blast of super cold air, you can definitely do that. works great (but is temporary). i was thinking of using an ice chest to hold the water and then putting a large 25 pound block of ice in the water, just to see how long it would last.
@@desertsun02 maybe a loop or coil of tubing,
Years ago saw water fountain that had reservoir inside a refrigerator that it was mounted on.
Or a geothermal setup, buried coils under the edge of your house? It’s cool under my house, that’s where the cats hide during the day.
Wait, during the winter, could you use passive solar heat exchanger to heat your home and humidify?
Is it video worthy?
The thermometer should be on the other side of the room for a true testament to how well that DIY works. Of course, the thermometer will drop 10-20 degrees being right in front of it.
That is the whole point here to show how much the air is cooled down coming out of the fan itself... You're never going to cool a whole room with this but if you can point a fan at yourself with 20 degree cooler air blowing at you its a huge win when it's extremely hot.
hi. there is no point in putting the thermometer across the room because the air temp coming out of the fan is what matters. each room or space someone is cooling is of a different size with many different variables. this will easily cool down a room
@Arson7883 i agree with the first part of your comment, but these units will definitely cool down a room. possibly even a couple of rooms. in good conditions, the air temp coming out of them can rival the temps of an actual AC system.
These pads (and even the lattice) are quite expensive wherever I've looked for them. Do you have a good source?
i've seen the lattice for $12 at ace hardware. i got for $15 at home depot. the pads should be cheap. ii've always gotten them for 7 to 9 dollars (always under 10). looks like the home stores have the pad for 11 dollars now (inflation) but not bad. the pads are usually waaay overpriced on amazon. i bet people are buying them for $10 and then 're-selling' them for triple the price on that site.