Geoff has built a Homemade Air Conditioner – by running ice water (made from ice-cubes, and bottles of water he’s frozen in his freezer) through copper tubing at the back of a stand fan – fluid motion provided via capillary action.

Once the water runs out, the house has cooled off enough that the fan alone provides sufficient cooling.

That would be evaporative cooling, Geoff.

Geoff also suggests adding salt to your mix, because

this will drop the freezing point of the water and increase the cooling effect of the fan.

Uh, no. That would be lowering the freezing point of the water. It doesn’t lower the temperature of the water, it means that it takes more energy to freeze the water in the first place. But you’re already dumping frozen water into your water bucket, so you’re too late.

Geoff apparently had to “poke a little hole” through his flywire for the exhaust of his water tube, but draws the line at digging up his landlord’s garden to make a geothermal cooling system. I’m glad for his landlord, but what’s the problem with digging up a backyard only to cover it up again? A hole in your flywire is there for good!

Geoff goes on to suggest that if you hang a car radiator off your fan – in a bid to increase the efficiency of the system – you might want to check it can handle the weight.

Nice work Geoff.