Homemade air conditioners give relief from summer heat

It’s the first official week of summer and Mississippi’s temperatures are certainly reflecting that.

Temperatures on Monday were in the 90s for much of the day. The heat index soared past 100.

It’s not much fun if you don’t have air conditioning. But a simple hardware store creation could offer some relief.

All it takes is a Styrofoam cooler, a desk fan, and a bit of PVC piping. Ice is the final ingredient after assembly (as shown in the attached video).

“It’s definitely good in a pinch. Absolutely. It’s definitely worth it if your waiting on your AC guy to get here. And especially with today when the heat index is over 100 degrees,” Jeff Johnson, manager of Revell Ace Hardware in Brandon, said.

“I’d try anything at that point. But it’s definitely a good little system that will work,” Johnson said.

Air coming out of the home-made system can reach temperatures around 50 degrees. Of course, it only works until the ice melts.

Also, online tutorials say that the bigger the fan and the more insulated the cooler you use, the more effective it is. In fact there are companies that actually make high quality versions of what we made.