“How to build a homemade air conditioner / evaporative cooler. I made this cooling system to save money on my summer electric bill. I used some wood scraps, a pond pump, some evaporative cooler pad, and a box fan to make a working swamp cooler air conditioning unit. It can achieve indoor temperatures that are 20+ degrees lower than outside temps.”
YouTube
Note: Read the comments section below the video for suggestions. This cooler is for areas with low humidity. It’s not a perfect design but could be improved easily.
This works great in dry climates, but not so much in humid and muggy environments like the southeast usa.
The comments on Youtube do deal with some issues that need to be resolved. One more serious issue is that anywhere where a film of water is deliberately blown around a structure, precautions have to be taken to prevent Legionnaires’ disease. In the case in question, the mesh needs to be replaced regularly and the tubing, the pump and the container need to be sterilized to kill any Legionella bacteria. It is the responsibility or anyone installing and maintaining a cooling system such as this to initiate such a maintenance program to prevent Legionella from growing. Professional advice from your local authority should be sought regarding the frequency and duration of the sterilization needed – but on a system like this, it is something that needs to be carried out regularly.