SEATTLE — I'm a big fan of DIY projects. And if you don’t have air conditioning in your house during our record high temperatures, you may want to build your own cooling unit.
I found a fun way to do this for under $15. All you need are three key items:
- A small cooler: Use a Styrofoam cooler or something you can cut up.
- Two dryer vents: These are only about $5 at your local hardware store.
- A fan: Use a small fan you have lying around, or if you can find one to buy, they are not too expensive.
The first step is to trace a circle around the dryer vent on the side of the cooler. Then, cut out the hole just smaller than the line you traced. That way the vent will fit inside without falling through.
Do this for both sides of the cooler.
Now that you have your dryer vents sticking out of the sides of your cooler, it is time to cut a hole in the top.
Trace a circle around your fan face down on top of the cooler. Cut the traced circle out of the cooler lid just smaller than the actual fan.
Place the lid and the fan face down on the top of the cooler.
But you do not get a cooling unit without ice or cooling packs!
Find whatever you can that is frozen, and stuff it in the cooler. Try to make it cold!
Now, plug in the fan and let 'er rip! You should feel the cold air come out of the dryer vents.
A fan is a nice thing to have on its own. But when you need a little more cooling action, this could be the DIY for you.
Stay cool, everybody!