Homemade Evaporative Air Cooler (update video) - Shows "inside setup" with drip tray and stand!

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Published 2013-09-09

quick "update" video shows my homemade evap. air cooler (box fan conversion) all set up and running inside. pairing the fan with the "drip tray" and stand is one easy (and cheap) way to keep all residual water contained. the fan uses 3/4 to 1 gallon water per hour. it can run about 8 hours before "drip tray" will need to be emptied. for full video on how to build this check my youtube channel page.

All Comments (13)

@ozonegenerators 10 years ago

Moses nailed how I make these. I use a fountain pump submerged in the pan and fill the pan with ice and water about once a day. Mine runs off solar energy in my workshop, I run 4 of these and it keeps the place cool even in Vegas summers. BTW plug these setups into a surge protector and make sure nothing (pets) can knock it over otherwise not safe.
@johnm2482 9 years ago

I just built a evap cooler like this except I mounted it to the top of an ice chest and put the pump inside. I cut a 1 1/2" wide slot the length of the lid that some of the excess cooler pad hangs down into. Now it is a self-contained recirculating unit.
@EricVonGreatonstein 10 years ago

Great cheap effective versions. Most excellent.
@sweetbuttbad 9 years ago

how about a return line from the pan to the bucket and keep circulating the water?just a thought
@Digijedi569 7 years ago

I used 2 liter coke bottles with tiny holes instead of a pump, gravity does all the work.
@RonSissons 10 years ago

Couldn't you just put the pump in the "drip tray" and fill it up? Then it would fill itself back up and you wouldn't have to fill it as often. Plus you could remove the bucket.
@maneddi 8 years ago

I've never heard of a cooler pad. What are they typically used for? Also, what type of pump is that?
@teruhikoishikawa5230 10 years ago

what about placing the pump in the drip pan
@desertsun02 10 years ago

yep, it's a cooler pad. i got it from home depot. cost about $6
@MrWatchyabak 10 years ago

hey, whered you get the cooler pad from? is it a cooler pad?
@cybercapri 9 years ago

Excellent design... If I may add my 2 cents worth, why not use a larger drip pan and put the pump in the drip pan to do away with the bucket, that way you only need to make sure the water level is high enough so the pump does not run dry. It will recycle the water for days or until it requires refilling. A storage bin could hold enough water to last for a month and simply cut a slot along the back side to allow what drips from the fan to fall back into the bin; plus anything else that lands on the lid will fall back into the bucket. Or just find a way to mount the fan over the Open Bin with a few pieces of whatever and you can easily monitor the water level without the need to worry about water going everywhere.
@daikiryoku 6 years ago

Why don't you just put the pump in the drip tray and ditch the bucket