How to Make an Easy Homemade Air Conditioner from a Fan and Water Bottles

Co-authored by Hunter Rising

Last Updated: January 9, 2023 References Approved

You don't have to buy an expensive air conditioner in order to beat the heat for a little while. Instead, you can cool down a room using water bottles and a fan. Either freeze the bottles and put them in front of the fan or attach the bottles to the back. Once you build your DIY air conditioner, you'll be comfortable and cool in no time!

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Putting Frozen Bottles in Front of Your Fan

1
Pour 3 tbsp (51 g) of salt into each of your 3 plastic water bottles. Use disposable plastic bottles for the easiest set-up and clean up. Pour 3 tablespoons (51 g) of table salt per bottle. Put the caps back on and shake the bottles to thoroughly mix the salt.
- Any standard salt you have in your kitchen will work.
2
Freeze all of the bottles. Leave them inside for a few hours until they are completely frozen. Once the water turns to ice, take the bottles out and set them aside.
- Salt lowers the freezing temperature of water and makes the ice colder.
- It may take longer for your bottles to freeze depending on the size of your freezer.
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3
Set the bottles 6 in (15 cm) in front of your fan. A table fan or box fan will work best, but you can use any fan you want. Turn on the fan and put your bottles in front of it. The air will cool down as it passes around the bottles. Keep the fan on as long as the bottles are frozen for a makeshift air conditioner.
- Spread the bottles out so they don’t block any of the fan’s airstream.
- Put the bottles on a small table in front of a standing fan.
- Don’t use the oscillation setting on your fan if it has one. Keep it pointed at the water bottles for the whole time.
4
Put your bottles back in the freezer to reuse them. When the ice melts, simply freeze the bottles again. In a few hours, you can run your fan like an air conditioner again!
- Keep multiple bottles prepared in your freezer so you don’t have to wait for them to freeze again.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Hanging Bottles behind Your Fan

1
Cut halfway around 2 empty water bottles 1 in (2.5 cm) up from the bottom. Drink the water of 2 bottles or empty them into another container. Use a utility knife to make your cut. Hold the bottle securely with your non-dominant hand against a cutting board, and poke the tip of the blade through the bottle and work halfway around the bottle. Do the same cut on the other bottle.^{[1]
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- Be careful when handling a utility knife.
2
Drill multiple holes above the cuts ¹⁄₄ in (0.64 cm) apart from one another. Use a ¹⁄₄ inch (0.64 cm) drill bit meant for plastic. Make a row of holes around the bottle ¹⁄₂ inch (1.3 cm) above the cut. Once you finish making the first row, drill 2-3 more rows above it, spacing them ¹⁄₄ inch (0.64 cm) apart.^{[2]
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- Alternatively, use a soldering gun to melt the holes through the plastic.
3
Tie the bottles upside-down to the back of your fan with string or wire. Make sure your fan is turned off before tying your bottles. Feed a wire or string through 2 of the holes in each bottle. Wrap the string around the fan grating and tie a knot to secure them. To keep them in place, tie another string around the bottles’ nozzles.^{[3]
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- Tie one bottle on each side of the motor compartment of the fan.
4
Put ice cubes inside the bottles and turn on your fan. Lift the bottom of the bottle up so you can fit ice cubes inside the cut. Fill the bottle to just below the holes. Turn your fan on high and point it towards the area you want to cool down.^{[4]
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- The fan will pull the cold air from the bottles through the holes you drilled.
- Since the bottles are attached to the fan, you can use the oscillating feature if your fan has one.
5
Drain the melted ice into a bowl. When the ice starts to melt, hold a bowl underneath the bottle nozzle. Twist off the cap so the water pours into the bowl. Screw the cap back on the bottle before draining the other. To continue using your bottles, simply add more ice.^{[5]
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Tip: Reuse the water you drain from the bottles to refill your ice tray. That way, it won't go to waste!

Community Q&A
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Question

Do fans actually lower the air temperature?

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No, fans don’t really lower the temperature. They just make you feel cooler by creating a “wind chill” effect. The moving air helps evaporate sweat on your skin more quickly, helping to cool your body and making you feel more comfortable if you’re hot. Having a fan on won’t make the air in the room any cooler.
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How can I make my fan more powerful?

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You can try putting some frozen water bottles or a bowl of ice in front of it, or experiment with how you position it. Putting a fan at floor level will help stir up cooler air that tends to rest lower in the room. You can also position it so that it bounces air off an opposite wall, which can help improve circulation. In the room.
Question

How do you make a DIY air conditioner without ice?

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One simple way to do it is to attach a water pump (like the kind you’d use in a fish tank) to some copper tubing, then coil the copper tubing and install it inside the front grille of a fan. You’ll need to put the pump in a cooler full of cold water. This will work best with ice in the cooler, but even chilled water without ice in it should help cool the copper tubes and the air circulating around them.