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How to Build a Dorm Room Air Conditioner. You can't study if you're sweltering. Stay
cool with this handy, dorm-legal AC. You will need 3' to 4' floor standing fan Phillips-head
screwdriver 10' of 1/4" copper tubing Zip ties Hacksaw Sandpaper 8' of 1/4"
inside diameter vinyl tubing Tubing Scissors 2 hose clamps Flathead screwdriver 2 5-gal.
buckets Tape and ice water (optional). Always use extreme caution when using an electrical
appliance near water. Step 1. Unplug the fan. Then, detach its face by lifting the latches,
removing the hook, or using a screwdriver if necessary. Step 2. Coil the copper tubing
from the outside edge to the center of the fan's face, attaching it every 6 inches with
zip ties. Leave enough extra pipe at the center to bend down so it hangs past the outside
edge. Trim the pipe with the hacksaw so it runs an inch or two past the edge of the face.
Then, sand the rough edges of the copper tubing. Use more copper tubing on the fan's face for
a more efficient heat exchange. Step 3. Cut the vinyl tubing into 4-foot sections using
scissors. Then, attach them to either end of the copper tubing with hose clamps. Tighten
the clamps with a flathead screwdriver. Reattach the fan face to the fan. Step 4. Fill one
5-gallon bucket with cold water and set it on a raised surface by the fan. Place one
end of a vinyl tube at the bottom of the bucket and tape into place. Put the other bucket
on the ground and take hold of the other end of the tube. Use ice water for an even chillier
AC. Step 5. Gently suck on the tube like you would if it were a drinking through a straw.
When water starts to flow, put the tube in the empty bucket, and tape it near the top.
Plug the fan in and turn it on. Step 6. When the raised bucket is empty, dump the lukewarm
water from the bucket on the ground, add more cold water to the raised bucket, and repeat
the process to keep your dorm nice and cool. Did you know Willis Carrier invited the air
conditioner in the first decade of the 20th century.