Homemade AC Unit For Under $25

This post may contain affiliate links, view our disclosure policy for details.

This is a tutorial for a very simple homemade AC unit that you can make for under $25 and very quickly. It can be powered with a car battery if you live off the grid or it can also be a great solution for an RV or a garage. It’s just enough to cool a medium size room down a bit and break the harsh heat of the summer. Yes, I am aware that I could go for a window unit that costs $125 but I choose to do this instead because fall was right around the corner and I knew we would be getting a good system installed the following summer, I just needed a tiny break from the heat and this homemade AC gave it to me. 


It is hot, you guys. As in HOT. I am sure everyone can feel it, but being eight months pregnant, having 3 little kids to run after, and living in humid, central NC in a house without AC… Well, boil me to death and let’s just be done with it!

So, what’s a hot mama to do if she does not have $3000 to buy an AC system for her house?

Why, look for a cheaper alternative, of course. As in much much much cheaper.

$20 and change. Yes! That is in the budget.

I watched some cool videos on YouTube on how to make a homemade AC unit and in the end, made up kind of my own simple design that doesn’t require the use of a drill or any power tool.

Keep it simple, man.

Homemade AC Unit For Under $25

Here is a simple homemade AC unit that you can build in just a few minutes. It cost me $20 and change, and it cools a room for a good couple of hours. #homemadeacunit #diyacunit #howtomakeanacunit #homemadecoolingunit

For this project, you will need…

Here is a simple homemade AC unit that you can build in a just a few minutes. It cost me $20 and change, and it cools a room for a good couple of hours.

A cooler. Not too small, you want at least one, preferably two 1 gallon bottles to fit in there. This cooler cost me $7 at Walmart.

Here is a simple homemade AC unit that you can build in a just a few minutes. It cost me $20 and change, and it cools a room for a good couple of hours.

A 6” fan. This one was $10 at Walmart.

Here is a simple homemade AC unit that you can build in a just a few minutes. It cost me $20 and change, and it cools a room for a good couple of hours.

And two 1 1/2” elbows that was $1.72 each at Lowes.

You don’t have to follow this exact design,  but it will give you the basic idea and then you can adjust according to what you can find in the store or what you already have on hand.

You will also need a utility knife.

Here is a simple homemade AC unit that you can build in a just a few minutes. It cost me $20 and change, and it cools a room for a good couple of hours.

First, I removed the shield (front part of the fan), we don’t need it for the finished unit…

Here is a simple homemade AC unit that you can build in a just a few minutes. It cost me $20 and change, and it cools a room for a good couple of hours.

But I did use it to mark where to make the opening for the fan on the lid of the cooler. I also placed the elbows where they should be to make sure it all fits on the lid.

Here is a simple homemade AC unit that you can build in a just a few minutes. It cost me $20 and change, and it cools a room for a good couple of hours.

Next, with a utility knife, cut the hole for the fan…

Here is a simple homemade AC unit that you can build in a just a few minutes. It cost me $20 and change, and it cools a room for a good couple of hours.

Like so…

Here is a simple homemade AC unit that you can build in a just a few minutes. It cost me $20 and change, and it cools a room for a good couple of hours.

Then, cut two holes for the elbows…

Here is a simple homemade AC unit that you can build in a just a few minutes. It cost me $20 and change, and it cools a room for a good couple of hours.

And the lid is ready!

Here is a simple homemade AC unit that you can build in a just a few minutes. It cost me $20 and change, and it cools a room for a good couple of hours.

Place the fan, front down, in its hole. I had to adjust the hole just a bit so it would fit snug…

Here is a simple homemade AC unit that you can build in a just a few minutes. It cost me $20 and change, and it cools a room for a good couple of hours.

And then place the elbows in their holes.

Here is a simple homemade AC unit that you can build in a just a few minutes. It cost me $20 and change, and it cools a room for a good couple of hours.

That is pretty much it, the unit is ready.

Here is another look.

Here is a simple homemade AC unit that you can build in a just a few minutes. It cost me $20 and change, and it cools a room for a good couple of hours.

To use it, place one or two one-gallon bottles of frozen water in the cooler, place the lid on, plug in the fan and start it, and let it blow delicious cold air in your face!

Take into consideration that it takes some time for such a big bottle to freeze. I have three or four of them in the deep freezer. Yo can also use a bag of ice instead.

Of course, it’s not as cool as having the real deal but it’s a great relief from hot humid air.

I use it mostly at night because I have a hard time sleeping when it’s hot. And I run it at nap time so my boy can sleep comfortably.

If you live in a tiny home or if you live off the grid, it can be a great, easy, and cheap solution for you. It will cool a room for a couple of hours before you need to replace the bottle. Also, if you live off the grid, a fan will take much less energy than even an AC window unit, so you can easily run it on a car battery or a small solar panel. I think it would also be nice to take it with us when we go camping.

‘Till next week…

Yours,

Lady Lee.

Please share this content if you like it. Thank You!

Similar Posts

57 Comments

  1. it is a coool idea, yes. But have a cooooler suggestion.
    Add about 2-3 tbsp of table salt per ltr to the water. Will act as a bacteria killer, but it is mostly to increase the cooling time of the ice, taking longer to melt down. Other side of the. coin is that it will increase the freezing time a bit also. Another option is to use open ice blocks of course, for much more cooling, which could be made with plastic ice cream tubes, again use the salt.

    1. That’s awesome suggestions, thanks! I didn’t know that adding salt will make the ice melt slower.

  2. have to try this.
    TY!

  3. Carolyn Phillips says:

    Lady Lee,
    I subscribed some time ago. Another practical, resourceful idea!
    Brilliant. Battery or solar powered a good back up in case we have rolling blackouts this summer!!
    Thank you for sharing your resourceful ideas and broad knowledge.

    1. You are welcome! And thanks for subscribing! Solar will work great here since it’s very easy to run the fan on solar power. It will be perfect for a little off-grid cabin!

  4. I’m going to make that. Thank you

    1. You are welcome. I hope that it will work for you!

  5. Use an empty 5 lt box wine inner, wash out then half full with water and freeze Place at bottom of foam box, will last much longer.

  6. Johnny Gee says:

    Well done, I had a commericial unit years ago that was so expensive . I gave it to a relative who really needed it, and never saw it again………But like yours it works!

    Thank you , be cool,

    Johnny G.

  7. Great thinking n very practical idea
    Any more of those
    Thank you

  8. Donna Deeb says:

    Boy did I need this last night…..can’t wait to give this a try. Thank you.

    1. We are in NC and it currently feels like Arizona only with about 6000% humidity!

  9. Does any one know average cooling time this worked for. Like 2hours or 2-4 or 4-6 just rough estimation would work to get idea of size needed

    1. I can’t remember exactly but I would say 3-4 hours maybe.

  10. Tina Grubb says:

    That is really neat ?

  11. AMAZING AND BRILLANT.good job. Ill be trying this for Sure.

  12. Great idea…thank u Very much i will be doing several through out the house…thanks again

    1. To cool the whole house you will probably need a few of them. I hope it will work for you! Thanks for visiting!

  13. Will dry ice work? Them out the frozen bottle of water on top

    1. I’ve never tried. Someone suggested it here in the comments and someone else commented back that dry ice vapor is poisonous so I am not sure it’s a good idea but more research is required in order to decide.

  14. i tried the 5 gallon bucket but the air drops only about 5 degrees and the ice melts really fast. the set up is basically the same as the ones shown on youtube. fan, 3 pvc pipes, frozen plastic bottles. any help?

    1. Maybe it’s because the five-gallon bucket is not insulated and it can’t keep the ice for a long time. This is why I used the styrofoam cooler. It is meant to keep ice in an ice form…

      1. i put a styrofoam liner in the bucket. i switched over to the styrofoam cooler method but still doesnt work that good

  15. It was great. I enjoy this innovation

  16. has anyone ever tried a bag of ice in the cooler? camping is hard to keep bottles frozern

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *