DIY Indoor AC Unit?

Question

Hello,

I was thinking about making my own indoor AC unit. These can be purchased but are considerably more costly than an equivalent BTU window AC unit.

So the question is: Can I convert a window AC unit into an indoor AC unit (something like this - http://shopping.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=AsTT_slkwZOVizG5HoNcLhUbFt0A;_ylu=X3oDMTA2bTQ0OXZjBHNlYwNzcg--?cop=mss&fr=yfp-t-501&fr2=tab-web&p=indoor+ac+unit&did=&mid=1012491)

Was thinking that I just need to build an enclosure, add an exhaust fan and drip pan.

If anyone knows any reasons that this won't work or things that I haven't considered I'd appreciate the help.

best

Answer 1

Certainly you've planned to vent the hot air outdoors, as this will only make the room hotter without doing so...  

I'm not sure that you would achieve the proper airflow on the "outdoor" side for proper heat exchange.  In other words, you need to figure out if there is some sort of active circulation across the hot coil such as a fan, or if the window unit relies on a passive exchange, such as a natural breeze from the typical window installation.  One way to get around this potential problem, is to add an in-line fan within a duct to suck out the hot air, and push it outdoors...

Really neat idea for a project, hope these observations helped!

Answer 2

I believe that the heat put out would seriously defeat the purpose, if you can find a way to defuse the heat generated, and properly drain the condensation, it may work but it may not be economical .

Answer 3

Cheaper to do it right in the long run!

Answer 4

i think it would work but would be a pain to make on the other hand we had a store bought one and it didn't work worth a c**p.the noise might be hard to keep down on your home made one