DIY air con

[Gumballl]

If you're just trying to change the air in the room for fresh air, you can fit extractors to remove the air closest to the ceiling, where it is hottest, and only allow air to enter from the lowest shadiest outer wall location. If you're really clever you can copy some of the prehistoric methods of ventilating, or even study a termites nest -- both are excellent ways to extract the heat and keep cool air circulating. Running the incoming air over/through a cool water device is only going to make it more humid.

Edit -- Just read the OP again -- this is for a Bangkok condo

Your solution is the same as for everyone -- open all the doors and windows and let the breeze blow through

Ive read enough to know that placing a water feature ( like a swiming pool) in front of big sliding doors the air is cooled as the breeze blows over it into your house, I've read about extraction fans and creating a draft, so why can't something like a cold copper series of tubes with a breeze blowing over them not also work?

It will only get more humid if you rig up something like a cooling tower or evap cooler style with water running over filters with a fan forcing air through the pads, though at cooking class in CM where i was recently they ran large fans with a copper tube with a series of holes attached to a tap i assume with water dripping out creating a fine mist which was very comforting in that afternoon heat, the kitchen was set up undercover but outside, i wouldn't think that would be idea for indoors but certainly great outside on a balcony.

The copper tubing would have to have cold 'something' flowing through it. That requires a motor (or a pack of guinea pigs on a wheel) to create the pump action. Aside from being woefully inefficient, it would look (and possibly smell) like shit.

Water in a swimming pool, when heated by the sun, will evaporate... which in itself is a cooling process.

The least expensive way to cool a condo (and I know, because I lived in one in BKK), is to open the windows and the front door leading to the hallway.

Wind/breeze is caused when warm air rises, and cool air comes in to replace it. Consider getting some ceiling fans too.

[AlexRRR]

It's most unfortunate that some of the forums most helpful folk have been drawn into this ludicrous discussion about cooling your Bangkok apartment on the cheap.

Put your big boys pants on man the fxxx up and put the air con on and adjust to life living in a hot,sweaty sticky humid environment where by your electric bills may be slightly higher than you like.

Compensate by eating 35/40 baht dishes of Khao moo deng or pad krapow gai more often.

Whatever next DIY water supply,reverse osmosis from the nearest klong.

Your one of then "the earth is flat" people, or don't comprehend well but on this occasion without knowing it you have raised a valid point, when i lived there within a short time i went off red meat followed by chicken and fish, i became vegetarian with the occasional chicken with my pad thai, not eating animal flesh or sweet foods made a difference I'm only a social drinker so would go long periods without a beer and always chilled water with my meals.

Yes some foods and booze will heat you up, also written if you care to look for it, as for being drawn here i notice this is your third reply you too keep coming back....

[AlexRRR]

If you're just trying to change the air in the room for fresh air, you can fit extractors to remove the air closest to the ceiling, where it is hottest, and only allow air to enter from the lowest shadiest outer wall location. If you're really clever you can copy some of the prehistoric methods of ventilating, or even study a termites nest -- both are excellent ways to extract the heat and keep cool air circulating. Running the incoming air over/through a cool water device is only going to make it more humid.

Edit -- Just read the OP again -- this is for a Bangkok condo

Your solution is the same as for everyone -- open all the doors and windows and let the breeze blow through

Ive read enough to know that placing a water feature ( like a swiming pool) in front of big sliding doors the air is cooled as the breeze blows over it into your house, I've read about extraction fans and creating a draft, so why can't something like a cold copper series of tubes with a breeze blowing over them not also work?

It will only get more humid if you rig up something like a cooling tower or evap cooler style with water running over filters with a fan forcing air through the pads, though at cooking class in CM where i was recently they ran large fans with a copper tube with a series of holes attached to a tap i assume with water dripping out creating a fine mist which was very comforting in that afternoon heat, the kitchen was set up undercover but outside, i wouldn't think that would be idea for indoors but certainly great outside on a balcony.

The copper tubing would have to have cold 'something' flowing through it. That requires a motor (or a pack of guinea pigs on a wheel) to create the pump action. Aside from being woefully inefficient, it would look (and possibly smell) like shit.

Water in a swimming pool, when heated by the sun, will evaporate... which in itself is a cooling process.

The least expensive way to cool a condo (and I know, because I lived in one in BKK), is to open the windows and the front door leading to the hallway.

Wind/breeze is caused when warm air rises, and cool air comes in to replace it. Consider getting some ceiling fans too.

The simplest way is a tank of water with a fish tank water pump pumping the water through the copper tube, adding ice to the water will cool the tubes right down and there is no reason to not have the tank sealed.

There are chillers where you can pass the water through before it reaches the tube, this i need to find out more about, in the end if the cost of running a chiller is similar to an air con unit then there is no gain as this device wouldn't really be that efficient, in the end I'm just looking to create a cooling breeze not make the place cold.

There still needs to be a cross breeze and all condos are not created equal,

[Naam]

The simplest way is a tank of water with a fish tank water pump pumping the water through the copper tube, adding ice to the water will cool the tubes right down and there is no reason to not have the tank sealed.

There are chillers where you can pass the water through before it reaches the tube, this i need to find out more about, in the end if the cost of running a chiller is similar to an air con unit then there is no gain as this device wouldn't really be that efficient, in the end I'm just looking to create a cooling breeze not make the place cold.

There still needs to be a cross breeze and all condos are not created equal,

the principle of a chiller is the same as that of an airconditioner. water is chilled by refrigerant vapour compression, liquified in a condenser and cooling water via a heat-exchanger by refrigerant expansion. exceptions are chillers which work by absorption (energy hungry and inefficient compared to nowdays compressor types).

using a chiller for your "mission impossible" would even add two more complicating technical steps. now be a good boy, relax and find out where and for how much you can get a small a/c, capacity 9,000 btu/h to make your stay comfortable.

[AlexRRR]

Ha ha ha nam is being funny this morning, they water cool pc,s and they can cool water in aquariums small inexpensive chillers so it's not out of the realm of impossibilities, the trick is to find one of these that will drop the water temp to make this thing work.

My latest thinking is to make a vertical water feature about 60 % of the width of the balcony and about 80% of its height that will allow air to both flow through it as well as around it then open a few windows and see how it goes, maybe add 1 or 2 small exhaust fans later if I think it needs a boost.

[Pib]

The copper tubing would have to have cold 'something' flowing through it. That requires a motor (or a pack of guinea pigs on a wheel) to create the pump action. Aside from being woefully inefficient, it would look (and possibly smell) like shit.

Water in a swimming pool, when heated by the sun, will evaporate... which in itself is a cooling process.

The least expensive way to cool a condo (and I know, because I lived in one in BKK), is to open the windows and the front door leading to the hallway.

Wind/breeze is caused when warm air rises, and cool air comes in to replace it. Consider getting some ceiling fans too.

And don't forget the medical care costs associated with guinea pig upkeep....and I'm not talking just general Veterinarian care but specialized mental health (psychiatric) care also.

[Crossy]

Ha ha ha nam is being funny this morning, they water cool pc,s and they can cool water in aquariums small inexpensive chillers so it's not out of the realm of impossibilities, the trick is to find one of these that will drop the water temp to make this thing work.

Actually Naam is being realistic. Just how much cooling do you expect the get from a "small inexpensive chiller" and how much electricity do you anticipate it using?

The water feature idea will certainly provide some cooling but will add to the already high humidity so again will not meet your three stated requirements.

If using ice where will it be obtained?

[jpinx]

I am unsure if the objective is to save money or just to be "alternative". Very different answers for each scenario. If the original aim of a "slight" reduction in temperature and a decent reduction in humidity are the aims, then just a de-humidifier is probably the answer if cheap is needed.

[blackcab]

Rather than cooling the entire room, just cool yourself.

[jpinx]

Here ya go,,,,,,,,

http://www.amazon.co.uk/UniBond-1807937-Aero-360-Moisture-Absorber/dp/B00F1DNYPE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432968784&sr=8-1&keywords=dehumidifier

........at that price you can get 2 or 3

[fritzzz25]

Back in the late 1980's, my best friend's brother (a bit of a propeller head, can build and fix anything) took a bunch of old parts from cars in his dad's junk yard and built his own central air conditioning for his grandmother. He took an old refrigerator and cut two small holes in the side for a supply and return line. He put a five gallon pail of water inside the refrigerator and stuck a sump pump into it, with the supply line out the side of the fridge and hooked to the bottom inlet of a car radiator. The return line was attached to the top. He then duct taped the radiator over the air intake of the furnace. He put the furnace into blow only mode (no firing up of the heater) and it pumped cool air into the duct work of the house. The temperature was very comfortable throughout the house. Of course he had all these spare parts at his disposal and the cost was nothing to him.

Now, as for your idea, the efficiency of a purchased air con / de-humidifier would certainly be greater than a DIY model. However, the satisfaction of DIY projects is often the best part.

[Naam]

I am unsure if the objective is to save money or just to be "alternative". Very different answers for each scenario. If the original aim of a "slight" reduction in temperature and a decent reduction in humidity are the aims, then just a de-humidifier is probably the answer if cheap is needed.

a dehumidifier that works (not a joke from amazon) heats up a room with the same amount of caloric energy that it consumes to dehumidify. there's no slight reduction but a considerable increase of the room temperature.

[AlexRRR]

Here ya go,,,,,,,,

http://www.amazon.co.uk/UniBond-1807937-Aero-360-Moisture-Absorber/dp/B00F1DNYPE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432968784&sr=8-1&keywords=dehumidifier

........at that price you can get 2 or 3

They don't look they could do more than a broom closet.

[AlexRRR]

I am unsure if the objective is to save money or just to be "alternative". Very different answers for each scenario. If the original aim of a "slight" reduction in temperature and a decent reduction in humidity are the aims, then just a de-humidifier is probably the answer if cheap is needed.

I plan to renovate the condo and air con will be replaced with brand new ones, some changes to the floor plan could be made to help that air circulating.

It is and isn't about saving money, no need to waste money if I'm feeling comfortable, and I'm sure there will be times i will need to run air con.

I will be retired and home a lot once i move there, TGF will be at work, i still have memories of the year i lived there in my hot condo, was bearable most of the time, i just don't want to have to rely on air con and a fan really isn't ideal.

I'm a builder here in AU and passive design and building design has always interested me, i know things can be made better, this house i live in i built, if the sun is out in winter i don't need to heat it until late afternoon in summer i only need to run air con between 2 to 4 times a year ( have a portable air con) and the house is 260 sq m.

Im leaning back to a large water feature the sound alone of running water will make me feel cooler and getting that air moved and extracted.

Unlike some people that live in Thai i do not want to have air con on for long periods for the simple reasons the heat and humidity will knock me out when i do go out, i do like to go for long walks, i often walked from Asoke to Centre World and back, also i have shoulder problems wear and tear from years working in building, they do not like the cold or long periods in air con spaces.

[jpinx]

I think it's going to depend a lot on the location and orientation of your condo block. I am just outside Bkk and have an apartment on the 5th floor with a balcony facing SE, towards the sea which is about 2kms away. My apartment is on the end corner of the building and gets the full force of whatever sea-breeze is around on any specific day, so I just open doors and windows as needed. If the breeze is feeble I boost the throughput of air with a floor fan. I have aircon, but I can count on one hand the number of times I used it last year. No water feature, no pumps, coolers, etc, just a few nice tall pot plants to maintain privacy with the place wide open.

Many years ago my uncle (an architect) told me that the only thing to look at when you buy a property is location. If the location is good enough you can always re-model the building, but you can never re-model the location.

[jpinx]

I am unsure if the objective is to save money or just to be "alternative". Very different answers for each scenario. If the original aim of a "slight" reduction in temperature and a decent reduction in humidity are the aims, then just a de-humidifier is probably the answer if cheap is needed.

a dehumidifier that works (not a joke from amazon) heats up a room with the same amount of caloric energy that it consumes to dehumidify. there's no slight reduction but a considerable increase of the room temperature.

That was why I promoted the "joke" one -- no electricity involved

It's a bit like the people who have a fridge in their kitchen and then open the door to let the cold air cool down the room. The fridge makes more heat than it chills -- put it in the shed

[trogers]

Before breaking skulls on DIY inventions, do a little high school physics first.

What is the peak air temperature of the fresh air you would bring into the room?

What is the desired fresh air temperature after 'cooling'?

Just the drop in temperature without a conventional air-conditioner is already a challenge (from 36C to 29C), without considering humidity.

[AlexRRR]

Google "passive design" lot of information for you to digest, tired of repeating myself.

[casualbiker]

Look at a ground source pump idea... Basically you need to knock holes through the floors and roofs of the neighbors below you, dig about 5-10 meters down into the soil insert big pipe with the outlet in a shady place. And put a blower fan at the bottom and a sucker fan at the top.. Bingo, lower temperature! So easy you should set up a company and offer the service!

[Free4ert]

Fan, copper tubes and cold water - it's not working.

It is best to take the radiator of the car and do not freeze the liquid.

But eventually you will get air conditioning.

People in Russia have tried to do what I described above. The result is the same as from the two fans

[AlexRRR]

Look at a ground source pump idea... Basically you need to knock holes through the floors and roofs of the neighbors below you, dig about 5-10 meters down into the soil insert big pipe with the outlet in a shady place. And put a blower fan at the bottom and a sucker fan at the top.. Bingo, lower temperature! So easy you should set up a company and offer the service!

Let me know when you set up this company I might buy some shares in it.

[samsung99]

Seems some people have to much time to reinvent the wheel....

But if it causes some (minimal) satisfaction...go for it!