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Here's my "hack" solution to air conditioning...

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Old 24th November 2010   #1
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Here's my "hack" solution to air conditioning...

While not "pretty," it gets the job done. I built a box to connect to the front of a window type air conditioner... Looks strange, but testing it prior to installation proves it's up to the task.

Here's a few photos (not sure why some are incorrectly displayed):

This is the front of the a/c, sitting on the frame (to be installed between roof joists, which were 24" on center, and isolated from studio ceilin and walls)



Side view



The following is the opening of the box, which matches the front of the a/c, and divides incoming warm from outgoing cold:



And the back of the box:



side of box



box attached to a/c:

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Old 24th November 2010   #2
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is that to feed in the cooled air? What are you doing with the exhaust?
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Old 24th November 2010   #3
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I know most of the photos don't show it very well, but the box I cobbled together fits against the front of the a/c. Cold air out the top duct, warm air in the bottom. I'll leave the a/c's "vent" open to introduce a little "outside" air as well. This particular window unit has a drier only setting to remove moisture without cooling. Perfect for winter. It's slightly oversized to compensate for all the ducting, and to include the hallway just outside of the studio when simply mixing...
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Old 24th November 2010   #4
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Well up yonder where I's frum we have this there thing called Ice cubes and a Fan----that's our kind of air cundishnin :-)
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Old 24th November 2010   #5
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That's awesome - I love it. I need a solution, and this is looking interesting to me . . .
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Old 25th November 2010   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BradLyons View Post
Well up yonder where I's frum we have this there thing called Ice cubes and a Fan----that's our kind of air cundishnin :-)
How very insightful... and your point?
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Old 18th February 2011   #7
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Do you have the end results on this unit installed and operated?
dfegadArrogancy!
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Old 3rd January 2012   #8
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I've really been meaning to get back to this thread and up date... But, as I'm sure many of you know, life can get in the way sometimes...

Anyway, the a/c is installed up in the "attic," and it has been ducted through the hall ceiling for cold, and warm/return through the studio closet ceiling. I need to rewire it to shorten up the wires, and finish the hall/studio ducting... But I have used the space for 4 and 5 piece band rehearsals, and the a/c keeps up, even in the summer. So needless to say, I'm quite pleased.

It's an 8000 BTU window unit ($150, new, on sale)... Only slightly oversized to accomodate 5-6 sweaty bodies and all the electronics.

There's a five foot "loop" of soft, insulated, flexible duct for the return (from studio closet to a/c), and 18 feet from a/c to studio entrance hall ceiling. I'm currently building the "mufflers" for each to limit sound transmission, without obstructing air flow.

I do have a few photos I will post in a few days. They are scattered across 3 hard drives at the moment... One of those 'life distractions" was my interweb laptop PC getting hacked, and creating all kinds of havoc. And at that time, I was rebuilding the studio PC. All of which left me without any computer!

Then my elder dog decided to try Degenerative Myelopathy (DM), and that required building a kind of doggie wheel chair for her... She still prefers swimming to the chair, and has a "belly-strap" to help us get her around in the house. She is nearly 80 lbs, however, so shes a back-breaker to haul around - even for short distances! But my wife and I, and dogs are getting accustomed to the ever changing daily routine...

With all PCs back up to snuff, dog situation managed (for now) and other distractions handled, it's back to studio building...

I'll post pics in a day or so...
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