Can you convert a car radiator into an A/C unit? Room Cooling

carlito

Active Member
I have been wondering if it is possible to convert a car radiator into air conditioner since the principle looks the same and it is a lot cheaper. A car radiator cost about 200 dollars while an A/C unit cost about 1300. If anyone have experience with this please share thanks!
 

bottletoke

Well-Known Member
i bought a used single fan water cooled chiller for $160 and see them all the time on craigslist for around $200......never mind that you can get mini splits for just over $500......new. so why would you wanna fuck around with mcgyvering a car rad to make a ghetto looking cooling unit that will be no where close to being as efficient as one designed for the purpose?
 

dadio161

Well-Known Member
lmao , this is the wildest thought I have heard here yet. Just get a room air conditioner from Walmart for $75.00 run some ducting.lol , a car radiator ? really? Put the bowl down and step away.
 

automated

Active Member
I believe the car radiators you have in mind rely a lot on the wind that comes from up front while driving.
 

oldtimer54

Well-Known Member
lmao , this is the wildest thought I have heard here yet. Just get a room air conditioner from Walmart for $75.00 run some ducting.lol , a car radiator ? really? Put the bowl down and step away.
Wait now.....this is a really good idea all you need is a fridge to put the radiator in and another radiator with a giant fan and a big pump to circulate the cold water from the radiator in the fridge to the radiator with the big fan and........
You know now that I think about it this is a fucked up idea just buy an AC from walmart
 

bwest

Well-Known Member
People, people, think about it. We used to cool our shop with a car radiator.
We mounted the radiator in the window. Stick a garden hose in. and put a fan behind. The water needs to move through the radiator, so we would open up the petcock on the
bottom of the radiator just a bit, turn the hose on slow. Water doesn't need to be going fast, just a fast trickle. In a grow room, you could make something smaller with
a oil or tranny cooler, or the heater core out of a car, which is just a tiny radiator. Now don't get me wrong, they won't cool like an air conditioner, but they can drop temps substantially.
We could take our shop temps from almost unbearable to very comfortable. So, it can be done easily. Those portable room coolers at walmart for 75 - 100 dollars are the same thing, they are
evaporative coolers, they are not air conditioners. So, go ahead if you want, but I would not use a radiator because it would be too big. Tranny coolers can be had for 25 - 30 dollars. They are small enough that they can be mounted to the side of a grow box. Building shit is cool, have fun, and good luck if you go through with it.
 

bwest

Well-Known Member
lmao , this is the wildest thought I have heard here yet. Just get a room air conditioner from Walmart for $75.00 run some ducting.lol , a car radiator ? really? Put the bowl down and step away.
Those are not air conditioners, those are evaporative room coolers. They work on the principle of blowing air through water. You know, like blowing air through a radiator of cool water. So, while it may be the wildest idea you ever heard of, it's not a very wild idea.
 

A Malik

New Member
You can buy a used dorm fridge compressor, condenser coil and 1/4" copper tube, get a bucket or ice box run the tube into it, get a float valve for water supply... another evaporator or heater core of a car.. 12 V Fan motor... Attach everything and you got yourself an air con... The condensor compressor and ice box will form a unit to chill the water... the fish tank pump will take the water from the icebox and drive it through the heater core element and back to icebox... attach a metal sheet attaching top, left, and right side of the car heater element (now your evap) the sheet must cover all three sides but extended 2 to 3" on botton with a lip facing yourself.. attach the 12 V fan which must blow the air towards the Evap taking it from the room.. and viola you've got an air con..

Thermostat and fan dimmer must be added.. also chrage the system with R134A
 
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majins

Well-Known Member
You can use it as a heat exchanger.
My tents cooled with a Car heater radiator core and a 1/2 sized radiator.
Have the car heater core mounted on the exhaust of my Dehumidifier so its blowing though it all the time.
Have water pump and fan on car radiator mounted outside the tent. Set to come on when the room reaches 20C.

Manages to keep my 700W tent only 4C above outside temp. Temp use to get 10-15C hotter then outside temp when I was running only extraction fans.
 

A Malik

New Member
You can use it as a heat exchanger.
My tents cooled with a Car heater radiator core and a 1/2 sized radiator.
Have the car heater core mounted on the exhaust of my Dehumidifier so its blowing though it all the time.
Have water pump and fan on car radiator mounted outside the tent. Set to come on when the room reaches 20C.

Manages to keep my 700W tent only 4C above outside temp. Temp use to get 10-15C hotter then outside temp when I was running only extraction fans.
That's awesome... I live in Pakistan and I developed this system for my small workshop.. Works wonders as well.. Somebody gave a way an old dorm fridge.. so i experimented and it worked... :)
 

vostok

Well-Known Member
Can you convert a car radiator into an A/C unit? Room Cooling

Yes... but its not as simple as that

then blowing a fan in front ...is good in the desert

plants are more demanding

IMO go for the cheap room Ac

good luck
 
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