When temperatures soar, there’s no better place to be than in front of an air conditioner. But in some smaller spaces, there’s no room for a clunky window unit or box fan. Instead of sweating it out, consumers will soon be able to keep cool by enlisting the help of a tiny, eco-friendly box called Geizeer. Developed by an Italy-based startup called idea3Di, Geizeer may serve as an alternative to air conditioners and fans. Its ability to cool up to 12 square meters could make it a perfect addition to a desk, workspace, or other small space.Inside the box is a rechargeable battery, a micro USB, a fan, and a reusable cone-shaped ice pack. The ice pack -- which users must first cool in their own freezers -- contains a special gel that melts slowly inside the insulator. Once the ice pack is in place, just rotate the upper shell of the box and the fan will begin dissipating the cool air generated by the ice. Turning it off is just as simple; just lift and rotate the cover (there’s no ignition switch or on/off button).

According to the developers, the fan works by sending room temperature air past the frozen ice pack and through the vents on the sides of the box. It’s a simple enough concept, but it’s one that could save users money. The portable device runs on just one penny a day. Geizeer will retail for $109. Those who pre-order the eco-friendly air conditioner can expect to receive it in December. The War of the Frozen: A man with RA, his wife, and the window air conditioning unitThe season of baseball, days at the beach, muggy nights, and backyard barbecues galore.  Many people look forward to this time of year, and curse the winter with its snow and cold. For me, though, Summer means one thing and one thing above all else – the return of my arch enemy.  It’s a fight to the death, and this ice cold foe is always there, ready to drain me of all life force at a moment’s notice.  Who is this unholy succubus, you ask?  Some call him AC, others Mr. Slim, but ultimately, no matter what guise he puts on, he’s still air conditioning, and my constant adversary, piercing my arthritic joints with his frigid spears.

I bet you’re saying to yourself right now, “but Dan, Mr. Air Conditioning is so generous and welcoming, how can you ever think he’d want to harm you?”  Well, I thought the same thing, when I was young and uninitiated in the ways of the frozen.  That was before the ember of hate and distrust began to smolder, a time when I was small and my dreams were large.  Back then, our house had a central AC system, and we slept in the warm bosom of environmental comfort, night after night.  ac unit fan motorIt was a thermal utopia – not too hot, yet not too cold, and I stupidly thought it would last forever.central air conditioning units cost replace unit Of course though, as all good things do, it came to an abrupt end when we moved into the house where I now reside – a frigid summer Hell where ice crystals form on the inside of my windows and Jack Frost himself fears to tread: the window air conditioning unit.ac repairing guide pdf

Let me give you a rundown of what’s it’s like for someone with arthritis to sleep with a room AC unit mere feet away, with the newly married me sharing my bed with my wife, and she likes it cold. Now, by cold, I mean that I keep a frostbite treatment kit handy in case my toes are out of the covers for too long, and when I get up in the morning I have to spend fifteen minutes or so confirmed that I am indeed still a member of the male species.  In addition, because of the arthritis, I get up at least every four hours for medication, and the cold somehow seems to pierce my joints, and I have to hobble to the bathroom like The Tinman, all the while mumbling “heat,” instead of “oil.”  I then use the hairdryer to bring my knee joints back to a temperature slightly above absolute zero, and prepare myself to head back into the artic freezer that has become our bedroom.  The window unit sucks the life out of me, and one day, I fear, it will complete the job and Allie will wake up next to a husbandcicle.

Of course, we argue about it, but she always wins out with logic like, “Well I’m the wife, so wear your pants to bed.”  How can I argue with that?  So, this is what Summer means to me, a battle with the arch demon from Sanyo, or the oppressive weight of New York humidity.  I dream of a day when the central AC will come and take me away from this dungeon of cold where my eyes sometimes freeze shut, and take me to his land of perfect humidity and stable temperature, where I imagine a penguin wearing a scarf and a hat joyfully awaits. Only fill in if you are not humanThere are still a few sweltering days of summer left, and if you're looking for a cool breeze without the expense of an actual air conditioning unit here's a way to use a bucket and some ice to cool down an entire room. We've posted about DIYing an air conditioner out of a cheap Styrofoam cooler and some ice packs, but this version is a bit more durable (not to mention comes with a step-by-step video).

You can build it with a 5-gallon bucket, Styrofoam liner, PVC pipe, ice (or in this case, water frozen inside a milk jug), and a small fan. According to the video, it chilled air from 84 degrees F to the mid forties, and lasted for about six hours.The fan can also be run off a small solar panel, which opens up some possibilities for cooling down areas that don't have electricity. While window AC units are getting less expensive, there may be times when a cheap DIY version comes in handy. Check out the video for a full walkthrough.Homemade Air Conditioner DIY | YouTubeWorkshop is a new blog from Lifehacker all about DIY tips, techniques, and projects. Follow us on Twitter here.This article is a collection of questions about cold-weather heat pump problems that we’ve received at HomeTips, along with the answers we’ve offered. Brenda: We have a heat pump with our AC unit. It works fine until the temperature drops outside. The temp outside is now 11 degrees and no heat at all will come out.

It just blows cold air. We have cut it off, left it off for an hour or so, turn it back on and all that comes out is cold air. Can you advise the problem? Richard: I just bought a house that has gas heat with heat pump. I have always had an electric heat pump. Will the outside unit function when the temperature is below 40 degrees? I noticed it hasn’t been running. Is this a problem? Don V: In general, heat pumps can be poor at heating when outside temperatures get really cold. Here is an article on another site that discusses this: Heat Pump Effectiveness In Cold Weather Then again, any of several components could be malfunctioning. It may pay to have a pro come out and check your system. You can get bids from local pros through this free online service: a heat pump repair technician. Jimmy: I’ve bought a home and it has a 7 year old Bryant Heat pump/Gas furnace combination unit. We have only lived here 1 month. The home heats fine, but I did notice at late last night that the outside unit looked like it only ran for a few minuets.

I got up twice later in the night and the furnace was running on gas and the unit outside was not running. In other words, the gas side had kicked in as needed. Should the outside unit ever come on when temp is below say freezing? Last night it was 10 degrees here in IN. When we had warmer days, say 35 or warmer, the unit did run outside. When the heat pump runs outside it is rather quiet for a 3 ton unit. Should I be concerned that the unit ever comes on when temp is so cold or is it just trying to cycle and then it realizes it is too cold so it stays then shut off until outside temp recovers above freezing or in the 30’s?? Don V: Though the unit may need servicing, I think your speculation at the end of your question is right on target. I’m guessing that the outside temperature is so cold that the auxiliary heat is doing all of the work. Unfortunately, this is not very efficient—heat pumps are not at their best in super cold weather. Bettina: Hello, My Heat Pump unit outside is frozen and has a thick block of ice on it.

I have turned my unit off. What can I do to thaw out the unit outside? Don V: It isn’t unusual for a heat pump to freeze up in cold weather, but it should kick into “defrost” mode and melt the ice periodically. Here are some conversations on other sites that might be helpful. Be sure to read the second one after you read the first one. A Frozen Heat Pump Is Normal What To Do If Heat Pump Is Frozen More About Frozen Heat Pumps Roy: I have a standard “air source” type heat pump. It’s only a year old so it’s in great working order. Living in Michigan it gets well below 32 degrees in the winter. Is it wise or not to run it at such cold temperatures. Or should I stick with $2.00/gal.propane? Don V: In general, heat pumps —both gas and electric—can be poor at heating when outside temperatures get really cold. Here is an article on another site that discusses this: Heat Pumps and Cold Weather If the auxiliary heat has to kick on, it uses electricity to heat your home—and that gets very pricey.

$2 propane as a heat source is probably much more affordable. Nikko: We have a heat pump that has trouble heating the house below about 40 degrees. Right now the temperature is below freezing and the house is more than ten degrees colder than outside, even with auxiliary heat on. We paid to have the ducts and coils cleaned, and it helped but did not fix the problem. We looked at our ducts as best we were able and noticed that the system is pulling air from BETWEEN our basement ceiling and ground level floor. There is a big opening, about 1.5 ft2. Should we close it off? There is a normal register on the first floor (but not heated basement level) that is also pulling air. Don V: If I understand your description, the return-air is traveling in a chase between the ceiling and floor above it. Sometimes return-air ducts are designed that way—no actual metal duct, but rather a boxed-in chase. That’s okay, because it’s just drawing room air back to the heating appliance through that chase.