Life hacks: You've probably seen them. One of the internet's newest fads, their purpose is to show people, "hey, make your life easier by doing this one simple thing you otherwise would never have thought of." Often, the "hack" uses an ordinary household item in place of what could be a pricey novelty gadget; for instance, using a fork to balance tortilla shells instead of a taco holder. But have you ever found yourself wondering if these "simple everyday solutions" are legit? Do they really work? Well, look no further. Our first Does It Work involves a video posted to YouTube in August 2013. In it, user desertsun02 claims that with seven simple and affordable parts, anyone can turn a five gallon hardware store bucket into a homemade air cooler. With traditional air conditioning units starting around $100 and then adding significant $$$ to energy bills to keep them running, cheap alternatives appeal to just about anyone. But does a 5 gallon bucket, a large block of ice, and a desk fan provide comparable cooling to an actual AC unit?

To find out, I'd have to build my own and put it to the test. First, I needed a generic five gallon bucket, which can be found at a major chain hardware store. I then drilled three holes into the side of the bucket using a 2 1/4" hole saw bit for the air vents. Next, I needed a styrofoam insert cooler to drop into the bucket. After sliding the cooler into the bucket, I used the holes I previously drilled as guides for drilling 3 holes into the styrofoam (using a 2 1/8" hole saw bit). I then inserted a 1 1/2" PVC coupler (found in the plumbing section) into each hole, to function as air vents. Finally, I took an ordinary 6" clip-on fan and used it to measure for holes in the lids of both the styrofoam cooler and bucket and cut those out with a utility knife. I dropped a frozen gallon of water inside, put the lids in place, sat the fan over the hole up top, and ¡voila! Total build time: about an hour. The room I used to test the cooler was enclosed and insulated from external temperature changes, and measured 7'x10'.

Using an infrared thermometer, I measured the room temperature of the test room in three locations as well as the coldest point within each of the three air vents on the cooler, every half hour for six hours. I completed the test twice to establish consistency. The air cooler created slightly colder air than an average desk fan would, as evidenced by stable temperatures throughout both tests. The air coming out of the cooler mostly stayed within a range of 57-61 degrees. This was notably higher than the reading of 45 degrees in the video, but significantly cooler than the temperature of the room, which ranged from 77-81 degrees. Peak outdoor temperatures for the test days were 81 (Day 1) and 82 (Day 2) degrees. The temperature within the room dropped about a degree and a half at first, but never fell any lower. And the decrease was not duplicated on the second test at all. In either test, the room temperature never fell below 77 degrees. In both tests, the gallon jugs split from being frozen, eliminating one of desertsun02's claims of being able to refreeze the water and reuse the ice repeatedly.

So back to the original question: Does It Work? The 5-gallon air conditioner, while novel in concept, doesn't produce a significant change in room temperature, nor does it warrant replacing a conventional air conditioner with it. ac unit measurementsYou would be better served sitting in front of an average house fan or biting the bullet and springing for the air conditioner.air conditioner and heater will not turn on Know of any DIY home / life hacks that we should test? ac unit definition Published: June 30, 2014 — 4:59 PM EDTUpdated: July 1, 2014 — 2:57 AM EDTShippingShipping Method Dock-to-Dock Ground Service (+$320.00) Ground if you do not have a Loading Dock (+$380.00) Optional Shipping Services None Lift gate (+$65.00) Inside Delivery (+$150.00) Inside Delivery and Lift Gate (+$215.00)

Do try this at home: Turn a 5-gallon bucket, a fan and some ice into a portable AC unit Build your own portable A/C on August 14, 2014 at 3:00 PM, updated Global Green USA sent out a PR pitch this week that hooked me like a redfish. It promised a workshop to teach residents how to build a portable air-conditioner out of basic supplies you can get at a hardware store and costing about as much as a fast food lunch. I wondered where you find the fairy dust to power this magical device. So I dialed up Monica Rowand, outreach and education coordinator at Global Green's New Orleans office. She invited me over to demonstrate. (Watch the fine cinematography in the video above for the outcome.) The "A/C" is a homespun getup that looks like a four-year-old's interpretation of R2D2, with PVC pipe wrapped in shiny duct tape protruding from the belly of a 5-gallon orange Home Depot bucket. The bucket sports some strategically drilled holes in its sides. It becomes an "A/C" when you put some ice in the bucket and position a fan over the whole contraption.

The fan blows air over the ice, cooling the air, which is then funneled out the PVC pipes (the "ductwork" so to speak) onto the user. The jobs of professional HVAC installers are under no threat from this technology. However, this rudimentary gizmo can give some relief from the heat to those immediately around it -- until the ice melts. So why on Earth is Global Green teaching people how to build these things? It's a lure -- a good one. Global Green will hold a workshop this Saturday, Aug. 16, at 11 a.m. at the Green Project, 2831 Marais St., to demonstrate the DIY A/Cs and to talk about Energy Smart, a city program that provides cash rebates and other incentives for energy-efficiency home improvements. Through the Energy Smart program, Orleans Parish residents can get free compact fluorescent lightbulbs, a $75 rebate on air-conditioning tune-up, rebates of up to $900 on high-efficiency Energy Star HVAC units and up to $1,000 for solar water heater system, among other incentives.