The Underdash A/C Systems are slightly less expensive units that can be installed directly under the dash. If you want to keep your factory Heater, or you just prefer the look of the underdash unit, then an Underdash A/C Sytem might be right for you. All of our Underdash Systems are build around the same core components. The only difference is the way the front looks. 200 Series Underdash System (available with chrome face or black face). 300 Series Underdash System 400 Series Underdash System (available as left or right) To see what products we offer, click on the Underdash A/C System Icons below. For model specific underdash units, visit our "Model Specific A/C Systems" Section.Compare Portable air conditioner for cars with touchable LED screen display and Ozone button Shenzhen Racyland Technology Development Co., Ltd. Promo Price: US $40.5 / Set | Buy Now US $45.0-45.0 1 Set Transaction LevelEd. note: We've covered the homemade air conditioner territory before on Lifehacker, but HackCollege's Kelly Sutton offers this awesome video guide to the DIY, dorm-legal air conditioner to help students (or anyone trying to save a few bucks) stay cool.

Many campuses have strict policies regarding portable air-conditioners. Because A/C ain't cheap, schools worry that students would overcool their rooms and increase the electricity bill (after all, you don't pay utilities for your dorm room)—or maybe admins are worried about improperly affixed units falling off the sides of buildings. ac unit ice upEither way, some campuses are unbearably hot during the earlier parts of fall and give students no way to remedy the situation. ac unit covered homeowners insuranceWhen you have no other option, just build it yourselfBelieve it or not, it's possible to build your own air conditioner for about $40. how to change air filter in ac unitWell technically, it's not an air conditioner; it's more of a heat-concentrator.

It will cool even the hottest dorm room to a nippy 60 degrees Fahrenheit in no time. To get started, you'll need to make a trip to the hardware store. You will be building a unit that absorbs heat into some water, allowing you to quickly dispose of that water outside.MaterialsA floor-standing fan like this one (although not as expensive)Some 1/4" copper tubing. Some 1/4" inner-diameter rubber tubingAbout 50 zip-ties2 small hose clamps2 bucketsTools InstructionsDetach the face of the fan and put it on your work bench or table.Grab your zip-ties and copper tubing. Start coiling the copper tubing around the face of the fan. Use the zip-ties about every 6 inches to attach that section to the fan face. Make sure that both ends shoot out the bottom of the fan's face.Take your hose clamps and secure the rubber tubing onto either end of the copper tubing. If you need to cut your copper tubing, don't forget to sand the edges before you start working with the tubing. Freshly cut copper is very sharp.

Fill up one of your buckets with water.Position the bucket full of water on a ledge or a desk—someplace above ground level.Siphon the water through the contraption to the bucket on the floor. (Bernoulli's Principle in action!)Turn on the fan.After a few minutes, all of the water will drain into the bucket on the floor. You can now dispose of this lukewarm bucket as you see fit. Repeat a few times to get your room extra chilled.Many ways to skin a catThis is just one way of creating a dorm room cooling device. You can also create something more akin to a "swamp cooler" if you're looking for something a tad simpler. A swamp cooler is just a device that usually just moves air over a body of water to aid in evaporation and spreading the chill. This isn't so great if you're looking to keep the humidity down. Or you can always just seek inspiration from Mr. Freeze.The school-bound productivity nuts at weblog HackCollege will be joining us all week to offer their perspective on making the most of your Back to School regimen.

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.