Cooler Air With No Electricity

DesertRose
by DesertRose
2 Materials
1 Hour
Easy
My inspiration for this project was for my husband. He is a long haul trucker and the laws in some states do not allow the trucks to sit and idle to run the air conditioners. However, this project would help anyone who needs cooler air in a home, car, or even camping tent.
Truckers would prefer to drive in the day and sleep in the cool of the night, but that is not their choice. Often they sleep in the heat of the day with no air conditioning in their hot cab.
To get cooler air in his cab, I adapted these bottles and a piece of cardboard. It is based on a simple scientific principle. To understand the science, place your hand in front of your mouth and blow out air like you would to steam a mirror. Do not purse your lips at all. Second, blow again hard on your hand on your hand this time with your lips in a small "O" like you would blow out a candle.


The first blow was warm. The second one, if you notice was much cooler. The same air comes from your lungs. One is cooler than the other due to the smaller opening of your mouth. Air condensed is cooler. Science finds it can be 20 degrees cooler in a home or auto with one window fixed.
When the wind blows through the small necks of bottles placed in a window it is cooler than just having the window open.
Coke bottles, water bottles, tea bottles, all kinds of plastic bottles will work for this project.


I gathered some tea bottles and cut off the bottom section.
I used a nut cracker to hold each lid to keep my fingers back from the drill and drilled a hole in the top of the bottle (see the lid in the nut cracker). The lids were 1 1/4 inch across and all I had was a 3/8 inch drill so I put 3 or 4 holes in each lid. It was easy to remove the waste in the drilled hole with long-nosed pliers.
I used the box cutter again to cut an "X" shape where I wanted each bottle, being careful not to cut it too big. I put the bottle through then screwed the lid on the other side to hold it firmly. You could use glue, but since I cut the holes slightly smaller than the lids, they held firmly.


Now my husband can put the board up in his window when he is in an area with hot breezes blowing and he'll get cooler air. His truck isn't here for a picture, so I tried it in our SUV window to see if it would stay. Even with a brisk wind blowing, it held fine.


This could be used to cool tents, RV's, cars, work trucks, or even pet houses if they have a window.
You can see it is easy to make, simple to apply, and adds a great deal of comfort to a cooler environment for anyone who needs it. Recycling bottles and cardboard destined for the landfill can make a big difference when applying simple science.
Resources for this project:
Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.More info
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  1 question
  • Lcw28718203 Lcw28718203 on Dec 30, 2017

    I liked learning the science behind this project. Do you think it would work in a small window 20" H x 30" Long in a bedroom? I can't find an air conditioner that will fit.l

Comments
Join the conversation
3 of 13 comments
  • Eroque022810 Eroque022810 on Jan 06, 2018

    This is really neat but what really touched me was that you were motivated by the fact that your husband was sleeping in unbelievable conditions. This would make a wonderful science project for teachers out there to teach kids what you just taught us.

    • DesertRose DesertRose on Jan 06, 2018
      Thank you Eroque022810. You made an excellent point about teachers using this to teach students in science class. Thank you.
  • Sha25881906 Sha25881906 on Oct 15, 2021

    I just love that you proved that science is real & can work to make our lives better. And it lessens the burden on our fragile climate. More people need to understand this. This is an awesome idea in more ways than one.

Next