air conditioner

[blindpig]

Not sure this is the proper site for this but it is a necessary darkroom accessory for my painfully small darkroom(36"wide by 47"deep).
As the summer starts here in SW Missouri with rising temperatures and humidity I'm finding being closed up in the darkroom becoming uncomfortable so to reduce said un-comfort a"hillbilly" air-conditioner became the solution.It's made from a Styrofoam cooler with a hole cut in one side for attaching a small fan and a hole in the other side for an exhaust tube entering the darkroom.A one gallon jug full of frozen water is placed in the cooler and with the lid closed and fan on,COOL AIR! is blown into the darkroom(much to my relief).Didn't say this was going to be elegant but sure is functional,LOL!

[NancyP]

Yep, that's why we spell our state's name "Misery" in the summer. It's a good thing the darkroom is small, this solution wouldn't be good for a larger space.

[Alan Gales]

I don't know where your darkroom is but if you have it in the basement and you have central air it would be a breeze (pun intended) to run some round pipe from your trunk line to your dark room if you have a drop ceiling or unfinished basement. It could be a cheap do it yourself job just using a few tools and a few items from your local hardware store like a tap, boot, 6" round pipe, straps, register, and an elbow or two.

[David Lobato]

Heck, if it works it's great. For a 12 square foot room it should be plenty. I would be tempted to add beer in the cooler though.

[lenser]

Hi, Don. I know you told me this darkroom is in your garage, but if you have any way to access one of your ducts off the furnace/air outlet, a little work with some snips and flexible dryer hose would bring you a more permanent solution both summer and winter.

When do we grab coffee again, friend?

Tim

[Toyon]

Smart. Early Pullman cars were air conditioned by blowing air over gigantic trays of block ice under the passenger compartment.

[blindpig]

Thanks for all the suggestions and supportive comments.Can't wait to see how it goes by July and August!!
Tim, sent you an email earlier about coffee,talk later OK?

[Jac@stafford.net]

Check this out. One advantage is that a refrigerating type rather than an ice-chest cooler also dries the air.
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[brucetaylor]

Check this out. One advantage is that a refrigerating type rather than an ice-chest cooler also dries the air.
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Has anyone used one of these? I need a/c for my new darkroom and studio area, looked like an interesting idea. I am concerned about how loud these things are as well as air velocity out the vent.

[Jac@stafford.net]

Has anyone used one of these?.

We had several of those units as back-up cooling for our server farm and they worked well, but expensive compared to a competent central AC system.

Speaking to a realistic personal level, I will report later. Our home central AC failed to the extent that a major, impossible replacement is necessary.

I am considering a small unit or two for the house.

No such needed for the darkroom in which heating is the issue. It is a Minnesota thing.