Everyone has the same pressing need in the summertime. They all want to stay cool, which is a cinch for the most part. In the modern world, keeping the temperature low indoors is usually as easy as a click of a button or a turn of the knob.
However, everyone should have some kind of backup plan for their AC needs. You never know when the power will go out, or your air conditioner will break. That may sound like a trivial matter. It’s the sort of issue that makes snide people groan and say, “1st world problems, am I right?” But you should take the heat seriously, because hundreds of Americans die from heat related causes every year. So you should always have an alternative for your standard AC unit.
Fortunately, those alternatives don’t have to be expensive. In fact, you might already have everything you need to make an air conditioner, lying around your home. Check out this DIY cooler, which consists of nothing more than a fan, a styrofoam ice chest, and a piece of PVC pipe. It can even be powered by a solar panel.
Stay frosty!
So if the grid is down, where does the ice come from?
Exactly my question. The missing part of this plan.
Keep a block or two in the freezer just in case.
i make ice via the generator. fridge is always plugged in.
Utter nonsense for any real emergency. Anybody ever hear of a swamp cooler ? that is far superior to this and can also be run on solar easily and no ice required just some water. And if water is a problem any shade and a fan will definitely keep you cool. I have not turned on my AC in years and it gets very hot where I live , over 100 regularly for at least 2 months and 90 even more often. What the hell did people do back before electricity ? This article is worthless and for fat asses !
You could also use a couple of juice or soda bottles filled with water that has been frozen.
Awesome article! I also wonder where you’ll get your ice when everything is down?
Rather than poo poo on this idea, I just take it for what it is, which is a cheap and expedient way to create some type of cooling device.
Naturally, for a long term grid down situation one would require some type of generator and stored fuels or the ability to create that fuel. Solar power would be a good option and of of course one or several air conditioners and parts and the knowledge to keep them functioning.
But let’s be realistic in that there is a difference between a short term crisis and total disruption and possible destruction of the infrastructure and the system as we know it.
A/C is nice, but it seems to me that mankind survived for millennia without it. To me, it seems far more important to keep fresh & frozen food from spoiling, e.g. keep some refrigeration running.
Short-term, generators are OK until the fuel runs out or becomes inaccessible due to wide-spread power/infrastructure outages. Long-term, a substantial solar electric system (e.g.: 4KW with 40+ KWH batteries) running 24/7 as primary for essential circuits, not backup, seems to be the best overall solution; provided you are prepared to defend your position from the inevitable “zombie apocalypse”. Either way, post-SHTF life ain’t gonna be much fun. I pray that my prepping efforts are just an expensive hobby and/or an exercise in self-sufficiency!