DIY: Portable Cooling Unit

written 7/14/25; updated 7/14/25

What

Make your own air conditioner that’s not really air conditioning. This device made from household items helps blow cold air from water chilled by ice. It is highly customizable. Best for small spaces.

Why

The use case for this assembly can be varied. Examples: the top of my townhouse that never gets A/C properly, picnics, tailgating, my workplace whenever it loses A/C (at least once a year), etc.

Time and Effort

Time: 2-3 hours

Effort: Easy-Moderate

Materials and Cost

Materials

Submersible Pump USB, 3W/50gph

Arctic Zone Titan Cooler, 16-can

Radiator w/ Fan, 120mm/DC12V/12pipe

Tubing, 3/8″-1/2″ (0.3″-05″; 8-12mm)

Dual 3 or 4-pin USB Adapter, 12V

4in Dust Hose, sculptable/flexible

4in Bell Nozzle Dust Collection Fitting

USB Hub with Power Switches, 2.5A/5V

Cost

$6.99

$27.99 (sale)

$20.99

Free (~$6)

$8.99

$15.45

$19.98

$19.99

TOTAL: $120.39 ($126.39)

Owned Supplies

Sharpie

Dremel w/Cutting Bit

Driver w/Drill Bit

Screws, Nuts, Washers

Utility Knife

Ruler/Square

Safety Glasses

Optional – the assembly is highly customizable

120mm Slim Case Fan attached to other side of radiator for push/pull method (~$10)
Replace the 120mm Radiator w/Fan with a 240mm Radiator w/Fan ($36.99), Slim Case Fan 3-pack w/PWM sharing ($28.99)
Add another Fan to the end of the Flex Hose for even more pulling power (~$10-$30), by utilizing a 3D printer or buying a Duct Collector Flange (~$10)
If you don’t need the on/off switches for power, then just a dual port USB A power block is fine (~$10)
You can also get a USB splitter plus an in-line USB with on/off switch all connected to a 1-port wall block, but that would mean many adapters and could compromise power delivery if not careful
Use an insulating tape around the base of the Bell Attachment

Schematics

This is the original schematic I drew. It has different components I didn’t end up using like wing nuts, a diverter tray at the bottom, and an added plastic sheet/bracket for fastening the hose flange on top to.

Process

Planning and Measurements

After gathering supplies, try them out to see if they will fit, the best orientation, etc. Adjust as necessary

Cut Hoses to fit the Submersible Pump and Radiator w/Fan into reservoir (orange liner bucket)
Decide if you want to use the push or pull method (or both) for the radiator, and swap the fan to the desired side

Note: Cooler fans always have a direction of flow and spin indicator somewhere on there

Take measurements and mark them with the Sharpie

Cutting

As nerve-wracking as it can be, you just gotta do it to get it done
Start with the notches in the plastic. I used a Dremel with a cutting wheel and it was quite simple. *Don’t forget safety glasses when cutting plastic!!*

Dremels make the plastic melt while cutting

It’s useful for keeping things mostly smooth

Now for the cooler. I decided to trace the inside of the Bell Nozzle Attachment to open up as much space as possible for the air movement (planning on later using a 240mm instead of just the 120mm). Using the utility knife, I cut through the 3 layers of insulating material

Initially, I’d planned on just setting the Bell Attachment on top of the cooler, so next, I drilled holes for the 4 attachment points through insulating material and the orange plastic (needed to stand on a stool to do this on the workbench) using a 1/4″ bit

Then, I traced the opening on the plastic with a Sharpie because now I can see the line through the backside. It’s time to cut the opening! Here, you have options. I think the easiest method is to run the utility knife multiple times around the shape, cutting deeper each time, then clean up with the Dremel (sanding bit) afterwards (unless you have other fun tools in your arsenal). Instead, I decided to get fancy and use aviator snips (tin snips) because they pretty much cut everything. The problem is that you have to know how to use them otherwise you mess up like I did. Thankfully, it wasn’t a huge deal. It really doesn’t have to be gorgeous, either.

Right side snips. Not sure where my left one is…

Securement

Here, you have to decide how you want to mount the Bell Attachment: Under the insulation? Above? And, even, if you want to secure it on top of the cooler fabric, or underneath it, just on the orange plastic.

I happen to have a huge box of loose screws organized by size, and some random washers and nuts, so I chose some 1/4″ (M6) screws

Initially, I used the 1″ screws, washers, and nuts to go all the way through.

In the end, I changed my mind used the 1/2″ length screws and attached it all underneath the cooler fabric because the 1″ screws were too long even through the fabric and would impede the fan/radiator placement inside

Final Assembly and Testing

Time to put it all together!

First up, replace the orange liner bucket, suction the Submersible Pump to the bottom, and replace the tray with the Pump’s cord through the notch
Fit the water tubes down into the reservoir through the tray’s convenient holes (bonus, this stabilizes the radiator/fan unit) and attach to the Pump

Attach all Power Cords and Adapters together
Attach the Flexible Hose to the Bell Attachment

Time to Test!

Move the tray aside a little, and fill ‘er up with water (make sure it’s always past the top of the Pump… You should never run those dry!) and ice packs. I happened to use ice because I ran out of ice packs testing out the first iteration of this assembly (see end of post if interested)
Plug it all in

Water is draining into the reservoir just like it’s supposed to!

DONE! Give it some time to start cooling

Result

07/14/25: The power really isn’t as strong as I’d like it to be. Ended up trying all kinds of fans (happened to have) to try and boost power. More money equals more power, but also more noise… With that said, having this when it’s about 100F with no other air source, would be a Godsend.

The cooler is insanely portable, and everything about this cooler by Arctic Zone is perfect for this application from the tray with convenient holes to the zipper-less closure, to the plastic liner tray which makes it fully waterproof, to just how nice it looks. It even comes in a 48-Can size!! Technically, you can just scoot the tray aside and carry drinks in the reservoir, too. Even food if you have space in the tray. I’m sure you can 3D print any manner of dividers if you’re not using the whole tray for fans. The largest sized cooler could really have dual fan and vent setup.

Just store the cords and block in the pockets when not using

Here is a hose-end fan attached with a 3D printed 4″ adapter

When I have more monies, I will try the 240mm Radiator with push and pull fans, then update here.

Notes

Your choice on how you want to orient the fan on the radiator. You can unscrew and re-screw to the other side, or even add another fan for a push/pull method instead of just push or pull
Many soft-sided coolers are NOT actually waterproof! Be careful!
Submersible pumps are easily clogged. You do not need a powerful one. A weaker one will do just fine
Ice packs are preferable to actual ice, though you can use ice itself, too. The reason being tiny ice pieces can enter the pump and potentially damage the entire system
Very large chunks of ice do not melt easily or quickly, and can provide longer cooling than small pieces
This can also be done in a hardcase cooler. I chose this cooler because drilling through plastic of a hard cooler would likely necessitate some sort of sealing to retain the insulating abilities of the cooler. Like, spray foam or insulating tape?

Test Run

If you’re interested, I initially tested it all out on a small cooler/lunch bag that was free. I’d drawn schematics for 2 different setups including the smaller setup. The result was less than ideal:

The fan and radiator were much too large for the front pocket that I’d planned on trying
Poking holes through the bag to the reservoir of water is not idea for leakage reasons, yet running the hoses around the outside alongside the power cords made for a very ugly setup and high chance for leaking, not to mention reduced water-cooling capabilities
- The cooler/lunch box ended up leaking because it’s not actually waterproof

Here are some pictures!

Just need a utility knife to score and break

Pump goes in, but has no hard surface to suction to

Too tight a fit, so the hoses have to stick up and out

Closing it inside the pocket kinks the hoses

For reference, the counter outside it was 69F

In the end it leaked everywhere and was a bust

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DIY: PVC and Hardware Cloth Garden Plant Enclosure + Winter Cover

written 8/5/2024, updated 9/6/2025

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Overview

What

Temporary/disassembly-possible enclosure for patio and deck plants using PVC pipe and hardware cloth, featuring doors

Why

Thieving squirrels, birds, and deer yet still allowing pollinators, air, sun, and rain through

Time and Effort

Time: Several hours to 1 day (maybe more)

Difficulty: Moderate (depends on your equipment and material situation)

This is what started it all. My beautiful cantaloupe brazenly stolen and eaten right in front of my eyes by a crafty yet cute squirrel

Materials and Cost

All materials bought from Amazon and Home Depot

Material

1″ 4ft PVC Pipe

1″ 6ft PVC Pipe

16-gauge 2′ x 50′ Hardware Cloth Roll

200′ 16-gauge Galvanized Steel Wire

1″ PVC Hinges

1″ 90 Degree Elbow Fitting

1″ 3-Way Fitting

1″ Tee Fitting

Cabinet Hardware Pulls

Quantity

12 pipes

5 pipes

31ft

0.5 Roll

4 Hinges

8 Fittings

2 Fittings

2 Pulls

TOTAL

Use Price

$80.40

$43.99

$24.80

$3.97

$36.68

$11.84

$26.00

$3.94

$4.38

$236.00

Owned Supplies:

Needle Nose Pliers

Linesman’s Pliers

Diagonal Cutting Pliers

Ratcheting PVC Cutter

Sharpie

Measuring Tape

Digital Calipers

Rubber Mallet

Bits/Driver

Screw Gauge

Planning and Schematics

Note: Drawings not to scale

Dimensions (L x W x H)

Outer Dimensions: 45″ x 22″ x 53″

Door Dimensions: 20.5″ x 49″

Fitting Dimensions

3-Way (Formufit brand – 8 qty)

1¼ ” + 1⅜” = 2⅝” length

1.25in + 1.375in = 2.625in

90 Degree (Charlotte Pipe brand – 8 qty)

1½” + 1⅛” = 2⅝”

1.5in + 1.125in = 2.625in

Tee (Charlotte Pipe brand – 2 qty)

⅞” + 1⅜” + ⅞” = 3⅛”

0.875in + 1.375in + 0.875in = 3.125in

Pipe Lengths

Remember that the ends of the pipes will fit into the fittings. All measurements are approximate. Actual item dimensions may vary

Outer Frame

42″ pipe (4 qty) – Length

19″ pipe (4 qty) – Width

50″ pipe (5 qty) – Height

Doors

17.5″pipe (4 qty) – Width

46.5″ pipe (4 qty) – Height

Overall Weight

1 in, 4 ft PVC pipe = 1.4lbs

Overall Weight of Enclosure: ~37lbs

Author’s Note

From start to finish, conception to assembly, this took a total of 3 days of time. Not counting waiting for parts, choosing parts, etc. The idea started way back in 2022 when I was having issues with squirrels stealing my tomatoes. I dreamed up and drew up plans, even going as far as to buying much of the materials to do it (originally out of wood and composite wood). However, the squirrels quit stealing my stuff until this year when my vegetables and fruit disappeared one by one. The final straw was the baby cantaloupe! WARTIME. Since it would be placed on the deck instead of the ground like the original plans intended, I needed a less weighty option and therefore chose PVC pipe. Armed with the original plans, I altered them. You can plan all you’d like, but doing is completely different! So started the 3 day-total-time journey (really, it took about a week waiting for all the pieces). Many, many calculations, miscalculations, frustrations, and even blood shedding later, I’ve – at this writing – mostly completed the project. Just a few minor tweaks and a test run before finalizing the hardware.

Overarching Question: Does it actually work???

As of August 2025: YES, IT WORKS successfully against thieving squirrels! They tried, hard with no success! (see Notes section for more)

Process

Gathering Supplies and Equipment

Needed: Handles, PVC pipe, Ratcheting pipe cutter, PVC fittings, hinges

Calculating, Measuring, Cutting, Assembling the Frame

Easily the most time-consuming part. Using the specialized PVC cutter and also a digital caliper saved a lot of time. Just setting up the frame is easy. The hard part is fitting the doors properly without creating too much of a gap (trying to prevent critter entry after all) around the door and frame while remembering that the fittings add more length to each side (calculations are done for you already in the schematics above). On top of that, there’s the consideration of hardware cloth size to make as the hardware cloth is best wrapping around the pipe. If this was wood, it would be easier to just create a removable frame around the outside of the cloth. Lots of re-measuring and re-cutting until I got it right (or close enough).

Use a rubber mallet to make sure the pieces are snug in the fittings

Hinges and Handles

This was more complicated than it needed to be. Hardware included with the (unthreaded) cheapo Handles are just too short to span the 1 in width of the PVC pipe. Without buying more or having to run out to a store, I delved into my giant box of random screws. Thankfully, I managed to find 4 that were both long enough and the right size (screw and thread gauges are useful). The Hinges snapped easily onto the PVC and mostly stay in place. And no wonder they stay in, because it gouges the plastic like no other if you remove and slide them around, so make sure you’ve measured where you want them first.

WARNING: Fasten any hinges before fastening handles so that the handles are oriented properly, or at least mark locations well. Because I waited a year, my handles are now in a wonky orientation

May 2025 – Hinge Permanence

Finally decided to screw in the hinges. I was way too lazy to take the entire cabinet apart for the winter, but it ended up enduring the winter just fine

Used an 11/64″ bit, lined up the hinges on the pipe, and went for it. Ended up using random screws that I happened to have, so they’re all mismatched and ended up rusting over the summer

Attaching the Hardware Cloth

This is 16-gauge hardware cloth which is hard to find in stores (at least where I am). It’s big enough to allow pollinators, water, and air into the enclosure, but small enough to thwart rodent and avian robbers. This was the limiting factor for size of the enclosure as the cloth I used was only 2ft wide (they sell them larger). And no, chicken wire is not recommended. Not only are the holes too large, but the wire is weak. Also, to note, because this enclosure sits on the deck, there is no need for bottom coverage. If I were to use the wooden schematics made to sit on the ground, then it would be fully enclosed by wood, or extra cloth would need to be sunk into the ground (1-2 ft deep) to deter diggers.

The exceedingly time-consuming and physically painful part of this was the issue of how to attach hardware cloth to PVC. Without spending a fortune, I decided on a roll of general-purpose galvanized steel wire and some pliers. However, given how long it took to secure everything (5 hours! In the baking sun and even through a short downpour), I’ve been thinking of a better attachment method (See NOTES section)

Twisty-ties from lettuce are nice and long

Temporary twisty ties to hold two vertical pieces of hardware cloth together

3rd layer of overlap (top, back, and side)

Twisting the Galvanized Steel Wire with Pliers

After much trial and error, I found that this was the fastest way (at least by hand) to tie off the 16-gauge steel wire (perhaps I should have used something smaller)

Keep twisting (be careful, though, twisting in the same spot too fast and hard will snap it)

Fun fact: If you feel the metal after twisting, it’ll feel really hot

Grab some needle nose pliers and bend it away from poking people

Keep Going Until Completion

What’s annoying is that tying off the hardware cloth with wire will cause random pockets where it bows out. Just keep on until everything is secure. Be aware that the ends of the hardware cloth and the steel wire are very sharp!

While the camera didn’t focus on it, cut out pieces to make room for the handles

Trimming ends to prevent scratching of feet or deck

Where doors meet. While doesn’t look ideal, it works because touching wire acts like a latch to hold them together

Hinges can still be manipulated since they’re not yet screwed in

Note the spacing between the hinge hardware. You can open or close the space just by twisting the hinge (hence why it hasn’t been secured until the end)

Complete!

Mostly. No locking hardware yet. Coming back to this 2 years after the fact, I’m still holding strong with just a ball bungee through the 2 handles.

3 total bungee cords to hold in place while in testing phase. Works really well

Given the space at the bottom where something can push its way in, all I did was place a spare paver brick and voila!

Winter Cover

The aim was to have it deconstructable, but I was too lazy, so I decided to use it as sort of a winterized greenhouseish thing. My region is Zone 7B USDA hardiness. Two options (so far) for winterization.

Plastic Sheeting

Suitable for mild winters with low duration freezing periods, about 20-40F.

Material

6 mil Greenhouse Plastic Sheeting 12′ x 25′ (much too large)

Zip Ties

Packing Tape (for corners)

Pictures!

Plastic Sheeting. I bought entirely too much. Probably needed half of that.

Zip tie securing and tape for the corners

Left openings around seams for ventilation and access

Poked a few drainage/vent holes in the top with a screwdriver

Plastic Sheeting Winterizing Results

2 months: hard freeze early December for 1-2 weeks, and it’s dipped as low as the teens. So far so good. The plants seem to be doing just fine in there. I have hard neck garlic, strawberry, my blueberry plant, and onions.

Post-Winter: For about 5ish years, the winter had been pretty mild. 2024-2025 winter was normal for this area which translates to periods of very cold and snow. Unfortunately, that meant that my plastic layers did NOT work well enough. If temperatures stay around 20-40F, then the plastic is fine. If there are hard freezes for extended periods of time, this is not good enough. All of my plants died except the strawberry which didn’t mind at all and looks amazing (in a 10-gallon fabric pot). The blueberry mostly died but finally started sprouting new shoots from the root late June 2025. I was disappointed and will update again this fall when I set up the new version of this using hard plastic walls instead of the sheeting. Stay tuned!

Twin-Wall Polycarbonate Sheet

4′ x 2′ x 0.24” Polycarbonate Green House Panels. They’re a rigid plastic sheeting that are shatterproof which supposedly allows them to withstand severe weather, and keeps the greenhouse both warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The working temperature range is: -42°F to 248°F (-44°C to 120°C)

Stay-tuned! I will attempt to attach this to the structure and report when I’m successful!

Notes

9/2025 – Added a snap-on door stop made with a 3D printer to prevent the doors from swinging too hard inward. Easy to drill and permanently attach to PVC pipe if desired. Throughout the growing season, had plants inside then enclosure that were able to be pollinated no problem. Doors made it easy to access plants. Ended up moving the corn plants inside after squirrel robbery. The enclosure was a tad too short for the corn, so tassels extended out, but successfully thwarted squirrels that tried hard to get into the corn (they obliterated the corn tassels trying to pull the entire plant out). Success!! Just bought the polycarbonate panels for a new attempt at creating a cold frame for the winter. Still have yet to attach actual door latches and am still using a ball

**Door stop** that just snaps onto the PVC. Can be permanently fastened. This is not at the moment

August 2024 – It’s been almost a month since test phase started, and squirrels have left it completely alone. No evidence of rotting, so good airflow, pollinators busily doing their thing, vines climbing the cloth like a trellis… altogether very happy with its function. Even the bungee cords perform well and are easy to remove. Still have not secured hinges or installed latches… and I’m not sure I want to. It would make for a refined product, but the bungee cords work well.

August 2025 – Squirrels robbed me of corn, so moved the pot into the enclosure. SUCCESS!!! First true test against the rodents. They desperately wanted the corn, but could not get in. They even tried to pull the corn up through the top by yanking on the tassels. All that did was rip the tassels off the plant. They never got inside! Yay!! It WORKS!!!

If I were to do it again, I would do several things:

Buy hardware cloth that’s wide enough to not need so much overlap. Like, one that can span from one side, to the back, and to the other side. The top can be separate.
If using the galvanized steel wire method of attachment, then buy a Wire Twister Tool for Drill. Not only would that save tons of time, but physical fatigue
Measure the placement of the hinges before snapping them on
Paint it green or brown. White is so stark in the garden! Or if you have expendable income, then buy Formufit’s colored PVC
Figure out a different way to attach the hardware cloth (Ideas are all expensive yet removeable: 2in Rubber Cable Clamps, 2 in Binder Rings, 6in Steel Wire Twist Barrel Keychains, etc.)

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