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Get on Your Feet This Summer

by TheBigBee
13 replies
I know I said I'd refrain from sharing anything useful, but I can't help myself!

Here's a link on How to Create a $454 Air Conditioner for $15

Marketing this as a service door to door for $50 or $65 can mean an easy $300 or more a day. I don't mean to get all Martin Buckley on you guys, but this hits home with me as I've personally seen seniors who cannot afford AC pass away in heat waves.

Thought it might be a good compliment to folks in the offline business building phase to get some supplemental income in the door.
#feet #summer
  • Profile picture of the author Ron Lafuddy
    Bee,

    That's a great idea, especially with the solar panel as an electrical source.

    I'm going to put a few of these together and give them to some folks who could
    use them...just because.

    Well done and thanks.
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    • Profile picture of the author Ron Lafuddy
      Does anyone have any ideas for dressing this up a bit.

      There's a Relay for Life event coming up and I'd like to donate a couple of them
      to the silent auction. I need to give them some eye appeal to get the interest.

      S'pose I could just paint them, maybe a flat black. That seems kind of dull, though.

      Any ideas?
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  • Profile picture of the author umc
    I like the idea just as something to do. I might make one myself just for kicks and give it to someone. I'm always interested in things like this, and it's a pretty cool little project.
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  • Profile picture of the author umc
    Home Depot's website shows some other colors of buckets. They've got and all black and an all white. I'm not sure what they have in store though.

    What if you went with a black bucket and spray painted the pvc pipes instead? Go with a black/red combo or something like that.

    If nothing else, throwing in some streamers makes it look pretty pimp, lol. When I first saw the silver ones on the video it looked like water pouring out of the holes and made me wonder what in the world this was about.

    I figured that the solar panel wasn't included in that $15 price, but I was a bit surprised at their costs on a cursory search. Then again, that certainly isn't needed for the project.
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    • Profile picture of the author Ron Lafuddy
      Mike,

      I've never seen the black/white buckets at Home Depot but that works.
      I was thinking that if I rearrange the position of the pvc pipe in the
      middle, I can get "2 eyes and a nose" sort of.

      Just add a smile and you've got "Mr. Bee Cool", in honor of Big Bee, since
      he was kind enough to post this thread. Yes, I know he's gonna want the overseas
      rights as a part of the bargain. That's okay.

      I want something fun looking for the relay auction.

      Time to put the neighbor kids to work on the details. They'll get it handled.

      Because it solar powered, it's affordable.
      I know of a couple of families, going through the cancer/chemo routine, right now.
      They can't afford the extra expense of running air conditioning. So they don't have it.

      Something like this would make a big difference for them.

      I'm going to slap one together and see how well it works.

      Jeremy: Bet you could sell the heck out of these on Craigslist, just takes one hot spell
      to create interest. The fact that it's solar powered is a real advantage but even if it
      wasn't, it still wouldn't use the amount of electricity that regular a/c requires.

      infamous dave: I was thinking the same thing. Haven't been camping in some years but the last time was a real hot one. Didn't get much sleep. A/C would have improved the experience greatly.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jeremy James
    So, I wonder how folks could market this and sell them using Craigslist or other local medium?

    You could just make them from home, sell them for $99 delivered or something like that.

    Maybe a Youtube Video or something.....
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  • Profile picture of the author infamous dave
    Looks like it would be great for camping!
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  • Profile picture of the author RedShifted
    Thats a great idea. However, 6 hours is not that impressive. I'd use a ton of poland spring bottles instead. That way you will get better "fillage" in the bucket. Maybe you can get 10-12 hours that way.
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  • Profile picture of the author Aaron Doud
    Originally Posted by TheBigBee View Post

    Marketing this as a service door to door for $50 or $65 can mean an easy $300 or more a day. I don't mean to get all Martin Buckley on you guys, but this hits home with me as I've personally seen seniors who cannot afford AC pass away in heat waves.
    No worries this was a good share. I forgot about making these. Be an interesting idea for a charity to do as well.

    If anyone finds ways to make this and have it last longer post them up. I think the time it lasts is a bit low but otherwise a great idea.
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    • Profile picture of the author Ron Lafuddy
      Aaron,

      One way to make it last longer would be to insulate the inner container. Also, in the comments section of the article, someone mentioned dry ice. I have no idea if that would be better, but it would be an added expense if you had to keep buying it.

      With the gallon jugs, you could have a couple in the freezer and swap them out as needed.
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  • Profile picture of the author umc
    As to the dry ice, it apparently puts off quite a bit of carbon dioxide and could cause breathing problems. I saw it in a comment on another site while reading up on the idea as a whole, and then researched it further. Obviously there are many variables that contribute to how much CO2 is off gassed and how much of a concentration that results in but it might not be a good idea.
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  • Profile picture of the author TheCoach
    I am the owner of the website where the article comes from. I have updated that particular post which has a link to the update which is a new article. Here is the link which may give you some other ideas as well: 5 Easy To Make Homemade Air Conditioners That Will Save You $200 Per Month On Your AC Bill and Keep You Frosty Cool All Summer | The Good Survivalist
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    • Profile picture of the author Ron Lafuddy
      This idea's an oldie, but a goodie.

      I'm bringing it back for those who might need a couple of quick bucks.
      Also, for those who need a little relief from the heat.

      These air conditioners are really cheap to make and operate.
      I put together a couple of them, had kids decorate them and donated them to a charity auction. Gonna do it again this year.

      Ron

      P. S. There are YouTube videos showing how to do this. The link in Big Bees post doesn't seem to work but the one in The Coach's post does. Good Luck!
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