You need to decide how cold you want it to be:
for temps between 7c and 18c just use the stock thermostat and place it in the water, the unit will shut off around that temp, you can mod it to shut off colder if you like, these temps, and anything above 0c means you will be able to run straight water
however if you intend to run temps colder than 0c (in my case less than -20c) you simply take the stock thermostat and place it at the rear coil, you should also run something that will not freeze, Automative antifreeze? winter windshield washer fluid?
Parts needed:
-Window A/C unit, the more BTU the better
-Cooler large enough to fit the A/C evaporator (even styrafoam will work)
-a water pump
-water block
-various fittings / tubing / clamps
-hot glue gun
-black tube foam insulation that fits your fluid tubing
Step 1: Remove all casings and bottom tray from the Window A/C unit
step 2: remove the styrafoam casing around the front fan blades
step 3: remove the front fan blades
step 4: now you should modify the cooler to have input and output lines, , basically cut holes that are the right size for your fittings or barbs, i used hot glue and 5 minute JB weld, now would be a nice time to add a drain port
note: its best to make your return line be the higher line
note: also keep in mind that the cooler needs to be large enough that the fluid fully covers your evaporator, however the more fluid you use the longer it will take to get the unit fully cooled down, but the less coolant you make the faster the coolant temps will raise while you are pumping heat back into it
step 5: now you need to get the evaporator (front coil, the cold one) into the cooler, to do this you will need to bend both of the copper lines to fit into the cooler
note: you might have to cut a small section of your cooler to make room for for the cooler lines, if this happens you should use use a hot glue and j b weld (or better yet a plastic welder)
Step 6: now attach your fluid lines, top line should be return line, your block and your pump
while you are doing this you should insulate the fluid lines, this does 2 things:
First it protects from condensation
second it helps to keep from loosing temps to the air
note: there is not need for a radiator, this will only heat up the fluid
step 7: insulate your motherboard and water block, kneaded eraser is great for the motherboard, foam is perfect for the block, the idea is to have no air contacting anything that is cold, you might also want to use some microfiber shop towels to wick away any condensation that happens to form
step 8: mount it up and have fun
Linear Mode
