Air Conditioning for your Plasma

[DesertFabworks]

Though I would share this just in case someone besides me lives in an area where it is 125+ during the day, and a cool 99 degrees at night. No I dont live in hell but it feels like it sometimes.

My shop is not air conditioned so when its 125 out my shop is still about 110 inside with fans going. I have a swamp cooler but all that usually does is cause every piece of metal to flash rust with the increased humidity so I usually dont use it. I'm used to the heat but my powermax 65 is struggling dealing with the heat and I often have to deal with it shutting down to over heating, even with a fan blowing on it, your still blowing 110 air on it.

So I came up with this idea. I have all of my control components on a handy cart which works well. So I took a window ac unit and plasma cut and welded up a custom shroud to fit over the front of the unit complete with a baffle inside to separate the intake and output from the unit. Using some readily available flashing pieces I added them to the shroud along with a separate output and return air ducts.

The back of the cart is closed off but I needed to close off the other three sides so that I can keep the cold air in, but I did not want to loose the ability to see or access the components. So I cut up some pieces of plexiglass and since my cart is made of steel I used adhesive backed magnet tape to keep the plexi attached to the cart. I can see all of my lights and displays through the plexi and If I need to access something I pull the panel off do what I need to do and slap it back on, super simple.

I have been using it a few weeks now and it keeps the computer and plasma unit at a cool 65 degrees most of the time. The highest it has gotten up to is 78 when I was cutting a bunch of pieces out of 1/2 plate. I'm sure this will help extend the life of the components and it keeps me cutting no matter how hot it gets.

Total investment was about $160 which includes the AC unit. Well worth it!

[acourtjester]

reminds me of the old saying "smarter then the average Bear" great looking controller cabinet too.

[little blue choo]

Looks good. Great thinking. I would just move. LOL

Rick

[_Ogre]

not sure what i'd handle better: -15*f michigan winters or +120*f arizona summers
metro detroit was 92*f yesterday with rain and 90% humidity
tomorrow's forecast is 79/59, i can live with that

[DesertFabworks]

Dry heat is better than wet heat any day. We get a little taste of humidity when a monsoon comes through 120 with 90% humidity is horrible luckily for us it cools off pretty quick when the monsoon hits so it's only in the 90's with the humidity.