Air-conditioner Dripping Instant Fix

thingiverse

It is prohibited in Hong Kong for condensed water to drip onto the street from an air conditioner, so you must immediately shut down your unit if you are caught letting it leak by your building manager. However, since the air conditioner is usually installed outside a multi-story building, it can be very difficult and hazardous to repair. You may hire someone to install a drip pan underneath the air conditioner, but during the hot summer months, waiting a few days for them to arrive is not feasible. The solution is straightforward: use a strong magnet to hold a funnel in place under the air conditioner to collect the dripping water. I used a round 40mm diameter by 10mm thick neodymium magnet that is already quite powerful and can support the weight of the funnel along with the water tube. Additionally, you can attach a safety string to prevent the entire setup from falling onto the street. Due to the limitations of your 3D printer's maximum print size, you may want to add a plastic plate to increase the water collecting area. Like any drip pan, this assembly will need to be taken down periodically for cleaning, and the magnetic attachment method makes it easy to do so. Version V2 increases the depth of the funnel to make it easier to print, and I also removed the magnet spacer so that you can create your own, which is a straightforward process. This design has several advantages: the top becomes flat, making it simple to print upside down; you can choose any strong magnet with a hole in the middle; and you may need to create a protective case for your magnet to prevent corrosion from prolonged outdoor exposure. Version V3 is a plateless version that takes longer to print but gives a more professional appearance since there is no need for an external plastic plate. I always align the water tube with the magnet, which eliminates any tilting force against the magnet when the water tube is pulled down. Since water tends to drip from the outer two corners of your air conditioner, an eccentric design with the funnel extending out to catch the water drops makes more sense.