Woman creates DIY central AC using trash bags, and TikTok is stunned: 'As an HVAC tech, I'm impressed'

Tue, August 01, 2023 at 2:39:07 PM EDT

A TikToker living with a single AC window unit decided to beat the heat with a DIY project, and people are calling her hack “absolutely brilliant.”

Samantha Riley (@_sami_2_scoops) gained over 1.8 million views, 188,000 likes, 11,000 saves and 2,100 comments when she uploaded her trash bag ductwork to TikTok.

It’s not the first heatwave hack we’ve seen go viral on the app. Recently, a video explaining how to sleep without AC during a heatwave gained over 4.3 million views — and with summer still going strong, TikTokers are applauding people like Riley for sharing their cool-down hacks with the world.

Shenanigans as usual #centralac

In the video, Riley begins by laying out 13-gallon trash bags on her floor. She then trims them down and tapes them together (no easy feat, commenters noted, with cats walking around).

Then she attaches the trash bag tube to her single AC unit and snakes it throughout her apartment. After reaching her bedroom, she cuts slit into the bags, allowing the cool air to vent — essentially creating central air.

TikTokers were thoroughly impressed by her hack.

“I’m an HVAC engineer. 10/10 duct sock!” wrote @theredfish, whose comment gained over 25,000 likes.

“bestie you just invented duct work on a dime, that’s amazing!” commented @jilliandamnit.

“This is the smartest, but most time consuming thing I’ve ever seen in this app. Absolutely brilliant… working with what you got, saving hella money,” wrote @mickeysaan.

In a follow-up video, Riley addressed some of the questions she received in the comments.

To all the financial advisors out there here ya go…😂 #centralac #nonscentedbags #hvactechnician

As she explains in the video, because she can’t afford the type of AC unit that fits her bedroom’s vertical sliding windows — and because she says her bedroom simply isn’t big enough for a stand-up unit — she was forced to get innovative to keep her apartment unit cool this summer.

So far, she reports, her trash bag duct is working well, although she has had to rehang it a few times. And her cats do occasionally try to play with it.

“god i needed you a year ago!!! bravo for the ingenuity and man this looks easy as hell!!!!! thank you! i’m sending this to all my friends,” commented @frankandwillie.

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