/diy/ - Do It Yourself

I want to get a pair of chinchillas but don't have anywhere to put an AC except getting a portable one for summer. where I live ACs aren't required and it doesn't get that hot except for heatwaves. also my house is almost always around 20-22 degrees celsius due to central heating. so I want to make an automated cage cooling system instead that will keep the chinnies at a constant 18-19 degrees celcius no matter what the rest of the house temperature is.

I made the following rudimentary diagram based off of my knowledge of how a fridge works and I am not exactly technologically oriented. the cage will have about 3-4 separate levels that have fleece dividers.

so the idea is coolant flows through a copper pipe that goes around the cage and alongside it is another copper pipe that gently blows cool air through small holes to keep the cage the right temperature. the coolant cools the air pipe which is on each level, and the air is supplied via a small computer fan which has speed control. the holes are facing up so the air doesn't blow directly onto the chinchillas - it creates air circulation in each level due to the dividers. an electric thermometer measures the temperature and humidity and adjusts the fan speed to raise or lower the temp. the thermometer also makes an alarm if the temp goes above 21 degrees celcius and humidity above 50%. it also sends a notification to my phone and email.

of course, if I realise there is going to be a bad heatwave then I will get a portable ac but this system is more for all year use and to keep costs lower. my questions are: