From scratch how would you make ice?

Walk to a pole.

Dogarees in Farenhut?

You stick water in a freezer…

Aside from the lack of adequate technologies at that time, the amount of energy required to sustain an environment 80 or more Fahrenheit degrees below ambient temperatures would be another huge obstacle considering fire was the main source of human generated energy.

Perhaps some engineers could suggest answers that are beyond my knowledge.

In 1591 there was a half-decent nomenclature of chemicals among alchemists. I would find the right ones out of what were available to form an endothermic reaction. First, I would place water in a metal beaker or something similar, and then immerse it in a larger beaker containing the endothermic reaction. Hopefully the water would then solidify into ice.

As Dr. Lawrence said, they didn’t have the technology at the time to lower a temperature appreciably. Chilling and air conditioning systems use a comressible gas (which turns to liquid under pressure, and back to gas when evaporated) such as chloroflourocarbons passing alternately through a compressor and an expansion valve to transfer heat from one radiator to another. Even today, this process takes a non-insignificant amount of energy to do. They would need a fairly substantial steam engine to turn the compressor, which might be possible for a 16th century engineer with a supply of iron on hand. But building that compressor, the expansion valve, the tubing, and making it gas-tight was beyond the technology at the time. Making even water-tight plumbing was beyond the technology at the time. And where would they get chloroflourocarbon gas from? Perhaps they could substitute another compresible gas. Any compressible gas will do, actually; it needn’t be CFC. Maybe ammonia, if they weren’t afraid a leak would kill everyone in their 16th century air-conditioned building…

In that day, the leading “cooling” technology was to collect ice blocks from a frozen lake during the winter, store them in a big stone building built into a hill where it would remain frozen through the summer, and replace it as the “cooling element” in your “ice box” every couple of days to keep your milk and meat fresh. Probably impractical as a whole-house air-conditioning system, though.

As @HungryGuy said, ammonia would be the only working fluid that could be obtained using the technology of that time. Assuming that a time-traveller brought them the concept of compressors (a la Mark Twains “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court”) the metalworking technology of the time could a built a crude version using bronze castings and hand-fitted parts. The piping would also be a nightmare of hand-made copper, but could be done, albeit in a leaky fashion. Motive power for the compressor could be water power, using existing gristmill technology.

The thing would be marginally do-able, but only a king could afford it. Far easier to saw up ice blocks from the pond in winter and store them in sawdust, the way it was done up until 100 years ago.

@Ltryptophan – By the way, what are you up to? Writing a steampunk story set in 1591 in which they have all the luxuries of the 21st century?

I want to know how to provide myself certain luxuries no matter what. No matter what happens, I want to have refrigeration. If you have any ideas about other luxuries that would be hard to reclaim without modern manufacturing please share.

Oh, a survivalist… In that case, you have several viable options…

1.) Your best bet is to buy land with a lake that you can build a small hydroelectric plant. Install two or three redundant A/C and other critical systems, and also keep plenty of spare parts in storage (plan like you’re going on an interstellar voyage on board a starship).

2.) or build your luxury survival shelter underground with at least 20’ of soil between the roof and the surface. Ambient temperature will be about 50F. As a SF writer, I’ve given thought to such things,myself. I envision digging a deep wide pit, install several quonset hut structures on concrete slab floors connected by cross corridors, cover the whole thing with concrete (except for the entrance tunnel). amd then bury it again and plant trees and grass above it. Disguse the entrance like a natural cave. Of the qunset hurts, one is your living quarters, one is the mechanical systems, the rest are gardens (you’ll want several independent ones to prevent disease from destroying your entire enclosed ecology). Some basic vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and tomatoes. And few varieties of fruit trees like apples, ranges and grapes. And grains like wheat, rye, and rice. You’ll need chickens for eggs and goats for milk and cheese. Your well, leach field, electrical main from your hydroelectric plant, etc, will be underground and inaccessible from the surface.

If you do go the way of A/C, your best bet is to install a water-cooled central air conditioning system. By water cooled, I mean that the condensor coil is underground or at the bottom of a nearby lake, and dumps its heat into the aquifier, rather than the atmosphere like conventional A/C systems do (this isn’t sci-fi—such systems exist where conventional above-ground A/C condensor units are impractical). Such a system is more efficient, and also secure from bands of raiding zombies in the radioactive atmosphere.

I meant to add this in my answer just above, but the “secret” to what you want isn’t to replicate modern conveniences with ancient technology (your question gives me images of the Flintstones modern-stone-age life), but modern technology with massive redundancy (multiple freezers, multiple refrigerators, multiple separate HVAC systems, several wells, LOTS of spare parts for everything in storage, and the skills to do your own repairs [sign up for welding, plumbing, electrician, and HVAC trades training at your local BOCES]).