(no subject)
Preparing for summer.
I have often considered buying a new air conditioner, after all, it's not exactly efficient trying to run an
old weather wall on 200v which is about the best you can expect with our dodgy power grid in Victoria
Australia on a really hot day!
I did, however, think that before I do, which will involve pretty extensive house modifications, I'd play
with the old one first.
As most of the modern portable types now days use the water condensed from the cold side to help
cool down the hot side, I figured I'd build something similar for this old clunker!
Traditionally, the unit will stall in the heat and low voltage, and probably pull all of 3kw to fight a
relatively loosing battle with my house which has the high cathedral ceilings just to make things
worse!
During black Saturday, I did keep it going with a fine mist from the hose spraying on the back, so an
internal water recycling system was clearly worth playing with.
So-far it's crude, but if New year is as hot as they predict, I just might finally get the chance to try it
all out.
What I did.
Went to bunnings and got a little aqua pro 550 fountain pump, some poly elbows, an inline filter and an
end cap amongst other bits.
It turns out that this particular pump can be modified to be an inline pump that can have a hose going
in and out.
You pull out the water adjuster, put in the extra hose adapter they supply, and close it all up
sealing with silastic so it's all solid and totally water tight.
I don't think the manufacturer recommends this, as the device is meant to be water cooled, but it
works well!
I cut a length of poly pipe to the width of the outside condenser on the air con and drilled a stack of
little holes all along it, probably 20 or so, and stuck an end cap in one end and an elbow in the other.
I tied this across the top of the condenser with a couple of velcro cable ties, (I love those things!)
and used garden hosing, more flexible, to connect that to the outlet of the pump.
I used a 13 to 20mm adapter to connect the original water waste tube on the air con to the filter, and
the other end of the filter into some hose and back around to the second hole they'd kindly provided in
the air con, and using another elbow to reduce strain, back to the inlet of the pump.
I found the head I'd cut off a cheap extension cord I'd bought for a power lead for some project or other,
and
wired it into the electrics across the compressor.
Plugged the pump in to that, (cutting off the plug of the pump voids the warranty)
and used another velcro tie to secure all the cable and hose.
As it turns out, the air con in this place anyway, does usually produce more water inside than it
evaporates outside, so there is still over flow.
and will always be water available.
I intend to put an over flow outlet and purge valve in at some stage, but I think I'll do that once the
concept is totally proven on a hot day.
The over flow currently dribbles out the panel work in the air con, but there's nothing in harms way so
I'm not worried about that in the short term!
The pump costs about $19, so I figure it'll pay for its self in the first 2 or 3 hot days of use!
as the efficiency of this old air conditioner is massively improved by water cooling the hot side.
What I don't quite know yet, is how long the pump will survive!
It's supposed to be submerged, but it will have water inside cooling it from the core, and a big
extraction fan forcing heaps of air around it where it sits inside the air con.
on the bad side, it's bloody hot in there, if it's 40 outside, it's probably 60 inside the Cabernet!
Time will tell, I guess, I'm glad they're cheap!
Heh Heh!
Later edit:
Yep, that part worked pretty well new years eave which turned out to be 40c.
The Air con, though decided to start showing it's age by the death of the motour start cap for the
outside fan motour.
At first, I thought I'd killed it with some water in the windings, but no...
It was a 4Uf 400v AC cap, and the only thing I could find lying around here was a 7UF 250v AC, which I
stuck in anyway.
After all it's running at 240v AC so it's within spec as long as there are no reactive resonances in that
circuit that might push it over 250v.
Anyhow, the motour is actually running with way more talk than it did before, so
with a faster outside fan + the water, I think it just improved even more!
I have often considered buying a new air conditioner, after all, it's not exactly efficient trying to run an
old weather wall on 200v which is about the best you can expect with our dodgy power grid in Victoria
Australia on a really hot day!
I did, however, think that before I do, which will involve pretty extensive house modifications, I'd play
with the old one first.
As most of the modern portable types now days use the water condensed from the cold side to help
cool down the hot side, I figured I'd build something similar for this old clunker!
Traditionally, the unit will stall in the heat and low voltage, and probably pull all of 3kw to fight a
relatively loosing battle with my house which has the high cathedral ceilings just to make things
worse!
During black Saturday, I did keep it going with a fine mist from the hose spraying on the back, so an
internal water recycling system was clearly worth playing with.
So-far it's crude, but if New year is as hot as they predict, I just might finally get the chance to try it
all out.
What I did.
Went to bunnings and got a little aqua pro 550 fountain pump, some poly elbows, an inline filter and an
end cap amongst other bits.
It turns out that this particular pump can be modified to be an inline pump that can have a hose going
in and out.
You pull out the water adjuster, put in the extra hose adapter they supply, and close it all up
sealing with silastic so it's all solid and totally water tight.
I don't think the manufacturer recommends this, as the device is meant to be water cooled, but it
works well!
I cut a length of poly pipe to the width of the outside condenser on the air con and drilled a stack of
little holes all along it, probably 20 or so, and stuck an end cap in one end and an elbow in the other.
I tied this across the top of the condenser with a couple of velcro cable ties, (I love those things!)
and used garden hosing, more flexible, to connect that to the outlet of the pump.
I used a 13 to 20mm adapter to connect the original water waste tube on the air con to the filter, and
the other end of the filter into some hose and back around to the second hole they'd kindly provided in
the air con, and using another elbow to reduce strain, back to the inlet of the pump.
I found the head I'd cut off a cheap extension cord I'd bought for a power lead for some project or other,
and
wired it into the electrics across the compressor.
Plugged the pump in to that, (cutting off the plug of the pump voids the warranty)
and used another velcro tie to secure all the cable and hose.
As it turns out, the air con in this place anyway, does usually produce more water inside than it
evaporates outside, so there is still over flow.
and will always be water available.
I intend to put an over flow outlet and purge valve in at some stage, but I think I'll do that once the
concept is totally proven on a hot day.
The over flow currently dribbles out the panel work in the air con, but there's nothing in harms way so
I'm not worried about that in the short term!
The pump costs about $19, so I figure it'll pay for its self in the first 2 or 3 hot days of use!
as the efficiency of this old air conditioner is massively improved by water cooling the hot side.
What I don't quite know yet, is how long the pump will survive!
It's supposed to be submerged, but it will have water inside cooling it from the core, and a big
extraction fan forcing heaps of air around it where it sits inside the air con.
on the bad side, it's bloody hot in there, if it's 40 outside, it's probably 60 inside the Cabernet!
Time will tell, I guess, I'm glad they're cheap!
Heh Heh!
Later edit:
Yep, that part worked pretty well new years eave which turned out to be 40c.
The Air con, though decided to start showing it's age by the death of the motour start cap for the
outside fan motour.
At first, I thought I'd killed it with some water in the windings, but no...
It was a 4Uf 400v AC cap, and the only thing I could find lying around here was a 7UF 250v AC, which I
stuck in anyway.
After all it's running at 240v AC so it's within spec as long as there are no reactive resonances in that
circuit that might push it over 250v.
Anyhow, the motour is actually running with way more talk than it did before, so
with a faster outside fan + the water, I think it just improved even more!