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Posted: 7/16/2016 4:04:16 PM EDT
[#1]
Spraying water on the condenser coil will help condense the refrigerant. The engineers who designed your equipment probably planned on it being installed in direct Florida sunshine. I would suggest trying a foaming coil cleaner and back flushing the coil with lots of water first. Cleaning the coil properly will probably make more of a difference.
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Posted: 7/16/2016 4:04:32 PM EDT
[#2]
Quoted:
This actually help? My condenser sits in the bright Florida sun from about 1PM on, no way for me to shade it. Wondered if this would help. No I don't want to buy a bridge in Brooklyn or swamp land in the Everglades. never seen that before.. im interested in what others say.. |
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Posted: 7/16/2016 4:23:57 PM EDT
[#3]
I wouldn't really want to keep water on my unit. It'll have enough from the condensation of moisture on the pipes coming out of the house anyway.
I could see if you had a marginally sized system this might help. If your system is sized correctly then it shouldn't be an issue. Also, since you're in FL, removing humidity is important. If this was to cause your unit to run less, it would lower your electric bill (doubt it would all that much) but if the unit is running for shorter periods of time, you might end up with excessive humidity inside the home. |
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Posted: 7/16/2016 4:26:38 PM EDT
[#4]
You'll be buying a brand-new unit quicker when your condenser rots away from the water being constantly on it
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Posted: 7/16/2016 5:29:48 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Spraying water on the condenser coil will help condense the refrigerant. The engineers who designed your equipment probably planned on it being installed in direct Florida sunshine. I would suggest trying a foaming coil cleaner and back flushing the coil with lots of water first. Cleaning the coil properly will probably make more of a difference. speaking of coil cleaner.. I just bought two cans today to do my unit.. the last part of the instructions (after cleaning/rinsing) say 'let unit dry before turning back on'.. Why would you need to let the coils dry? it runs with its raining/snowing.. Brian |
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Posted: 7/16/2016 8:53:23 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
speaking of coil cleaner.. I just bought two cans today to do my unit.. the last part of the instructions (after cleaning/rinsing) say 'let unit dry before turning back on'.. Why would you need to let the coils dry? it runs with its raining/snowing.. Brian Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Spraying water on the condenser coil will help condense the refrigerant. The engineers who designed your equipment probably planned on it being installed in direct Florida sunshine. I would suggest trying a foaming coil cleaner and back flushing the coil with lots of water first. Cleaning the coil properly will probably make more of a difference. speaking of coil cleaner.. I just bought two cans today to do my unit.. the last part of the instructions (after cleaning/rinsing) say 'let unit dry before turning back on'.. Why would you need to let the coils dry? it runs with its raining/snowing.. Brian Just a guess but there are probably enough ionic things in the cleaner to conduct electricity. Bad things happen when you put a conductive fluid around live electrical parts. |
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Posted: 7/17/2016 12:38:54 AM EDT
[#7]
yes it will work but it is not magic. Water has better heat transfer than air. Not only are you heating the water it is also changing state, liquid to gas, which takes a lot of heat away.
Problem is the minerals in the water will be deposited on the coils which would slow/ block heat transfer. Ever looked in humidifier canister? I would look at the liquid line temp, the small line, that temp should be with in 15 degrees of the outdoor temp. Any higher and the coils should be cleaned |
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Posted: 7/19/2016 2:16:06 PM EDT
[#8]
Rain is pure, distilled water. The water getting sprayed out of the Cool-n-Save, even though it's filtered, is not. Spraying water on your condenser coil will help tremendously for the first few years. Then the minerals and scale will build up on your coil and you'll have to replace the outside condenser unit. If it's an older R22 system, you'll have to replace the entire system, inside and out. If you live in a rental, you plan on moving next year, and you have no problems taking a small savings now and fucking your landlord with a $12k repair bill in 2018, then go right ahead. Otherwise, maybe you should pass. |
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Posted: 7/19/2016 2:38:50 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
speaking of coil cleaner.. I just bought two cans today to do my unit.. the last part of the instructions (after cleaning/rinsing) say 'let unit dry before turning back on'.. Why would you need to let the coils dry? it runs with its raining/snowing.. Brian Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Spraying water on the condenser coil will help condense the refrigerant. The engineers who designed your equipment probably planned on it being installed in direct Florida sunshine. I would suggest trying a foaming coil cleaner and back flushing the coil with lots of water first. Cleaning the coil properly will probably make more of a difference. speaking of coil cleaner.. I just bought two cans today to do my unit.. the last part of the instructions (after cleaning/rinsing) say 'let unit dry before turning back on'.. Why would you need to let the coils dry? it runs with its raining/snowing.. Brian Blow it out with a leaf blower to dry it quicker. |
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Posted: 7/19/2016 5:02:17 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Blow it out with a leaf blower to dry it quicker. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Spraying water on the condenser coil will help condense the refrigerant. The engineers who designed your equipment probably planned on it being installed in direct Florida sunshine. I would suggest trying a foaming coil cleaner and back flushing the coil with lots of water first. Cleaning the coil properly will probably make more of a difference. speaking of coil cleaner.. I just bought two cans today to do my unit.. the last part of the instructions (after cleaning/rinsing) say 'let unit dry before turning back on'.. Why would you need to let the coils dry? it runs with its raining/snowing.. Brian Blow it out with a leaf blower to dry it quicker. excellent idea.. thanks b |
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Posted: 7/19/2016 5:58:54 PM EDT
[#11]
Quoted: This actually help? My condenser sits in the bright Florida sun from about 1PM on, no way for me to shade it. Wondered if this would help. No I don't want to buy a bridge in Brooklyn or swamp land in the Everglades. LOL, no. It's not the first time I've seen this idea floated around either. Some people have it rigged up so that one particular sprinkler head sprays their condenser when they water that portion of their lawn. Look, the engineers that designed this stuff know what they're doing better than the majority of homeowners. Residential systems are specifically designed to dissipate heat into the air. Why do you think there's a fan on top of your unit? If you want more cooling power for your home and you want to use water, look into buying a chiller system. Be prepared to shell out big bucks for it. |
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Posted: 7/21/2016 5:14:13 PM EDT
[#12]
Yes, it will help the unit, but can cause other issues.
Water source heat pumps are more efficient because water is a much better carrier of heat than air. That's why geothermal systems are more efficient than typical split systems. This system won't convert your unit to a water source heat pump. |
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Posted: 7/24/2016 12:31:39 PM EDT
[#13]
Quoted:
This actually help? My condenser sits in the bright Florida sun from about 1PM on, no way for me to shade it. Wondered if this would help. No I don't want to buy a bridge in Brooklyn or swamp land in the Everglades. As others have mentioned, scale build up would likely be an issue. On the commercial side in large installations, cooling towers are used. The compressor dumps it's heat via a heat exchanger to the tower water and the tower cools the water by evaporation. It increases efficiency and saves energy but it makes for a more complicated system, but the return on investment is there. You have probably seen these on or around factories or large buildings, they can provide water a few degrees above the dew point. http://www.baltimoreaircoil.com/english/products/cooling-towers |
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Posted: 7/24/2016 1:17:59 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
As others have mentioned, scale build up would likely be an issue. On the commercial side in large installations, cooling towers are used. The compressor dumps it's heat via a heat exchanger to the tower water and the tower cools the water by evaporation. It increases efficiency and saves energy but it makes for a more complicated system, but the return on investment is there. You have probably seen these on or around factories or large buildings, they can provide water a few degrees above the dew point. http://www.baltimoreaircoil.com/english/products/cooling-towers Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
This actually help? My condenser sits in the bright Florida sun from about 1PM on, no way for me to shade it. Wondered if this would help. No I don't want to buy a bridge in Brooklyn or swamp land in the Everglades. As others have mentioned, scale build up would likely be an issue. On the commercial side in large installations, cooling towers are used. The compressor dumps it's heat via a heat exchanger to the tower water and the tower cools the water by evaporation. It increases efficiency and saves energy but it makes for a more complicated system, but the return on investment is there. You have probably seen these on or around factories or large buildings, they can provide water a few degrees above the dew point. http://www.baltimoreaircoil.com/english/products/cooling-towers Slight hijack.. Are there any chemicals being added to towers today to reduce the chance of legionella growth? |
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Posted: 7/24/2016 3:36:28 PM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Slight hijack.. Are there any chemicals being added to towers today to reduce the chance of legionella growth? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
This actually help? My condenser sits in the bright Florida sun from about 1PM on, no way for me to shade it. Wondered if this would help. No I don't want to buy a bridge in Brooklyn or swamp land in the Everglades. As others have mentioned, scale build up would likely be an issue. On the commercial side in large installations, cooling towers are used. The compressor dumps it's heat via a heat exchanger to the tower water and the tower cools the water by evaporation. It increases efficiency and saves energy but it makes for a more complicated system, but the return on investment is there. You have probably seen these on or around factories or large buildings, they can provide water a few degrees above the dew point. http://www.baltimoreaircoil.com/english/products/cooling-towers Slight hijack.. Are there any chemicals being added to towers today to reduce the chance of legionella growth? I believe so and antifreeze in the north. The process ones need to run in all seasons. |
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Posted: 7/24/2016 5:23:02 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Rain is pure, distilled water. The water getting sprayed out of the Cool-n-Save, even though it's filtered, is not. Spraying water on your condenser coil will help tremendously for the first few years. Then the minerals and scale will build up on your coil and you'll have to replace the outside condenser unit. If it's an older R22 system, you'll have to replace the entire system, inside and out. If you live in a rental, you plan on moving next year, and you have no problems taking a small savings now and fucking your landlord with a $12k repair bill in 2018, then go right ahead. Otherwise, maybe you should pass. This ^^^ Evaporative cooling is a wonderful thing, and you can certainly lower your power bills and improve efficiency by spraying water on your condensor but the eventual scale build-up will be a killer. Chillers work on large scale, not so much small-scale. If you want that level of efficiency you need to look into geothermal. That being said, I have sprayed water on my condensor before. A few years ago we had a heat-wave (hit 109 one day), my system is marginally sized, and the condenser sits in direct afternoon sunlight. House was 85 degrees inside and system was running continuous, so I set up a sprinkler on it for a few hours just to help things out. One could theoretically filter their water to a level that it would take a LONG time for buildup bad enough to kill the system but it will be costly to install a filtration system to handle the water needs. |
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Posted: 7/24/2016 8:45:33 PM EDT
[#17]
Think Reverse Osmosis type clean.
Unless the water is free it is not going to be all that cost effective. Even evaporators recycle most of the water multiple times before it is evaporated (make up water added). The actual loss to evaporation is not that high because it is a LOT of energy for a phase change (water to vapor (gas)). And their is disinfectant added to limit algae growth and legionella and other viruses. |
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Posted: 7/26/2016 7:29:08 AM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Think Reverse Osmosis type clean. Unless the water is free it is not going to be all that cost effective. Even evaporators recycle most of the water multiple times before it is evaporated (make up water added). The actual loss to evaporation is not that high because it is a LOT of energy for a phase change (water to vapor (gas)). And their is disinfectant added to limit algae growth and legionella and other viruses. All valid concerns, but to try to turn a system not design for evaporative cooling into a chiller will consume much more water because there is nothing in place to recycle the water. He's gonna need a BIG R-O system... I think my R-O system (for drinking water only) can only output 24 gallons per day and that is when all the filters & membrane are new. |
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