Cut Electric Bill in Half | Central Air Conditioner Cool n Save | Missouri Wind and Solar 

Lots of Pros commenting but here’s my amateur experience... I lived in a rental house that had the AC Unit in direct sun light all day long. I bough a misting system from Home Depot and wrapped the AC unit and used it on 95+ degree days. With a infrared thermometer I read 60+ degree air coming out of my vents before misting, after misting I was seeing a steady 50 or less degrees. Metering the power I also notice about 8 less amps being drawn during the same parts of the day. This also reflected on my PG&E bill! I did have a calcium filter in line and I cleaned the coils with Web Coil cleaner once a month and never had any issues. Water usage what negligible.

I have basically the same set up. I have my wife stand outside all day in the hot sun with a garden hose. When the ac kicks on, the old gal starts spraying the ac. Really makes my days more enjoyable watching television in some cold air conditioning.

I used to live in a mobile home with central air conditioning. The unit was only a year old, it was the correct sized unit for the number of square feet we were trying to cool, but my electric bill was outrageous so I got one of those old-time oscillating sprinklers out hooked it to my garden hose and set the direction of the sprinkler to where it would only sprinkle to one side of it . I then placed it about 2 feet away from the central air unit and turned on the water just enough to sprinkle water on the a/c. My neighbors thought I was nuts but I came home the next night from work and noticed my neighbor was doing the same thing to her a/c. She told me it was cooler inside her home by at least 10 degrees and by the end of that week I was amazed at how many people had a sprinkler on their a/c even the ones who had only a window unit. My next electric bill was a third lower than the previous month but it really made no difference in my water bill so this system or however you choose to run a small amount of water over your a/c, it really makes a big difference.

Lmfao.."that compressor is running better already". ITS A MIRACLE!

The chimes made this an deep emotional experience for me. Hehehe. Teasing. Great video!

"Action" Lol. I love it when people like you have some one helping with the filming. Thanks to both of you for such a great tape.

I am an air conditioning repair man. I can tell you that this will absolutely work as he says it will. The only thing to be aware of is what kind of water quality you have. If it is very hard water you may get some build up. Just something to be aware of and watch for.

Thank you Jeff that was a real good demonstration and made to look real simple and easy. I will be getting one for sure.👍👍👍

I LOVE your yard. It looks just right.

I have used this system and another one basically the same for over five years at two houses and one rental in Vegas... no problems...saved a lot of money...and the guys that service my units yearly during this five yea period have told me The systems are working just like the manufacturers warranty. These systems are simple, basic and easy to install and maintain.

Thanks for keeping me in the business !

Really enjoying the sound of your wind chymes.

HA that wind switch/valve is great. I've always just had to hook them up direct in the past.

When did Richard Petty become an hvac tech

I think you can also provide shade over the air conditioning unit. That will also help cool down the air conditioner.

Man, I love the sounds of those wind chimes

I had a system hooked up to my city water line. Water is chlorinated. Didn't take long to see the corrosion starting. I took off mister, cleaned coils and then spray painted the cooling fins. Fortunately I was able to save them. Building a barrier to shield from the direct rays of the sun is absolutely the best way to go.

“I picked up a product the other day.... well actually a year ago” hahahahaha love it

I Always Thought about doing that!! Nice to see a company made that system.

Jeff we really appreciate you!

The calcium filter and having it as an easy kit is genius! Great idea!

The dog just walked by like this my yard lol

gotta love thermodynamics!!!

It never ceased to amaze me that as I drove down Highway 50 in Sacramento, CA and looked out across the rooftops and saw all the A/C units ON TO ROOF of buildings and houses. The HOTEST PLACE on the property. I would just shake my head. BTW, a sun shade over the top would help as well.

Absolutely works, Get a water filter because the small offices will clog up one at at time.

If I close my eyes and listen to him talk he sounds like Bob Ross. " Just a happy little tree right there" Great info thanks.

Thank you so much. You always have the best tips.

We just run our CA from around 5 or 6 pm until 7:00 am when there is no blistering sun and the outdoor moisture is higher. During that period, our utility charges for electric is 50% less than during the day. From operating our CA during those hours, I suspect that it is running far more efficiently and the entire house being very cool by morning, we are quite comfortable during the morning and early afternoon hours without having to run the CA. One extra benefit is that we can sleep better at night with the overall temperature being in the mid 60's F.

Ha! I was doing this nearly 20 years ago, on data center condensers to boost performance when one would go down.

made my own with pvc pipe and patio misters and a refrigerator water valve connected to the ac wiring, include a nice water filter and its been great since, especially when we hit 115+F

Thank you so much. My electricity bill is so high, and came across you video, it is so helpful. I am go get one immediately. The video is very clear, good quality and easy to understand.

Interesting product - glad to see they addressed calcium buildup. Am not sure it will work on a Trane XV20I as it has a diffuser top with 4 air exits.

how cute is your dog though?!! minute 8:10 loved it! :))))

Cool idea thanks! Also, if you can locate your outside unit in a shady area, this helps a bunch. If your unit is in the sun, you can build a little wooden fence for a sunshade.

Great straight forward video. Thanks!

Bought one with the link provided. Hope it reduces the operating costs of my older units

This is an interesting concept. I have never tried this product, but I did construct something similar at my home a few years ago using misters I found at Lowes. I did this for the purpose of testing the concept. I'm an HVAC engineer with some experience with HVAC system testing. I have access to a calibrated, high precision temperature and humidity meter/logger similar to the VAISALA model HM70 which has an accuracy of 0.36 deg F and a resolution of 0.1 deg F. One weekend I decided to connect 2 misters to a water hose and place them about 4 feet from the condenser coil. I set them up on opposing sides of the condensing unit and pointed them so that they were not directly misting on the condenser coil. I placed my temperature sensor inside one of my ceiling diffusers and started logging the supply air temperature. I live in north Texas, and the outdoor temperature during my test was in the upper 90's F. I set my thermostat to a low setting in order to keep the system running continuously during my test. To my amazement each time I turned on the misters the supply air temperature increased slightly. I was dumbfounded. I expected the supply temperature to decrease as cooler air moved across the condenser coil. But this was not the case. If the supply air temperature increases then the system will run longer and use more energy. I didn't go any further with my testing, and I never determined why the system appeared to loose cooling capacity using the misters. I spoke to several of my fellow engineers. We surmised, as one possibility, that the loss of capacity may be a result of a wetted condenser coil, a coil that was not designed to be wet to attain full capacity. This coupled with a propeller type condenser fan, with very limited static pressure and a relatively flat fan curve, likely resulted in a significant reduction in total airflow across the coil and hence a reduction in cooling capacity. I would like to find out if this Mist-N-Save product does something different and actually reduces my energy consumption. Is published performance data available? Thanks!

From a HVAC Techs point of view. It’s a great idea. But you have to hope that that coil never gets calcium on it or it’s in big trouble. But if you put an Amp meter on the compressor the Amps drop big time if you spray the coil with water. Over all I like this product. But I can’t stress enough make sure that water has it’s minerals removed. I took a class years ago with Trane and they talked about doing this and it will save you a lot of money on your electric bill. And yes it will make the unit last longer because it won’t run as hard to remove heat.

awesome product and great idea thank you for making this video

Best invention I have seen in a long time.

raising the unit off the ground is another great idea, on the roof or on a stand works also, like someone pointed out, insulating the lines would help also if calcium buildup is a problem then using distilled water might solve that problem

The idea is perfectly good. The condenser gets hot and as the water hits the coils it evaporates absorbing heat from the coils. Probably doesn't work as well on really humid days. A finer mist would work just as well and use a bit less water...

I like the awesome chime background music

I just love that little dog, he's a keeper.

No matter how soft the water is you will wind up with radiator fins full of mineral deposits which are a pain to get off of aluminum fins. Been there and done that, never again.

One thing I see his units way out in sun best to locate the unit in shade as much as possible without blocking air flow provably help as much often wondered about commercial units on black roofs .

I made the mistake of trying to watch your video late at night and those damn chimes of yours kept lulling me into a peaceful sleep. Had to restart the video over and over.... haha

Great content. Thanks!

It took some time but misting your roof will go a long way in helping your bill out as well; I don't do that anymore now that I have a metal roof but I extended three quarter PVC around my home and did the exact same thing with a solenoid valve and misting timer system and put in water loving plants like elephant ears. Today, I have the Time Demand rate and I do not run that AC unit during the hottest time of the day and you mentioned Ed Begley Jr and I talked to him about energy efficiency being the better option for those of us who can't afford solar panels but can do everything to save energy and it being the more cheaper way to go. I have trees all the way around my house and I can't justify cutting them down for a payoff that will at least take 15 to 20 years to break even. For those of you who don't have metal but have asphalt shingles; misting is an excellent way to reduce the heat that conducts into your home; one gallon of water will remove 7850 BTUs of heat once it evaporates. Misting does work on AC coils; totally agree, but I chose the irrigation hardware to go about doing it. Kewl beans what you did though!

Build a simple slanted roof shade device similar to a carport on poles. Shade extends AC life keeping it MUCH cooler.

You have a great voice. Thanks for the info!

This works great. I do it on my car using water from aircon dripping into container. Windscreen washer pump spraying 2 misting jets

But then the unit is gonna get wet oh no!!!!!!😂😂 lol. I am on my way to buy one of these right now! Thank you!

Evaporative cooling! Brilliant man!

25 year refrigeration service tech here. No doubt that this system works. I have a custom built set up that I use in the event of a condenser fan motor failure. Damage to condenser coils is negligible with proper preventive maintenance. “Coil shield” chemicals can be used during maintenance if it is a concern. However, I would stress to use this type of system only under heavy heat load. If you get “greedy” and try to use it on cooler days, the refrigerant pressure will drop to low and cause all kinds of problems to include potential compressor failure. Ideally, this type of system should have a pressure control that shuts off water when refrigerant head pressure drops to unsafe levels.

Of course this works here in humid south florida. By effectively lowering the high side pressure, the system cools much faster and earlier. Thanks Mo

These actually do work, and very well. We had a condenser fan fail on a skid house on a drilling rig. We couldn't get a new fan motor for it right away, so we set up a water hose with a really fine spray that landed on the condenser coil. It only took a few gallons and barely leak coming out of the end of the hose, but the air conditioner never stalled out or shut off on high pressure. A metal skid house in the middle of Texas in the summer out on an oil field is a living hell without air conditioning.

Keeping your condenser in the shade, either in a shaded location during initial installation, or by building some sort of roof or wall to keep it shaded, will help immensely too. (as long as neither obstructs the airflow through the machine) That and this water mister will do wonders for your electrical costs.

pretty ingenious, i had no idea these were a thing

I could build the same system using flower bed misters. Thanks for the idea, I already have everything I need to build this.

The idea is sound, virtually every window unit's condenser fan sprays condensate water onto the condenser coils. You could capture condensate from the evaporater and rig a solar powered pump to run the mister. Solves the calcium, ph, and water usage issues

It does work very well. The only drawback is that it rots the aluminum fins over a period of time

cant forget not to slug a compressor eitther if you dont have an acumulator in line in the condensing unit that is ,,,,,just saying ,,,i remember that in hvac school ,,,,,thanks for sharing over all good idea it does work i do mine in florida when i am outside ill spray my condenser coils a little i never did take a compressor amp reading as i was doing that ,,,it would explain more of this also ,,,

Thanks will give it a try

You can get a bigger filter for the hose. You can buy them on Amazon for like 10 bucks

Do not use this if you have hard water. I tried this in Oklahoma (water here shouldn't be drank without filtering) and my condenser was corroded within one summer. It cost me a new unit.

Jeff, this worked for you, on a sunny afternoon! You had time to do this. I will just call the Air Conditioner Man for $60.00 to clean it!! 👀

good video it might just be me but that set of wind chimes has a peaceful zen like quality

Great idea as long as you have a low relative humidity and you're using some relatively clean water. The evaporative energy in water is nothing short of magic.

If water cooling works, use an evap drip mesh method around the unit and you won't need to filter the water. The mesh will have to be replaced when it fills with deposits. Air can easily flow through the mesh.

I build my own precoolers that prevent any mineral build up, providing a delta t of 17 - 19 degrees. Running the pump is a wash & then some. The older & less efficient your unit is the greater the effect.

The front of my home faces the south sun all the time the unit is in the back always in the shade and I clean it every year I have had it for 17 years now with no problems.

This really is a great way to extend the compressors lifetime and get the airtime down faster inside!

The biggest problem is that it rots your condenser coil. The calcium in the water will plate up the fins

superb way to corrode your condenser coil/fins!

Thank you Jeff

I used to spray my air conditioners all the time. I learned later, from the Crane Air conditioner site, that ants use the copper lines for pathways, and put down formic acid to mark them, which eats pin holes into the copper metal lines. So washing your lines once a month or more, might be a good idea anyway.

im guessing if you put it in the shade it would work even better.

Thank you Jeff.

Love the way your dog brought his bone over with him to watch dad make a video.

“the other day......well, actually a year ago..” 😂

It's nice to see Richard Petty is staying busy.

I've been doing this for several years and now am planning a water cooled ac unit using closed loop geothermal.

My 4 ton AC system has been running for 29 years with only changing out a $35 evap. fan motor in 2007 which I changed myself. The system sits on the east side of my home, in the corner of my home/garage where the garage extends about 6 feet on the south side, giving shade to the coils starting around noon. The other factor is the valley between the home and garage that dumps rainwater directly into the AC unit, (which rains only about 5-10 times a year since we live in the hottest part of Arizona.) In the summer we have hit temps averaging around 115 degrees and the AC works well even when the rain dumps directly into the AC unit, and like I said I've only changed the fan unit which took about 1 hour, and I am no AC mechanic, just handy with some tools and common sense. Oh yea, I did have to add about 2 lbs. of R-22 refrigerant in 2017 since I forgot to run the system a couple of times in the winter to keep the seals working. It's always a good idea to run your system once a month or 2 in the off season. This also applies to vehicles as well to keep from losing refrigerant. The "mineral salts" in hard water are corrosive to metals, especially to the thin aluminum walls of AC coils and you'll need more than a calcium filter to keep from having problems. The only way these "spray systems" can work without harming the coils, would be to use distilled water, which can get expensive at $1 to $1.50 per gallon.

Ways to save on a/c costs. #1 Make sure your condenser coil is clean outside. If the coil is dirty the hotter it gets outside the less efficient the Condenser becomes and won't release the heat from the refrigerant and will run longer / hard on the equipment. Turn off unit and clean off with water hose. #2 make sure it's well ventilated , no bushes or plants blocking the airflow from going across the Condenser coil outside. #3 the bigger insulated (suction line) copper line on the outside unit should be nice cold and sweating. If not could be low on refrigerant charge. So there's a leak or possibly it was never charged right.

I have a geothermal heat pump which runs well water over the coils and after 13 years it has no problems from calcification. I guess it depends on how hard your water is where you live.

When my neighbors' AC was overheating I hooked up a dripping hose for them. That allowed it to keep going until they could get a new unit installed.

Thank you King Richard!

Misters DO work. Whether there is calcium build up depends on your water. What I do is the following: I mix a 50/50 vinegar and water in a 5 gal pump sprayer. I spray all the coils with the mix. Sit for a minute then rinse off with water only. I do this twice a year.

the best way to save energy is to keep the condenser coil clean, just wash it once a year and you are good to go.

Great vid!

I live in the Central Valley of California where it gets very hot for extended periods of time. (But it's a DRY heat.) This year ('18) was exceptionally bad- well above 100* for over three weeks. On occasion I will take the garden hose and mist/cool the condenser, particularly in the late afternoon when the sun shines directly on the condenser unit. I do this until the exhaust air blown out of the top turns from hot to cool. I'm a little concerned about calcium build up. Any recommendations for cleaning the coils?

I would assume the minerals in the water will build up on the coils as the water evaporates. Also while playing with the cooling systems in refrigeration school that little flapper creates enough resistance to raise your head pressures so you’d really need to test this with gauges both ways

Actually, it brings down the condenser coil temperature, which in turn results in a lower evaporator core temperature. Thus, the air coming out of your vents is cooler for the same amount of work down by the compressor. I built an evaporative cooler shroud around my unit in Las Vegas. No mist, so no calcium buildup, at least not on the coils. But definitely a 26% reduction in my electric bill, which paid for my efforts in 2 years, then kept putting money in my pocket ever after. Made the A/C more effective, too, so it cooled the house down faster in the evening, as well.

Just awesome

Think I'll start by shading my unit. I painted it white to reflex the sun a bit. Will also try the mister but with the filter, keep seeing comments about corrosion so it makes sence.

How about putting an small 6' high tarp to "perm shade" the condenser unit, and making it 20° cooler?

I installed a heat recovery system on my unit. It uses the heat from the compressor to heat the water in my water heater. My AC has been making hot water all summer. As i use hot water the temp cools the refrigerant down and heats up the water.

I'm built my own I went to Granger and got a valve sort of like a toilet valve but it works in Reverse just like the paddle put the mister on but thanks to a lot of people out there with the comments I've learned that I should watch out for the mineral deposits so I recommend you use either CLR or lime away on a regular basis to keep them clear if you do it quite often regular white vinegar spray should help it's very cheap and maintenance is always an issue on anything mechanical or electrical specially in AC unit

Question, if you bought one last year and using in the store for a year, why have you not already got a hose bib run by now at home and not already using one at home? Water coming through the hose at my house gets awfully hot, and if it's only using a gallon or even 2 gallons a day, it will be using hot water?