DIY How to Cut Electric Bill in Half: Part 5 Air Conditioning Free Ideas | Missouri Wind and Solar 

What

David Barnes it's true 220 doesn't save power on the ac but it will have a lower voltage drop across the conductors. the savings would not be significant but would be noticeable. using a heavier conductor also solves the problem. either way wouldn't cover the cost of hiring an electrician though.

If you HAVE to use the south side just put up something that will keep that puppy shaded. problem solved BAM!

That is correct “watts law”

220v appliances produce more watts with the same thickness of internal wires, have slightly higher efficiency, and requiring cheaper wire to install. He's right, they're a good choice.

That's the problem with real high humidity, lots of water in the pan. I use to live in Alabama, high, high humidity. I use to put some bleach in the pan once in awhile to kill the algae.

He needed to drill the hole up the edge of the pan rather than in the bottom, that way 1/2" of water stays in the pan, but too much overflows down the hose...

thereare4lights17 Yeah sure, now if only bleach wasn't a massive corrosive agent to eat away the coils... be smart, use a drill.

That's a pretty smart idea. I know that would work. Thanks Like to hear about heating to. Jeff

MissouriWindandSolar Lets start with least complicated. Buy downspouts and flat black spray paint, measure to fit window size, cut, paint, hang on a wire in the sun facing windows like curtains this is passive heating. If you likey can scale up and make outside solar hot air collectors and fan the hot air into the house. For your bedroom at night get Eheat uses 450 watts costs 4 cents an hour to heat the room so the rest of the unused rooms can stay at lower temps. If you have a fireplace get an insert with heat exchanger, the insert will prevent the chimney from sucking all the hot air from the house and the heat exchanger will blow hot air like a motherfucker. If you don't have a fireplace even better, you can build a rocket stove it's not rocket science easy simple cheap. The rocket stove is the most efficient way to burn wood just remember to insulate the combustion chamber with perlite the higher the temperatures the cleaner the burn, you also get a chance to incorporate thermal mass that will radiate heat over night. Cheers

MissouriWindandSolar your products are great

But Wait, There's More! Get a 48oz can of Crisco $5 and a candle wick congrats you just made a candle that will burn for 45 day OMG WTF! really. But Wait, There's More! now it's time to make some thermal mass, get a large and medium terracotta clay pot $5 bolt them together with 1 bolt, 4 washers, 2 nuts, $1. Big ass candle in the middle 3 bricks around it as the platform for the pots. This setup will radiate heat at 165F. Instead of the heat from the flame going straight to the ceiling the pots capture that shit.

Thanks for the info Brian

That mustache isn't just for looks it's a lifestyle

I run my AC at 1000 Volts ad only pay one dollar per month to run it. LOL.

Voltage E = I x R is linear not the same as Heat : H = I^2* R a parabolic. High Currents( I squared ) cause greater system (heat) losses. The length of supply wires and conversion transformers in either case matters .

More losses from Currents and resistive heating as I^2 than the Higher voltage on V = I * R on average. Watts as V*I is not the only factor of Energy use for example in Watt Hours. There is a Direct Energy Conversion and distance issue.

The water pan well fill by itself. After it runs

putheflamesou that's all they use in Europe and most of the world. All the way down to the light bulbs.

The water seems to help my ac a lot and I've been adding filtered water a few years now.

Plus; Doesn't the water interfere with the fan blades. Causing a small bit of energy loss. Then the fan motor needs more power causing more heat. All the suggestions the author makes are Fine adjustments to the efficiency. They make sense, and I suppose it would add up. But we're still talking maybe only a 1 to 2% difference over all. And really if you have to tell someone to close windows in the Air Conditioned spaces. Then they don't deserve an AC unit.

@@USSBB62 Yes, the water slinger does cause some noticable drag on the condenser fan when it contacts water. I wanted to point out that the differences in opinions presented here may also reflect local weather effects. Most of my experience comes from living in Florida, where air conditioning is typically used 8 months out of the year and the average relative humidity is 70%. To maximize unit life and efficiency, whenever I buy a new unit, I take the unit completely apart and drill drain holes, paint the condenser, evaporator, refrigerant lines, and drain pan with Rustoleum glossy black. Although a big task, it maximizes the thermal conduction of the radiators over the life of the unit. Additionally, the unit should be disassembled every few years to clean bugs and dirt/dust build up from the radiators.

Good advice less water in the pan the better

Everyone here is correct. In Florida, slinging water on something isn't going to cool it much, as the humidity is so high. So there, drilling a hole is beneficial to prolong the life of the unit. In AZ, due to the dry weather, evaporation cooling is extremely effective, and mold is not an issue, so a slinger makes sense there.

220 watt drop in power usage is really a savings over time. Good test.

MissouriWindandSolar 20% energy savings plus colder air temps. 220 Watts can run a few other things. Especially if you are running solar.

How many times you sprayed on condenser Sir? Thanks please do reply.

Thanks for watching!

These LG units are junk in my opinion. Both control panels have quit working now i have to use the remote only to work them.

D. Hansel That is all correct, thanks for the input.

heat transfer via air movement is called convection and not radiation

Im very glad you pointed that out, had you not, i would have. I believe he also said its job was to cool the compressor which of course is not true. Coils are used to remove heat, either from the existing air in the home via evaporator or the from the refrigerant line inside the condenser coil.

The water keeps coils cooler and helps indoor cooler. Every aircon from around early 90s that I came across had a rubber bung that you can fit to make run cooler. You take it out every now and then to clean the coils and drain the dirty water

That's great to hear and your welcome.

+Chaplain Dave Sparks That works. We do that at the store with our big AC unit. It's a plastic tube with misters on it. As soon as the spray comes on the temperature goes down in the store real fast on hot days.

Seel it with caulk or add some solder to the hole or go the cheap and dirty way and tape the hole. And rust will still happen when you drain it since not all of it but most will drain out when you drill it . Plus window units are the cheapest way to get air conditioning .

@@rogeliolopez2190 don't. It sounds awful.

Dammit man!!

Your welcome and thanks for taking the time to watch.

Is the a/c cooling okay ? If the humidity is low, there may be no condensate running off the condenser. Try dropping the demand temperature down to 60F or LOW for an hour or so to see if condensate forms. If so, you have low humidity or very high condenser temperature and the condensate is drying off before dripping to the tray..

you can get a port that clamps onto the line in your air conditioner and also check that it aint low on Freon. If it is you can add Freon to it just don't overfill it. I had a small unit and done this and it works real well. Also make sure you use the proper Freon.

anonov1 I don't recommend saddle valves for they are probed to leak over time. Get a qualified service tech to open a hole in the suction line and brazen in a Schafer valve to get your gauges on. And or Have service valves put in. R-22 is being phased out and it is illegal in the state of Oklahoma by EPA blah blah to set a charge to manuf. specs until the leak is repaired. The overall costs for that repair will cost more than the unit is worth...

Schrader Valve ... sorry

Tap water is poison.

Your better off buying your own stuff and picking it up yourself. Go with the larger Grade A solar panel's that are 240 watts or above because they're more power and BANG $ for your buck if you've got the roof space. Less brackets, holes in your roof etc.. You can get 4 ft X 6 ft 390 watt Grade A panel's right now for $240 each. That's less than .80 cents a watt. Ebay Renogy 12/24 vdc, 150 vdc max / 1,000 watt max MPPT Controller for $185. I've gottem on my RV and they run my AC free ALL day and 2 hrs after the sun goes down.

He is correct for modern window units for the most part. However, when he says "it will start overheating" if the tray is empty he's wrong, the unit will simply be less efficient when the tray doesn't have enough water for the fan to pick up and sling onto the coil. The A/C window unit I have is designed specifically to let the condensed water rise enough so the fan blade slings it onto the coil. This is why many manuals for multiple brands of window units say the following (which you can google): "Droplets of water hitting condenser during normal operation may cause “pinging or swishing” sounds"

You are exactly correct! He needs to go to AC school. Most of the things he suggests is totally unnecessary. Plus, what ever benefit is minuscule. A properly "sized" AC working correctly is the secret. MOST units are either too small or too large sadly. Also: IF the temperature outside is 100 degrees, the BEST MOST AC's can achieve is 80 degrees inside (based on the industry standard of 20 degrees difference outside and inside). This would feel TOO hot. And there is nothing you can do about it, UNLESS you change the unit out to a larger unit. But then a worse scenario can happen. IE: If the outside temperature is 85 to 90 degrees, the compressor will cool fine, but...you will feel cool and clammy. Reason is: the compressor does not stay on long enough to remove sufficient humidity. This is particularly true in high humidity areas. All of these maladies CAN be corrected, but sadly, it rarely happens, because the knowledge and expense forbids this ideal situation. IE: MOST AC companies simply do not have the expertise OR time to accurately rate HOW big a unit should be, etc. Even thought almost ALL will brag that they do have experts. Yeah right! If you believe that, I got some "Ocean front property" to sell you real cheap in the middle of the Sahara Dessert and I will throw in the Sphinx for free. Oh well.

The tray is to catch the condensation, it is not for cooling, this not a swamp cooler.

+transformer889 it is purposely engineered for the fan blades to sling water on the coil. Buy a new one and read the manual. They could have easily put a hole in the bottom of the try to avoid water being slung onto the coil but they instead engineered it to have the water level get high enough for the fan to pick up the condensed water.

+transformer889 but that's not to say that this guy didn't over exaggerate the necessity of water being in the tray.

Your welcome Rory Jeff

That's a very good idea. I used sun screen on my central air when i lived in Arizona. It worked great, made a huge difference. The mister is also a great idea and works well.

Thanks for your reply.

+azazazrzrzr Yeah, can't help it. She has to be around when were doing something outside. She likes to watch.

Your welcome Mary Ann.

MissouriWindandSolar how do I add water to my AC that's in the wall but not accessible on the outside Second Story on a slanted roof? Help?

Thanks Alvaro Jeff

Thank you!

but if you live somewhere like Arizona, Nevada, or New Mexico, that may not be so.

I lived in Benson Arizona for years, dry, dry air. Unless you kept water in the pan air conditioning didn't work well at all. I used a swamp cooler on my other house out there. Jeff

+R Holt Your welcome

The Deprey's Thank you guys.

That's Machete to you!

holy shit yes

He's a bad hombre...in a good way. high five.

Your welcome Matthew