It's more than reducing current. Your increasing capacity. Lowering discharge pressure reduces compression ratio which increases volumetric efficiency= increased cooling capacity. Good work on the water corrosion problem.
Your the first person I have seen on RU-vid that actually goes the extra step of explaining why you can't just plug a $10 misting system into a water hose off city water and expect the unit's condenser coil to last. A misting system would work great here where I live in Phoenix where humility is below 10% lot of the year, but our city water has extremely high TDS sometimes 500+. The condensate I have running into my pool and works great as a way to control the PH in my pool it's a plaster pool so PH is always rising when I let the AC condensate line run just enough that I don't need any acid for the entire summer plus it fills the pool.
Thanks.It's been almost 2 years working and the coil has no sign of clogging or oxidation at all.I used filtered well water before and my previous coil dissolved in 6 months despite all filtrations..So rain water works just perfect, the coil is the same.I know because I do 2x a year maintenance and exposing the coil to check.
Nice to live where you get enough rain water we do get some thunderstorms in July and August but not long enough to do much even that water is full of dust it leaves a mess on my car where you live not much dust lot of clean rain. We can run evap cooling which I'm running today it's 104.6 out 12% humidity 75F in my house. We usually turn on the AC July 4th when humidity climbs into the 20-40% range goes until first week of September.
We do get plenty of rain from June-September,but winter time in SW Florida is dry,rains once in a 2 months or so.It is getting drier past few years, so I was thinking to start collecting rain water into bigger storage.Yes Arizona is arid place, evaporative coolers works great there.Misting cooling on patio here works to some extend till high humidity is reached, but not for cooling indoors, it would be a killer humidifier.We have to run AC during winters to dehumidify sometimes.
I live in Vegas with 115+ degree summers. I really wanted it to work. At best, I saw a 150 watt power reduction and only about a 1 degree reduction of refrigerant entering the house. Work into the equation the cost of filter(s), extra maintenance, and long term damage to the coils and other parts and I found a zero net gain.
I'm not sure if it's not enough flow or what because the other day here in fairly humid central Texas it was almost 100° and I checked the current and then sprayed the coils down with water from a spray bottle and it dropped from like 8 amps to like 5 amps but that was directly on the coils not just trying to cool the air
very smart idea it should works great and informations you provided does match with other sources which said to have a destroyed condenser after using similar systems.
Excellent job. I literally had this same idea yesterday and today I find your video on you tube. Well all except the timer so it does not run at night. But I think I will incorporate that in mine also but I will just use a cheap solar sensor instead of a timer.
Thanks...I used timer because during hot nights now here in florida I set it up to mist longer after sunset.Depends where you live and yes solar sensor is excellent idea.
Photocells,great idea..Also,I recently changed those poly see through tubes,because when you live in florida,it will grow algae inside..So I changed it to black poly 1/4" tubing..and no algae clogging the mitsing nozzle..That's something I'v learned and didn't think about it when I built it..:)
Thanks.. I had mister before on old unit and used wrong water,that means any filtered city or well water..and the coil dissolved in 3 months..Using completely neutral and almost 0 TDS rain water doesn't do anything to the copper nor aluminum over 1.5 year now..All commercial units in Florida are installed on the top of the roofs exposed heavy rainy weather..Once it is used aggressive water like too acidic or salt or high TDS it will damage the metals very quickly..I'v learned the lesson..:)
Many thanks, looks good. Inspiration for an old unit I am trying to get through another month or so of high temperatures. What kind of spray nozzles did you end up using ?
I really appreciate the methodical explanation of your rationale for each component. Clearly what you have works effectively, but I'd be curious if there's some way to use the solar panel to determine when it's daytime (and the system should be on) rather than a timer. Also, could you specify the brand/sourcing of your tank and pump? The pump appears to be a typical sump pump, but the ones I've used would seem incapable of developing high enough pressure to drive misters. Thanks.
Thank you..I know what you mean.I do have solar pool filtration and no timer,just solar panels turns ON and OFF the pump with sunlight..This is a little different and I found timer as better use to regulate when to turn misting ON and OFF,because we do have some hot nights in sw florida,so I use misting sometimes into late hours when sun is already down..Coming to the tank,it is regular 250gall. aerator tank used for well water system to aerate the sulfur smell out..I don't have sulfur anymore in my well water,so it's very nice tank to use for rain water collection,but it's costly kind of I bought it at Home Depot for $280.The misting pump is ebay purchase,I don't remember the brand,you can just search typing on ebay misting pumps,, it can take up to 20 nozzles at 1000 psi if you give to it pre pressure water intake at 60 psi.I have it just as pump so no pre pressure,so it gives still enough pressure to turn water into mist.Very good for this purpose,works well. what I forgot to mention in the video is that when you use misting system,you need to charge the AC unit to correct refrigerant pressures or little more,because it may appear as starving when it comes into TXV,but definatelly it takes down amps from energy consumption and you give to compressor less work while achieving better comfort inside the house and that's all what matters..:)
MB031 Great explanation! I've been collecting rain water for many years, but use it around the garden. I like your idea of going solar too. I saw another video where the man hooked up a Rainbird regulator to the AC unit at 24Vs to control water flow. I assume the regulator unit would not operate in the heating mode. Not sure the cost to go solar seems worth it, since the regulator only draws power from a 24V source, and I believe that is DC power.
good home project. but, many large commercial cooling units (for hotels,department stores, military installations,etc) have what's called a "waterbath" to do exactly what the author demonstrates here; this is not new by any means. powerplants have long used the water baths and misters to cool some equipment during the hottest weather and peak load demand times. heavy maunfacturing uses this misting method to cool equipment and some large open bay work areas! the rain catchment and use of rain water is a great addition- keep an eye on the level!
I'd like to add, very well thought through and your message was concise and very easy to follow. Too often these videos lead you around in a circle for 30 minutes, and don't deliver half of the information, and yours was under 5 minutes. Are you an instructor by profession?
No I'm not an instructor.As you say 30 min is way too long, people don't have time or get bored if video is too long with too much bla,bla,bla and leads you nowhere, so I wrote down main thoughts and squeezed it into 5 min video. :)
You could also use a 24v solenoid to turn the pump on wired to the ac's 24v thermostat relay that goes to the outside unit. Correct? It would turn the pump on when the outside unit turns on?
Ebay and from China ordered online. Thanks.By the way it's almost 2 years working and the coil is like new..Rain water works ! It doesn't clogg nor oxidate the aluminum coil..
I wonder if u save money in the long run. Condensor parts is made of many metals and how does mother nature make rust. How long till the condenser metal is eating away because people create the best environment to make/ fuel rust. Would u do this to your car to save gas. If it works how old is the unit and how long till u half to replace a unit u just got replaced. Under its life span or over.
If you would watch the video,I said it all in it..LOL ..Besides that it's 2 years working and there is no sign of rust or oxidation of copper nor aluminum parts..You forgot that all units in Florida are exposed to high humidity and rain most of the year, they don't rust that fast.Most of them last more than 10 years outside exposed to elements..So that is the the time to replace them anyways...LOL
I made like what's in your video 20 Years ago. But problem was,2 years later lots of minerals build all over. 5 years later I replaced new condenser coil.
If you watch and listen in my video,I use filtered rain water completely free of minerals,nothing gets build up in my coil for years..Sorry,you need to use almost 0 TDS water.Yes if you use any other water, it will destroy the coil for sure.
Wonderful! You are a mad scientist haha. Curious what kind of pump you are running? How much psi does the pump need to make to allow your ten nozzels to develop a mist?
Thanks.It's a misting pump, it produces around 200psi or more, with this flow, you don't need much energy to create mist at high pressure.There are misting devices which use 50psi to create a mist.
thank you for sharing this. 2 questions : Does this help your monthly electric bill ? And since youre using rain water, do you often test the STD and pH of the rain water you catch ? Because rain water is not always the same. Thank you
Hi.This will not affect electric bill greatly,jut a little, but it will improve comfort inside the house and give compressor some extended life.Savings depends where you live and how long your AC is running.Here in Florida is a quiet savings of energy..Yes I do check rain once and then a year, it doesn't vary much, it keeps very low TDS 4-10 and pH is also almost the same around 7.
haha i typed STD ? anyways.. thank you for your quick response. It is really fascinating to see someone is really putting their efforts to do this kind of work.
Awesome video! But where did your purchase the misters and the tubing line. I may start off with some kind of fan paddle system to shut it off directly from my plumbing but could eventually change to your method. Thanks again!
Thanks. Misting nozzles and T pieces are online ebay from China.Just search on ebay you will get misting nozzles,lines and connection T pieces ,misting pumps,solar panel etc. everything...
I just ordered nozzles, tees, line and a float. I am experimenting with using a brass float upside down and possibly making a simple shutoff valve based on air flowing up from my heat pump for now. I want to get the benefits of this for the rest of the summer. Let me know if you have any suggestions with this design
Brass float is OK. But the best control is to put another small 24VAC (coil) /110VAC relay and run new wire from compressor yellow wire,it will work only if unit is ON,but it will run all the time along with unit,that's why I put timer in between to run certain hours during the day and not at night.
Thanks..I cut it and connect it,It's a push connector on every misting T.. I measured the lenght between each nozzle T piece then I attached it to the coil.
An evap mesh system around the ac unit would provide cooling, use less water, and eliminate the need for filtered water. Only cooled air would pass through the coil.
I don't know exactly, I didn't build it for saving money,I built it for better comfort inside the house..but as far as return on investment ,that depends where you live, if you live where A/C is in use all day long, probably very soon it will be paid off.
That’s gonna rust. Just pulled out a 10 year old condenser that was all rusted. Previous homeowner thought it was a good idea to let the sprinkler system spray it. That also voids warranty and your insurance.
What was the water's TDS and pH that owner used???? that is the key..Any unit rusts and oxidates after 10 years..LOL.That is a good practice to replace them after that time anyways..BTW,my unit looks like new after 2 years misting with correct water.No rust, no oxidation..
I guarantee you will be cleaning your coils A LOT more often.. since the coils are always wet, more and more dust, specially when you mow your lawn will get into your coils and stick to it even more.
Copper and aluminum don't rust, they oxidate.The coil cover is steel, but heavy coated.No signs of rust nor oxidation yet in 2 years of using this misting.That's why I use rain water, which is neutral and almost 0 TDS.
Jim Bob dude you couldn't be more wrong. This makes the unit run more efficiently and will last LONGER. Coils are made to get wet. Know what you're talking about before making a false statement
It was a solar project,so the solar system is to compensate energy for the misting pump.Anyways, the best way to go would be water source heat pump and get rid of those ugly outdoor coils !!!
re your reply, not a geothermal condensing unit, the condensing coil is one part of the condensing unit, the compressor and fan are the other major components. you can buy a water cooled coil. I wasn't busting balls. i've installed them in lots of commercial applications, and a few residential homes.you eliminate the entire condensing unit from your yard. Everything goes with the air handler or furnace if you have one. if you have metered water it runs up the water bill, if you have adequate rain water, not so much. research it and let me know what you think.☺☺
So it's a heat pump subcooling the refrigerant with water.That requires a lot of water flowing through.So I need either 2 wells or pool or lake or river.Non of those are in budget, those things are expensive with initial cost $10-20K vs. split units like this around $2K.Huge cost difference !!
Even if you add a filter, enough calcium and lime gets through the filter that your condenser will be shot in a couple of years. Trust me I know from personal experience.
Also, if you build a shed around the compressor to keep in in the shade it will work even better. 2) get a thermal camera and make sure that you are getting water evenly distributed over the hotest section on the compressor unit.
Incorrect. The misters are effective as a result of evaporation. The warmer the water, the faster it evaporates. It's not the moisture that enhances efficiency, it's the cooler air entering the unit.
The only problem with this is you're obligating yourself to cleaning the coil. No matter how well you filter the water, there will still be mineral buildup on the coil. This buildup will reduce the coil's ability to transfer heat.
Not that much as you think. I do service the unit 2x a year including cleaning the coil.Nothing but regular dust from air on it...The mist dissipates before it hits the coil,it's shooting outward.If I pour the water house on it,yes that's different story.This is just like 85-95% humid air coming through the coil..So the same as south Florida humid weather..:)
You're washing down the coil with mother natures 'Rain Water' so that won't cause a problem on your coils obviously your maintenance regime looks after the rest..
What's wrong with Goodman?? I had garbage Lennox and nothing but problems with it..LOL. Goodman may not the best AC unit,but it's affordable and do its work nicely,so far holding years without any touch and misting is saving compressors life for sure !!..So I'm happy. :)
Yes quiet bit. As I mentioned in the video.Once you cut amps to compressor,you are saving and this is making compressor work less,that means less energy consumption results lower power bill.The hotter the outside air is,the more work that compressor has to do.This is creating cooler air around the coil on the hot day...:)
MB031 I don't mean to be rude but you didn't save much of anything on your bill. Back before I understood the chemistry action inside an ac system I tried this on our dairy coolers. I even put the whole condenser in the creek. But once you understand the boiling and vaporization of freon you'll realize all the condenser needs to do is bring the temperature of the vapor down to outside air temp to liquify it after the compressor pressurizes it. That's all that needs to happen. The amount of liquid freon going through the metering device is the amount of btu the unit can carry. Lowering the condenser pressure will throw the subcooling and superheat off bad. The condenser will be flooded and the evaporator starved. In other words the pressure on the liquid lowers which decreases the flow of freon into the evaporator reducing the output of the system. Now if the system was designed for abnormal condensor temp it would work OK. Like geothermal systems do.
CC CC basically if you cut the load on the compressor the system will become less efficient. Electric motors are designed to run at a certain load for maximum efficiency. You would have to put a lower HP compressor in the system to save energy.
All commercial units installed on the roofs and are fully exposed to Florida heavy rainy weather..What rusts maybe the steel cover if doesn't have protective coating..Copper will last forever as well as aluminum quiet long outdoors .Misting with rain water won't rust the coil nor the copper piping .:) Any water high on TDS or acidic pH will cause reactions on all metals,yes..
The purpose is to reduce the temperature of the condenser, which helps the refrigerant condense faster and more efficiently resulting in your compressor and fan not running as long, which lowers your power bill.
Yeah, its just to bad that these mister systems are crap. I work in HVAC. Air conditioners and heat pumps are designs to work outdoors. Throwing water on the coil like that can destroy your coil. Not to mention, the amount of water you use will not compensate for the energy you are attempting to save. A mister system is about 85 to 100 bucks. plus the water you use adds up. Maybe you will save 20 bucks for the whole summer. Not much of an investment
smacleod69 You didn’t watch the video . Watch and listen carefully it’s all explained, no cost to operate and no coil damage, just watch it and you will comprehend why.
Be aware that a mister system like this on your AC unit is not recommended in very dusty places like Arizona. With constant dust particles flying around and specially in monsoon season the dust will cake up and muddy up your entire system to the point of breakage. A neighbor of mine had to had $3000 worth on repairs due to a DIY mister he installed on his heat exchanger thinking it was going to help the system, it did the first few weeks until the AC started to work super hard due to clogged up vents.
Thanks and hey sorry for my voice..I speak 4 languages..English is my 3rd. one..If you learn another language,surely you will sound weird to any native speakers in any country....LOL...
I'm sorry, if you are not able to understand English and not even capable to push subtitles button and can't read, then you should be the one to pay somebody to teach you English !!!
