Does cooling a air conditioner's outside coils with water mist really boost its efficiency?
Anyone tried this?
>>1011325
theoretically yes, however the question shouldn't be if it works or not but how much energy do you save vs the increase in your water bill
>>1011334
This. Plus the water will have sediments in it that will build up on the fins over time. Cleaning that shit off is no joke and it ruins the efficiency.
>>1011346
Another risk is waterborne illnesses. I've heard of people contracting legionnaires disease from water mist based cooling systems before.
You can try it op. It will work in theory. Just make sure the ac fan isn't blowing the mist up the side of the house and into your attic through the sophets. That mist is liquid water and will collect on whatever it touches. Moist warm surfaces are a breeding ground for mold.
I thought about trying this. I live in a desert but didn't when I realized the water would collect under my roof in an area I already had an mold problem because of perpetual shade.
Also a control circuit or wind operated valve was to diy for me.
>>1011353
Typically large buildings add a percentage of propylene glycol to their AC cooling systems, this is an antibacterial and prevents Legionaries.
>>1011325
Google something called a 'swamp cooler' then build one around your ac unit. Also note there is a reverse osmosis water filter on your pic related.
>>1011398
This right here.
Maybe you shouldn't be tampering with your A/C if you haven't the slightest clue how it works.
Maybe if you live in a really hot climate, like a desert or something, it might help a little to blow some water over the condenser, but it's probably not worth the money it would take to set up a system like in the pic.
You're not really making the system work easier, all you're doing is maybe speeding up cycle times slightly, which would only really matter if you had the a/c cranked at all times, with no shutoff limit. In reality the a/c only blows for a short while, once you reach your target temp, it shuts the whore off.
So...basically it's just a waste of time and money.
AC units are shit. They're barely rated for sitting outside, dry, in the shade.
You're better off building an awning over it. It'll last longer at least.
>>1011460
>You're better off building an awning over it. It'll last longer at least.
That has been found to have no effect on AC units. While water does help AC units, as >>1011444 said, its only used for large systems that run constantly. Like those found on the rooftops of multistory commercial builds in the city.
>>1011444
I'm going to be adding this to a window unit that pretty much runs all the time when in use. On really hot days I use it to cool my workshop but at best it keeps is down to 85 when its 110 outside.
>>1011325
>Does cooling a air conditioner's outside coils with water mist really boost its efficiency?
>Anyone tried this?
Warning: I am not an AC service person......
If your home AC is sized properly and working normally, spraying water on the condenser shouldn't be necessary.
The different parts of an HVAC system are sized to work properly together; the outside condenser is supposed to be big enough so that on the hottest days you will likely see, it will cool the inside coils close to--but not below--freezing temperature.
The reason for this is because if the inside coils go below freezing, then condensation freezes on them, blocking airflow.
...So spraying water on the outside unit might make it produce "colder", but that may not help you in the end.
>>1011398
OP and everyone else was pretty clear about this being an outside thing.
Do you think you can't catch a disease from misty swampwater just because it's outside? I walk right past my AC every day.
So I tried this today. The outside temperature was 105 and low humidity. I used one mist sprayer and made sure most of the mist was drawn into the coil by the fan. Didn't really notice the AC preforming any better than usual. Quite a bit of water collected on the motor housing which seems like a negative.
This window air conditioner unit doesn't have a drain. It seems like their idea was for condensed water to collect until the fan splashes it on the coil.
>>1011816
You need to check your vent exit temperature against your vent intake temperature. You probably can't feel a difference of 2-3 degrees with your body part after several minutes between testing. My AC guy said 20F difference or more is the goal.
>>1011325
>Physics says it has to work
>HVAC guys not sure
>Because HVAC guys never did Physics in highschool
>>1011851
more likely they aren't sure if it's worth doing for other reasons
ac units are basic heat pumps, if you don't know what the fuck a heat pump is, google it and learn something faggot.
but yea, adding misting water too the outside should lower the temperatures in more cases, with a few where it's probably a really bad idea
if you need your ac unit to do more work, get a bigger unit, yea it'll turn on and off more, but you're probably overloading the one you already have, and need one that can exchange more btus because your ass is so fat, it is starting to collapse into itself right after it goes supernova
Don't spray water on the condenser. I work on heavy industrial equipment that uses finned coolers and have seen some bad results from doing this very thing. During summer heat people would put lawn sprinklers on their finned coolers spraying up into the fins. Over time the coils turned into a brick from calcium deposits.
Besides, you're condensing unit is designed to match the a-coil inside your furnace. If you drive down the temp too low you end up with an ice maker. Your a-coil can freeze over and block air flow through it having the opposite effect you're looking for.
>>1011325
Draw your blinds during the day; check your doors/windows/floorboards for drafts and repair if necessary.
That alone will be more effective (and cheaper) than blowing water on your outdoor coils, which won't even evaporate that well if you live in the south where the humidity is already high.
>>1011460
this will actually REDUCE its efficiency, you need to have the space above the fan clear to vent the heat. An awning will create enough backpressure to significantly increase the workload of the unit and shorten its lifespan. You want a minimum of ten feet above the top of the unit (not the ground).
They are already built this way for a reason. Hose off the vanes so that they are clean, remoev any grass or leaves, make sure the top isn't blocked; it will work better then.
Furthermore, the effect of the sun heating the unit is far less than the amount of heat being pumped out through the compression cycle.
A sun directly overhead imparts 1367 watts per square meter.
Even if our compressor was 1 sq.m. in size and absorbed all 1400 watts into heating the refrigerant, the compressor is still pumping far more heat out of the house.
For example, a small 2 ton unit will remove 24,000btu/hr. 24,000/3412= 7kw of heat.
our theoretical 1sq.m. air conditioner absorbing all heat from the sun immediately overhead will still only absorb 1.4kw. House units are neither that large, nor will they absorb all the energy from the sun, nor are they always directly under the sun, but an oblique angle on the earth, making this value even more insignificant.
Putting blinds or light blocking shades in the windows during the heat of the day will keep far more heat energy from getting into the house than the small amount hitting the radiator.
>>1011325
The downsides to this proposal and these systems are much more clear. They require expensive filters to remove dissolved ions from the water to prevent calcium and lime deposition on the fins of the radiator. Anything stuck to the surface of the fins acts as an insulator at the fin and air interface and only restricts air flow.
To maximize efficiency of your unit you're far better off reducing the amount of work it needs to do.
*Install light blocking/reducing window treatments, even better if they're insulated full length curtains.
*replace filters on a regular schedule to keep the condenser clean, and reduce obstructed airflow.
*do not use air filters that your system isn't rated for such as "HEPA"
*install an automated thermostat to reduce cooling demand during unoccupied periods
*and probably the best performance is gained by simply cooling the house less than you have been and relying on low power fans to circulate the conditioned air.
>>1011325
No
/thread
>>1011353
You don't know how an air conditioner works or legionella. Condenser air are separate from indoor air. Legionella grows in water stored below a certain temperature. You could get it from running your water heater too cool then taking a shower or from a cooling tower, but not from a hose spraying on a coil.
>>1012209
Check for drafts how? Are one of the mini infrared cameras worth getting to find leaks?
>>1011851
it negatively affects the unit because it lowers the pressure in the system which if low enough will freeze your unit into a literal iceblock. AC works because of pressure temperature relationship. If your refrigerant saturation(temperature at which your refrigerant changes state) is below 32 degrees it will freeze. HVAC tech
>>1011325
Nope.
>>1011379
>Spray glycol out.
Hope you don't have anything aquatic living around you that you like. Also, glycol is used to prevent freezing, there are much much safer alternatives.
>>1011379
>>1011470
>Water sprayed over coils in large buildings.
Lel, you mean fucking cooling towers? Most large buildings have 2 separate loops for cooling the building. The actual chilled water (evaporative) loop that goes to the AHUs and other units with cooling coils from the chiller, and the condenser water to cool off the chiller that will go through a cooling tower.
>>1011851
>Oversimplifying the problem and feeling smarter for it.
Shouldn't you be designing something that catastrophically fails with people on or in it?
>>1011325
Insulate your house/room better, its more effecient and cheaper.
>>1011325
What you should do is build a room around the outdoor unit, and use a second air conditioning system to cool it. Then the first one will always be cooling the second, decreasing the stress on the unit cooling your house.
>>1011325
HVAC anon here, it does work, in the short term. to make it work long-term you need to constantly mist the unit, at which point you're spending more in water than you're saving in power. Make sure the fins on your outdoor unit are free of debris and corrosion. Don't turn on your AC, then later open your doors unnecessarily. It takes a long time to get all of the humidity out of the air in your home and deciding that it's cool enough outside to just open the windows fucks your AC efficiency, equivalent to refilling and emptying a swimming pool prior to and after swimming.
>>1011353
Ignore this idiot. He doesn't know shit.
>>1013730
other HVAC anon here. tell me how lowering your head pressure and increasing sub-cooling increases efficiency?
"If the subcooling is too high, the system will be overcharged, reducing performance, efficiency, and ultimately damaging compressor valves and start components."
most residential AC are designed for 95F ambient dry bulb and 10-15F of subcooling. more than that and you are flooding your condenser.
misting a condenser is a stop-gap measure for maintaining head pressure when something is wrong like your condenser is plug with dirt or your condenser fan has stopped working. it doesnt add efficiency.
>>1013754
Maybe they meant capacity
>>1011325
i'v done AC and commercial refrigeration to include chiller systems.
what you are describing is essentially a cooling tower, however the water that a cooling tower will use is recycled from a semi closed circuit of chemically treated water that prevents scaling and corrosion. despite treatment, the water towers are typically fitted with disposable material that are replaced when they inevitably foul. much like a swamp cooler.
in answer to your question; yes, water is more conductive to heat than air, and you would boost your condensers ability to cool refrigerant, however, you run the risk of shorting or corroding an electrical system that was meant to deal with downward flowing rain, and not multi-directional mist. you also significantly shorten the lifespan of your condenser depending on local water conditions.
too lazy to do hard numbers, but based on experience this will be way more costly to you in the long run then simply performing proper maintenance on your unit.
>>1013754
you're not an HVAC anon, your a shitty RSI student. quit now, they are wasting your money
