Solar Air Conditioning Part 2
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- Опубліковано 29 чер 2015
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A video showing the installation of a 1 ton (12000 BTU) hybrid minisplit that uses both solar and 240v AC power. MAx power consumption is 800 watts. I installed 900 watts of solar on a South west facing 3/12 pitch roof to maximize the amount of cooling using solar. This is a great accessory to a solar system. - Наука та технологія
*Works so well **Fastly.Cool** that it only requires daytime operation until high temp and humidity are overnight. It is difficult to get to side filters, but back is easily accessible.*
Purchased: August 2023 - still works GREAT!I ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxxsUnXhGsSJLim_XnMHyQK0u3XVaW-CGn live in a studio and during the summer it gets scorching hot - really old building with no ac units. I can’t express how EASY it was to install. This unit has been a life savior during the summer and some days during other seasons where it can still be a bit warm at night. In this small place is my friend, a husky, poodle mix and myself. We need AC - lolI don’t use the dehumidifier option - I’m not sure if it will leak in my house, since I did not install the small draining hose that came with it. May look into it late but I don’t worry about much humidity in the apartment. I don’t understand why the negative reviews since all things mentioned, I personally did not find issues with. Definitely worth it!
Excellent, exactly down my alley for solar AC. Best AC video I've seen for the common man understanding DC solar.
Good to see you Scott. Hope things are going ok for you and yours.
This unit is just cool, no pun intended. Always need to vacuum the lines, any contaminants create acids that will destroy the compressor. I learned the trade from an engineer who worked with Carrier. Thanks for keeping us up to date.
Absolutely loving both our acdc12c and our acdc18c systems. Thank you!
can you do a quick video on all materials and equipment/tools used for this project. And also a diagram of this whole setup? thanks!
I used 12 solar panels to run two 2 ton A/C units and there was surplus power that I stored or sold to the grid. Not all solar panels are created equal, some put out far more power than others. The inverter was the week link in the system.
Best video you've done yet... love it ! and it makes so much sense to a fellow ME
For a DIY you did great I’m a HVAC tech and this is very interesting to me
I just installed a mini split and had the line set coiled like you do. An HVAC came over told me not to have it that way ( can't remember exact reason) so he cut the line and brazen them to a shorter length. Also wrapped my line set with UV resistant tape
Thank you very much for this video, this might be one of the first Hotspot video.
Neat. I would try and setup some kind of interlock between my main PV array and the panels dedicated to the AC. That way the panels could be disconnected from the AC and added to the Charge controller that services the batteries.
Funny to see this Scott. I just toured their factory in Virginia on Tuesday. They have some awesome products that are hugely innovative. I am looking to buy the chillets as well. Please let us know how they work out. Thanks for sharing.
I did see the information I requested from your link. Well done and great presentation.
ice balls I think is the most efficient way of storing cold. about 50 kWh can be stored in a one cubic meter tank which is just a super insulated tank that circulates antifreeze at about -5 C when the sun is shining and then at night chilled water can be run over the frozen "ping pong " balls.
I have one of these ACDC12 units They are awesome I have never had it pull more than 1 amp @ 240 volts so 240 watts in the summer. SEER 19 without solar, SEER 35 with solar. Heat pump functions down to -5 F. Bought it to cool an addition to the house that has no ductwork. You can even use one of these units and the fan only mode on your central ac to cool your house. But given I live in Missouri and we have swamp ass Missouri summers you will still need your central heat pump or ac.
The unit is about the same cost as a regular mini split then add the cost of your PV components so upfront cost can be about 1000 dollars more but unit cost almost nothing to use. First year I had one cooling cost dropped by 85 dollars a month for my single story 2100 sqft all electric country home. Depending on the insolation value, r value, and various other factor will determine how long it takes to pay for itself. For me 3 yrs to recover the cost of the unit. Pretty good deal.
+Matt Koster, Hi Matt, when you find time, would you please shoot a short video showing us your ACDC12 unit? Thank you
It's a really awesome
Methinks you need double pane windows to help keep the place cool. Half the battle is creating cold air. The other half of the battle is have a very insulated place.
107 outside today, 96.7 inside...so your setup looks really sweet. Enjoy!
AnnBearForFreedom That't too hot inside!!!!
AnnBearForFreedom WOW! I thought it was hot here the past few days at 90°F inside.
11pm and still 78 degrees outside.I just made a bid on an older home that has no AC at all and I have been looking at options for us and this one interests me. I am also looking at ways to make the most out of the roughly acre of land we will have to use. Love your channel.
Wow! Nearly a whole acre of "land" ? That's called a yard. A small one. Mercy
Important: keep your eye on the drip pan both for clogs and the green junk that can grow in it.
I know you are probably way ahead of me but are you going to add a few more panels to pick up the entire load?
You know you are hard core when you are collecting condensation water for re-purposing. Damn nice set up there Mister.
FDSeoul San Diego Appreciate it!
engineer775 Practical Preppers Since the roofing has the 'channels' built in...just put a rain barrel on the ground to catch. It would make collection a lot easier.
engineer775 Practical Preppers So if I were to have those panels specifically for the Air Unit so i can stay cool, .............. HOW MUCH??? ... And do you NEED batteries?
***** This unit doesn't require any batteries, only the solar panels and connected to your home's power to supplement the solar. If you want the system that runs also or solely on solar, then it's the higher BTU units.
+FDSeoul San Diego I live in southern New Mexico,, when we spit, we blow out dust.. Grin,, It is so cool to see all that condensation,,, I know it's not fun to live in, but we would have some greenery growing. Here, we have to oversize our AC units so that they don't dehumidify,,, when we are running 15% humidity, the last thing we want is to remove any of it. When I first moved here from Oregon, I thought these guys were insane,, ballpark is 450 sq ft per ton, here. that's nuts,, but then I learned why,, we want to keep our moisture,,, When I was in Oregon, if we oversized like that,, we would end up with a cool ,, damp, swamp like house... but here, if you go the normal route, that humid areas size by, we would have nose bleeds, wood cracking and all the fun stuff. So I was loving the bucket of water!!! I miss the greenery, but not the slimy wet feeling :)
Put more shade to your outdoor unit,
also use shorter pipe.
Increasing efficiency.
The aspect of a zero water filter that is different is D.I. Resin. The D.I. Resin has very little capacity, so yes does not last long.
Say your tap water is 300 ppm , ac condensate is probably 3 ppm, has some dirt maybe bacteria. The 3 ppm would be due to the metal leached from the ac unit.
If you want you can get a .5 micron carbon block filter and a 10 inch D.I. Cartridge . You will be able to make lots of zero water. I used to build a tap R.O. D.I water treatment system for labs, reef keepers lots of inexpensive zero tds water.
On tap under pressure and ready when you wanted.
Actually for excellent drinking water get an under sink RO system Home Depot , Lowe’s typical tds reduction is 90% .
So 300 becomes 30, add a D.I. Cartridge get 0 tds water.
Does this unit have a timer on it? I'd be very interested in only letting it run when there's enough solar... I understand it needs 220v, but I'd love "some" way to restrict the snot out of 220v power draw.
Love your videos mate. Very inspiring :)
Indeed
this is interesting, so for 800w solar, I can run this completely without grid though?
Just a few questions, if you have checked, how hard is it to get parts for the A/C? How many electronic boards are in that unit? Have you looked up the cost of replacing any of the electronic cards in these newer style units? Thanks
Thank you for sharing!
hi there i need some help please...how to buy the right one for me air conditionar...thanks
Very nice. One of my future project. Is the solar dc directly connected to the condenser outside? I assumed I can supply my dc via my battery bank?
This could do my entire Condo - provided we had sun - even if it cut the bill in half I'd be stoked
Pretty kool but I'm thinking having your outside unit on the west side isn't as efficient as the east ( shaded side) side.
Do you absolutely have to have the Grid? Or can you just add another panel or so to make up that extra 90 Watts?
Awesome job. I have a whole house with minisplits I installed. Cheapest electric bills I have ever seen. These units use PVE oil which does not turn acidic with moisture. The evacuation is important but not as critical as poe oil in split system ducted 410a units.
This really interests me. It seems like this is a great way to have solar pay for itself quickly. Am I wrong? Or is the mini split AC unit significantly more expensive?
engineer775,, great install, I love ductless mini splits,, I have never used the solar units,, I will have to try one on my place,,, :) Oh, fyi,, in the future installs, cut the loops out of your lineset,, it helps keep oil that lubes your compressor, from being trapped. If your outdoor unit sets allot higher than the indoor unit,, then depending on manufactures specs, they may have you install a trap, to help get your oil return, back up to the outdoor unit. But you have done an awesome job,,, great video!! Thank you !! LOL, I know, I know,, whiny HVAC guys. Grin.
I like my 48volt DC unit.
If you place the inside unit higher closer to the peak of the room... I believe that would be able to remove more heat from the room.. just a theory.
good job... awesome ideas from awesome people... :)
so do you do home installs?
how much?
I did not do any research but does this unit only produce ac or does it produce heat and ac? If not, are you aware of a hybrid solar powered hvac system with a battery back up option that can be plugged in as well to run on grid power?
Have you thought about ways to capture the solar energy from the panels when the mini split is off? For example, when the mini split is off, a charge controller is taking the solar energy being produced to charge batteries then inverted to power a frdige for example, but as soon as the mini split unit kicks on, a relay switches the solar energy to the mini split.
I should add, I just bought and installed the acdc12c and am trying to consider the question above.
Did you figure it out?
Looks real good....BUT the indoor unit is too close to the ceiling. The closes I have found is about 12 inches from the ceiling. What about the cleaning...can you lift the front panel to clean without hitting the ceiling?
Might be more efficient with the compressor on the north cool side of the structure.
I love the videos. I am new to alot of this stuff and I was wondering, Could you have added another solar panel and not need the 80-90 watts from the grid?
The loop that you have in the line set will trap oil and could harm the unit. Voids warranty too.
Great looking hybrid unit. Will that unit work if the utility power goes out?
I like this a lot. I build Monolithic domes, and one ton of AC will easily cool 1,000sf of living area in a dome. I know the average is 333sf per ton in conventional construction.
I do have a question though....one ton of AC is 12,000 BTU's and there are 3.4 BTU's per watt, so one ton of AC is equal to 3,516 watts.
I do realize that the one ton is over a 24 hour time frame. For those who don't know, AC units are rated in tons, and that goes way back to when AC was not used in homes, but used to make ice for ice makers when we had ice boxes for food. The ice makers needed to know how much water a unit would freeze into ice in a 24 hour time frame. Since ice was and still is sold by the pound, AC was naturally rated in tons. One ton is 250 gallons of water or 33.333 cubic feet of ice.
Now if we do the math, that means we should only be running around 150 watts and hour to run one ton AC unit, but we know that's not the case, so can you explain that to me please and correct me where I'm wrong.
I'm guessing it's just that inefficient of a process of removing heat to make it cold?
You are confusing btu with btu per hour. A one ton AC unit moves 12000 btu/hr which as you point out is over 3500 watts. He is moving that 3500 watts using 800 watts of electricity which seems pretty efficient to me.
@@seanlyman4049 also, don't forget to factor in the coefficient of performance, and the seer rating.
@@ricknye4590 coefficient of performance is just a way to express how much heat is moved compared to how much energy it takes to move that heat. So in this case 3500/800 which means he is achieving a COP of over 4. Using free energy from the sun this pretty good.
Hey Engnr775 love you videos!
Have been curious about your thoughts on tesla power wall? Could you comment on it in an upcoming video? Just give your overall thoughts?
Hi, how many watts of solar panel were you using to run the ac? Did you use a power inverter too? Thanks
How is the chiller project going any vids on that?
One word: SWEET!
HI HOW ARE YOU
Please HOW much all the kite ?
Can this unit really work in a place without electricity? only with solar energy?
Could you advise how many btu the a/c’s that are available are .?
Awesome! Love the collection of condensation idea. Have a question plz.... I just bought an rv and am going to have a full solar system installed (as soon as I find someone to install it that is.... No men in my life at the moment and I'm lost on this stuff) do you have recommendations? Type, how many Panels, batteries, anything I should know and consider?
tamib711 I also have recently purchased a RV and would like to convert it to solar. I am currently camping in SE Fla. any suggestions or advice will be greatly appreciated. Tnx. 🍀
I did the GoSolar Calculator, because it recommends a kit. Then I went to ExploristLife and he has wiring diagrams and a parts list.
How did it work out?
get that vac down to 500microns or below if using 410A. it needs to hold for 20 min or longer.
This is also a very viable system for non-grid down use. For much of the Southern USA, air conditioning is a major electricity load and expense. Installing some of these units should be able to handle the cooling load of most places. I would also think the payback on the upfront investment would be rather short too.
Can it be use in an insulated panel to preserve Fruits and Vegetables?
Why did the leave copper lines coiled up like that ?
Have you had any oil return problems ?
Alex G I was thinking the same thing, I bought a flaring tool set and I cut my line set and flared them to the proper length.
Condensate water can used as battery water (acid batteries)
how many solar penal are required and what is the price of air conditioner
Would a 4-12 pitch be OK in Minnesota too.
Is this still working well? Also, so there's one compressor, and that runs on DC, and the alternating current is inverted for that? Thanks again for filming this. Did you do your absorption chiller project?
it is working great a year later. the chiller project is going great. videos this week.
Thanks--looking forward to them.
@@engineer775 how much this unit
OMG! Why is EVERYONE not using these?!?!?!?! These should be all over the news!
This new model is even better... www.practicalpreppers.com/heating-solutions/ac-dc12-solar-ac-detail-view
I would look in to a company call drinkable air for a water source that does safely n drinkable
with out batteries this can work pleaz update me
Good job i love it.
Here's a question about solar power in general. What can you do long term, or what plans should you have when your batteries from your solar power system die in a SHTF world?
ij saenz While not being an expert (and interested if my knowledge is still fairly up to date, so hoping on an answer from engineer775 Practical Preppers as well). From my understanding solar power has a 'design lifetime' of roughly 25-30y. This means that a system will output the designed amount of Watts for that time period. After this time the solar panels aren't going to break by themselves, but they are going to continue to produce power, just at a less efficient rate (so these 3 panels (900W output now) will produce roughly 800W in 25y, in 40y they might produce 500W still, and in 60y maybe 100W). While my knowledge is outdated, from when I learned about solar the actual 'life time' of a solar panel was yet to be determined (and it may still be), aka, the first panels still produce power, be it less efficient...
The lifetime of an inverter (was when I got the knowledge) roughly 10-12y, so for the entire 'Designed lifetime' you would go through roughly 2 to 3 converters. I do not know the lifetimes of batteries unfortunately, a quick internet search gives me 4-6y up to 10 depending on use...
So now it depends on what kind of use you design your whole home system for, and the amount of time you want to be prepared for. Going with the lifetimes, having a spare inverter and a spare battery pack 'stored/prepped' will give you a 20y lifetime. Which is well within the 'design lifetime' of a system...
When you want to surpass that, your options get more limited (as far as usable power goes). But I would advice you to look into 24 or 48 Watt equipment (mostly for offered for trucks on lighter plugs - like small fridges, coffee makers radios and what not). The most important factor there is the amount of time you want those things to run, as that will determine the size of your battery bank, but obviously these things are less consumptive as opposed to the normal house equipment ...
When it comes to a long long term prep, there is no substitute to learning to live like they did 80y ago, or even longer ago... We managed to do so for millennia, with out any power what so ever, so don't think the world will end when the power stops, it will just be a 'setback' to different times... Consult with your grandparents, and learn what you can...
Dutch Courage
Thank you for your answers, good info. I do agree that a person should be self reliant even from electricity, and a video on this would be great, to see what plans engineer775 has.
+ij saenz Battery life all depends on the type of batteries and how much you discharge them (Depth of Discharge). For example, www.solar-electric.com/lib/wind-sun/Crown-CR-235-specs.pdf, on these Crown Deep Cycle Flooded Lead Acid 6 Volt 235 Amp hour (20hour rating) batteries, if you discharge them to 40% Depth of Discharge (60% charge left) the battery is rated to last around 1500 cycles. So if you build a battery bank with so little capacity that you use 40% of your batteries when the sun is not shinning, then you will get about 1500 days or 4 years out of your batteries, if maintained properly. However, that is only in a complete off grid system. If you are on grid then the batteries will last 15-20 years if you maintain them properly and dont drain them down below 50%.
People will sweat and stink in a Shtf situation. Baths will be few and far between, unless you live near a pond lake or river. AC will be a luxury that few will have. They won't enjoy it long, because the zombies will kill them and enjoy all their hard work. And by zombies I mean all the welfare leeches who's checks have stopped coming. Everybody will be hunting for food and defending their little acreage. Hopefully all the decent folks will be fully stocked with food and ammo. It would be a shame if the two legged vermin actually rule the new earth after the fall. It's a great experiment to run ac off of solar, but it won't be a thing most people have in the post civilized world. Get ready for Mad Max meets The Walking Dead ;-)
Nickel-iron batteries are supposed to last virtually forever, although their charge efficiency may be somewhat less.
can any ac unit be installed to solar. i have the same a/c as you have.. im hooked up to electric .but id like to change to solar
cathy gassien I think he installed a HotSpotEnergy air conditioning unit:
www.hotspotenergy.com/solar-air-conditioner/
These special units can work directly from either AC or DC.
Regular air conditioning units are usually grid tied and only work with AC (alternating current).
His unit can work with either DC (direct current) or AC electricity, and, furthermore, it can work directly from the DC electricity produced from the solar panels during the day without the need for an inverter. At night, however, it can work with AC (alternating current) electricity from the grid.
The benefit is that the AC unit works harder in a poorly insulated room during the day, and he can save money by providing solar energy to run the unit.
At night less space conditioning energy is required, and he can run the unit with grid energy.
Keep in mind that this works well for one air conditioning unit and perhaps two; however, if you required more (from a cost perspective), you might want to install an inverter, and this could be a different type of installation.
Again the driving force for purchasing these units is based on need, and your particular needs will determine the type of installation required.
Hi, Where can I purchase one of these ?
Are they 24v panels?
Very Cool!!! Get it....nevermind. Great video.
***** I think I get it. :)
lol
I've installed tons of mini splits where I work...too bad they don't make more then a 1 ton for solar.
They just came out with an 18,000 BTU model.
as a hvac professional I wouldn't try to drink condensate water from the units ...
+Joel Dill lol,,, cooking grease, dead skin cells, perfume,, and,,,,, well, I'll stop there, Grin. But in a pinch, process it or here, I would love to be able to water my garden,,, but, very true and funny. Anyone who has had to clean coils everyday, specially in a home full of heavy smokers,,, it actually helped me stop smoking, lol
+Joel Dill If I did most of the install myself and then just hired a hvac tech to deal with the copper lines and flaring, and check for leaks, how much do you think it would cost? The unit itself is cheap, but seems like the install is where most of the cost is.
Jerry Moody I completely understand your opinion on the greed of contractors. I own a small HVAC company, and service is the bread and butter . Installs are often large checks, but they take several days, and expenses acrue every day.
I always accept diy installs of these units. And I will happily give free telephone advice on solutions, or such.
Look in the installation manual for the accepted line set procedure. It requires tools most do not have beyond a vacuum pump.
what i can buy one of this
Good stuff....
What it take to run it entirely off of solar?
Question? As you know in RV's there are refrigerators that work off a heat source. Is there or would it be possible to create an A/C system would work off the solar heat and solar electrical panels? The heat would start the expansion of the refrigerant and the D C would drive the blowers to move the air.
oldpukindog try researching propane refrigerators because you have something there if coupled to evacuated tube solar collectors and work really well but propane refrigerators are really expensive
jonathan nonya
Yes that's why I brought this up the propane frig we had in a camper a while back would work on a hot day with nothing turned on. I think the only thing that holds them back is that they work with Ammonia. Witch can be dangerous. I have not seen anybody that makes a system for this application. I wish I had the technical ability to build one my self. Can you imagine the cost savings of not needing to run a compressor. And the hotter the day the better it would work. Yes the price would be high but the long run in savings would pay off. Well that's what I was thinking just wanted to see if anyone would brain storm the idea...
The ammonia is in a sealed system so its not that dangerous as long as its not overheated. but instead of using a small flame it would be easy to use a hybrid system with evacuated tube solar collectors, and photo voltaic panels as the heat sources for day and night time. if you can have a large enough system you would be able to run other things along with the fridge, still having minimal amp draw on your battery bank.
Like say I don't think I could do one my self. I just read that they switched from ammonia because of safety reasons. For all I know they switched because it was to efficient. So someone was not making enough money.
@@oldpukindog actually the efficiency of those refrigerators is quite low
how much watts you can produce each panel ??
Where can I buy this system?
Are you aware that if the roof sheeting are white it would yr home would be cooler,I don't overstand why you cannot get white roofing from the general store
I am living in a tropical Country with lots of SUN and with one of the most Expensive Electricity rates in the world. I want to make an OFF-Grid 1.5 HP (3800 BTU) Air conditioning WITHOUT/NO Battery. Just to make the room cool during day and also will help the other air conditioner ON-Grid will be eased at Night. Is it feasible?
its possible, we have such product which run only by sun without battery. contact me by whatsapp: +8613906101733
If I for instance needed 24000BTU for my house, could I use 2 of the 1 ton units, or do I need to get a 2 ton unit?
You could get two units.. Standard Ductless systems can allow you to have multiple indoor units for every out door unit. That does not look possible for this brand. So you would need two whole systems. No pricing I could find on Hots spots website. Think I will have to call them this week.
Did you eventually get them?
That condensate is very mineral free, excellent quality for many uses. Drinking ? I would use a one micron coconut carbon filter and a DI cartridge. Then you have awesome quality water. Give a zero water filter a run for its money.
Problem with zero water is that filters go bad on about 3 weeks
Reverse osmosis w/ 1 micron filter Bob's your uncle
Does this unit actually cool this entire house?
What would it take to operate this unit completely off grid? I am sure It would require many batteries to keep going through the night. I am thinking maybe wire in a wind turbine power generator along with the solar panels
If that worked, you wouldn't need the solar.
Major expense.
Most people don't get near enough wind to be viable
LOL @ "Butyl Sticky Something or other"
Why you placed the aircond box in the sun?
Hi just wondering how the solar mini split is working today?
Same here, I've had my 12000 btu setup at my home for 9 mths now and 2 18000 btu setup at 2 other locations.
They've been working fine since
very nice video, but our solar ac can drops grid power to 0W. Even without grid, it still work only connected with solar panel.
What is your system? Where can we see?
Im a lil confused whats the purpose of it having to use 220v if its solar i have 960 watts of solar was thinking about buying a system like that
Check out the ZamnaClimate solar hybrid version. They run directly off solar panels and comes in sizes 12000, 18000 & 24000 btu
Are you still happy with the air conditioner? Any problems?
How much is the start up Voltage?
1 ton or 12000 btu split AC usually gets around 1100 watts how do you get 900 watts ?
It's probably like every other electronic device it's underrated
What's the cost on a system like this?
Great Videos but you don t ever show how to install?
good job