I ran a Thermo King reefer for many years. There are dependable and reliable, they have to be because of the perishable cargo. Using one to cool your building is a great repurpose and genius solution for your purpose.
I love that big Euclid radiator. I would like to say you have made something whose mere visage and presence I would enjoy. It's well decorated basically. Like to me it's as pretty and wonderful to be around as the more beautifully made steam radiotors for rich people in the 1900's
For close to thirty years, I was convinced that a reefer unit would make the optimal cooling system for a work shop. Having seen your system in an actual operating setup, my theory has been proven. Thank you for confirming my hypothesis correct. Really nice job.
Went looking to see if anyone else is doing this and sure enough lol. I have a S600 on my 50x75 shop and it works great . Cool to see im not the only crazy person
I've had plans on doing this very thing for years. Just never got around to it. I worked in the tractor trailer industry for years myself. Seeing this has rekindled my interest. Thanks
That's awesome. I work on transit buses that have Thermoking systems. I love working on TK, they're very well designed. We have some older buses with that same a/c compressor that's in your reefers, the X430. They originally came with R22 but we fill them with R407c now. Our newer TK units have screw compressors which are very interesting but much more complex than that indestructible old X430. After tearing one down for the first time it's incredible just how robust their reciprocating compressor is. It's no wonder they last so long.
@dieseldoctor25 I've not seen a reciprocating compressor in any air conditioning unit made in the last 20 years. Most scrolls are actually simpler, they usually only have one or two moving parts (rotor and the orbiting scroll) no oil pumps or anything like a recip and tend to cope with a fair amount of liquid flood back. Have a look at the copeland scroll compressors, their oil pump is a channel cut in the rotor on an angle to pull oil up with centrifugal force and the oil is more or less used to keep the plates together, if you get liquid in the compressor the liquid overcomes the force of the oil and seperates the plates. You usually burn the paint off the top of them before they fail from liquid. I know they're not too popular in medium/low temperature applications as they don't tend to like running at low pressures/into a vacuum but I believe they are becoming more common in refrigeration. The other advantage of them is unlike a recip they don't lose capacity due to gas re-expanding as the piston comes back down.
@@luke5518 I misspoke, I meant to say screw compressor not scroll. Our newer TK units 2015 and up have screw compressors. Everything before that in our fleet uses the X430 reciprocating compressor like in this video. We haven't had any problems with the screw compressors except for some unloader valve solenoids.
dont know why you appeared in my feed, but WOW! love your idea on using the thermo king. i actually bought a 53 foot reefer trailer in 2017 from a friend who told me the thermo king still ran. was planning to put the engine in a s10 blazer eventually, BUT i know exactly how to best use it now!!! i instantly subscribed to your chanel and will check your other videos. im a 65 year old disabled mechanic!
Nice! I always wondered why more folks don't have that set up for cooling a shop... the TK unit. The ground water heat and cool is also a great idea. Nice work!!
Just subscribed to your channel. I am very glad I found your video page. Would love to speak with you privately to ask some questions and give you some background on what we are doing in Northern Nevada. Great videos - thank you for posting!
If you have the doors with the sound insulation on them like the whisper versions. you can actually carry on a conversation beside it when it's in low speed. I always enjoyed pulling one of those whisper units you never really noticed it. The new ones with the plastic case have always been louder than the old whisper unit. However the new president actually seems to be doing a good job being quiet. Whatever you do stay away from carrier. I hate pulling them loud and has this droning sound in the cab. And always seem to be something small going wrong with him. But Thermo Kings very reliable however when they go down they go down hard.
I have done this for 15 years I worked at a scrap yard they scrapped a bunch of trailers took the TK units off they were just sitting there the boss gave me them to haul off . Mine has a Mercedes engine it also heats with reverse cycle
Another unconventional way to heat the building which is 100% efficient, and that means that there is no heat going up any kind of chimney is electric heat. So if you want really cheap to buy electric heat go buy a clothes dryer that someone is getting rid of, I have two of them and they cost less than $10 each and they both work perfect. Now for the uninformed out there, I’m not saying you should dry clothes in them just use them for heat because every ounce of heat that comes out of them heats the air in the building and it pulls the cold air off the floor.
This is absolutely amazing, I love the way you think and your ideas. The reefer for the AC and the DIY heat pump are both mind blowingly amazing ideas. You really nailed it with these setups. I love unconventional ideas and oftentimes wonder why they are so unconventional when they are usually easier and cheaper, and work better on top of that. I drive a truck with 53 ft reefers, also TK units, but ours have Yanmar engines. We haul frozen meat occasionally and the customer wants the reefers set to 20 below (-20F) and these units have no trouble whatsoever getting down to that temperature and keeping it there. And as you probably know you can set it to start/stop mode, or leave it on continuous so it will idle while cooling to help maintain the temperature, which might be helpful on really hot days.
One day i had a slightly similar idea for the use of an old Pete if i ever had enough money to build a shop. Build the shop to live in and lift the truck to second level and put the wall between the cab and sleeper with the sleeper out side. Dispose of the rear axles and mount the propane tank on the frame rails. Cab section left complete all tricked out, chromed gauges, all working functions, PlayStation drivers station, full stereo controls.... yadda yadda yadda Well, it Was a dream. There may have been alcohol involved.
The most important take from this presentation is that across this beautiful land there are guys and gals inventing at great pace. There is nothing more exiting than getting in front of a farmer or a shop owner and asking " What are you working on Today ? " and then looking around at all the other past projects. I am convinced that with one investment of a pick up truck or van that one could create a very beautiful life. With the age of materialism we produced a lot of " junk " in my view there is gold in that junk.
I did that 20 years ago in the basement of my house used a steam radiator for the exhaust, we had a couple of beers one night & fired it up when my wife came home, she could smell The diesel fuel and said GET IT OUT OF HERE!! good idea thou. LOL!
I considered the reefer unit for my off the grid cabin (24' x 40') years ago and when I talked to an HVAC guy he said it probably wouldn't work (can't remember his reasoning anymore but it have something to do with airflow). Now I'm going to have to reconsider. Given than I have a much smaller volume to heat/cool, do you think a unit off a straight truck is what I should consider?
From what I have been told by techs for mobile beverage trailers they said they went away from thermo king because the repair costs were insane, they went to using conventional walk in cooler units and said it cost them 1/4 of the cost in repairs and maintenance
I always wanted to cool the shop. Have woodstove and L.P. for heating but nothing for cooling. This is an awesome idea. Have to start looking for a unit I can salvage.
I’ve always wanted to try a belt drive unit and use a brushed motor like a forklift powered by solar panels directly. That or a water wheel. Rotational shaft power is universal.
Well, I'd keep what's there as 60 degrees for cooling is not bad. But, a small ground source heat pump system will give you better heating and not cost much to run. One big advantage to the TKs is that they don't require 120 volt power so will run when line power is out. They do ( did? ) make a version with provision for shore power when at a dock that won't burn diesel unless needed. I'd also look at running that ground loop setup off a smaller circulator and perhaps adding some solar panels so the ground look system could run off line as well. A pool pump moves a lot of water and I don't think you need anywhere near that much flow.
A tk super 2 will fit in a standard doorway. That's what i used in my shop. Whisper unit with a yanmar in it. Cut the door on half to cover up the engine and be able to open for serviceability. I have a rear remote setup at the front door of my shop to control it. Fuel tank is inside. Flipped the tank brackets over and put casters on it.
This video and comments has me wondering about picking up a thermoking and strapping her to my house just in case the power goes out during the summer in Alabama. Happened to me once, my apartment got to at least 120°F. I say at least because, that's as high as the thermostat would read and the windows were open. I made it one night before I took my credit card to the store and purchased a portable unit.
You can run a low speed switch on those units if you want to be able to control the engine speed more efficiently. That's one of the first thing we would do with those old reefers when we bought them. Also, I haven't tried it, but I've been told from friends at our local thermo king dealer that if you swap the pulleys on the jack shaft, it will cool more efficiently.
I had this idea a while back as a otr refer driver i wanted to take a trailer and insulate the outside and funish it and build a bathroom to make a guest house and use a refer to heat or cool it. My only thing was how load it can be inside that trailer. After seeing ur setup i still have that idea just making the guest house out of a actual house
Hey Mike, just stumbled onto yiur channel, yiur a crazy dude.. used to work on them units alot, the model name has a 30 in it, SB3 -30. The ones I use to work on had a 50 in the model name.. these units had electric standby, with an electric motor, much much quieter. Yiu should do a retro fit..you'd need to add a clutch to the compressor and also a motor and belts with an idler pulley . Runs around the same speed as low engine speed..lol... Nice use if an old reefer 😂😂
That’s just a misconception, all modern refrigerants transfer heat well, they just behave differently. I wouldn’t bother with R12, it’s expensive and terrible for the atmosphere. I probably wouldn’t even bother with R22 much anymore either, it’s getting pricey, R410a is much cheaper.
@@etonmows7901I think it was proven even before the change out that that was nothing more than a hoax, and I'm quite sure the patent running out had nothing to do with the change out but I can tell you I saw for myself the corrupt Behavior by our EPA in keeping anything else from coming to Market other than something patented by DuPont. I actually bought a hydrocarbon blend from a company in Santa Ana California that had to get an injunction from the Supreme Court to stop the EPA from the oppression that they were pulling on them.
The reason r134a works is because you the temperature range you are looking to achieve, people that say it won't work don't know the fundamentals of HVAC
Very Innovative! 👍👍😜🤣😁😎 PS 🤔 Here's A Way To Improve On Your Outside Refer Setup For Pickin Up Extra Heat + More Silencing Of The Unit? See I Invent, Sell & Install Green Living & Self Sustaining - Off Grid Products, I Custom Build Solar - Wood Burning Sheds + Water Heating Boilers, ETC! Now, Build A Simple Metal Stud - Slopped Roof - 3- Walled Metal Shed Around Your Refer Unit, Up Just Below That Big Window, Afew Feet Wide From Both Sides Of Refer & Out Say 6'-8" From Shop Wall? Use 2" Foam Insulation Board On All Interior Walls + Wide Alum Duct Tape To Seal All The Cracks To Make It As Weather Sealed As Possible + Put A Walk Door In On Any Of 3-Exterior Walls You Want + Weather Strip Seal It Good Also, Plus I'd Install A Larger Balanced Louvered Vent Backwards Into Side Wall Somewheres w/Insulated Heat A/C Flex Duct For Outside Air Intake To The Refer Unit, High Enough Off Ground So Snow Levels Won't Effect It? Now Build An Elevated Stand On Either Side Of Refer & Put Another Squirrel Cage Blower w/Hole Thru Building To Blow Hot Captured Air Outta Metal Shed Up High As Possible To Blow Into Shop + A Return Duct Down Low For Return Air Into Shed, w/Auto Attic Fan Thermal Switch To Operate Blower Fan, Set At 70* Or So + I'd 3" Gravel On Floor To Also Retain Heat... Soo In Essence Then You Would Retain, Recycle & Utilize All The Heat From Around The Refer Unit Whilst It's Running... For An Addition You Could Build A Plate Steel Wood Burnin Fire-Box Thru A Side Wall w/Exterior Facing Door To Burn Wood - Used Oils, Etc For Even More Heat Outta Solar Shed For In Winter? Plus Add A Cast or Stainless Water Heater On Top Of The Wood Fire Box To Heat Water Also? Thanks & Stay Hot or Cold... 😁😎
Things I would have done in the past but then I learned how easy HVAC really is so now I just do that. Now I just use heat pump systems for the shop and when I really need the heat, there is a 200,000BTU gas indirect heater that is sufficient (auction find for $12). I run everything full variable speed on the air handler heat pumps so it stays about perfect for very little cost (23 SEER). The air handlers operate on three stages of air filtration because, well, shop use... So it goes screen, Merv 3 then Merv 8 for the three stages with the Merv 3 and screen being washable. People loving the idea of reefer unit should consider the cost of maintenance which can be a monster on those reefer units (refrigerant, seals, pumps, valves, filters etc...) and small diesel motors. People should also consider that it may cool too fast increasing the moisture content in the air, for some machines this is not good. It's best to match the BTU's or tonnage to the space your heating or cooling both from a cost and management perspective. As for the ground system, that's rather genius use of the land. From a cost perspective, it's all about the KW used in the time it takes to make the air comfortable plus cost of build divided over 4 years (a nominal figure to recoup expenses and time spent).
I used to haul reefer units ( thermo’s and carriers) and had one shut down in extreme heat one day and 4 hours later at the destination $180,000 worth of not so frozen bulk goods down the drain...
o-boy, I was lead mechanic & called me in middle of night said reefer not cooling stuf dripping out of floor box drains 40000# of pop sickles !! NOT GOOD!
The whole "You cant put R-134A in older compressor systems" is absolute nonsense. I've been doing it for years in cars. Its not a "smaller molecule" and doesn't leak out over time. It works fine.
I pull reefers hauling fresh and frozen chicken. The only time the hoses on the units I pull (TK and Carrier) are running water out like you have the spigot on is when they go into defrost. Most especially if it’s a frozen load at -10 in the summer.
That ground loop will work for a few hours but then it'll stop working because he's either transferring heat to the ground or he's sucking heat out of the ground. It become saturated at some point
I’m assuming it dosent get very cold there? Not sure where you are but her in NY we gets weeks and months where it dosent get above freezing. A mild 60 degrees comming from a vent wouldn’t cut it
Those are both extremely interesting choices for heating and cooling. For everyone that doesn't know how to build these systems it's not going to work for you.
I worked for a railcar manufacturer as a test technician on large passenger railcar roof mounted Thermo-King HVACs for SEPTA . They had to provide cold clean AC air in a 75' railcar for 10 hours in a subway tunnel at 200F in case the consist ever had a extended third rail power failure and therailcar was trapped with pasengers within. It iced over the windows and doors while we spent only seconds at a time in the compartment during the 10 hour acceptance QA test. Very reliable and very efficient. Never had a under-performer in over 50 married pairs.
I ran a Thermo King reefer for many years. There are dependable and reliable, they have to be because of the perishable cargo. Using one to cool your building is a great repurpose and genius solution for your purpose.
thanks!
What's the fuel consumption? Must be pretty huge.
@@Nicholas-f5 It’s less than a gallon an hour.
@@Nicholas-f5 about 0.9gal per hour running wide open.
@@Nicholas-f5 He said about 9/10ths of a gallon an hour going balls out. $4.00/$5.00 and hour or less using diesel.
I have a mini-split system in my garage. I guess you call that a "maxi-split"
Lol you bet!
Indeed
@@Tjousk
Eg4 Hybrid 24,000 btu for sure
Package unit
As an hvac tech I can appreciate your setup. I like to think outside of the box myself.
Me 2 thanks!
I love that big Euclid radiator. I would like to say you have made something whose mere visage and presence I would enjoy. It's well decorated basically. Like to me it's as pretty and wonderful to be around as the more beautifully made steam radiotors for rich people in the 1900's
Thanks
For close to thirty years, I was convinced that a reefer unit would make the optimal cooling system for a work shop. Having seen your system in an actual operating setup, my theory has been proven. Thank you for confirming my hypothesis correct. Really nice job.
Thank you!
Ive always wondered the same thing, "why dont people use old refers"
awesome work Mike
@@squirrelmaster1225 ty!
Thanks!
Went looking to see if anyone else is doing this and sure enough lol. I have a S600 on my 50x75 shop and it works great . Cool to see im not the only crazy person
LOL that's cool Thanks!
The ground loop is super impressive. Just enough parts to work and keep tabs on system health. All the parts are accessible for service or replacement
Thanks!
Hey i think i would leave one outside to keep the outside the temperature you want it. Bery cool man
@@ThomasWalker-m2y LOL thanks.
I've had plans on doing this very thing for years. Just never got around to it. I worked in the tractor trailer industry for years myself. Seeing this has rekindled my interest. Thanks
Cool!
That radiator setup is an absolute work of art.
ty!
That's awesome. I work on transit buses that have Thermoking systems. I love working on TK, they're very well designed. We have some older buses with that same a/c compressor that's in your reefers, the X430. They originally came with R22 but we fill them with R407c now. Our newer TK units have screw compressors which are very interesting but much more complex than that indestructible old X430. After tearing one down for the first time it's incredible just how robust their reciprocating compressor is. It's no wonder they last so long.
The x430 is all i have worked on scroll compressor sounds cool! IM getting old!
@dieseldoctor25 I've not seen a reciprocating compressor in any air conditioning unit made in the last 20 years.
Most scrolls are actually simpler, they usually only have one or two moving parts (rotor and the orbiting scroll) no oil pumps or anything like a recip and tend to cope with a fair amount of liquid flood back.
Have a look at the copeland scroll compressors, their oil pump is a channel cut in the rotor on an angle to pull oil up with centrifugal force and the oil is more or less used to keep the plates together, if you get liquid in the compressor the liquid overcomes the force of the oil and seperates the plates. You usually burn the paint off the top of them before they fail from liquid.
I know they're not too popular in medium/low temperature applications as they don't tend to like running at low pressures/into a vacuum but I believe they are becoming more common in refrigeration.
The other advantage of them is unlike a recip they don't lose capacity due to gas re-expanding as the piston comes back down.
@@luke5518 I misspoke, I meant to say screw compressor not scroll. Our newer TK units 2015 and up have screw compressors. Everything before that in our fleet uses the X430 reciprocating compressor like in this video. We haven't had any problems with the screw compressors except for some unloader valve solenoids.
dont know why you appeared in my feed, but WOW! love your idea on using the thermo king. i actually bought a 53 foot reefer trailer in 2017 from a friend who told me the thermo king still ran. was planning to put the engine in a s10 blazer eventually, BUT i know exactly how to best use it now!!!
i instantly subscribed to your chanel and will check your other videos. im a 65 year old disabled mechanic!
Sounds good!
That is a really great idea! I saw someone use a BARD Hvac unit from a commercial building or big office trailers. They run on 240v.
wehen fuel is high electric will be cheaper!
Yep! In my line of work (big generators) I end up with a lot of free fuel. I have 7 diesel VW's that we operate for free basically.@@dieseldoctor25
cool!
Nice! I always wondered why more folks don't have that set up for cooling a shop... the TK unit.
The ground water heat and cool is also a great idea.
Nice work!!
ty
Just subscribed to your channel. I am very glad I found your video page. Would love to speak with you privately to ask some questions and give you some background on what we are doing in Northern Nevada. Great videos - thank you for posting!
If you have the doors with the sound insulation on them like the whisper versions. you can actually carry on a conversation beside it when it's in low speed. I always enjoyed pulling one of those whisper units you never really noticed it. The new ones with the plastic case have always been louder than the old whisper unit. However the new president actually seems to be doing a good job being quiet. Whatever you do stay away from carrier. I hate pulling them loud and has this droning sound in the cab. And always seem to be something small going wrong with him. But Thermo Kings very reliable however when they go down they go down hard.
yes ,worked on carrier never did like them.
I have done this for 15 years I worked at a scrap yard they scrapped a bunch of trailers took the TK units off they were just sitting there the boss gave me them to haul off . Mine has a Mercedes engine it also heats with reverse cycle
Cool can't beat the price!
Another unconventional way to heat the building which is 100% efficient, and that means that there is no heat going up any kind of chimney is electric heat. So if you want really cheap to buy electric heat go buy a clothes dryer that someone is getting rid of, I have two of them and they cost less than $10 each and they both work perfect. Now for the uninformed out there, I’m not saying you should dry clothes in them just use them for heat because every ounce of heat that comes out of them heats the air in the building and it pulls the cold air off the floor.
This is absolutely amazing, I love the way you think and your ideas. The reefer for the AC and the DIY heat pump are both mind blowingly amazing ideas. You really nailed it with these setups. I love unconventional ideas and oftentimes wonder why they are so unconventional when they are usually easier and cheaper, and work better on top of that.
I drive a truck with 53 ft reefers, also TK units, but ours have Yanmar engines. We haul frozen meat occasionally and the customer wants the reefers set to 20 below (-20F) and these units have no trouble whatsoever getting down to that temperature and keeping it there. And as you probably know you can set it to start/stop mode, or leave it on continuous so it will idle while cooling to help maintain the temperature, which might be helpful on really hot days.
Thank you!
One day i had a slightly similar idea for the use of an old Pete if i ever had enough money to build a shop. Build the shop to live in and lift the truck to second level and put the wall between the cab and sleeper with the sleeper out side. Dispose of the rear axles and mount the propane tank on the frame rails. Cab section left complete all tricked out, chromed gauges, all working functions, PlayStation drivers station, full stereo controls.... yadda yadda yadda
Well, it Was a dream. There may have been alcohol involved.
O wow you sound just like me! LOL
The most important take from this presentation is that across this beautiful land there are guys and gals inventing at great pace. There is nothing more exiting than getting in front of a farmer or a shop owner and asking " What are you working on Today ? " and then looking around at all the other past projects. I am convinced that with one investment of a pick up truck or van that one could create a very beautiful life. With the age of materialism we produced a lot of " junk " in my view there is gold in that junk.
You are so right!
I fixed a few of them in my day. Great units. I love to get one and set it with a 220 volt generator and capture waste heat from engine also.
I did that 20 years ago in the basement of my house used a steam radiator for the exhaust, we had a couple of beers one night & fired it up when my wife came home, she could smell The diesel fuel and said GET IT OUT OF HERE!! good idea thou. LOL!
@@dieseldoctor25i started following you from # YSW 🇨🇦 how do you have this unit hooked up generator to a main fuse box !!
There is no generator on this unit.
@@dieseldoctor25 i watched the video again you are a mad genius much respect back to you, I follow you 💯 from # YSW 🇨🇦
Thanks@@domenicomonteleone3055
I considered the reefer unit for my off the grid cabin (24' x 40') years ago and when I talked to an HVAC guy he said it probably wouldn't work (can't remember his reasoning anymore but it have something to do with airflow). Now I'm going to have to reconsider.
Given than I have a much smaller volume to heat/cool, do you think a unit off a straight truck is what I should consider?
Yes very small!
I always wondered if this would work. Great idea!
Works great, Thanks!
As a former TK mechanic, and HVAC guy, this was very interesting!
Thanks
Waste oil heaters can be very dangerous if you have dumb newbies dumping whatever in the waste tank. Otherwise they’re a boss way to heat
That is right on!
Get this genius a million subs already! We need more of this
thank you!
Wow, so you're telling me it gets better gas mileage than my small generator? 10 hours per gallon?
o no not even close . .9 gal per hr cooling& even less with a generator!
From what I have been told by techs for mobile beverage trailers they said they went away from thermo king because the repair costs were insane, they went to using conventional walk in cooler units and said it cost them 1/4 of the cost in repairs and maintenance
I dont know.
Man that is great I bet it does an amazing job
Yes it will run you out of there!
I am wanting to go off grid but when the sun isn't shinning, and wind isn't blowing this would be a great back up air conditioner.
yes it would!
I always wanted to cool the shop. Have woodstove and L.P. for heating but nothing for cooling.
This is an awesome idea.
Have to start looking for a unit I can salvage.
Thanks 👍
I guess Hank Williams Jr hit the nail on the head when he sang 'A country boy can survive'. Sure wish he had seen this before he finished writing it.
Lol, love it!
I’ve always wanted to try a belt drive unit and use a brushed motor like a forklift powered by solar panels directly. That or a water wheel. Rotational shaft power is universal.
That would be cool!
We all await your video sir
I bet it's loud as hell Everytime I park by a reefer man it wakes me up
outside yes, inside no!
With all the pipe you have already buried in the ground, I think a heat pump running off it would be much more effective both for heating and cooling.
The ground loop after start up is 7amps, no heating element,pump & fan only!
Well, I'd keep what's there as 60 degrees for cooling is not bad. But, a small ground source heat pump system will give you better heating and not cost much to run. One big advantage to the TKs is that they don't require 120 volt power so will run when line power is out. They do ( did? ) make a version with provision for shore power when at a dock that won't burn diesel unless needed.
I'd also look at running that ground loop setup off a smaller circulator and perhaps adding some solar panels so the ground look system could run off line as well. A pool pump moves a lot of water and I don't think you need anywhere near that much flow.
Just priced a unit out used...$15,000 to $20,000...wow.
WOW is right! keep looking!
A tk super 2 will fit in a standard doorway. That's what i used in my shop. Whisper unit with a yanmar in it. Cut the door on half to cover up the engine and be able to open for serviceability. I have a rear remote setup at the front door of my shop to control it. Fuel tank is inside. Flipped the tank brackets over and put casters on it.
Cool!
We need a video of your setup
That's genius.
@@life_of_riley88 TY!
What type of square footage would this cool? How is fuel consumption on that setup?
What did u say?!
My uncle had a tk on the side of the building back in the early 90s I never saw it running but heard you had to wear coveralls in July
LOL love it!
I don't know that it's crazy, hut most would assume. I call a smarter way.
This video and comments has me wondering about picking up a thermoking and strapping her to my house just in case the power goes out during the summer in Alabama. Happened to me once, my apartment got to at least 120°F. I say at least because, that's as high as the thermostat would read and the windows were open. I made it one night before I took my credit card to the store and purchased a portable unit.
Thats right , I have reefer & diesel 25kw gen, my power goes out all the time! LOVE BOTH OF THEM!!
If you want the sound downI will put a fence on all three corners.
That would work.
What plastic jug, we don’t see any plastic jug, thanks BigAl California praise Jesus Christ grace amen 🙏 ,,, thanks
You can run a low speed switch on those units if you want to be able to control the engine speed more efficiently. That's one of the first thing we would do with those old reefers when we bought them.
Also, I haven't tried it, but I've been told from friends at our local thermo king dealer that if you swap the pulleys on the jack shaft, it will cool more efficiently.
I have a low speed switch, but have not seen the pulley swap.
Should have asked.
What was the cost of the unit?
$600 for the one on the shop $1000 for the newer one. and that was a good price.
Call me crazy... Have you looked for a generator to PTO from that engine? I stumble across 15kw units with bad engines now and then.
yes read the last reply. GOOD IDEA THOU!
I had this idea a while back as a otr refer driver i wanted to take a trailer and insulate the outside and funish it and build a bathroom to make a guest house and use a refer to heat or cool it. My only thing was how load it can be inside that trailer. After seeing ur setup i still have that idea just making the guest house out of a actual house
sounds cool!
Thats some slick work man...Nice job...👍
Again Thanks!
My father worked for Themo King in Bloomington Mn for 40 years. They built good units.
Yes they are.
Bob Riss?
Hey Mike, just stumbled onto yiur channel, yiur a crazy dude.. used to work on them units alot, the model name has a 30 in it, SB3 -30. The ones I use to work on had a 50 in the model name.. these units had electric standby, with an electric motor, much much quieter. Yiu should do a retro fit..you'd need to add a clutch to the compressor and also a motor and belts with an idler pulley . Runs around the same speed as low engine speed..lol...
Nice use if an old reefer 😂😂
Thanks
Some rich dude pretends like he's an aww shucks.
Isn't R12 a better freon? Just a little harder to find these days?
no, there is alot better freon out there.
That’s just a misconception, all modern refrigerants transfer heat well, they just behave differently. I wouldn’t bother with R12, it’s expensive and terrible for the atmosphere. I probably wouldn’t even bother with R22 much anymore either, it’s getting pricey, R410a is much cheaper.
@@etonmows7901I think it was proven even before the change out that that was nothing more than a hoax, and I'm quite sure the patent running out had nothing to do with the change out but I can tell you I saw for myself the corrupt Behavior by our EPA in keeping anything else from coming to Market other than something patented by DuPont. I actually bought a hydrocarbon blend from a company in Santa Ana California that had to get an injunction from the Supreme Court to stop the EPA from the oppression that they were pulling on them.
I would definitely be figuring out a way to rig a generator set up to that engine and making it dual purpose.
That would not be hard to do!
Wait, what?! That's actually cool what you guys did
Thanks
Always thought about doing that.. I'm figuring the next shop will have one!
Cool!
The reason r134a works is because you the temperature range you are looking to achieve, people that say it won't work don't know the fundamentals of HVAC
Right
Very neat idea. Now I am going to have to look on FB marketplace to see if I can find one. LOL
good luck!
Very Innovative! 👍👍😜🤣😁😎 PS 🤔 Here's A Way To Improve On Your Outside Refer Setup For Pickin Up Extra Heat + More Silencing Of The Unit? See I Invent, Sell & Install Green Living & Self Sustaining - Off Grid Products, I Custom Build Solar - Wood Burning Sheds + Water Heating Boilers, ETC! Now, Build A Simple Metal Stud - Slopped Roof - 3- Walled Metal Shed Around Your Refer Unit, Up Just Below That Big Window, Afew Feet Wide From Both Sides Of Refer & Out Say 6'-8" From Shop Wall? Use 2" Foam Insulation Board On All Interior Walls + Wide Alum Duct Tape To Seal All The Cracks To Make It As Weather Sealed As Possible + Put A Walk Door In On Any Of 3-Exterior Walls You Want + Weather Strip Seal It Good Also, Plus I'd Install A Larger Balanced Louvered Vent Backwards Into Side Wall Somewheres w/Insulated Heat A/C Flex Duct For Outside Air Intake To The Refer Unit, High Enough Off Ground So Snow Levels Won't Effect It? Now Build An Elevated Stand On Either Side Of Refer & Put Another Squirrel Cage Blower w/Hole Thru Building To Blow Hot Captured Air Outta Metal Shed Up High As Possible To Blow Into Shop + A Return Duct Down Low For Return Air Into Shed, w/Auto Attic Fan Thermal Switch To Operate Blower Fan, Set At 70* Or So + I'd 3" Gravel On Floor To Also Retain Heat... Soo In Essence Then You Would Retain, Recycle & Utilize All The Heat From Around The Refer Unit Whilst It's Running... For An Addition You Could Build A Plate Steel Wood Burnin Fire-Box Thru A Side Wall w/Exterior Facing Door To Burn Wood - Used Oils, Etc For Even More Heat Outta Solar Shed For In Winter? Plus Add A Cast or Stainless Water Heater On Top Of The Wood Fire Box To Heat Water Also? Thanks & Stay Hot or Cold... 😁😎
wow!
Things I would have done in the past but then I learned how easy HVAC really is so now I just do that. Now I just use heat pump systems for the shop and when I really need the heat, there is a 200,000BTU gas indirect heater that is sufficient (auction find for $12). I run everything full variable speed on the air handler heat pumps so it stays about perfect for very little cost (23 SEER). The air handlers operate on three stages of air filtration because, well, shop use... So it goes screen, Merv 3 then Merv 8 for the three stages with the Merv 3 and screen being washable.
People loving the idea of reefer unit should consider the cost of maintenance which can be a monster on those reefer units (refrigerant, seals, pumps, valves, filters etc...) and small diesel motors. People should also consider that it may cool too fast increasing the moisture content in the air, for some machines this is not good. It's best to match the BTU's or tonnage to the space your heating or cooling both from a cost and management perspective.
As for the ground system, that's rather genius use of the land. From a cost perspective, it's all about the KW used in the time it takes to make the air comfortable plus cost of build divided over 4 years (a nominal figure to recoup expenses and time spent).
How much diesel do you use a week in the summer ? What are you spending on diesel ?
I used to haul reefer units ( thermo’s and carriers) and had one shut down in extreme heat one day and 4 hours later at the destination $180,000 worth of not so frozen bulk goods down the drain...
o-boy, I was lead mechanic & called me in middle of night said reefer not cooling stuf dripping out of floor box drains 40000# of pop sickles !! NOT GOOD!
Genius! Simple and effective. Thank you so much for sharing.
You bet!
When you changed refrigerants and oil on the one unit, did you have to change the metering device too? Just curious.
No , just using it for a/c. That's why I used 134a.
Crazy? Yeah. Awesome? You bet!
👍
I remember servicing the older units in the 80's.....lot's of R12 and R502..... $$$$$$$$$$$$$
That is the same time frame that I worked on them!
What would be great is if you converted it to run propane or natural gas wouldn't have to pour in fuel and I'm certain it would be less noisy
might be.
The whole "You cant put R-134A in older compressor systems" is absolute nonsense. I've been doing it for years in cars. Its not a "smaller molecule" and doesn't leak out over time. It works fine.
That is right.
Before you turn the camera on, plan what you are going to say.
I pull reefers hauling fresh and frozen chicken. The only time the hoses on the units I pull (TK and Carrier) are running water out like you have the spigot on is when they go into defrost. Most especially if it’s a frozen load at -10 in the summer.
I have alot of lumber in the shop from the saw mill, that might be part of it.
Rube Goldberg Heating and AC.
That TK running brings back memories of hauling dairy/milk loads...could hear those TK units running a mile away...man they were loud.
Yes they are!
That ground loop will work for a few hours but then it'll stop working because he's either transferring heat to the ground or he's sucking heat out of the ground. It become saturated at some point
That expensive new 1234y can be directly replaced with much cheaper 134a with a fitting from the Bay. Even the oil is compatible
Good to know
The fine line between crazy and brilliant has been crossed. Ground source and Thermo-King. Whod've thunk?
LOL Thanks!
Pretty dang smart
ty
I'd put a wire mesh to keep birds or anything else from climbing in there and nesting!
good idea!
You can convert R 22 to propane (R 208 ) and use the same oil. My old carrier is still running fine on 208, over 40 years strong!
I don't know!
I’m assuming it dosent get very cold there? Not sure where you are but her in NY we gets weeks and months where it dosent get above freezing. A mild 60 degrees comming from a vent wouldn’t cut it
ok
Thats a old thermo king SB. Have you thought about using a thermo king heat king to heat with ? I work for thermo king here in knoxville, tn.
I heat with waste oil & wood.
Your capital cost is very low. To make up for the difference between the price of diesel and electricity. Can yo get AG diesel to run it?
THat is what i use about 45 cents cheaper.
Those are both extremely interesting choices for heating and cooling. For everyone that doesn't know how to build these systems it's not going to work for you.
that is very true!
Thanks, Mike! Video greatly appreciated! We might look into doing this in Northern Nevada on top of a mountain north of Sparks, Nevada.
A 30k+ BTU mini split cost 3k and is super cheap to run. Running a diesel air conditioner makes no sense.
MIni split would not even come close to cooling this shop. It would half to run for days! I can cool it in 3hrs
Great idea Mike. I want to see some pics or video of your "Get Togethers". What do you all do and eat and who cooks?
Potluck
Could you bury a tank for your cold water supply? I heat with wood but I need a cooling solution here in Missouri
Any tank will work & any radiator will work, but the size- small for a small shop-big for a big shop!
i may be way off here, but all i could think was legionaires petri dish watching this vod!
That is over my head!
Real men have air conditioners that run on diesel. My question is, does that count as farm equipment?
I run off road fuel!
I’m a thermo king tech and I’ve been wondering if anyone has done this.. freakin cool lol
neat, but I'm sure an electric heat pump would be cheaper to run.
Maybe, but not the way I use it.
Why don't you use the refer for heat as well?? It wouldn't take long to heat it up because its so well insulated
we do sometimes.
60° is not very warm when you're pushing air I mean geez why don't you hook it up to a heat pump
IT's a shop where u work you dont want it to hot.
Those motors have a mechanical fuel pump you can run it on a mixture of use motor and diesel. Save you some money
We mix a little. Thanks
Used to work on these for a living. Hated thermo king always prefered carrier
I like TK,
I worked for a railcar manufacturer as a test technician on large passenger railcar roof mounted Thermo-King HVACs for SEPTA . They had to provide cold clean AC air in a 75' railcar for 10 hours in a subway tunnel at 200F in case the consist ever had a extended third rail power failure and therailcar was trapped with pasengers within. It iced over the windows and doors while we spent only seconds at a time in the compartment during the 10 hour acceptance QA test. Very reliable and very efficient. Never had a under-performer in over 50 married pairs.
WOW that is cool!
You sir are a genius!
Thanks!
How many square feet is your shop? Thank you for sharing.
4000x24feet tall.
with the cost of diesel you'd save a lot with a heatpump and batteries..
We run unit about 3hrs to cool shop , when we need it. it does not run all the time.
Thats some slick work man...Nice job...👍
Thanks!
i guess you have access to cheap TK's. a mini split makes more sense to the average guy
Thats right!
Replace 134 with r12 or 22 it would be more efficient
There is alot better freon out there,I just need to get some.