DIY AC Mister Reduce your HVAC Cooling Costs Thermal Image Part 1
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- Опубліковано 6 жов 2024
- Parts for Mister
Orbit 3/4 Inline Sprinkler Valve
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10-24 UNC TAP
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Outdoor Brass Misting Nozzle .012 Orifice, 10/24 Thread
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Orbit 10109W Misting Calcium Inhibitor Filter
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PVC Primer and Glue
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1/2 PVC Pipe elbows and T fittings Lowes
Elbow Grease--Free
ua-cam.com/video/uZsU_vOEaNM/v-deo.html updated with rain water
You're the only video that I found to have the cost, thermal checking, and current different proving. Thank you.
Your welcome, I believe in scientific proof. Please consider subscribing.
There could be more savings than what is described here because your AC unit may have more off time due to the fact that the misters are cooling down the condenser making more effective at cooling the house quicker. The measurement taken here was for runtime only. It didn't calculate the additional offtime. Ac units typically have about the 30 or 40 degree differential when cooling and if you can bring down the temp of the condenser by an additional 20 or 30 degrees through misters than that means you will be getting much cooler air coming from the evaporator which also means a quicker cool down time.
I regards to comments about using a vapor mister and the corrosion issues it may cause I believe this could be a valid argument in some cases. Water can often be corrosive to metals including aluminum which can be corrosive on it's own. Mineral deposits will facilitate this quicker however if certain precautions are taken such as using water filters it may help that. I have put light coats of spray paint on areas I know are highly corrosive or one could consider using a light coat of wax spray. This is a controversial subject though. I'm kind of mixed with trying to protect condenser coils with a layer of paint while I also know that doing so helps insulate the heat making the coil not as effective. Nothing really beats straight metal being exposed to release heat but also wanting some layer of protection to keep it from corroding.
There is truth to that. I wanted to get a rough estimate on its results to show it's worth implementing.
Thanks for your video. Like the numbers and thermal imaging you went through. Most informative misting system video. I have found. Thank you
Thanks for the feedback. Glad you enjoyed it.
July 2024. We live in SoCal Desert. Using AC at 77° for 8 hrs (11am to 7pm during summer) total house consumption is 44kWh. Increasing degrees to 80° consumption is 30kWh. Utility Co charges $0.38 per KWh. Basically $17 per day ($510 monthly) vs $12 per day ($360 monthly). All rough estimates. I do use a swamp cooler for the night (running electricity consumption already accounted for in these numbers). I also have an old AC unit. I want to test this also to add to our savings. Every cent counts towards our annual 7 day vacation during thanksgiving week in All Inclusive Resorts in Mexico beaches....cheers!
Great, you keep such good numbers! I also looked into precooling before temps get hot. Seems to work as well. Using rain water offers the cleanest water. If you have hard water, you'll need a filter of some sort.....
You're absolutely right. Every bit helps.
Awesome demo. So many people hating on this simple and proven concept.
Im in the valley in southern California and in the peak of summer we have many over 100° days. I have a 2000 square foot house with a 2 year old 5 ton AC that is being pushed to its limits on those days and the air coming out of my vents is 53° outlet and 76° at the inlet. The house is insulated very well but that only goes so far.
I plan on building a system similar to this one which I can manually switch the water mist on and off during those really hot days just to give my AC a boost.
I think you'll find your ac will run less and more efficiently. I'd advise using rain water as it's free and you won't need a calcium filter on it since it doesn't have many impurities in it.
I have a video on that as well.
Let me know your results. Always interested in what others achieve.
Makes you wonder why they don't install a unit based on average temp in said area and not just based on square feet. Most AC units installed in Hot areas are pushed to their limits. Zones 7-8 should have 2 tons more than needed per square feet.
@adamburnette the residence would need to have an ample supply of rain water. Using utility water would nessisitate the need for a calcium filter that would need to be replaced every so often. Home owners would rather not be bothered with the inconvenience and rather pay higher bills instead. But not me.
@@stem_saving1644 What about condesation water collected via tanks? I am in Hong Kong with our humidity (up to 90%), my 18000BTU unit could easily picked up 10 liters per day running 12 hours per day, that could collected through tanks, could those be used on the mister?
@KL-jr5ip you could. I get less that a 5 gallon bucket per day. The mister uses more than that. You could also use rain water. Check my part 2 video out on that.
Of the 84 residential split systems I replaced last season, 27 had some kind of water spray system attached to, or nearby, resulting in fouled, calcified, rotted coils. Age range of the 27 were 4 to 9 years old. Save now- pay sooner not later. The other techs here have experienced the same ratio. One of our competitors actually sells these "coil eaters".
Ok? Don't spray it with utility water or put a good calcium filter on it or use rain water. Problem solved.
How does a coil rot? That's something inherent to wood.
@@stem_saving1644 Deterioration, decay accelerated by the introduction of a foreign organism and moisture (wood) , or just moisture and air (aluminum, steels, etc) Ever see the body rotted away on a car? (This system makes me money- knock yourself out.)
@@airserco How does aluminum rust? That's something inherent to steel, just like rot is to wood. If condenser units can't withstand deionized water, why are they placed outside and why has mine worked for 20 years and how do industrialized misters work so well ?
Face it, it works. If it would have failed, it would have done so by now.
@@stem_saving1644 As an engineering exercise, I think it's great. Seems like it's an awful lot of effort to save $10 a month. Never mind the hate one would get from the environmental set. This is like using a Hummer to bring your waste to a community compost pile.
*I like that you had math to back up your conclusion . This is a great DIY project and it adds good information for people like me that want to make a misting system !!!*
That's usually the hard part for people to understand as it substantiates the system works. Just need to pay attention to your water supply .. if it has calcium or not. I found that using rain water is best.
@@stem_saving1644 *Oh really okay . thanks.*
This guy is no joke! Lol, good for you! Not just about saving money on electricity. It saves the life of your compressor!!!
That's the theory anyhow. Lower temps usually result in longer lifespans.
Nice system. I like the elegance of risers from the base of the unit. I live in the Sacramento area with some pretty hot summers. I used the same basic materials (including the sprinkler valve) but built a kludgy freestanding framework to support the misters about 8” out from the coils. They have worked fine for 8 or 9 years now (pvc April 2009). This year the when I went to install it a union snapped while screwing it together. So I’m reengineering the system using an Orbitz mist cooling system’s brass Slip Lok reusable components making it easier to remove for winter storage and the misters easier to adjust.
I don’t have the kewl measuring devices, thermal imaging or the nifty math you do so I had to improvise to convince myself the misting made an actual difference. My low tech way - I have accurate thermometers for BBQ cooking. On a hot day the ambient air temp was 105F, with the AC having been running over 10 minutes (without mist) the air coming out the top of the AC unit was approx. 115F, turn the misting on and after 3 minutes the temp dropped to 102F.
Like you I don’t run my AC with the temp is less than 80F so many of the other worries mentioned in the remarks seem specious to me.
Over the years I’ve had 3 companies come out to do a HVAC system check up, 2 of them didn’t bother to clean the coils and the 3 one sprayed some cleaner on the coils and commented that it didn’t foam up which to him meant the coils were clean.
Yes I know the value of these system checkups, but to me when they tell me that my capacitors are worn(?) and should be replaced - I hand them new ones to put in compressor and air handling units. It’s easier than me climbing into the attic.
Thanks for your reply. I seen a lot of systems that had flappers, but didn't like the cheapness of them. The sun really wears cheap parts out. I designed mine to be modular....so when winter comes, I can remove the value so it doesn't freeze and crack and the system just drains out. Since I'm a science guy, I need to prove that it works. It sounds like your on the right track with saving money on your cooling costs as well. I'm in the middle of making a rain barrel system which is feeding the mister now. Stay tuned for a new video.
Gary... I am originally from Sacramento. Graduated from Grant High School. I am now in Arizona. All I can say is STAY IN SACRAMENTO AND BABY THAT AC UNIT! It is hot as HELL here in AZ! But... I'll be in Sac for 4th of July to cool off 🤣🤣🤣
It isn't "cooler air" that sucks away the heat. It's the flash evaporation of the fine mist that absorbs the major part of the heat. That's why you don't shoot the spray directly at the coils. Instead the spray nozzles point outward to form a mist cloud that gets drawn into the coils.
I had been using this system (with the flapper) for about 4 years. The second time I replaced them because of sun damage I went with the diy pvc design similar to this one. This has lasted 5 years so far.
Be sure and use a good calcium filter and your nozzles will rarely clog.
Some UA-cam videos claim that you won't save money. I feel I saved a little. More enough to pay for the unit in a year. But saving money wasn't the point for me. My AC couldn't keep up in unusually hot Michigan weather. After I added the mister it has maintained whatever temperature I set. Saved me from buying a bigger unit.
The cooler air is from the phase charge of water to a fine mist. Which, as you said, takes the heat with it.
But Symantecs aside, it works well. The hotter it gets, the more efficiency it brings.
Out of curiosity have you cleaned your evaporator coils? I'd expect another 20% percent. (Depending on when they were last cleaned, probably never)
Then for the calcification the other guy was talking about.. just clean your condenser coils.
The evaporator coil cleaning uses enzymes to eat the biofilm that builds up. That prevents both heat conduction to the fins as well as adds back pressure to the blower motor in your furnace.
Evaporator coil doesn't need cleaning its filter. It's fine.
Cleaning the condenser will only see 20% increases if they are caked up. Mine are fine.
Here in FL atm I'm running 15 hr a day. So, this is actually a huge savings if I can make some changes like this - Nice vid
Make sure you don't have hard water or use rain water.
@@stem_saving1644 thanks was thinking of installing an inline filter and running it certain hours of the day. Coming from NY it's a whole new world with hvac. I've already done 2 little POC's with shorter run times. Now to order everything and give the coils a good brush
You sir, are the real MVP.
Thanks! Just sharing the wealth
Looks good, but my concern is that the coils will be getting soaked continually. A better system would cool the air without wetting the unit. Don’t ask me how though 🤷♀️
Only when the unit is on. It's evaporatoring as it turns into mist.... which cools the air down before it gets sucked in.
I did a lot of research on these systems and kept coming back to your design as the best way to approach a compressor misting system. I have two compressors and installed Rain-Bird valves to control 16 misters on each compressor. I altered the design just slightly in a few areas. If I could, I'd send along some photos and perhaps a video of the system in operation. However, I don't see a way to make that happen. If you have time, request advise how best to get those images to you for review. Thanks so much. Also appreciate your video.
Thanks for the feedback. I found switching to rain water really helps a lot with water usage, since it's free. Check out that video. Yeah, not sure how to get direct messages here. You could always post a video and send the link?
So just looking around here, I haven't seen any reference to using a Calcium Lime and Rust (CLR) remover say once a year to "clean" the coils. I realize letting the CLR remover sit not on coils isn't a good thing however, a soak and rinse within a minute or so maybe two or three times should remove any residual contaminants. It may also have the side effect of keeping the coils cleaner too. I have two a/c systems (one for upstairs and one for downstairs) so my saving would be twice that of those reported here.
I am mostly interested in relieving stress on the system with minimal maintenance. If I could save the equivalent of $120.00/yr with maybe 20 minutes of maintenance, I'm in!
As long as I do the maint. the system should not eat the coils and will make the job of cooling the house easier and cheaper.
It's an option, but most times clr is used, it's to soak in vs where it's sprayed on and runs off.
You can also use rain water like I did on my other video. It's free from city water additives. Just need to catch and store.
You didn't mention that in high heat it's help to run the system way more efficient. I live in Texas and when outside temp get over 105 F and my thermostat is set to 82F the unit works non stop for over 5 hours until it get to 11PM and outside temperature get lower. With this mister I will save way more that what you calculate on electricity usage. My unit blow 65F at night and 72 in middle of the day. The refrigerant pressure is in range.
Your milage will vary, but yes. The hotter it gets, the better it gets. Make sure to use calcium filter or rain water if you have hard water.
@@stem_saving1644 our city water hardnesses is around 129 ppm.
I am seeing bad reviews on the filter you linked on Amazon. Even if I find a good filter, changing it regularly is costly. so I think going with softer sources like rain is the better solution. Also adding a micro controller with temperature sensor by register to activate the system only on higher blowing temperature inside is something that I am thinking about it as a phase two. The micro controller like Arduino knock off that cost less than $10 with sensor and relay. Can be used with ITTT service and have easier control over it. Like active mister when AC is on and sensor reads over 67 Fahrenheit degree for over 30 seconds.
@VafaGhoreyshi you can set it up how you like. I tried to keep mine simple as possible. When ac kicks on, so does the mister. It's usually only on when temps hit above 90f outside or inside is above 80ish.
Great. I am gonna try this one. I have 2 units of AC systems. More than the monthly savings the AC units would work less thereby longer the life which is huge saving.
Let me know your results
Yes, the mister reduces the use of power and cooler air from the air ducts. After two years of using this mister on your condenser, what happens to the cooling coils? Did it start to deteriorate or dissolve due to electrolysis being constantly wet when the condenser turns on? give it another two to three years of use now your colling will all be dissolved by corrosions and now time to replace the condenser which in today costs 2024 approx $10K-15K
Nope, sorry, Mister worked for a good 5 years. Upgraded to a heat pump and going to reinstall soon. The condenser doesn't cost 10k unless you're getting scammed. I installed an entire system for under 4k
I live in Arizona. I have also lived in New England and Texas. No matter where I have lived, when the ambient temperature of the condenser is lower (like when using a mister to reduce the ambient air temperature), it takes less electricity to cool the house to a constant temperature. I haven't checked other areas, but I assume if the difference in ambient temperature and inside temperature is less, it takes less energy to cool. That's probably universal.
While some 'experts' may be correct that if the system was operating outside of its design parameters it could cause a problem, this isn't the case when reducing the ambient temperature from 100 to 80 or 90 to 70. If the drop is much more, the simple thing to do is open a window.
If evaporation didn't absorb heat, these guys wouldn't have a job. All you did was build a swamp cooler for the AC. My daughter cools her whole house with a swamp cooler, so it must work.
I have a concern and a question. My concern is scale buildup on the condenser coils. We have hard water where I live. Here is Arizona, we don't get enough rain water to use so I would be stuck with city water from my water softener. That's my concern.
I saw your calculations for money saved and it makes perfect sense. My question is where do you live? What kind of ambient temps do you see and what is your typical humidity? What size is your AC? Here where I live, we're currently averaging around 106° and about 10-15% percent humidity. Low temps overnight tend to be around 78-82°. I am guessing I would see better savings than you. My unit is 3 tons.
Thanks for your hard work.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment.
I'm in the Midwest and we see temps in the mid 90s and sometimes a hundred. If you're using city water, definitely use a calcium filter. The hardness is something to test for or watch for.
Humidity varies between 40 to 60% its quite a large range of conditions.
Since you don't get much rain, I would invest in plastic cisterns 500 gallon or more, so when it does rain, you can capture a lot.
Another thing to consider is precooling, running the ac really really early before it gets hot, this will also reduce power/ energy consumption as air into the condensor is cooler. I seen about a 15-20% decrease in doing this.
The hotter the ambient temp.is the more savings you'll see with misters.. Hope that helps.
@@stem_saving1644 Thanks for the response. I am going to throw together some misters to test the effectiveness. I'll prbably use an irrigation valve, like you did. I live in a community where I don't have a lot of room outside so I'm not sure I could store that much water. First things first. I'll mist the condenser, test current and outlet temperature and see what the improvement is.
@mrschwarz1950 you could even use a garden hose with an adjustable sprayer for a test. Let me know what your results are for your area.
I suggest adding a water softener up stream on the misters. If not you will create a concrete condenser coil.
If you didn't see the latest video I switched to rain water. No particulates in there. Best water one can use.
Increase the discharging distance, reverse mist nozzle direction, reduce water consumption.
Increased discharge distance means more gpm to cool surrounding air volume, which is counter productive in reducing consumption.
@@stem_saving1644 Is not the air that gets cold in any significant amounts what makes this work but rather the water that is deposited in the hot coils and then gets evaporated thus taking the heat with it. In fact some people run water with a waterfall recycling unit.
@@Ramiromasters it's the change in the physical state of the water. ..from a liquid to a gas (mist) that cools the surrounding air that gets drawn in. The law of thermal dynamics says that when a liquid changes to a gas it absorbs heat. Similar to the inside coil. This cool air then picks up heat from the condenser coils which provides the cooling your referring to.
@@stem_saving1644 Though mist may look a bit like vapor its not. Vapor are water molecules that have achieved a certain speed that we know as a temperature of 212°F They move so fast that they can't stick to other water molecules. When you steam a shirt with an iron it gets hot as vapor transfer its heat to the shirt, when you put your hand above evaporating water you feel heat as vapor condenses in your skin transfering the heat. When water evaporates from an AC hot coil it goes from liquid to vapor thus taking the heat away. The mist is just a good way to cover the coils with water.
@@Ramiromasters it's true it's not true vapor, however you don't need water to be 212 to achieve evaporative cooling. Stand outside on a hot sunny day and poor the same temperature water as the air on your skin and you will still feel the cooling effect of evaporative cooling. Same process here, as the water mist evaporates, It pulls heat with it. Cooling the air. It's the evaporative cooling of the air that's cooling the fins.
One of the nicer builds I've seen on the net! If you are on city water do you still need a filter?
I would say yes. Most all municipalities add chemicals to water. The only pure water is rain water. Check out my part 2 where I use rain water. I still use it there too since it filters tiny debris out. Either way it's good to have.
What you really want to do is make an evaporative cooler so that you are not putting water on the coil. We do that to gas turbines so we don’t foul the compressor blades but make 10% more power.
Yes that is the concept. The mister does that for the most part. There is water that does make it onto the coil sometimes, but it's all rain water now.
This video covers so little of the issues here. Delta T of the indoor coil will show that there is no change or the change is in negative.
Your system is probably a SEER 13 and is designed to operate dry. When you change the head pressure, you change refrigerant flow rates. This change changes efficiency, not to the good but lower. Add to that, damage to the coil from minerals in the water, and you will be losing money.
Modern compressors are well capable of handling the temperatures and pressures they are exposed to. There will be no reduction in wear of the compressor. In fact, under certain conditions oil return may be compromised.
The problem of water damage is not something you can fix with a filter or whatever. Even if you could deionize the water, that makes the water quite corrosive.
There are no commercial, industrial or residential units that use water spraying. If the efficiency could be increased without damage, manufacturers would use it.
GFM
I beg to differ. My system is over 20 years old, 5 of which have the mister on it. What minerals, does deionized water have that are so damaging to aluminum fins? If it's so bad, then how do out door units survive rain for years on end? I'm spraying them with rain.
So, what happens when a cool front moves in? The same cooling air effect as an 80 degree day vs 100. There is no way a furnace operating at an ambient air temp of 80 works the same as one at 100, all other things equal. Power draws prove that...as I showed.
Raising any liquid to a higher temperature (through compression) requires more energy. It's simple physics. The hotter the ambient temperature the more the compressor works to push heat out.
Colder air allows the heat exchanger work more efficiently. Its ultimately the energy used in the compressor to remove energy in the house.
These are everywhere where I work. Used to cool huge office complexes and warehouses. I'm sure if they didn't work they wouldn't use them.
@@stem_saving1644 I thought you said it was 18 in the video. Could be wrong.
Deionized water does not have minerals. Pure water is a catalyst for dissimilar metals corrosion. The aluminum fins are sacrificial to the copper. heat increases the corrosion. Many units paint their condensers to limit this corrosion. Its kind of like its raining on the coil all the time.
Power draw drop does not equal higher efficiency. When head pressure drops, efficiency may drop. The unit may even freeze up. The reasons for this are a bit complicated so I will not explore them here.
What you are seeing at your work are cooling towers. These systems usually have their condensing units in the basement. They have water cooled condensers. The heated water is then pumped to the roof where fans blow air across the water as it pours over plates to cool off the water.
If you are interested, I did a series on this subject. It starts here: ua-cam.com/video/GEHE69OC9Xk/v-deo.html
GFM
@@grayfurnaceman it was the 18 years old. That was almost 2 years ago.
I disagree with your assessment. The compressor is the mover of heat. The hotter it's outside the harder it works. You can exchange more btus into colder air than hotter air....simple Fluid dynamics my friend. Power measurements showed that. If it's not for you, don't build one.
Well, I suppose I best bring my out door unit inside today it's scheduled to rain.
@@stem_saving1644 Sometimes engineering is not as simple as it seems.
GFM
@@grayfurnaceman I'll agree with that. If your not an engineer.
Here is my question, as you are using this what is your suction and liquid pressures, I will guaranty that you will have a low suction pressure and a high head pressure because a wet coil is harder for the fan to pull air through. The compressor does not coil the freon it is the fan, the compressor is just a pump, and the compressor changes the warm gas from the evaporator coil to a hot gas and as it travels through the condenser coil and the fan on the condenser is pulling the air through the coil the hot gas is changed to a warm gas.
And while you are checking the suction and liquid pressure what is the super heat and subcool, that will tell you how efficient the system is and do a amp draw on your compressor and fan the more amps the harder the part is working the less the less work it is doing.
I don't believe I claimed the compressor cools the freon. But the cooler air keeps it cooler as well. .The mister cools the surrounding air, which drops the inlet temperature, which forces the compressor to exert less energy to remove the heat. My current draw measurements prove that. not sure about all the pressure readings you mention as I don't have hvac tools, but it does work. It's been active for 4+ years. It's also widely used industry.
Klein meter. Not cheap, high professional reliability and support--either this guy got lucky or he is no joke!
I think the better investment is Delta T taken, proper charge... nothing I seen here saves money. The unit Series is SEER rated at the factory. Simply replacing contactors and the evap relay along with the caps every five years is a better investment. Resistance from the contactor increases amp draw. Maintain the unit, they are designed by engineers.
Assuming a working unit. None of the items mentioned will increase efficiency. A contractor will fail by either not pulling in or the physical surface not connecting. Similarly with the capacitor, it's either open or shorted. Both will fail usually fail in two modes.
But for arguments sake, say you replace them. There is no measurable difference in efficiency gained.
To gain efficiency, the ability to move heat, you have two main components to enhance... the blower motor and or compressor. Since the compressor draws a preponderance of the power, that's the item of concern.
Simply decreasing your air intake temperature will allow this to happen. Similarly, one could run the ac when it's cooler and achieve similar savings.
Way is a bunch of negative comments the system is working good for me
Confirm what the valve connects to for on/off ! Very interested. I'm building today !
It's connected to your small thermostat wires, just like in my videos. The 26v not the 240 volt. These are the small wires.
Option. Shade assembly. Looks like yours is shaded anyway. Savings may be 3x if not due to better evaporative cooling? thoughts?
Shading will help a little with heat loading, but not 3x. Most of your reduction in energy will be in how quickly or efficiently you can transfer heat away from the coils. But every little bit helps.
Just hook up a NOS spray onto your coils. Guaranteed to increase torque and horsepower of your AC unit. 🤣
Just filter the water and it’s no different that when it’s rained on as far as water impact on external AC unit.
The most effective way to do this would be to install when new unit is installed. Use sealant to protect any areas of wiring…. And enjoy the cost benefits and decrease wear on unit over its entire service life.
I think rather than having sprayers, having plumbing inside the unit which streams water on top of the coils and flows down over coils from top to bottom would probably be more efficient. Or building a sheet metal box around the unit and having multiple sprayers.
Having water is like getting a hemi. Lots of options on how to reduce operating power.
If you buy a pool and use the water in your pool. Then spray it through fins. Then catch the water going through the top of compressor unit and pass that water through filter then pool. Then you can use that cold pool water to cool doen fins!! And have warm pool water. Without consuming water from the city in the process. Then use solar pumps for the water pumps!!
True, but for the price of a pool, I can get 10 ac units. Which will outlast me.
I don’t think you explained to the people that, if and when you spray the water to Cool the Coils, it will lower the temp on your Vents which will save on run time. I sprayed the water hose on on side of my Coils while it was running for a while, it dropped my temperature down 5 degrees at the vent in house.Doing this!, it will most likely cut your run time a third or in half!! Your not even going to see the charge for the water💦 on your Bill. I didn’t plan on the Amps.going down on the Unit too!!, Thanks!! It’s a Win!!, Win!! All the way around!!
Need to make sure you have a calcium filter in case you have hard water, better yet use rain water.
Reduced power consumption by 13 percent approx. Time of use utility plans factor peak consumption during high use times to determine fees. So the savings might be more than 13 percent? Not sure
Yes, there are many factors involved. My utility charges flat rates, no time of day. Also, the hotter the climate the more it helps...and in my case the more inefficient (older) the a/c the more it helps. I'm going on my 5th year and it's running great.
I like the system I installed it and worked very good now I need help on how to rewire the valve system if you can help
If it's a valve from a yard sprinkling system, it attaches to the two small wires that come into the outdoor unit. Be careful around the 240v ac or hire an electrician to make the connection.
Ya i have juat used a spray bottle and it droped power like 1/3 ours is a mini split thats 24000btu
Water is the new GOLD! If you have a well, go for it.
Free water from the roof is now my well
It would be cheaper to have purchased a higher SEER rating A/C and more timely. Do you know how they make higher SEER’s, they just make the AC unit taller by adding more condenser coils.
@@lynnchelo4727 I didn't own the house when it was built. But there is an argument to be made with more efficiency, but then I could make it even more efficient with adding in the mister again.
Every time the temperature of the coils change the freon pressure level changes. The lower the pressure, the colder the coils, to the point that the condensation rolling off the A-Coil freezes. You need to check your pressures with mister on. Then you must always run mister. Also since you changed the Manufacturer’s design you are no longer under any warranty. If you call for service just completely remove mister.
@@lynnchelo4727 I think after 20 years, the warranty is already expired.
Yes reduces your power bill...but also reduces the life of the condensing unit years..Also voids the manufacture warranty..
Voids the manufacturer warranty? How so? So you're saying after first rain the warranty is void? If not, what's the difference, it's getting either way?
@@stem_saving1644 Personal experience in the field in the 80's. when mister systems first appeared in Florida ...Don't believe me look it up then argue.
Nice video, did this have much impact on the overall delta T inside the house, I.E. did the ac vent outlet temperature go down somewhat? Also, where did you grab the 24vac for the orbit valve, perhaps at the Main contactor relay primary? May give this a try, mine is 16years old and in need of replacement, cools but not very efficient, old seer 10
I didn't see any significant change across the a coil. It mainly seems to reduce the operating temps of condenser and increases it's efficiency. I grabbed the voltage for the orbit valve at the input to the contactor (the signal from hvac transformer that tells the switch to close)
@@stem_saving1644 Thanks...
Could you just put the misting nozzles in the PVC pipe instead of using couplers? The sprinkler valve, is it hooked up to the contactor so that the mister turns on when the system cycles on?
Yes. You'll need a special tap for them. I tried the couplers and decided to tap them later. Tap is in the description, I think.
Sprinkler valve goes to the 26v that turns on the relay... not the 240v. Normally, those are smaller gauge wires. So, when the system turns on, the misters turn on.
I wish I knew how you wired the pump up to kick on when the A/C turns on
Look close at the video, it's all in there.
This has been 5 years. Are you getting scale deposits on your condensor? How effective is your filter, and how long does it last?
I have installed a heat pump since then. Getting off natural gas. I got about 2 months off the filter, also switched to rain water. Check out that video.
The irrigation pvc is 1/2" ? But the on/off 240volt sprinkler valve is 3/4" fittings ?? Please confirm!
It's a 26v sprinkler valve, not 240.. There are multiple types with different size inputs. Simple 3/4 to 1/2 adapter would make it work.
I DON'T SEE A CALSIUM FILTER OR ICE MAKER MINERAL FILTER ON THE UNIT, WITH OUT IT, YOU MAY RUIN THE CONDENSER , AND DID YOU GET MORE COOLER AIR OUT OF THE DUCT WORKS?
It's on there for the tap water. Didn't see anything outside of normal temp gun error for cooling. If It were cooler, the coil would freeze over.
If you sourced everything through Amazon or Home Depot, how much would this cost for the parts?
Items are in the description let us know what today's cost is
“if you have heavy water”, 😆
If I had heavy water the government would be knocking on my door 😎
Heavy water is used in nuclear reactors. lol
I know you meant to say hard water…but it was funny.
What about the water bill??
Went up a couple bucks.
My question. Does this mister system save the wear and tear upon the ax condenser. Thank u Tim
It makes the system run more efficiently by reducing the amount of power and energy it requires to remove heat. Wear and tear, I can't say for sure since I haven't tested 2 identical units in a controller test.
But experience has shown me, electrical devices that run cooler, last longer.
I was thinking of.using comdestae drain pump then connect the ends with spray misters... Will the condensate pump create enough pressure for the misters
You will need 40-60psi of pressure condensate pump probably won't supply enough pressure or water.... depends on how many misters you run. I have 50 gallon barrels for my old mister.
Hey doubters…. 91KW per month fills up a Tesla. And then some. Like getting a “tank” for free. Also, for those using sustainable energy, power usage is a it deal. The savings would pose many devices ams lights in a house each day. Something to consider.
Absolutely 💯 correct. That's 364 miles in my bolt or leaf. It's all about managing the Kwh and keeping money in your pocket.
Will this help get the house cooler when it's over 100 degrees outside?
Yes. As you mist the coils it lowers the power consumption as well as how quickly heat is transferred to the outside... effectively increasing efficiency.
Very COOL. I got the same a.c.. How is holding up for you
It's been doing well. It's a power hog and I will eventually replace it with a heat pump, which is an order of magnitude more efficient.... But for now, it works.
What power management system do you have?
I have the energy detective TED. If your referring to the monitoring system.
Was a before/after temperature taken of the refrigerant line exiting the condenser?
I didn't get those as I don't have fancy hvac metering equipment. Thermal guns won't accurately measure the metal as what you are looking for.
How did you wire the sprinkler valve to come on when the AC kicks on? Did you wire it to the top of the contactor switch?
No, that's 240v. That will blow it out. It gets attached to the low voltage small wire side.
@@stem_saving1644 appreciate the response, I understand what you referring to, the 24 volt coming from the thermostat.
Are you still using this misting system? How is it holding up? Are you having any rusting / calcium build up issues?
Still working. No issues to report. I'm now using rain water from the water harvesting setup I made. So, my water is free.
@@stem_saving1644 thanks for the update, and for sharing your video.
Any info on how the valve is wired?
Just like how it's wired in the video..... to the 26v signal coming from the small thermostat wires.
@@stem_saving1644 ok thank you. I was having trouble hearing that part of the video and wasn't sure.
Eco. Sense..good
Nice
Thanks
How
How/where did you wire up the solenoid?
The valve power connects into the contactor power it's 24vac. Don't confuse that with the 240vac power. The contactor/relay is energized by your hvac control unit inside, which has smaller gauge wires. If your not comfortable around electricity don't attempt it and always remove power before making mods.
@@stem_saving1644 Connected to the contactor power of what? Where is your control solenoid?
The power for the valve comes from the air conditioner.. it's spliced into the control signal for the relay. When the relay is energized the valve is energized.
So at 10.92 a month in hydro saving's it will take you 100 months of savings to pay for the new compressor you will need. Lol
Your implying getting the system wet, ruins the compressor? Guess everybody's system needs a new compressor when it constantly gets rained on. It's a closed system, water doesn't degrade the system.
@@stem_saving1644 That is not what I am implying at all do a little bit more research on how the refrigeration cycle works and what other critical readings you should be taking when changing the operating discharge pressure.
The operating pressures also change when cold air is exposed to the coils, which happens during most cold fronts during a summer rain. Simply put. It allows the condenser to opeate more efficiently. If it were damaging to the compressor, manf. would not allow units to be placed in areas where there is a cold air in take. This same evaporative cooling technology is also employed in commercial and industrial units as well. The science is solid and proven.
@@stem_saving1644 I guess the point that most people don't understand is that you need to properly control the head pressure of any refrigeration unit regardless of what you are cooling. By the way I only work on commercial and industrial HVACF systems and live where the temperature swing can go as low as -30F and as high as 100F with very high humidity. So we deal with alot of controls on these systems to properly run in these conditions. So that being said most condensers are made for 95F ambient and some for 105F. Anything above those temps and I agree water will definitely make a difference anything below 60F ambient you risk the chance of the compressor being damaged without proper head pressure control which also has a bearing on the refrigeration effect of the system. So just running the mister without some control on it is just wrong not to mention the fact the water will eventually damage the condenser coil which I have seen first hand.
I respectfully disagree. My results are what works on my system. It's never run at 60 degrees outdoor temps. So it never sees these bounds. It's almost 20 years old, which if this causes failures, it would have caused it to fail by now.
Cost of water and pump electricity bill to be reduced from your saving. Then you mught realize that saving is hardly anything.
Electricity is free with solar, water pump maybe 50$, everything is all paid off at this point. Need to look at the long game not short run.
This might cause accelerated rusting.
As opposed to getting rained on?
@@stem_saving1644 a wiser choice would be to make a shed on the ac condensor to prevent direct sun & rain from affecting it. You'll save some energy too.
You'd need to redirect the exhaust and size the inlet correctly. I'd think misting would be way simpler, more efficient, and quicker ROI
Sounds like a recipe to accelerate corrosion
So when it rains..... I guess it's the same thing?
@stem_saving1644 Yes, i say accelerated because I highly doubt it rains every time your ac unit runs
My point being they are designed to be outside. Mines has been working for 21 years of getting wet, before i replaced it with a heat pump. Most have aluminum fins, which won't rust.
@stem_saving1644 im stoked you had a good run there are always outliers in any statistical system. I think your vastly over simplifying the situation. Your correct aluminum is used for its corrosion resistance properties. The oxide layer formed by aluminium lends pretty heavily to its continued corrosion resistance by atmospheric sources. But that's not all your going to be facing. There is galvanic corrosion anywhere dissimilar materials meet, in the case you hook one of these up to tap water your facing a whole new set of corrosive stresses including chlorine, sulfer, fluoride, iron calcium etc. Which will factor into not just corrosion but build up on the radiator causing thermal transmission to drop. Rain water is going to be relatively clear of the chlorine and fluoride additives but is subject to any atmospheric pollution. And water from the condensate drain would be subject to any pollution from the system upstream of your collection point. So air pollution in your home plus any corrosion upstream in your system, rusty drain, corrosion in copper etc. I want to be clear there definitely steps you could take to mitigate these factors and if your helping an older system hang on a few yrs before you replace the system is effective.
@BaffledBelief I wouldn't say I'm the only one, statistically. Lots of other data points out there.
I do use rain water, which is the purest method of mostly contaminant free water.
I'm in Arizona. I run my air 37 hours a day. Can someone do the math for me?
37 hours a day? Your ac must be doing double time!
@@stem_saving1644 Lol... it is. I just sold my house and moved into a rental. AC guy has been out twice today to make repairs. So glad I don't own this old unit. Lol 🤣🤣
@@jaepee1359 mines paid for. Doesn't get any better.
Seems the comment section is full of HVAC guys.
Yes. Lots of nay sayers, but 4 years later, still working.
Probably save more money by not letting your ac unit work so hard.
That is the exact intent of the system, cooler operating temps make the system more efficient.
What a great way to rust your AC to hell and waste a ton of water. But I suppose if your AC is garbage and you got nothing else...
Should I bring it inside? They are designed to sit outside in the rain. It's worked fine for over 5 years..... not sure what the problem is.
waste of time and money will not lower the cost of running your a/c.
Really? So when the current drops by two amps, that's not saving any money? Lower power draw means less energy consumed, which means less money spent on cooling. The applied math shows this.
If they saved energy, they would come from the factory with this BS gimmick installed.
Some people, like you, don't seem to understand the science or math behind it. Its not a one size fits all system. You need external components and some water systems won't work and are very heavily in calcium.
It might be BS to you but the numbers don't lie. You can choose to pay higher bills. I'll stick to lower ones.
@@stem_saving1644 you obviously don't understand how an A/C System works, lowering the head pressure does not make it more efficient, if that was the case, undercharging a system to lower head pressure would save you money, but it doesn't.
Looking at amp draw alone doesn't mean anything.
Right. I guess my meter, thermal imager, and ohms law must all be wrong. Utility company too, by showing lower consumption on my bills.
This a waste of time and money .He has no idea about Thermodynamic and how that works with the refrigerants cycle .Heat transfer doesn't work faster if the ambient air is lower . 30 degree ambient temp is the same as a 10 degree difference . The most overlooked and under appreciated issue for homeowner is insulating your home .Heat loss and is mostly from windows and poorly insulation in homes.Imagine your home a huge refrigerator .The more times you open the doors the longer it has to run to keep cool. Call your local energy company for rebates for home improvements .There's also tax breaks for replacing windows with high efficiency ratings . I need get a good laugh from this video .Its cute .
Your about 3 years late to the party. I have heard this old tired argument all before, it won't work, running it will ruin something.
Yadda yadda yadda...and almost 5 years later still working.
I said it reduces the power draw which makes it more efficient. Your COP goes up based on how many btus you remove dives by the energy it takes to run the system. Suggest you pay closer attention to the video.
Yes, ultimately I agree if you super insulate your house, you limit your load. But each house has limitations and squeezing out energy gains is what some houses can only do. Unless you spend 10 of thousands of dollars in energy retrofits.
@@stem_saving1644 it’s not an argument . It’s called science 🧪 sir. You wanna drawn down your energy cost . Invest in a 2 stage ac unit or ECM motor .unfortunately these ideas are still being shared to other viewers .
Most home owners aren't going to spend upwards of 5k-8k for a system that already works. ROI for a 15% more efficient new system is a lot larger than 50$ for a mister that gets you the same result. At the savings I seen (66$) a year it would take over 70 years to achieve that with the same efficiency increase in a new system.
Would you buy a brand new $25k car that gets half a gallon better fuel economy vs getting the same results from an older car, that's paid for, buy doing some simple cost effective mods?
I don't disagree with getting an efficient system when the one you have goes bad. But from an ROI perspective, that's not the best option.
@@stem_saving1644 misters on a condenser is Pseudoscience period .
So. my current draw ratings must all be false then? Interesting that my bills and energy system reflect the findings.
You can believe what you like, but science behind it is solid as the current meter shows.
no need for profanity
If your easily 'fended no need to watch the channel, move along.