Help your AC during extreme heat (Tucson: new home, transfer, softener)

[Home_Kid]

a quick tip to help keep your AC running during this extreme heat wave.

wrap your compressor unit (outside unit) with a misting system that hooks directly to water hose. i used the Orbit ArizonaMist 1/4" 10ft kit from Lowes, about $14. it has clip-on's so should attach easily to most units. simply twist the nozzles (hold hose and twit nozzle) so they dont spray directly into the unit, the unit's fan will draw in when fan is on, etc. this helps take some burden off the system and should allow system to run slightly more efficient. this is not to save $, just an add-on to help keep the AC system running during these very hot days. i leave my mister running 24/7 but in the future i'll hook in a solenoid valve to allow water flow only when fan kicks on, etc. i have digital IR temp gun and it showed about 10-20 degree drop in air temp coming out of the fan.

[Home_Kid]

here's a pic, notice the nozzles do not spray directly into the unit as you want the mist to cool a big volume of air around the unit, etc. when the fan kicks on the cooler mist/air gets sucked in.

[sickofIL]

Shading your condensing unit will also help. You don't want to block air flow, you just don't want it in direct sunlight. Just as your car gets super heated when it sits in the sun, so does the condensing unit

The unit in the picture isn't in a very good location. The fact that there are 3 walls close to it means that a lot of the air will be recirculating through the condenser. A better location would be along one wall and not the wall that gets the afternoon sun. The condensers job is to remove heat from the refrigerant. (that is picked up from inside of your house) So the cooler it is the more heat it can remove.

The water spray uses evaporation to help cool the condenser. But the effectiveness will diminish as humidity rises -- which usually isn't a problem in Tucson.

[Home_Kid]

sickofIL, i agree on all your points. the builder chose a arss-poor location. and actually, that unit was all dented up (new home too), i had to rake the fins back into shape in some sections. the monsoons will bring humidity but also cooler temps, thus i will shut down the misting when the rains start. just have it there for now due to extreme heat wave. i will eventually do something better for that unit. actually had my AC die last night, blew a fuse in attic. blower motor is on its way out and draws too much current, so from time to time the twist fuse pops and it all goes dead. Pulte used cheap arss items everywhere they could. one idea i have for this unit is to use a better fan motor, and also build a tube extension to raise the fan higher up. a project for next summer, etc.

IL pensions causing issues there in IL ??

[Jukesgrrl]

I've never seen this before. Thanks for the tip.

[Home_Kid]

Originally Posted by Jukesgrrl

I've never seen this before. Thanks for the tip.

it helps quite a bit. its kinda just make-shift setup at the moment, but having a good misting system where the mist can evaporate fully before the unit sucks it in would be ideal, but this is tricky and costly to set up. this mister is connected directly to the hose and will do the job for now.

[Home_Kid]

one important note i must add. AZ has hard water, thus its highly recommended to use water from your water softener if you have one, or if you dont have a softener or cant get water from it then get an inline misting filter and use std plumbing adapter to get you to/from std hose connections, etc.

the minerals in hard water can build up on the coils over time impacting ability for unit to transfer heat. with hard water its probably a good idea to spray vinegar solution or diluted CLR over all the fins every week, let stand for ~10min (with unit off), then wash it down, etc.