anyone use water-cooled a/c

[apartmentblower]

did a search but it seems people start confusing water cooled a/c and water cooled heat exchangers or whatever the hell you wanna call it with what im talking about. water cooled a/c supposedly uses about 1/2 gallon of water per min for something that will cool approx 4 bare 1000watts, while water cooled heat exchanger will take anywhere from 2.5-5 depending on water temp. i don't think water-cooled a/c is as dependent on cold water as heat exchangers. any experiences with them??? 1/2 gallon per min isn't so bad when compared to 5. bit more electricity use but thats easier to cover for than explaining why you are dumping the equivalent of lake eerie every hour

 

[resin_lung]

a swamp cooler recirculates water, a water cooled A/c drains to waist. a water cooled a/c will use significantly more water than a swamp cooler.

 

[apartmentblower]

a swamp cooler recirculates water, a water cooled A/c drains to waist. a water cooled a/c will use significantly more water than a swamp cooler.

i made a mistake. i shouldnt have used the word swamp cooler. swamp coolers are totally different and im not interested in them. i fixed the original post.

 

[vancityj]

Swamp coolers are drain-to-waste as well; they don't work with a refridgerant, such as freon, just cold water through a rad...that being said, they work surprisingly well (2-3 fan, 3 coil/Keeprite/low wattage...2-axial fans/300-400-watts). Water-cooled AC are one-piece and are pretty quiet. Heat pumps have both AC and an included heat-strip, usually. The AC doesn't include a heat-strip. Check out Thermoplus if you have the need/$; they work killer...just picked up a new 3-Ton (KAC-036V; 12.8-amp compressor/2.5-amp blower=15.3-amps@240V)
with a condensate pump (no floor drain; small box with pump and float-valve type system is situated beside AC and condensation drain line directed into condensate pump...it fills up every few minutes and lifts/empties water into a nearby sink in about two seconds; pump is about 100-watts at 120V...they're great). As far as the water input, you run the tap wide open; I think it inputs about 1L/9 seconds - same as a swamp-cooler...both have water shut-off valves included; when the compressor stops, so does the water. A swamp cooler won't cool 8KW, sealed with CO2 in the middle of summer, though.

 

[vancityj]

Here's a picture...

 

[thirtyshort]

You could recirculate the water from your pool if you should happen to have one. You run pump from the pool to the water cooled ac inlet and then drain back into the pool. You won't have a super hight water bill and you get around having an extra ac condenser outside for the nieghbors and leo to look at. We run those a lot where I come from and that's how we do it. We run 5 ton water cooled ac's and cool 12k in a 2 garage with it.

 

[apartmentblower]

Swamp coolers are drain-to-waste as well; they don't work with a refridgerant, such as freon, just cold water through a rad...that being said, they work surprisingly well (2-3 fan, 3 coil/Keeprite/low wattage...2-axial fans/300-400-watts). Water-cooled AC are one-piece and are pretty quiet. Heat pumps have both AC and an included heat-strip, usually. The AC doesn't include a heat-strip. Check out Thermoplus if you have the need/$; they work killer...just picked up a new 3-Ton (KAC-036V; 12.8-amp compressor/2.5-amp blower=15.3-amps@240V)
with a condensate pump (no floor drain; small box with pump and float-valve type system is situated beside AC and condensation drain line directed into condensate pump...it fills up every few minutes and lifts/empties water into a nearby sink in about two seconds; pump is about 100-watts at 120V...they're great). As far as the water input, you run the tap wide open; I think it inputs about 1L/9 seconds - same as a swamp-cooler...both have water shut-off valves included; when the compressor stops, so does the water. A swamp cooler won't cool 8KW, sealed with CO2 in the middle of summer, though.

yes! thats what im looking for!

ok , the thermo units are the same ones im looking at. im afraid i dont understand most of your post though... starting with "Heat pumps have both AC and an included heat-strip, usually." and then you start talking about no floor drain and im totally lost.

is all your saying is that since you don't have a drain in your floor to get rid of the heated water, you rigged up some type of pump to pump it up to your sink?? im confused.

i understood them to work like this... you attach the water cooled a/c wth two hoses, one from your tap, and one to your drain. it pulls water from tap, expells heat into water, and drains the water out into the drain. thats it, right?

do you mind if I PM you some questions?



by the way, I think we all might still be confusing the terms swamp cooler. my understanding was there are three types of units:

1. swamp cooler (almost useless for our applications, basically a fan blowing air over wetted pads... used down in southern USA mostly im told)

2. water cooled heat exchanger (what you first described, the 2-3-4 fan units that use very little electricity but lots of water, but have a hard time keeping a room cool in summer when tap water temps rise)

3. water cooled a/c (thermoplus units. basically an a/c that instead of using an air intake and exhaust to cool the unit uses hot water, making it perfect for use in a sealed room or in a situation where its best for security reasons not to have vents blowing outside, or having a unit outside cycling on and off with a mini split)

and then you've got the mini splits, window units, portable air cooled, etc. etc.

correct me if im wrong anyone

 

[vancityj]

"i understood them to work like this... you attach the water cooled a/c wth two hoses, one from your tap, and one to your drain. it pulls water from tap, expells heat into water, and drains the water out into the drain. thats it, right?"

Yes, the in/out can be run to/from a raised sink, but the AC units condensation line must be located below the internal drip-pan of the unit, as it's gravity fed; if you don't have a floor drain located nearby, you'll need a condensate pump.

 

[divenosa]

There's a really good water based AC that uses water and a heat exchanger. www.coolerado.com

It drains to waste and might be similar to the one you mentioned. The difference might be that it works better, the hotter the outside temp gets and uses an eighth of the power of a regular compressor/refrigerant based AC.

 

[apartmentblower]

Thanks everyone especiall vancityj!

 

[Lazyman]

Love this thread! Anyone ever build a homemade heat exchanger/chiller setup? I know Dongle was working on setting one up....

 

[Lazyman]

Swamp coolers are drain-to-waste as well; they don't work with a refridgerant, such as freon, just cold water through a rad...that being said, they work surprisingly well (2-3 fan, 3 coil/Keeprite/low wattage...2-axial fans/300-400-watts). Water-cooled AC are one-piece and are pretty quiet. Heat pumps have both AC and an included heat-strip, usually. The AC doesn't include a heat-strip. Check out Thermoplus if you have the need/$; they work killer...just picked up a new 3-Ton (KAC-036V; 12.8-amp compressor/2.5-amp blower=15.3-amps@240V)
with a condensate pump (no floor drain; small box with pump and float-valve type system is situated beside AC and condensation drain line directed into condensate pump...it fills up every few minutes and lifts/empties water into a nearby sink in about two seconds; pump is about 100-watts at 120V...they're great). As far as the water input, you run the tap wide open; I think it inputs about 1L/9 seconds - same as a swamp-cooler...both have water shut-off valves included; when the compressor stops, so does the water. A swamp cooler won't cool 8KW, sealed with CO2 in the middle of summer, though.

Thanks for the info, very slick. The Coolerado link above is pretty wicked too. Are the water cooled AC's more energy efficient? What did your setup run you?

 

[nosuchname]

The problem with the Coolerado is that you have to vent hot/ humid air that is easily detectable with FLIR, it doesn't work as well in high humidity areas, and there is already a shortage of water in most of the driers areas of the world (where it would work the best). Hell, the Colorado River already runs dry at the end. Imagine what would happen if every household used and extra 2 showers a day worth of water. Now imagine a bunch of large grow ups using several times as much water. Then you have crops failing and people without enough drinking water...Not good. Of course we would save a ton of water if everyone gave up watering lawns and let them go dormant when nature didn't supply enough water. BTW, anyone see that Penn and Teller about the old guy who got locked up for not keeping his grass green enough in a drought? What a crazy world...

Another issue is that that steamy hot air that is produced might not be so good for the global warming and the weather. Who knows, maybe it could increase rainfall in the right areas, maybe not, but I'm pretty sure that humid air is a greenhouse gas.

If more and more people used this technology in a certain area then humidity and would build up and the technology would be come less effective. Big cites with lots of people using the Coolerado would become hotter and more humid. Noone likes hot and humid air, people are not able to cool themselves as well in humid conditions.

 

[Lazyman]

Any A/C generates heat detectable by FLIR, but if a cop is FLIRing your op you've already screwed up and you're well on your way to getting busted anyway.

Water is never really destroyed, only converted into other forms of water. The immense power savings offered by these units far outweighs any water costs, and the waste water can be captured and reused.

I dod price the M50 (5-ton unit) though from Blue Star air, they quoted me $4999 plus tax, free shipping. Since it means I wouldn't need a $2K power upgrade to run a regular split A/C, the Coolerados power savings should pay for itself in less than 2 years in my neck of the woods. I also like I can hook it up myself without hiring an HVAC tech.

I agree with nosuchname that its not perfect for everyone (most don't need 5-6 ton A/C's) but for those that do, a 600W 120V 5-6 ton AC is unbeatable.

 

[mrdizzle]

5gal a minx60=300 and hr, 300gals an hour x 12hrs= 14,400gals a today, 14,000x30days= 420,000gals of water per month x.004center per gallon= $1,680 a month. hahaah in cali that would probably get you hung in the town square.

I think im too high to understand that bluestar web page/ is it saying you have to pull outside air in to use it properly? im gonna give it another read over

 

[dmt]

my distinguished collegues. if no cold or cool water cools the condenser in that 2.5 ton thermoplus, er whatever. it will automatically shut off from high heat. you nedd to run cool water in, and itl be hot comin out. it will use less water compared to a swamper. the swamper advantage is you can plug it into a 120v plug. the a/c uses a 15/30 amp breaker, but uses less water and runs less overall. do not try to use a pool or res with a cooler in it. you will fail no matter how smart or innovative you are.ive tried all these things before, u need a fresh water source. good luck w your scenerio aptblower, d

 

[Lazyman]

5gal a minx60=300 and hr, 300gals an hour x 12hrs= 14,400gals a today, 14,000x30days= 420,000gals of water per month x.004center per gallon= $1,680 a month. hahaah in cali that would probably get you hung in the town square.

I think im too high to understand that bluestar web page/ is it saying you have to pull outside air in to use it properly? im gonna give it another read over

LOL, 300 gallons an hour? No way man, it's 1 gallon per hour (Coolerado M50) when it's running.

http://www.organicgreenandnatural.c...s-ac-technology-consumes-90-less-electricity/

If you're running a 5-ton for an entire 12hr light cycle you've got some SERIOUS heat issues. I figure mine will run 3-4 hours a day on the hottest days, so that water usage is negligible.

 

[mrdizzle]

yea most 5ton water cooled a/cs use that much, wasnt exactly directed towards the coolerrado

but like i was asking, doesnt that pulled air from outside? i truely couldnt understand the wedpage last night. I only want a/c for a sealed room, so it would pretty much be running not stop, but if it only uses a gallon a water an works in a sealed room sign me up

 

[Rocky Mtn Squid]

x

 

[Lazyman]

Yeah the Coolerado would have to be placed outside, and then it can blow the cold air in. Slight positive pressure, but given all of the other good things about it I'll deal with it. Very low power and water consumption, tons of cooling, and no HVAC guy needed.

I thought about using the chiller and heat exchangers too, I'd need at least a 2HP chiller (draws a lot of juice) and a big heat exchanger, which both together cost about the same as the Coolerado, and draws 8 times more energy. Neat idea for the right room, but I think the Coolerado is a better bang for the buck and would pay for itself in power savings in a year or two.