New Eco-friendly AC uses water to cool down Air

A new type of air conditioning is waiting to make its cool debut on the market. Suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, the system is much more energy efficient than traditional units, uses plain water instead of chemicals refrigerants, and produces drinking water to boot.

With the winter holidays coming to a close, it’s time to plan for the future. The hot, sweaty, sticky near-future of summer. There is solid ground to assume that this year will be a scorching one, which should still feel like small fry compared to those in the future.

All this heat will not be doing anyone any favors. According to researchers from the Natural Resources Defense Council, future summers won’t be only about ice-cream and beach holidays — they will be very deadly seasons, claiming tens of thousands of lives all across the US. The EU is on the hook too, and there’s no reason to believe people in other areas of the world will fare much cooler than, essentially, the world’s technological and economic powerhouses.

Too hot for comfort

It’s not an overstatement, then, to say that proper temperature control, in the form of air conditioning, will become a matter of life or death in the future. However, our current approach to the issue leaves us in a spot of hot water.

For one, air conditioning isn’t so much about ‘destroying’ heat as it is about taking it somewhere else — specifically, out of the room. Comfy on the inside, but the reverse of the coin is that the ‘outside’, especially if you live in a big city, gets much warmer very fast. Le Chatelier’s principle on equilibrium tells us that this will make it progressively more difficult for air conditioning units to actually push all that heat outside: it’s more laborious to create a big imbalance (pumping heat from a cold room to a hot outside) than a small one (say, between two bodies at closer temperatures). It’s like pushing water uphill. Which segues us into issue Mk.2:

The harder our ACs have to work, the more energy they need. Ironically, this makes everything hotter, as that energy degrades into heat. It’ll also put a large dent in many a family’s finances, and many people will have to contend with an unenviable choice: go into overdraft, or gamble that nobody’s going to get heatstroke. Zooming back even further, it will put a huge strain on often aging and already-overtaxed power grids — and we definitely don’t want these to pop when everybody’s hugging the AC for dear life.

Lastly, our current systems employ chemical refrigerants such as chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons for cooling, which are quite nasty for the environment. More directly important to you, however, is that these compounds are quite expensive to manufacture and very deadly if leaks occur indoors.

So we need a better alternative. Luckily for us, that’s exactly what one team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has been working on, with support from the Building and Construction Authority and National Research Foundation Singapore. The device they came up with could potentially address the limitations of the century-old AC principle in use today.

The water-based AC system can cool air down to 18° Celsius (64.4° F) without using the energy-intensive compressors or the chemical refrigerants the most common ACs today use. Suitable both for indoor and outdoor use, the device is fully portable and can be customized to work in all weather conditions, says the team led by Associate Professor Ernest Chua from the university’s Faculty of Engineering.

Cooler cooling
Because it relies on water in lieu of chemical refrigerants, the device is also cheaper to manufacture than traditional AC systems, is more sustainable, more eco-friendly, and potential leaks will be a nuisance at their worst. Running costs should also be much lower, as the team reports their cooler uses roughly 40% less electricity than traditional systems — good for your bill and the planet, too.

A final feature you’ll enjoy on a scorching noon is that the system also generates potable water as it cools your room.

“For buildings located in the tropics, more than 40 per cent of the building’s energy consumption is attributed to air-conditioning,” Chua says. “We expect this rate to increase dramatically, adding an extra punch to global warming.”

“Our novel membrane and water-based cooling technology is very eco-friendly — it can provide cool and dry air without using a compressor and chemical refrigerants. This is a new starting point for the next generation of air-conditioners, and our technology has immense potential to disrupt how air-conditioning has traditionally been provided.”

Instead of dehumidifying and cooling the air at the same time, as conventional designs do, the team from NUS decided to handle them separately. Finer control over each process allowed the team to increase their energy efficiency.

The first step in the process is to pass air through a paper-like membrane which removes moisture. Then, the dry air is passed through a dew-point cooking system. In broad lines, this is a system that uses part of the dry air produced in the first step to force evaporation on metallic plates inside the AC. Since water needs energy to turn into a gas (and heat is energy), this process cools the plates which, in turn, cool the air flowing through them. Out the end comes a stream of cooled, drier air than compared to the environment, and about 12 to 15 liters (12.68 to 15.85 quarts) of potable water per day.

According to the team, the device can easily be adapted to work in all types of weather and climate, used for individual homes or scaled up to service clusters of buildings. The team says it’s particularly well-suited for confined areas that need reliable humidity control, such as bomb shelters, wine cellars, or hospitals. “Armoured personnel carriers, and operation decks of navy ships as well as aircrafts,” are also good candidates, Chua adds.

The team is currently refining its design to further improve user-friendliness. They plan to incorporate features including pre-programmed thermal settings, based on human occupancy, and real-time tracking of its energy efficiency. The team hopes to work with industry partners to commercialize the technology.

VISIT: https://www.zmescience.com/science/water-based-air-conditioning/

Electricity-free air conditioning

A cool idea

New materials may change the way temperatures are regulated

AIR conditioning is a transformative technology. It has made the world’s torrid climes pleasanter to live in, and enabled the siesta-free working habits of the temperate regions to move closer to the equator. But cooling buildings takes a lot of energy. Heat must be pumped actively from their interiors to their exteriors. Fully 15% of the electricity used by buildings in the United States is devoted to this task. If an idea dreamed up by Aaswath Raman of Stanford University and his colleagues comes to fruition, that may change. Dr Raman has invented a way to encourage buildings to dump their heat without the need for pumps and compressors. Instead, they simply radiate it into outer space.

The idea, described in this week’s Nature, is both cunning and simple. Outer space is very cold (about 3°C above absolute zero) and very big, so it is the perfect heat sink. Earth radiates heat into it all the time. But this is compensated for by the heat the planet receives from the sun. To encourage one part of Earth’s surface (such as an individual building) to cool down, all you need do in principle is reflect the sunlight which falls on it back into space, while also encouraging as much radiative cooling from it as possible.

To try to turn principle into practice Dr Raman has made a material which reflects 97% of sunlight while itself radiating at a wavelength of between eight and 13 microns (or millionths of a metre), which is where the atmosphere is most transparent. Production of the material is made possible with modern manufacturing methods. It consists of four layers of silicon dioxide interspersed with three of hafnium dioxide. Each of these seven layers is of a different, precisely defined thickness, ranging from 13 to 688 nanometres (or billionths of a metre). It is backed by a layer of silver 200 nanometres thick, to act as a mirror.

The result, a sheet with a total thickness of less than two microns, is the photonic equivalent of a semiconductor: it does to light what a semiconductor does to electricity, namely manipulates its energy levels. Since, optically speaking, energy levels correspond to wavelengths, such an arrangement can be tweaked to reflect some wavelengths and preferentially emit others. And that, in choosing the layers’ pedantically exact dimensions, is just what Dr Raman and his colleagues have done.

Polythene plan
They worked out on a computer how thick those layers needed to be to reflect pretty much the entire solar spectrum while, at the same time, shedding infra-red light at the frequency which can most easily escape from Earth into outer space. And then they made it, to see if it works.

It does. Mounted on a silicon wafer to keep it flat, held in a specially designed box made of Mylar, polythene, polystyrene, acrylic and wood, to minimize the conduction of heat into it from its surroundings, and then left outside on a sunny, albeit rather wintry Californian day, the photonic sheet settled down to a temperature 4.9°C cooler than its surroundings. If it were thermally connected to those surroundings, rather than isolated from them, that temperature difference would disappear—but the result would be to cool the surroundings slightly.

Turning this discovery into a useful device will be a journey down a long road. Dr Raman and his colleagues have, however, taken the first step by working out that they should be able to replace the hafnium dioxide (which is expensive) with titanium dioxide (which is cheap). They will probably need to replace the silver, too—though the cost of silicon dioxide, also known as sand, is not so much of a problem.

The process will also have to be scaled up. And it will work only on those parts of a building (mainly the roof) that have a clear view of the sky, and thus of outer space, so it will not replace air conditioning completely. But the idea of even part of a building’s cooling system being electricity-free is an attractive one, so this may be the start of something really cool.


The economist

Affordable Solar Powered Air Conditioning in a Neat Little Package is Finally Here

Five percent of America's electricity is used for residential air conditioning, and it is considered now to be a necessity, not a luxury. It's usually needed most when the sun is shining, so as I have noted since 2006, Solar Powered Air Conditioning Just Makes Sense. For most of that time I have been looking at absorption units that run like a propane fridge, but I recently mused that perhaps it is time for a change in the way we think about this:

I am wondering if the solar powered air conditioner might not be in the end a small, high efficiency home with a small, high efficiency air conditioner powered by a big honking bank of photovoltaics, and be done with it.

I am not alone. Jamie Edens of Charleston, South Carolina read the post and wrote, telling me about his search for a solution to what he calls "the crux of our energy problem", all that coal that is being burned to generate the electricity to run that air conditioning. He also noted that there was a big movement everywhere to get off the grid, to stop paying so much money for electricity, but the real problem in doing so was the heavy load from air conditioning, and the poor efficiency of most units on the market.



After hearing a story of how truckers had seriously efficient air conditioners that could run on batteries while they slept, he started hanging out in truck equipment shows and discovered Kingtec Technologies, a big manufacturer of direct current air conditioners for the trucking and RV market. After building a prototype that was a minor hit on YouTube, and with the help of a local Kingtec distributor, Edens convinced the company to build a unit to his specifications.

They started with very efficient 48 volt DC unit that puts out 16,000 BTUs at 850 watts, giving it an Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) of 18.8. (Martin Holladay explains that EER is the cooling capacity of the appliance (in Btu/h) at an outdoor temperature of 95°F divided by the current draw of the appliance in watts.)

They added a 45 amp solar charge controller and a 20 amp/hour battery as a buffer for when clouds block the sun. All you have to do is stick it in your window like a regular air conditioner, plug in a thousand watts of solar panels and it will run all day. Add more batteries or add a grid connection power supply and it will run all night. So for $2895 plus a thousand bucks worth of solar panels, you in business.

Edens has been to China and played with the prototype. Comparing it to his prototype, he writes:

The new air conditioner blow three times harder and has twice the BTU output. The efficiency are there and it is ready to change the world. It's not a toy- the beauty of this air conditioner is that all of the solar components are installed in the air conditioner and the engineering is done for you. All you need to do is plug in your solar panels and turn the unit on.... Air conditioning doesn't need to burden to the grid, our finances and contribute to global pollution. It can contribute a new start to clean things up and sustain the earth for the long run.

16,000 BTUs is not comparable to a typical home air conditioning unit; it's a big window unit that might normally condition 600 square feet. But if you combine it with an equally efficient home, you might have something here. After I mused about a photovoltaic powered AC unit earlier I wrote Martin Holladay at Green Building Advisor for his thoughts and he replied:

So, if you want to minimize your air conditioning bill, install low-solar-gain windows on your west (and perhaps east) walls, include wide roof overhangs, install deep attic insulation, minimize your air leakage, install an efficient air conditioner ... and then install PV, as much as you can afford. In other words, I agree with you.

Jamie Edens and Kingtec have built a neat little package that runs on a lot less than my "big honking bank of photovoltaics"; combined with a small home designed around its output (not a difficult thing to do) and you've got that holy grail I've been looking for: the effective and affordable solar powered air conditioner.

More at Kingtec Solar

Solar Air Conditioners

 

Comparison Of Solar Air Conditioners
Review of Absorption, PV and Hybrid Thermal Air Conditioners

Listed below are the various types of solar air conditioners currently in the market.

Solar Powered Chillers (Commercial Only)

These chiller systems can be powered by evacuated tube solar thermal collectors or solar concentrators. They can also be powered by recovering waste heat energy from various industrial or commercial process. Basically these systems run on hot water or steam that can be produced in a number of ways including using solar energy.

1. Absorption Chiller Air Conditioners - Lithium Bromide Example: Yazaki
Can run on hot water 170-200F range, within range of evacuated tube solar.
2. Adsorption Chiller Air Conditioners - Silica - Example: Eco-Max
Can run on hot water 170-200F range, within range of evacuated tube solar.
3. Absorption Chiller Air Conditioners - Ammonia - Example: Robur (Serval)
Can run on hot water >240F range, works with a parabolic solar concentrating collector.
Our team has installed and configured several evacuated tube solar-powered Yazaki systems, we have a Yazaki certified installer on staff. All of the above systems are min. 10 tons, commercial use only.

Solar PV Powered Solar Air Conditioners (Residential & Commercial)

These air conditioners use BLDC (Brushless DC) compressors, or standard type compressors, they get some or all of their power from solar. Solar photovoltaic panels produce DC power, which in some units is used natively and in others must be inverted to AC.

1. 100% DC Solar Air Conditioners - All DC compressor, fans, and controls- Example: DC48 Telco/Solar
All DC powered system built around a pure-DC VRF compressor used in off-grid solar, mobile command posts, telecom cooling. 48VDC, no inverter used, very high efficiency.
2. Hybrid AC-DC Solar Air Conditioners - Mixed Solar AC/DC - Example: ACDC12
The only UL/ETL, EnergyStar, and CEC certified solar mini-split in the market, SEER 35 with 2 solar panels, SEER 19 on normal power, accepts DC power directly, no inverter or batteries needed, uses >80% solar. Requires AC power connection.
3. "Solar Ready" AC units - AC Power - Example: Lennox
Central AC system connects to AC power inverted from solar panels and connected to AC line current (grid). Clever marketing approach, uses inverted solar power but this is an AC powered unit.

Hybrid Thermal Solar Air Conditioners (Sedna Aire and various Chinese copycats)

The manufacturer claims to have patented technology that uses solar heat added into the normal vapor compression refrigeration cycle, with the claim of saving energy as a result. These hybrid thermal solar "absorption" air conditioners are connected to a solar thermal collector, compressor discharge gas is pumped through the solar collector to pick up additional superheat prior to condensing.

1. Solar Hybrid Thermal Absorption Air Conditioner - AC w/ Solar Thermal - Example: Ecoline(Sedna Aire)

*Note. This so-called solar air conditioner is included here based only upon claims made by the manufacturer. We cannot find any data to verify the manufacturers claims and our engineers do not recognize the Sedna Aire or similar "hybrid thermal absorption systems" as a solar air conditioner because they do not believe that solar contributes to any net energy savings in the system. We have NOT tested any of these units.

One thing we find particularly curious about these claims is the Sedna water heating option. If (and we don't agree) adding extra superheat to the system somehow makes it more efficient, then immediately taking the added superheat back out to make free hot water doesn't seem to fit the storyline. Even if the basic claims are somehow correct, we don't see how you can have it both ways.

See what the professional HVAC online community says about the Sedna Aire systems: http://hvac-talk.com/vbb/showthread.php?933472-Sedna-solar-assisted-a-c-are-the-really-efficient

Air Conditioning Research Facilities

CSIRO has established a team of building energy experts and state-of-the-art test facilities to develop and assess conventional air conditioning and new solar cooling techniques and technologies.

Solar cooling expertise

CSIRO's Solar Cooling research team has built up expertise in designing solar cooling systems, simulation modelling, prototype development and testing.
Our scientists and engineers have access to a unique suite of research facilities, located at the CSIRO Energy Centre in Newcastle, New South Wales, specifically designed for the development and testing of conventional air-conditioning and solar cooling technologies and systems.

Controlled Climate Test Facility

The Controlled Climate Test Facility (CCTF) was designed and constructed by CSIRO engineers to test a wide range of air conditioning equipment components, such as evaporative coolers, heat exchangers and desiccant wheels, under controlled conditions.
The CCTF test rig can produce two separate, conditioned air streams with precise temperature and humidity control (temperature range 0-90 ºC; relative humidity range 10-95 per cent).
It is also fitted with precision gauges and metering probes to monitor all thermodynamic states.
The facility has been built with the flexibility to provide a platform for testing all types of air-conditioning technology.

National HVAC Performance Test Facility

CSIROs National Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioing (HVAC) Performance Test Facility has been designed by CSIRO engineers to undertake complete HVAC system testing.
This state-of-the-art facility expands Australia’s capacity for product testing and has the flexibility to evaluate both conventional and innovative solar-powered air-conditioning technologies (up to 20kWthermal).
The facility has been designed to test the electrical, cooling and heating performance of air conditioners under rating conditions and under transient simulated global weather conditions, from 2°C to 45°C.

The exterior of the facility has been fitted with a range of solar thermal collectors, including flat plate, evacuated tubes and air collectors, to test sorption cooling technologies with different solar heat sources.
The solar thermal collectors cover the roof and are exposed to normal daily sunlight.
The inside of the facility houses a balanced ambient calorimeter, built to Australian and international standards, which can be connected to the TRNSYS simulation package for hour-by-hour heat load analysis.
Because the facility is able to simulate indoor and outdoor environments, prototype and commercial products can be evaluated under a range of conditions which mimic climactic conditions around Australia and the world.
In addition to this capability, real solar thermal collectors mean solar thermal systems can be tested under 'true' sun, while their performance is tested by the calorimeter under a range of simulated environments.
A unique feature of the facility is the ability to operate with simulated building heat loads calculated by a TRNSYS building simulation program and supplied in real time to the facility control system.
This enables the facility to replicate the performance of a solar - or conventional - air conditioning system in any building in any climate.

Working with CSIRO

CSIRO's HVAC test facilities are available to industry to hire. For more information, contact Mark.Peristy@csiro.au [email link].
CSIRO also offers solar cooling consultancy services.
Learn more about CSIRO’s solar cooling research.

Researchers invent air conditioning system using ceramic panels

Researchers of the University of Alicante belonging to the UA Research Group on Technology and Sustainability in Architecture, along with the Spanish Association of Manufacturers of Ceramic Tiles and Pavements (ASCER) and the Institute for Ceramic Technology (ITC) have developed an innovative thermal conditioning panel of ceramic material, which can control the climate of any room easily, sustainably and energetically efficient.

The main innovation of this new HVAC system is the use of ceramic material. The panel incorporates a capillary structure by which the water flows on its hidden face and it heats or cools the room in which it is housed according to the water temperature.

This material had not been used so far in combination with a capillary system of water distribution", lecturer Víctor Echarri Iribarren, Director of the UA Research Group on Technology and Sustainability in Architecture explains.
"The system, based on fixed factory assembled panels, is made up of several layers and can be easily installed in ceilings and walls. It requires minimal maintenance and can be deployed across multiple designs and configurations, allowing the creation of panels of different sizes and formats", adds Victor Echarri.

"This innovative form of air conditioning is compatible for use in sustainable construction , as it is environmentally friendly for containing ceramic and polypropylene. The system, working with moderate water temperatures, allows the use of renewable solar, geothermal and biomass energy, both in summer and winter. Also, the material provides other advantages such as light weight, easy maintenance and the ability to set custom formats tailored to the needs of the architect", Victor Echarri states.

The technology has been successfully tested and allows systems without air conditioning, forced or connective air, so it is of interest for ceramic manufacturing companies wishing to develop a line of products based on this technology.

Panasonic 2013

Complete detail...PDF File

Air Conditioning Optimization With ECONAVI Sensors

An Air Conditioner Featuring ECONAVI Intelligent Sensors:

• Detects the presence and location of people in the room to eliminate wasted cooling and maximize airflow toward room occupants.
• Detects the absence of people in the room and automatically increases the set temperature to minimize wasted electricity.
• Senses the amount of activity in the room, increasing or decreasing cooling power based on low, normal, or high levels of movement.
• Reduces energy consumption by up to 30%^*1.

 

Additional Benefits of 'eco ideas'

 

Panasonic's Advanced+Plus e-ion Air Purifying System seeks out and inactivates bacteria, mold, and viruses in your room.

Active e-ions inactivate more than 99%^*2 of airborne bacteria and mold to make them harmless. The result is cool, healthy

What is ECONAVI?

ECONAVI combines intelligent sensor technology with sophisticated control programs, developed by Panasonic, to optimize cooling performance according to room conditions, eliminating wasted energy consumption.

By detecting the presence/absence of people in a room and their levels of activity, ECONAVI ensures that your air conditioner delivers optimum cooling. This results in comfort and convenience throughout the day.
Increased Energy Savings

When ECONAVI Dual Sensor technology is active, two powerful sensors detect a wide-range of room conditions by sending out infrared rays and monitoring their reactions. Control programs analyze these conditions, seeking out ways to deliver comfortable cooling and reduce wasted electricity. This intelligent approach to cooling results in an up to 30%*1 increase in energy savings.
Same Great Benefits From Intelligent Inverter

The ECONAVI feature expands on the benefits already provided by Panasonic's Intelligent Inverter technology, bringing increased energy savings to room cooling. That means that in addition to the current maximum of up to 50%*2 energy savings from Intelligent Inverter, you can enjoy more efficient air conditioning throughout the day.

    *1 Comparison of 1.5HP Inverter model with ECONAVI Dual Sensor ON and OFF (Cooling).

   
    Remote setting temperature: 25°C with Fan Speed (High)
    Vertical Airflow direction: Auto, Horizontal Airflow Direction: ECONAVI Mode
    Setting temperature goes up 1°C controlled by ECONAVI activity level
   
    Remote setting temperature: 25°C with Fan Speed (High)
    Vertical Airflow direction: Auto, Horizontal Airflow Direction: Front
    Total power consumption amount are measured for 1 hour in stable condition
    At Panasonic Amenity Room (size:16.2m2)

    This is the maximum energy saving value, and the effect differs according to conditions in installation and usage.
    *2 Comparison of 1.5HP Inverter model and 1.5HP Non-Inverter model (Cooling).

    Outside temperature: 35°C/24°C, Remote setting temperature: 25°C with Fan speed (AUTO)
    Vertical Airflow direction: Auto, Horizontal Airflow direction: Front
    Total power consumption amount are measured for 8 hours from starting
    At Panasonic Amenity Room (size:16.2m2)
    This is the maximum energy saving value, and the effect differs according to conditions in installation and usage.

How to Make a Vent Cover for an Air Conditioner Wall Unit for the Winteri

Air conditioner manufacturers recommend that owners cover the exterior portion of the condenser during the winter months to protect it from the elements. Covering an air conditioner also prevents heat loss through the unit. You can make a vent cover for an air conditioner wall unit for the winter out of breathable tarp material. By using breathable fabric, you ensure that moisture is not trapped near the unit, which could cause damage.

Instructions

1
Measure the height, width and depth of the air conditioner condenser on the exterior of the house with a tape measure. Write down these dimensions.

2

Purchase enough breathable tarp fabric to cover the entire unit with about 4 extra inches on each side.

3

Mark the dimensions onto the fabric with a tape measure and a straightedge then cut along the lines with heavy-duty scissors.

4

Place the tarp over the air conditioner so the top edge is flush at the point where the air conditioner meets the building. Apply a strip of duct tape along the edge of the tarp to hold it to the air conditioner securely.

5

Pull the tarp down over the air conditioner and align the edge of the tarp where the air conditioner meets the building on the bottom. Apply another strip of duct tape along the bottom edge of the tarp to hold it securely.

6

Fold the right edge of the tarp flat along the right side of the air conditioner and apply a strip of duct tape to seal the edge of the tarp at the point where the air conditioner and building meet. Fold the excess tarp from the top and bottom across the right side of the air conditioner, similar to the process of wrapping a gift. Tape these tarp edges securely across the right side of the air conditioner.

7

Repeat Step 6 for the left side of the air conditioner. When you're finished, the tarp should cover the air conditioner completely in a secure and uniform layer.

8

Apply another strip of duct tape around the entire edge of the tarp where it attaches to the building to ensure a tight and secure covering over the air conditioner.

How to Adjust an Air conditioner Damper

A central air conditioning system distributes the cooled air throughout your house via ducts. How much air each room gets depends on the damper settings. These plates, which are located inside the ducts, are adjustable. They can be opened or closed as much as needed to make the rooms they control comfortable. Different rooms in your home need different amounts of cooled air. That’s why you need to adjust the air conditioning dampers to control and balance the air flow..

Instructions

1. • 1
     Open all the air conditioning vents or registers in the house so they are wide open. Find the air conditioning duct trunks that lead out from the furnace. Locate the damper lever on each duct. Each metal lever is located on the side of the duct. Open each damper by moving its lever so it points in the direction the duct travels, not across it. With all the balancing dampers open, the air conditioning air flow isn’t restricted. It’s operating at full capacity.
   • 2
     Close any balancing dampers that lead to rooms that are sufficiently cooled by the air conditioning. Turn the metal levers so they point across the ducts, perpendicular to the path the ducts follow. You may want to close the dampers on ducts that lead to small or unused rooms in the house as well. They don’t require much cooling and will still receive a small amount of cooled air because the dampers don’t shut completely tight.
   • 3
     Wait a few days and make mental notes of the temperatures of each room in your house. Check to determine which rooms are comfortable, which are too warm, and which are too cold.
   • 4
     Return to the air conditioning dampers in the furnace ducts. Adjust each air conditioning damper so it provides the right amount of air to each room. Open the dampers in ducts that lead to rooms that are too warm. Close dampers a bit to rooms that are too cool. Make small adjustments; don’t open or close any damper completely.
   • 5
     Wait a few more days, and repeat Step 4. You need to keep doing this until every room in your house is cooled to your comfort level. When you’re done balancing the air conditioning dampers, use a permanent marker to draw a line on each furnace duct. Extend each line out from the handles so you know where the position should be. Make an “S” beside each line to indicate it’s the summer setting.

What is the BTU in Air Conditioning

Every air conditioner comes with a BTU rating, usually measuring in the thousands. This number is an indication of the air conditioner's cooling capacity, helping you to know whether it is strong enough to cool your room. Every room has a specific cooling capacity as well, and using an air conditioner with a rating that approximates this will provide you with the best temperature-control results.

British Thermal Units

The cooling capacity of an air conditioner is measured in British thermal units, abbreviated as BTUs. This is a unit of heat, with one BTU equaling the warmth required to raise the temperature of a pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. A 10,000 BTU air conditioner, then, for example, is capable of extracting 10,000 BTUs of heat from the air in an hour.

Room Size and BTUs

Bigger rooms require air conditioners with greater BTU ratings and vice versa. An average room of approximately 150 square feet is best cooled by a 5,000 BTU air conditioner, with the recommendation going up by about 1,000 BTUs for every 50 square feet greater than that. Many online BTU calculators can help you determine exactly how strong an air conditioner is needed for your specific room.


Other Factors

Room size is not the only variable to take into consideration when determining how powerful an air conditioner you need. Heavily shaded rooms tend to need 10 percent fewer BTUs than usual, while those receiving direct sunlight need 10 percent more. If a room is regularly occupied by more than two people, adding another 600 BTUs for each additional occupant ensures proper temperature control. The heat generated by appliances makes a kitchen require 4,000 more BTUs than another room of the same size.

Doing It Wrong

If you get an air conditioner that is too weak for your room's requirements, you will obviously be unable to attain the temperatures desired. But what many people fail to realize is that an air conditioner both cools and dehumidifies a room. Because dehumidifying takes time, a too-powerful air conditioner will short-cycle, turning itself off when the room is cold enough but leaving the air damp and uncomfortable.

How to Vacuum an AC System

It is important to vacuum an air-conditioning system to remove any air or moisture that may damage the system in the long run. Moisture in the AC system is a serious problem, because moisture reduces the performance of the AC system and condensation of water can cause the AC system to freeze. Condensed water particles corrode the AC system and cause long-term damage. Creating a vacuum deep enough to boil moisture away by using a vacuum pump on a regular basis is an effective, low-cost method of maintaining a healthy AC system. Pumps can be purchased or rented, if you don't want to make a permanent investment.

Instructions

1
Turn off the air conditioning in the car and switch off the car engine.

2
Hook up the refrigerant gauge manifold set. The pump hose should be attached to the low-pressure port of the refrigerant gauge. The hose is attached, in simplified terms, to the port that is found in the middle of the gauges. This step is very important in vacuuming the AC system. It helps maintain the vacuum even after the pump shuts down. Refrigerant can be added only after the correct level of vacuum is maintained.

3
Screw the AC vacuum pump to the center valve of the refrigerant gauge manifold set. Keep checking the gauge till the vacuum level reaches 27 Hg. Allow the pump to run for no less than 30 minutes.

4
Close the valve that goes to the gauge. Turn the pump to the off position. Leave the equipment in place, without running the pump for another 30 minutes. After this 30 minutes of idle time, check to see if the vacuum level remains at 27 Hg. If the level is less than 27Hg, then there is a leak in the system that needs to be fixed before moving to the next step.

5
Disconnect the pump hose from the pump and place in a can of refrigerant or freon after the proper of level of vacuum is present and there are no leaks detected. Start the car. Now, turn on the air conditioning system. Open the low-pressure manifold slowly to allow the refrigerant, usually Freon, to flow into the system.



Tip

Invest in a good electric vacuum pump. Keep the pump oiled regularly. Maintain the pump according to the instructions in the manual, and it is likely to give excellent service for 10 years or more. Change the oil in the pump if it functions slowly or the oil looks dirty or cloudy.


Warning

Using a refrigerant gauge is a time and money saver. If the AC vacuum pump is hooked directly into the system it will keep losing vacuum every time the connector hose is disconnected from the pump, and moisture will not evaporate effectively.

Top 5 Air conditioner companies website.

Panasonic

http://www.panasonic.com/industrial/appliances-hvac-devices/

General

http://www.generalac.com/

LG

http://www.lg.com/global/products/air-conditioner/index.jsp

HAIER

http://www.haieramerica.com/

TLC

http://tlcairconditioning.com/

What is a SEER in Air Conditioning?

Shopping for air conditioning units means wading into a field of new terms. One of the most common terms, the SEER number, reveals the unit's efficiency. Know the meaning of this acronym and shop with confidence.

Definition

SEER is an acronym for seasonal energy efficiency rating. The United States and Canada use the SEER to determine the energy efficiency of air conditioning units. Many organizations, including the federal Energy Star program and local power companies, use SEER numbers when awarding installation rebates.

Calculations

Manufacturers, power companies, and federal departments calculate the SEER by dividing the thermal output of the air conditioning unit (measured in Btu) by the total watt hours of energy the unit consumed. This is measured over an average cooling season. Energy-efficient units have higher SEER numbers than standard units.

Efficiency

       

According to the U.S. Department of Energy website, 13 is the lowest SEER rating allowed in new residential air conditioning units as of January 23, 2006. Earlier models may have SEER numbers as low as 6, increasing power costs for the homeowner. Since air conditioning units may last 15 to 20 years, replacing an inefficient air conditioner saves the homeowner money in future energy costs. If your current unit is 10 years old, replacing it with a new unit may cut 20 to 40 percent off your power bill.

What is the R-410A used in air conditioners

In our latest review of window air conditioners models with R-410A refrigerant didn't perform any better or worse than models with other refrigerants, such as R-22.


The latest air conditioners must use R-410A (sold as Genetron AZ-20, Forane 410A, and other names), R-407C (sold as DuPont Suva 407C), and other refrigerants because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is phasing out the use of R-22 and other ozone-depleting refrigerants used in heating and cooling equipment. R-410A doesn't damage the ozone layer though, like R-22, it does contribute to global warming, according to the EPA.

Starting this year, manufacturers are no longer allowed to make or import new air-conditioning equipment that uses R-22. The EPA hasn't banned existing R-22 air conditioners, so you'll likely still find models in stores with this refrigerant. When you're shopping for an air conditioner, you also might see a logo with a green leaf or other symbol on the box (shown) indicating an air conditioner uses R-410A or another refrigerant. 

(Note: When you get an R-410A air conditioner serviced, make sure the company uses the proper refrigerant. Charging an air conditioner with an incompatible refrigerant can cause performance problems.)

How to Spot Air Conditioner Issues Before a Meltdown,

It never seems to fail: You’re in the middle of a summer heat wave, your air conditioner conks out and every repair person in a 50 mile radius is booked solid. Don’t let this happen to you! A/C experts actually say a lot of expensive emergency repair calls are the result of something a lot more predictable than hot weather--poor maintenance. Experts say the longer your air conditioner goes without a good look under the hood, it loses about five percent of its overall efficiency.

Consumer review organization Angie’s List surveyed A/C specialists for their tips on how to spot potential problems before a meltdown occurs. If your air conditioner is not cooling your home as effectively as it should, or if the humidity seems to be increasing, you may want to set up a service call. Angie Hicks, the founder of Angie’s List, says look at it like a tune-up. “For a typical tune-up on your air conditioner it’s probably going to cost around $70 and $100. But also keep in mind, many companies do offer maintenance plans that might offer it at a little lower price by signing up for a whole year.”

What's Usually Included in an A/C Tune-Up:

• An inspection of the safety controls.
• A check of the refrigerant levels to ensure there are no Freon leaks.
• Compressor and electrical components are cleaned and checked for proper operation and life expectancy.
• Filters are checked and changed, if necessary.
• The outdoor coil is cleaned.
• A check of the temperature and the air flow.
• Thermostats are calibrated.

Who you gonna call? Shopping around to find service and repair technicians can be stressful. Are you going to get ripped off? Will they even show up? One easy rule of thumb to remember when you want to check out a company: Take one minute and Google its name. Then enter the business’ name with the word “complaint.” You’d be surprised what you’ll find! Hicks also has some insider secrets on choosing the right A/C professional.

Choosing an A/C Professional

• Check that they are properly licensed and insured.
• Some companies hire maintenance technicians to do their tune-ups as an entry level position. Make sure they have certification that shows they have met the minimum standards for knowledge of their trade.
• A typical service call should range between $70 and $100. Be wary of companies that offer significantly lower prices. Emergency or weekend repair calls often carry extra fees of $50-$150 above the time and materials needed for repair.
• Get multiple estimates, even in an emergency situation.
• There are also some things YOU can, and should do on your own to make sure your air conditioner runs efficiently.

Making Sure Your Air Conditioner Runs Efficiently

Keep the filter clean: Clean and replace the air conditioner filter frequently (check the filter once a month). This is especially important during the summer when dust and allergens circulate. If the filter becomes clogged, your system will have to work harder to supply the same amount of cool air. Check with your provider on the right type of filters to use with your system.

Made in the shade: Air conditioners with proper shading can be more efficient. Air in a shaded space is cooler than the surrounding air, meaning the A/C will have an easier time cooling the air, but keep plants, shrubs, and other landscaping about two to four feet away from your outdoor unit to ensure adequate airflow.

Dial for dollars: Remember that each degree you dial below 78 increases your energy consumption by about 8 percent. If your monthly electric bill is about $100, you’ll save $8 a month with EACH degree you can stand above 78.

Set and go: If it’s hard to remember to tweak your thermostat before you leave for work, consider investing in a programmable thermostat or a timer for your window unit.

Time to replace? If your unit is more than 10 years old and you have substantial repair costs, it’s probably time to consider a replacing your unit with a new, energy-efficient model. When replacing your A/C, look for a properly sized unit. If you install a unit that is too large, it will cycle on and off – reducing the efficiency of the system.

Maintenance of Portable Air Conditioning

The maintenance required for a portable air conditioner to run properly and efficiently for years to come is minimal but crucial to the lifespan of this type of cooling equipment. Several important factors are to be addressed. First, attention to the correct installation is essential to the care of the equipment. When it is purchased or shipped, take care in unpacking it. A portable air conditioner is shipped with a fragile plastic accordion support frame to hold it in place. These pull out and are supposed to facilitate portability from room to room by accommodating any standard window opening. If the window opening and these braces are not sufficient the portable unit will rattle and vibrate during operation. Any movement or instability during operation will harm the interior structure of the machinery. This vibration will decrease its effectiveness and diminish its longevity.

Once it is determined that the install of the unit is adequate and has provided the best support possible, pull out the manual and check the repair and service contact information. Place those numbers or addresses on or near the unit, so advice or a tune-up is only a moment away. At the slightest sign of an inability to cool, a malfunction, too much condensation forming near or on the unit or an increase in any noise during operation or shut down, call the service desk to troubleshoot the symptom. Often a call will provide answers and help avoid costly repair bills. Often the problem can be solved over the phone, with a few simple troubleshooting actions.

Recently, a particular refrigerant that has been in use over many decades has been discontinued, so double check what type of refrigerant is used in the AC prior to purchase. If it is the discontinued product, it is doubtful it needs to be replaced but it is worth avoiding purchasing one with that refrigerant product. Most portable air conditioning units never leak unless they have been severely damaged from a plunge of a story or more. Nor will the coolant lose its efficacy over time. Removing the unit from the window and thoroughly eliminating all dust and grime from the grill should be a yearly spring ritual. According to the experts, tipping or jostling the appliance is also advised to relax the fluid inside. The above maintenance tricks and tips and do's and don't will extend the lifetime of most portable air conditioners.

Handheld USB Air Conditioner Keeps You Cool

 Air Conditioners

Even though summer is almost over, keeping cool is important all year around. It Works is ready to lend a hand with the Handy Cooler. USB powered and about the size of a soda can, this little swamp cooler can blow a cool breeze on you where ever you go. Swamp coolers are an old trick for keeping cool, using air flow to help evaporate water and lower temperatures. Modern air conditioners use the same principle with freon or other substances in a closed system which manages to recycle the coolant. With the Handy Cooler you need to soak the sponge every so often to keep it from just blowing regular air. If you need to use it on the go you can run off of 4 AA batteries for about 5 hours.

The Handy-cooler can be used at just about any angle when held by hand (and hand strap), or using the adjustable output while standing it upright. The USB power option is provided by an included USB to DC adapter cord. An optional AC adapter is available for purchase as well. They come in 3 stylish colors and can be had for $29.95.

If you wanna buy then go to amazon.com

Solving the Smelly Air Conditioner Problem

Does your vehicle air conditioner smell sort of like mold, especially right when you first turn it on? If so, you’re not alone – it’s a very common problem. Here in Phoenix, this can be an especially annoying problem because so many of us use the air conditioner every day.

The cause of this problem is just what it smells like – mold and bacteria. Inside your vehicle’s air conditioning system, you have a part called an evaporator. This part is designed to remove both the heat from your vehicle’s interior (when the A/C is turned on, anyways) as well as remove any moisture from the air that’s being cooled. While most of the air around here is pretty dry, there’s still enough moisture in the air to condense upon your vehicle’s evaporator.

Vehicle air conditioner evaporator

When moisture condenses on the evaporator, it’s supposed to drip drain away. However, very often the drain will become clogged and/or it won’t drain quickly enough. If water can stagnate inside the evaporator unit, this water grows mold and bacteria that causes your vehicle’s air conditioning system to smell — especially immediately after the system is first turned on.

There are three ways to solve this problem:

1. Replace and/or remove the evaporator for a thorough cleaning. This shouldn’t be necessary in all but the most extreme cases. However, if you ignore the smell long enough, this may be your only option. As you can imagine, it takes quite a bit of work to remove this part from your vehicle and then re-install it, so it’s definitely your last choice.

2. Clean the A/C using a special chemical cleaning system. As an auto repair shop, we have a chemical system that’s incredibly effective at neutralizing any mold or bacteria growing inside your vehicle’s air conditioning system that will also de-odorize everything. You can always try a home remedy – sometimes spraying an odor neutralizer into your air vents can help – but our system is 98% effective.

3. Prevent mold and bacteria from growing in the first place. If you can remember to turn off your air conditioner five minutes before you stop driving – and then turn on your interior fan to full speed – you’ll help dry out your vehicle’s A/C system. Just five minutes on fan (without using A/C) before you shut your vehicle off will make a difference.

Window Air Conditioner vs Ductless Mini-Split Cooling System

 Which Type of Air Conditioner is Best for Your Home?

There are some stark differences between a window air conditioner and a ductless mini-split air conditioning system, but understanding the unique features and constraints of each type, can help you to decide which is best for your home.

Window Air Conditioners

This is probably the most popular type of air conditioner for many reasons, but it may not be the best choice in terms of efficiency, convenience and versatility. Its best features include price - window models are the most affordable and the easiest to install. Although you usually need help installing one due to the bulky design, you can often get one functioning without having to pay for professional help, simply by following instructions. Operation is simple and you can find models that have a quieter design or other convenience features.

On the down side, a window air conditioner must be positioned in a window and that means less light and view to the outdoors. The air conditioner must be rightly sized to the window opening and you have to give some consideration to how the remaining (open) gap around the air conditioner will be filled. Some use wood to fill in the space, but this reduces visibility even more; others use a form of transparent polycarbonate glass. Keep in mind that there is a security risk with a window air conditioner. There isn't much holding it in there and removal from the outside (depending where it is located) could provide an easy unwanted entry to some.


Ductless Mini-Split Air Conditioners

While a ductless mini-split system is cheaper and easier to install than whole-home central air, it still requires a qualified technician and a small investment. The system incorporates an outdoor condenser component, with smaller wall-mounted cooling units called zones, that are installed where you need them most. Placement of these cooling zones can be on an interior or exterior wall, with no window required. Some systems have one to two room units that can be networked, while others may have more. And some systems include heating as well as cooling, so they are more versatile than a window air conditioner.

However, since installation is intrusive, a ductless split system is not a good choice for a renter. But for the home owner, they are a worthy investment since they require no duct work, are usually more efficient than other types of room coolers, quieter to operate and often have convenient remote control capability. Prices can vary but they are generally in the thousand dollar range and higher, depending on the size and number of zones.