I'm picturing something like this:
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...r-pipework.jpg

Insulated on one side and a flat metal (15"x11" sheet Aluminum?)
on the other side. This solar exchanger looks pretty easy to build..
Need to find out how to bond the copper tube to the sheet metal.

I was also thinking of a welded aluminum tank. 15"x11"x2"
with two 1/2" pipe fittings on one edge. Maybe some sheet metal
baffling inside to make the coolant circulate over all 165 sq inches
of the contact plate.?.

Comments please..

Wouldn't it be better to make heat exchangers by threading copper tubing through large PEX or PVC pipe?

It needs to fit flat against the 15"x11" hot coil of that GoldStar (LG) AC..
So, a round pipe wouldn't work.

Take a look at this little CPU cooler. (Heat exchanger).
http://www.build-your-own-computer.n...cooling-03.jpg

Picture this thing made 15"x11" with the copper part epoxied to the back
end of the GoldStar AC.. (with insulation over everything).

Here's a DIY version..
Zapi Liquid Cooled Heatsink

I remember about some overclockers cutting away part of the A/C to put the evaporator into a tank of water to make a water cooler.

Maybe do the same but with the condenser, put it in an insulated container of water and then add a coil of copper tubing as a heat exchanger?

I saw some of those over-clockers postings last night.
And putting the condenser in a little tank was the first thing I had considered.
But, I think that a flat contact 'heat collector' mounted on the back side
of the AC might work too.
The reason: No need to remove the condenser and chance a leak.

Just remove the fan & fan motor and install insulation on the inside.
Or, install a second 'heat collector' on the inside of the condenser,
sandwiching the condenser between two heat collectors.?.
(With good insulation over the exposed areas).

The collectors could be mounted using heat conductive epoxy, or
with hardware and heat-sink compound. Something thick
that won't run down when it gets too hot.

Install a water drain hose on the bottom and use the motor AC lines to power a pump? Not a lot to the project..

A/C Hacks...
 

This all sounds like great fun!

Please remember to take loads of photos & notes when you actually do it.

One thing to keep in mind is that the A/C units are designed to use the fan air to blow past the compressor and assist cooling. Before you hack into the unit, you should let it run for a half hour or so, like maybe sitting on th floor in your basement, then turn it off, remove the cover and take a temp reading of the compressor, for future reference...

Sounds like the adventure is beginning.

Best Regards,

-AC_Hacker

P.S. BTW, I just made a related post here.

Maybe install a 120vac 4" muffin fan to keep the compressor cool?
Maybe custom build a wrap-around heat-sink for it?
Hook the heatsink up to a little heat-pipe routed from the cold-air output vent..

That related post sure was interesting reading. :)

What I'm saying is that it's a good idea to know what the original working temp of the A/C compressor is, for future refererence. You may not need the muffin fan or any auxillary cooling at all.


Interesting ideas, but if you're gonna wrap anything around the compressor, it should be copper tubing or some kind of water jacket, going to the water storage tank. You don't want to just throw that heat away, you've already paid for it.

* * *

It has been very interesting for me to disassemble air conditioners and look at how they're made... they're made by the millions.

Part of the design criterion is efficiency, all well and good.

But another very large part is cost-reduction.This is done to expand the potential pool of buyers and of course, it also results in higher profits for the manufacturer. But sometimes the cost-reduction measure may be at the expense of efficiency. Over a production of millions of units, these decisions may be best for a company.

But for us, the Hackers & Modders of the world, the criterion is competely different. We aren't making a million units, we're just making one, or at the most a few.

Anything we can do that will increase efficiency will benefit us in the long run.

Something to think about...


-AC_Hacker

Coil a foot or two of copper tubing around the compressor, tighten it up, and slip it over the top. Then run the hot water through it after the regular heat exchanger.

If compressors really got that hot, it seems like the design would include at least a few heat sink fins..
But, I just took another look at the unit on my operating table and it does seem that
it's positioned near the center of a side input vent for outdoor air.
I've taken out all the screws and the front panel won't pop off.
And the rear sheet metal cover (lip) is stuck inside the unmovable plastic cover!


Mike, would not try to use the main input-output line, since the OD of that line is going
to be large. Not easy to bend stuff.

I've been eyeballing the Taco 007 pump used for the basement zone.
Taco 006 Pump, Taco 007 Pump, Taco Pumps 008, Taco Pumps 009, Taco Pump 0010, Taco Pumps 0011

The basement zone is never used in warm weather.
So if I added some taps and a cutoff, maybe I could substitute my Heat Collector for the basement zone.
I would switch out the normal relay box and use an SS relay to drive
the pump motor, using a speed control.?.

I'm thinking it might have some kind of starter capacitor under that cover.
And I'm wondering if this type of motor would work with a triac speed controller?