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Old 02-06-17, 11:52 PM   #4
jeff5may
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Sounds like an ice maker to me. Have you thought about selling ice? Because this machine would do it. Let me elaborate.

Refrigeration compressors are generally built a little heavier than normal a/c compressors. The main reason is simple: they are designed to survive lower evaporator temperatures. In freezer boxes and such, the refrigerant evaporating pressure drops as the heat is extracted from the space inside. As the box temperature normally draws down, the mass flow through the compressor drops with suction pressure. If the compressor could not keep cool during these low flow conditions, it wouldn't survive long.

The drive motors and compression heads, built for low suction pressure and medium to high discharge pressure, are larger and stronger than those found in a/c equipment. When operating in temperature and pressure ranges normally found in HVAC systems, they can (and will) move more than their rated capacity. However, they generally will not use much less electric power than in their original configurations. This is due to the mass of the rotating parts. The compressors end up getting better energy efficiency than they did before, but not quite as much as compressors designed for higher suction pressure operation.

The sweet spot in the capacity vs efficiency curve of most residential refrigeration compressors lies right around or somewhat below the freezing point of water. As you know, it takes a lot more Watts to freeze water than it does to cool it to its freezing point. These little units can be rigged to make ice, and it would drastically reduce the volume of water drawn from your well. You could harvest the heat and have ice as a by-product to sell. More ice equals more money in your pocket.

If you don't want to sell the ice, you could always just shut the compressor off. The well water would melt it pretty darn quick. Then you could start making ice again.
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