Quote:
Originally Posted by jeff5may
...Unfortunately, he isn't a heat pump. Straight piped A/C only. Howls like a werewolf, due to the large condenser impeller... the top half is nice and quiet, though.
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But you can see what I mean, that the top half could be easily separated from the bottom half, and a DIY mini-split could be created.
It is odd that the condenser impeller would be so noisy. But if it was outside on its own pad, it wouldn't be such an issue. With its case off, mine makes quite a noise, but I'm not getting any werewolf sounds.
Radial Fan
I am working on a HRV project and I have selected some fans like the one above. They use PM motors that are integral to the unit. They are very quiet, efficient and controllable with a controlled voltage or PWM. Unfortunately they can be expensive, too. But they get scrapped out with larger computers, so you just might find one. They would make a good, quiet, controllable blower for your indoor portion, if you were to pursue the mini-split configuration.
A potential "gotcha" is that you need to supply a 'shroud' that is placed within 1/8", around of the front opening, to separate the in-coming from the out-going air streams.
But back to the unit in your photo, re-routing the cap tube would give you a heat pump for next winter. But if you were going to go to all the trouble, a TXV has plenty of advantages.
I think that in the interest of portability, units like that one featured coils that are thick with several layers, rather than flat with fewer layers. I think that the flatter coils favor efficiency... at least that is what I see in the really efficient mini-splits.
I have some coils I scavenged from larger 1-Ton units that are larger and flatter, that I'd like to experiment with in the future.
Best,
-AC