[launboy]

So I had a light bulb moment just now. I'm not sure how much either of these would help but they both make sense and would be very easy to build. I myself will do both but I got all four wisdom teeth out this morning so I'm in recovery mode for now.

First idea is an air conditioner awning. Our Condenser is installed on the west side of our house and is in full sun from about noon on. It's also a design with no slatted sheet metal sides, just open coils that are black. To me there are two problems, one, sun is blaring on it all day, and two those black coils are just soaking up that extra heat.

Proposed idea is to get some light or white fabric and build a small awning off the west and south facing sides. This seems superior to most structures I've seen in that it won't cause recirculation issues like many things people build over their units. I figure the solar gain through the top of the a/c wont be that big of an issue because its painted light tan and is slatted sheemetal over the fan that does a pretty good job of keeping sun out.

Idea number two comes from evaporative cooling techniques. I've seen misting kits for sale for condensers but read they have issues with mineral build up when the water evaporates on the fins. Not only that, but a mister requires at least city water pressure to work correctly, which means your paying for the water to mist on it.

My idea however does not require city water pressure and as such can use many sources. Instead of misting the water infront of the coil and letting it get sucked through, I propose to run a small tube with many tiny holes in it around the top of the coil and let the water drip out and run down the fins.

This system could be gravity fed meaning you could use a rai water collection tank located higher then the unit, or better yet, use the condensate from the evaporator. My personal unit(in the basement) just drains via gravity into a floor drain, but many people have condensate pumps already in place that could be rerouted to pump the water into the container to be used. This has the added benefit that the water has a low mineral content due to it being condensed out of the air(I believe, correct me if I'm wrong on that) which would reduce fin build up. I'm not sure if condensate alone would be enough, but it could be supplemented with city water or a rain water system.

If this became a longterm solution a lead could be run from the low voltage side of the contactor to control another contactor and valve or possibly directly to a valve.

These are just ideas I thought of, feel free to correct, or improve on anything I said or just let me know what you all think

Adam