Quote:
Originally Posted by stevehull
Just thinking here - and provoking AC to give us some thoughts (others too).
Just thinking . . . .
Steve
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Good thinking here.
I've done some serious looking into available compressors (probably no surprise there), and small refrigerator compressors are available in the 100 to 200 watt size. Trouble with them is that they use a very strange coaxial cap tube arrangement that seem to me to be difficult to hack, or duplicate. I wouldn't want to discourage anyone from trying, but I was not able to visualize an easy solution. If this cap tube thing could be overcome, the size of the compressor just might be perfect.
On the other hand, very small compressor-type dehumidifiers (as opposed to peltier-junction) can be found. The smallest that I have seen in the wild is a 25 pint per day... which was the guts for my first heat pump. I know that Sears sells a 20 pint per day, with a really small compressor... smallest I know of. The dehumidifier will have a conventional cap tube that will be easy to salvage and re-use.
So, if you're going to do this right, the compressor & condenser should sit on top of the unit, for best efficiency... just like the very first home refrigerators.
Sunfrost uses this kind of arrangement... and their efficiency is legendary... but they haven't brought a water-source unit to market.
I think a good place to start would be to find some kind of pre-made plastic container that would be the right size for the inside of the refrigerator, and build upon that.
Best,
-AC