EcoRenovator  

Go Back   EcoRenovator > Improvements > Geothermal & Heat Pumps
Advanced Search
 


Blog 60+ Home Energy Saving Tips Recent Posts Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 09-23-15, 07:29 PM   #91
pinballlooking
Super Moderator
 
pinballlooking's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: SC
Posts: 2,923
Thanks: 172
Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts
Default

That should keep the snow off it.


The old pinball machines I work on have swollen capacitors quite often. I replace the with higher temp ones that last longer.

pinballlooking is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-23-15, 07:32 PM   #92
Xringer
Lex Parsimoniae
 
Xringer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Woburn, MA
Posts: 4,918
Thanks: 114
Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mikesolar View Post
Electrolytics?
Yeah.. And some of them were still working..
Even a half hour later when was doing the autopsy, the controller chip was still converting the juice in the caps, down to 12vdc..
I found out the hard way.. It felt like a Model T ford ignition coil.
And it didn't want to stop. I had to drop the PCB to stop the zapping to my hand..

It's the module in the middle.. A standard Chinese 12V 1A PSU.. AKA wallwart.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	breaker.jpg
Views:	396
Size:	213.3 KB
ID:	5924  
__________________
My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits
EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..
Xringer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-23-15, 07:49 PM   #93
Xringer
Lex Parsimoniae
 
Xringer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Woburn, MA
Posts: 4,918
Thanks: 114
Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by pinballlooking View Post
That should keep the snow off it.


The old pinball machines I work on have swollen capacitors quite often. I replace the with higher temp ones that last longer.

I didn't consider repairing it, since I've got spares. And, the spares are cheap enough to have a few hanging around..
This is actually the 1st one of these little PSUs to fail..


It should keep the snow off, but when those big chunks of hard snow come down, that tin is going to look just awful..

However, my plan is to stay ahead of the snow storms this winter.
The minute we get 8" of snow around the mini-splits, I'm going to be cleaning up around them..
And if we get a foot on the roof, with more in the forecast, I not going to wait. I'm going to dig a trench around the house and garage, so I can use a snow rake to clean off the roofs.. I hate trying to pull down 2 or 3 feet deep snow.. And, it's dangerous..

I'm thinking of investing in something lighter this year.. Avalanche Roof Rake Snow Removal Systems - ManufacturerAvalanche Snow Removal
This thing looks too good to be true..
http://www.herringtoncatalog.com/pro...0012b/zoom.jpg
__________________
My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits
EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..
Xringer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-23-15, 07:53 PM   #94
pinballlooking
Super Moderator
 
pinballlooking's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: SC
Posts: 2,923
Thanks: 172
Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts
Default

That thing is cool I wonder if it works.
pinballlooking is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-25-15, 02:06 AM   #95
ctgottapee
Helper EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Central IL
Posts: 97
Thanks: 34
Thanked 9 Times in 8 Posts
Default

>>The 12VDC supply is used to power my DIY 10A over-current shut-off circuit.

Could you explain the purpose or reasoning behind this?


A while back there was some discussion of cleaning the innards of the unit; have you got around to that?
I gave it a whirl, applying an idea from that bib kit - I just used a strip of masking tape and plastic (window film). The problem I had is I can't get to the blower wheel without a pressure washer of some sort. There is a condensate 'baffle' that prevents dripping from the coil reaching the blower wheel, which also prevents any cleaner/water going through the coil from reaching it.
I've seen some designs easier to take apart, but mine is pretty difficult to access the blower wheel.

I guess a dingy blower wheel must not be much of a problem....
ctgottapee is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-25-15, 09:43 AM   #96
Xringer
Lex Parsimoniae
 
Xringer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Woburn, MA
Posts: 4,918
Thanks: 114
Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts
Default

The DIY over-current shut-off circuit measures the current, if it goes to 10A (2.4KW), it shuts off the power for 70 seconds.
This keeps the Sanyo from accidentally zooming up to 3.6KW+ and putting too much strain on the system.

~~~~

I have not wash-cleaned the Indoor units yet. I keep an eye on the filters and keep them clean, all year round. I measure their performance and so far nothing is degrading. The filters can be soap and water washed, when needed.
I have added foam seals around the edges of the filters to keep dust out of the coils.

Sanyo #1 has been going off it's meds once in a while and has to be shut completely (breaker-open) down for a full reset. I think it might be the controller aging and getting erratic. But BTU vs watts, it's unchanged.

I have been manually cleaning outdoor units. I use a soft brush to remove the bio-matter from the air intake side of the coils.
Then, I use a leaf blower on the out-put side, to push air (backwards) into the coils, this blows out the dust and smaller bio-matter chunks.

I try to avoid back-spinning the main fan blades too fast..
Since I fear that might generate voltage from the motor, that will feedback into the MOSFETs that control the motor..
Maybe next time I used the backward air clean, I'll tie down the blades.
I'm pretty sure the back-spin won't cause any harm, but don't want to chance it on this old design..
__________________
My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits
EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..
Xringer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-15, 08:17 PM   #97
ctgottapee
Helper EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Central IL
Posts: 97
Thanks: 34
Thanked 9 Times in 8 Posts
Default

An interesting little over current rig you got; wish I had the knowledge to build such things....


My problem is getting to the indoor units blower wheel. Shine a flashlight up inside the output vents. The squirrel cage nature prevents easy physical cleaning if you can even reach a brush up there.

I use a coil cleaner product at the change in seasons, twice a year. Just spray on fins with filter mesh removed.

Outdoors I use another outdoor coil cleaner, pretty much lime away, and hose it off before winter; fall harvest and leaves are the issue. It's condensing all winter so self cleans pretty much. I'll touch it up with a radiator fin comb straightener too.


One thing to consider - although I'm not sure how you measure the effect - is that these units generally require full open air above them and a snow roof obviously restricts that; maybe removing the tin roof for the summer would suffice.


I noticed this years Fujitsu units feature smart outdoor pan defrost, so there is no longer much of an electric penalty in harsh winter conditions. In order to boost effeciency gains, both Mits and Fuji indoor wall units have grown in size to house a larger coil in their latest gens.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Xringer View Post
The DIY over-current shut-off circuit measures the current, if it goes to 10A (2.4KW), it shuts off the power for 70 seconds.
This keeps the Sanyo from accidentally zooming up to 3.6KW+ and putting too much strain on the system.

~~~~

I have not wash-cleaned the Indoor units yet. I keep an eye on the filters and keep them clean, all year round. I measure their performance and so far nothing is degrading. The filters can be soap and water washed, when needed.
I have added foam seals around the edges of the filters to keep dust out of the coils.

Sanyo #1 has been going off it's meds once in a while and has to be shut completely (breaker-open) down for a full reset. I think it might be the controller aging and getting erratic. But BTU vs watts, it's unchanged.

I have been manually cleaning outdoor units. I use a soft brush to remove the bio-matter from the air intake side of the coils.
Then, I use a leaf blower on the out-put side, to push air (backwards) into the coils, this blows out the dust and smaller bio-matter chunks.

I try to avoid back-spinning the main fan blades too fast..
Since I fear that might generate voltage from the motor, that will feedback into the MOSFETs that control the motor..
Maybe next time I used the backward air clean, I'll tie down the blades.
I'm pretty sure the back-spin won't cause any harm, but don't want to chance it on this old design..
ctgottapee is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-15, 11:39 PM   #98
Xringer
Lex Parsimoniae
 
Xringer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Woburn, MA
Posts: 4,918
Thanks: 114
Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by ctgottapee View Post
An interesting little over current rig you got; wish I had the knowledge to build such things....


My problem is getting to the indoor units blower wheel. Shine a flashlight up inside the output vents. The squirrel cage nature prevents easy physical cleaning if you can even reach a brush up there.

I use a coil cleaner product at the change in seasons, twice a year. Just spray on fins with filter mesh removed.

Outdoors I use another outdoor coil cleaner, pretty much lime away, and hose it off before winter; fall harvest and leaves are the issue. It's condensing all winter so self cleans pretty much. I'll touch it up with a radiator fin comb straightener too.


One thing to consider - although I'm not sure how you measure the effect - is that these units generally require full open air above them and a snow roof obviously restricts that; maybe removing the tin roof for the summer would suffice.


I noticed this years Fujitsu units feature smart outdoor pan defrost, so there is no longer much of an electric penalty in harsh winter conditions. In order to boost efficiency gains, both Mits and Fuji indoor wall units have grown in size to house a larger coil in their latest gens.
There is a lot of air flow space on both sides of the unit and this new roof's angle is much higher than on the #1 unit on the east side of the house.

If you want to see restriction, check out the Mitsubishi mini split wind baffle.
http://www.kingersons.com/images/pro...ind-baffle.jpg
It's on the output side, and is going to add to the motor's load.

I think the main reason the manufactures want 8 or 10 feet of open space above the outdoor unit, is the fire hazard. If the main board catches on fire, and the flames go up a couple of feet and, with the unit is installed under a wooden deck.. That could be dangerous..

Just get a 24" box fan, plug in a KiloWatt meter and run it sitting 18 to 30 inches from a wall.. Now make a fake 4'x4' snow roof out of cardboard, and lower it down until it's 10 or 15 inches above the fan..
If you see over 1% more power being used, I would be very surprised..


I plan on getting a couple of the new hi-tech units when these old Sanyos die..
The older unit is starting to act up, so it's going to be replaced soon..
Maybe next summer..?.
__________________
My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits
EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..
Xringer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-15, 09:05 PM   #99
ctgottapee
Helper EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Central IL
Posts: 97
Thanks: 34
Thanked 9 Times in 8 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Xringer View Post
There is a lot of air flow space on both sides of the unit and this new roof's angle is much higher than on the #1 unit on the east side of the house.

If you want to see restriction, check out the Mitsubishi mini split wind baffle.
http://www.kingersons.com/images/pro...ind-baffle.jpg
It's on the output side, and is going to add to the motor's load.

I think the main reason the manufactures want 8 or 10 feet of open space above the outdoor unit, is the fire hazard. If the main board catches on fire, and the flames go up a couple of feet and, with the unit is installed under a wooden deck.. That could be dangerous..

Just get a 24" box fan, plug in a KiloWatt meter and run it sitting 18 to 30 inches from a wall.. Now make a fake 4'x4' snow roof out of cardboard, and lower it down until it's 10 or 15 inches above the fan..
If you see over 1% more power being used, I would be very surprised..


I plan on getting a couple of the new hi-tech units when these old Sanyos die..
The older unit is starting to act up, so it's going to be replaced soon..
Maybe next summer..?.

I don't doubt your logic, but I figure that put the clearances in there for a reason, and you've got a good one there. The main entry is from above with most mountings near a rear wall and ground so it makes sense. I don't think obstruction/air resistance is as much an issue as access to air, hence the front baffle accessory isn't much of an issue, but they don't publish numbers with it installed either so who knows.

Reminds me of the location issue. Does putting an outside condensor in the shade help to lower cooling costs; seems logical. But it is the air that is an issue, and not the tadbit of heat the unit itself receives from direct sun contact that matters - I thought that was interesting research.


I've wondered if routing large earth tubes to the back of the outside minisplit would help it draw in better air.... Even if it did work I guess you would need quite an expanse of ground to make the thermodynamics pay off long term.

Let's hope for a mild winter!
ctgottapee is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-15, 10:04 PM   #100
Xringer
Lex Parsimoniae
 
Xringer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Woburn, MA
Posts: 4,918
Thanks: 114
Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts
Default

I think being in the shade helps in the summer time.
But, being in the sun during the winter would help a lot more..
The cost of summer cooling around here, is nothing compared to winter heating cost.
I've considered piping air in from under my den & deck. It would contain less snow..
And in the summer, it's cooler under there.

The earth tube idea is good, but the cost would be outtasight..
One other way would be to hang an HX with a lot of passthru at the intake,
and run coolant thru it via a big ground loop.. My ground water table is very close to the surface..

Make it into a hybrid AS/GS heat pump..

__________________
My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits
EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..
Xringer is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Tags
ductless, mini-split, sanyo 24khs72

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:52 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Ad Management by RedTyger
Inactive Reminders By Icora Web Design