I've always wanted the condensate water to cool my condenser coils, rather than sending that water down the drain. Kinda the same way I want outside air to cool my fridge in the winter. :)
I would like to have seen a measurement of the amount of water used during the test period. Depending on how much water is being turned to mist every hour, it may or may not be worthwhile.
That's my question: my water company got approval to raise the rate twice in the last 3 years. The reduction in energy would have to be a good deal to justify using much water.
@@erickmcgrawsame, with all the smart things we have now a days it would be easy to track. For example yesterday during this super hot Houston day with us being in the 100s, my ac ran for 14 hours and 24 minutes. During the peak it ran for 3 whole hours without turning off. On top of just offsetting the cost somewhere else, Texas power isn't that expensive. I currently pay 11 cents a kW. Water I can't shop around for and already gets a little expensive for me in the droughts because I do like to water my lawn.
I was thinking exactly the same thing. The other consideration is the outdoor humidity. Misting is an effective way to cool in dry climates but much less so in humid climates.
I really feel for you people with hard water. Where I live the water is pretty much mineral free and can be used right out of the tap. It would take forever for any mineral build up.
mine is virtually mineral free but nozzles still got clogged by microscopic rust particles from the main pipes out on street and mains coming from mountains many miles away
Over a few years the radiator fins will become coated with water deposits that will be impossible to remove, resulting in costly repairs/replacement, far outweighing the savings of dropping two amps.
If this is in fact a great money saver (and not damage the condenser unit in any way), then why haven't the engineers for the major HVAC sellers (Trane, York, Carrier, etc. ) come up with this same "money saving" add-on to their units? My guess is because it doesn't save any money in the long run😉
@@RussellWaldrop Maybe, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see your maintenance company charge more for the extra cleaning time. Also, I wonder how long before the tube gets damaged, along with your water bill. 😮
So many theories here without any data. It comes with a water filter. Perhaps a better question is whether the frequency cost of water filters is more than the cost savings of this setup.
Great video! I just installed one of these at my house and thought I would share my results. First information on my unit, set point and conditions. I live in San Antonio, TX and have a 15-year old Carrier 5-ton unit that has really started to struggled in these hot summers. I have three thermostat zones in our 3,000 square foot house and I have ecobee thermostats that allow me to track run time, temperature and humidity. We installed our cool n save two days into the billing cycle last month which was perfect for a monthly comparison. Our house is set to 75 degrees at night and 76 during the day with the exception of 3:00 to 8:30 when it goes up to 77 degrees so give some relief to the unit during the heat of the day. I have been using this program for years. My July Bill was $358. The average exterior temp in July was 86 degrees. So what was my August bill? My August bill was $315. The average exterior temp inAugust for the billing cycle was 88 degrees. The department of energy states that for each degree up or down compared to the exterior temp is a 3% increase in energy costs. So using that assumption - all other things being equal - I would have expected my bill to go up 6% in August to $379. So the savings comes in at $64 or 17%. But what other benefits did we see? The unit runs quieter with the cool n save. The decibel level without the cool n save was 69.1. With it running (both measured after a 10 minute run time) the decibel level is 63.8. I assume it is quieter due to the compressor not working as hard. Finally one of the other benefits we have seen is that the interior humidity levels are on average 5% less on the inside of my house. So while our temp set points are the same - the house feels much cooler on the inside. As the video shows - we also saw interior air approximately 1 degree cooler inside the house. A colder coil pulls more moisture out of the air and makes the house more comfortable. Our interior humidity averaged 53% before the cool n save and now averages 48%. So yes this works and it works well. What about the negatives of mineral build up? I am very aware of this risk…but given the age of my unit - I decided it was worth the risk to extend the life of my aging system. Plus every year I use Nu-Calgon brand Nu-Brite coil cleaner on my outside coil. If I do have mineral build up I will also clean with a vinegar solution. But after a month of use I have no evidence of mineral build up on my unit. I will keep a close eye on this going forward. As others have stated - A/C units are designed to work in the rain - so the misting system is not a problem. I am a huge fan of how well this works and based off of my savings - this will pay for itself in approximately two months. Even with the minimal water usage. I highly recommend this - especially if you have an older system like mine you are trying to extend the service life. I wish I had discovered this earlier.
@@executiveinvestmentsIt's not just tap water. It's run through a polyphosphate ion exchange filter, which sequesters a good portion of the calcium and iron in the water. You have to change it out every three months for maximum effectiveness. It's the same stuff your municipal water treatment plant probably uses for their own surface water.
@@MikeTrieu it’s 100% tap water. Those filters do absolutely nothing. Ur clueless. Go look at people who did this. Their outdoor units are destroyed. Plus spraying water on an ac unit does NOT make you get colder air. Total scam.
Thanks. This is a very informative post. However, a product being designed to operate in the rain isn't the same as being exposed to tap water. The minerals in tap water don't evaporate and then fall again as rain. Those minerals stay on the ground. Your rainwater is as close to pure water as you're going to naturally get.
After watching this video, I ordered and installed this w/ the extra 3 nozzles. I'm in suburbs of Houston. It has only been 3 days but I can see a good drop in electricity usage and the inside temperature is holding temp way better. My calculations are showing ~ $80/month savings AND the AC is working much better. I'm more than impressed! Thanks for the Video guidance.
@@vinperillo If you're spending 80$ a month in water you have serious problems elsewhere you need to worry about. I don't spend more than 100$ for 6 months of water in my area. No chance a mister system for an a/c unit costs more than 5$ a month to run for water costs even on scorching hot months like July and August.
@@vinperillo I'm amazed at the number of people who don't understand the amount of water that MISTING uses. Try this. Get a liter sized bottle with a fine misting nozzle. Fill it up with water. Set the misting to the finest mist and see how many squeezes of the trigger it takes to empty that liter of water. What would this show you? That misting uses minuscule amounts of water.
@howtohomediy I just installed the Cool-N-Save today. I live west of Tampa about 3 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. Today it is 93 degrees and 66% humidity. I got less improvement but it did improve. Before - 10.5 run amps, after 10.1 amps. Supply temp went from 61 down to 60.5. I also did use the provided water filter even though I have a whole house water softener system, which includes my outdoor spigots. One tip, I had to off center the paddle to capture the best fan air flow to lift the paddle. I have a 6 yr old Trane 3 ton unit.
will be interesting to see your electric bill in the future. Here in Texas its 107 where I am. We already use a commercial mister on our gazebo and it cuts temps bu almost 30 degrees.
Dude, you rock. I never knew that this kit existed, but did know that cooling the condenser coil could be a help in cooling. Just ordered my Cool -n- Save... 🙂
Hey Adam, I installed the cool n save & had partial success. First, my system is 32 years old but still works like a champ. My amperage was 14A before and after, so that didn't change. My cooling out of the ducts was much improved though. 51.6F before and 48.3F after 😃. The paddle is leaking some water at its shutoff valve, so I'll contact the company
Hmmm can’t speak to the leak as mine doesn’t leak at all. I would just try to make sure all the connections are in enough. That drop in temperature is a lot! Really curious to hear how it will affect your bill. Thanks for the update!
@HowToHomeDIY I'm on solar, so my bill right now is $36.50/month. I live in northern California, and we do get days over 100F, but we also have a whole house fan that we use at night if Mother Nature cooperates and cools down. I also contacted Cool n Save, and they're sending me a new paddle. Thanks again for all of your great how-to videos... 😃
For everyome saying that water will cause build up on the radiator, youre supposed to clean the coils every year anyways with chemicals. With proper maintenance i think this may be worth looking into. Around my area water is cheap but my last electric bill was $450
Actually, most manufacturers recommend cleaning them with clear water only!! NO CHEMICALS as poor rinsing can cause the hidden and residual chemicals to eat through the copper and aluminum metal and cause leaks over time from corrosion. I have even seen some of the full outdoor "Package Units" with stickers right on the outside of them next to the coils that state "Clean with Water ONLY!" Now you know why! Most AC repair guys do great work, but they don't have time to flush the heck out of your coil after they clean it with chemicals. Time is Money!!! Yes, the chemical makes them look nice and shiny because it's eating some of the surface of the metal away every time it's used. If they fail to really flush and rinse the coils with lots and lots of water to dilute the chemicals from every nook and cranny of your AC Condensers interior, you could be left with a future leak or corrosion problem. I have a 25 year old Trane Dual Compressor, 2.5 / 5 ton XL1800 Heat Pump unit here in Florida, and I clean it good with water every couple of years and it's still running strong. Its a little tougher to clean because there are actually 2 sets of spine coil fins inside sitting next to each other so you can't separate them. Water and a simple hose end sprayer work just fine to clean the dirt and dust out of the unit. The unit is now in its 25th summer (Installed in May, 1999) and still going strong.
You are very welcome. I have been impressed with the results. Like I mentioned in the video, make sure to do your due diligence and verify that this would be a good addition for your AC unit. I would recommend a simple water test to make sure it isn't extremely hard. The filter is designed to remove most of if not all mineral deposits to prevent scale but like all things, there are limitations. You can find all of this on their website as well. Thanks a lot for the feedback!!
I worked at a restaurant years ago, and the air conditioner was old... when it wasn't working great, we would actually put a sprinkler on the condenser to make it work better... it actually works...
This would be great in Arizona with our low humid air but........our water is very hard and the manufacture recommends to not use in an area with hard water. Many comments have pointed out the hard water deposits will clog/destroy your condensing unit (very expensive to replace).
The control for this test is ambient air temperature outside and the load on the evap coil (wet & dry bulb). A sub-cooling number before and after would also help a lot and what SERR the unit is.
I had a similar system like this on my Lennox A/C unit (SEER rating of 18) for a few years. This system was originally launched on Kickstarter. Basic concept was same as the system mentioned here. It was a bit more high tech for a few reasons; rather than a paddle on top it had small fan to generate electricity to charge the lithium battery. The battery controlled an electronic valve for the system. This has an electronic control system the communicated with the internet via 3G cell signal. The system would use national weather data to control when it ran. So when my AC unit turned on the mister would only come on when temperature was above 80F and lower humidity (not sure what the cut off was set at). This had a similar calcium filter cartridge. I live in Michigan and the number of days above 80F is small relative to all the comments from others in Texas. My water is relatively hard (350PPM based on reading at tap). I never tested the water after the filter system to see if it reduced the calcium output in misted water. I did run this on and off for three years. The system had a lot of software problems and never worked great. It was a subscription plan for $99 per year. Free maintenance and replacement of hard water filters (self monitor when unit needed new filter). The company went under and that is when I took it off and dumped it. A few comments: 1. Not sure I realized any electricity savings. I did not do the amperage testing or the cooling temperature indoors when system is running. My Lennox system is a variable fan speed motor so hard to do this testing versus older system that is either on or off. When I compared year to year electricity usage I did not see a significant savings. Given multiple other issues (like it not working as it should and poor connection to cell towers), I am not certain I would declare this a failure. I wish I had done more testing on amperage, indoor temperature at vents and PPM of water at mist. 2. I did run this for three years. I did not see calcium deposits on the condenser unit. I do all the annual cleaning so I know what the coils looked like before I started this system. I do find it interesting that this TH-camr did not see a higher amperage when the unit was running. I thought this might happen given increased work of moving higher humidity air by fan on compressor. 3. Total water usage was minimal. This maybe from how my system did not run all the time but only certain conditions like high temp and low humidity. Still doubt cost of water would much relative to cost savings on electricity. 4. Mold. I was concerned that I would see mold build up around AC unit. Did not see any. Did see bit more green moss near base of AC unit. 4. Why don't manufacturers build in this function, my thoughts are that this requires a lot of upkeep; changing filters, unhooking lines for winter, monitoring coils and cleaning, keeping clearance for mist to spray around. Hope that helps
"I do find it interesting that this TH-camr did not see a higher amperage when the unit was running. I thought this might happen given increased work of moving higher humidity air by fan on compressor." But it's not only moving air with a higher humidity. It's sucking in cooler humid air. That would seem to be less laborious.
I would say relative humidity and ambient temperature will make a huge difference on the benefit you see from this addon. High humidity sub 90 degree temps like you find in Michigan most days would provide only a small benefit. Low humidity high temps like Texas, Arizona, Nevada you would probably see a much greater benefit. I would try sitting outside on the shade with a mister attachment on a hose, pretty sure they are cheap and would give a good metric. If it works really well, so will this. If you just get wet, this won't work very well.
@@jimp5024 If there's a Legionnaires problem it won't happen at the misting ends of this system. That would be a supply problem. The pipe coming into your house? Possibly. Your municipal water storage? Possible, see Michigan. But how in the world can bacteria grow in water that is instantly or nearly instantly evaporated?
The mineral deposits depends completely on your water. Their website talks in depth about this. I have no concern as my water is soft due to my water softener, area of the country I’m in, and the anti scale filter installed. I will monitor it closely though and if I see anything of note, will definitely make an update but I don’t foresee that. No, it won’t cause an outrageous water bill as the other commenter has said as the amount of water used on average is about the same as flushing your toilet once a day. And water isn’t expensive. Only times people notice their water bill go up is a large leak somewhere or they have teenagers that take extra long showers every day 😂
Vacuum breaker is code? For TN it's only required for dedicated irrigation systems. I don't know a single person that has one on their spigot. I used something similar to this unit at my other house. I just used one of those patio misting systems and it worked well. And keeping the unit in shade will help also. You can use one of those 10x10 pop up tents or even a yard umbrella. Just don't put it too close as to restrict air flow or it'll have the opposite effect you're going for.
You can do the same this with a sprinkler pump attached to the A/C thermostat wiring. both use 12v. but the calcium removers don't work very well and eventually the calcium will destroy your fins.
This is from another channel "@diyhvacguy" but I have the same questions. @bigtexuntex7825 wrote 2 weeks ago So you think continuously misting tap water won't ruin the capacity of the unit by causing a thick mineral deposit to form on the coils? Acid coil cleaner will help some, but it won't get it all unless you use a acid that will erode the aluminum. Calcium deposits erode best in the same acid conditions that will erode aluminum. So tap water will damage the condenser. Filtered rain water, RO water or Distilled water will be required if you want to avoid coil damage. Remember you will be evaporating literally tons of water, is your water clean enough to not turn the coils into a solid calcium deposit?
Yes I’m not concerned about it, especially since I’m not going to use it year round. It has a filter designed to remove scale and I have a water softener. But like I said in my video, do your due diligence. If you aren’t comfortable with it then don’t install it.
FYI/FWIW: Most homes with a water softener loop don't have soft water at the hose bibs( intentional so homeowners aren't watering plants with a little salt too ). Water at my house ( at approximately 15 to 18 grains of hardness ) and many others would clog that line filter quickly. It would be important to know the availability and cost of replacement filters for those in this situation depending on the line filter. Most homeowners don't clean their condenser coils and changing a dirty filter probably won't happen often enough either. In that case the misters are spraying hard water on the condenser coils. Not good.
@@KurtVWThat's not true at all. Water softeners absolutely do remove minerals through an ion exchange process. The salt is broken down and isn't salt anymore. Calcium, magnesium, and other minerals are flushed out of the softener beads during the recharge cycle. You don't have to take my word for it - look it up. The process is well documented and explained for those that want to know. However, what OP said is true - outdoor spigots are usually excluded from these systems.
@@KurtVW The regen cycle of a water softener discharges the used salt water to a drain. When the regen cycle runs, the machine is in bypass mode so if water was to be turned on somewhere in the house you would be using untreated (hard) water. This is the reason the regen cycle is typically factory set to run at 2:00AM. Most experts will tell you that after the regen cycle the rinsing of the media beads is not 100% efficient, meaning a very small amount of salt does enter your house.
@@KurtVW There's a waste drain in a softener system. It goes wherever that drains to such as a sewer or septic system. You have a fundamental lack of understanding about what these systems do and how they work. Seriously, go read up on them before so confidently asserting things that are exactly opposite to being true.
What are the long-term effects of having constant water spraying on your AC coils? Perhaps your AC will only last half as long as it would normally last? Perhaps you could do a follow up every year on the effects of this?
There are great devices. I have installed a few on some of my client's houses, especially those with multiple units on their house. I recommend that they clean or have their coils cleaned at least 2x a year in order to keep the mineral deposits off of the coil fins. Another easy, cheap and low maintenance as well as low cost is to cover the unit/s with a Sun Sail/Shade. This lowers the ambient temps, and allows the unit to work less to cool the coil as well as the rest of the equipment. When doing both of these, you save even more energy. Do I know if the units last longer? Not at this point in my career, because I have only been doing these methods for a few years now.
Really glad you did this video. The achilles heel on this system, in my opinion, is the water filter/softener. You should consider doing some follow up videos on filters and softeners. Maybe even look at reverse osmosis or rainwater harvesting.
Yeah you suggested it around 4 months ago I believe. So out of curiosity why do you think that? What do you think is wrong with the anti scale filter that comes with it? The 3 month expiration and having to replace it or something else?
@@HowToHomeDIY I don't know that there will necessarily be anything wrong with it. Just a wear item to factor in to the cost/benefit. That's why it might be worth exploring other options. Another person commented on possibly using this system rigged up with a "swamp cooler" setup which I think is a really interesting idea because it would be a 2-for-1 in that it would keep the coils clean and eliminate any worries about scale. Just clean or replace the filter material once a year and you should be good to go. Both of the "home stores" sell synthetic evaporative cooler pads that can be rinsed out. Worth experimenting with!
@@alldecentnamestaken My only concern with that though is could that not restrict air flow to an extent? I am willing to take my chances with the filter that the company says removes scale. They have been in business for many years so one would assume they have an idea what they are doing. They even talk in depth about this on their site. We will see. I am going to pay close attention to mine and if I find that there is any issue, will definitely report on it either through a video or post.
Yes, this water mister can reduce power use and cooler air from air docks. the drawback your outdoor condenser reduces the life by two times faster due to electrolysis on the cooling fin. The cooling fin (aluminum) and the freon tube (copper) used by the air condenser cause electrolysis when water deteriorates the aluminum when water is added to the play. Like in the boats, two different metals exposed to water cause corrosion/electrolysis.
These comments are interesting lol. I live in Arizona and this could be extremely beneficial. I purchased this kit and will be installing additional calcium filters inline and placing a patio umbrella over the unit for further cooler temps. Maybe I can ditch my 12,000 btu portable unit to help during the hotter months. My house has a 4 Ton unit (plenty for my sq. footage) but damn Arizona summers are brutal. Glad I stumbled upon this.
Great video, nicely done! But......"nah", danger of associated issues versus potential savings, not worth it to me personally. But, thanks, I do appreciate your efforts!
I would never add this to a new unit, but if I had an old unit on its last legs, I might consider it. Remember, all the water that is getting sucked into the unit won't stay on the coils... It will eventually get everything inside the unit soaked with water which could create additional rust and rot in the bottom of the unit if it's full of leaves and dirt like most units that are never maintained. Also, think about all of the water constantly sitting on everything metal inside the unit. All the water "Mist" will be making its way into the electric fan motor and perhaps even into the electrical connections on the side of the compressor, expansion valve or reversing valves of heat pumps, high and low pressure sensors and other electrical components inside the condenser unit. While it may save you a few bucks short term for the few hot months of the year, I have to believe that the longer term negative effects will be far more costly over time and may well lead to a premature death of the condenser, the fan or other very expensive electrical components inside of the unit. I think I'll pass on this one.
Appreciate your opinion. I personally have to disagree. Condenser units are made to be outside. They get rained on, snowed on, etc. The mist is nowhere near the amount of natural weather and I just dont see it causing anything to go bad or wear down sooner. Like I have told other, I am keeping a close eye on this and if I see negative effects, I will for sure post an update of some kind. I have no stock in the company and bought it myself so only want to be honest with you all, my viewers.
@@HowToHomeDIY I'll 100% disagree with you, from experience. We've had multiple Rheem/Ruud units fail due to normal use water exposure. The condenser motor is mounted to the fan guard with recessed pockets where the bolts are connected. Water pools in these areas and the tenant will usually hear a loud BANG! in the middle of the night when they've rusted through. This is happening on 2-3 year old units(!). While I've not encountered these water misting systems, I've spoken with other techs who have and yes, they'll rust out a unit prematurely. In our area, water is extremely hard, so any "savings" are quickly eaten away once the coils start to develop deposits, which doesn't take all that long here. Only a few months. There's a reason water treatment is a huge part of the large chilled water systems. Even with proper treatment, those do require frequent servicing and cleaning to maintain them. Such cleaning isn't really possible or practical with consumer DX HVAC systems.
What happens to the water left inside the unit after it rains? That's what happens to this water too. It evaporates and since it's far less water under far less humidity than 100% rain not only does it evaporate it does so very quickly if not instantly.
The water shouldn't be hot unless you are talking about the 50' hose (or whatever length) that is out in the sun heating the water in the hose. Otherwise it would be the same temp as inside your house. The water eventually is cold once it has replaced the water that was initially in the hose, right? The hoses for this assembly might still be in the sun, but obviously much less water is in them, so less hot water. Either way, if your A/C cycles, let's say, every 15 minutes, the water won't be as hot anyway.
@@ccyaltr He could be in an area like Yuma. The city water lines are not buried deeply, so in the summer there is no need for hot water to take a shower, the water from the cold tap is over 100 F. Many people turn off their hot water heaters in the summer.
It is supposed to be glued down on the top. In the winter it would crack under the cold weather. This means you would need to replace it next year. This was determined by two other testers.
Hope you are using rain water. In San Antonio, the water is very hard. After a year or 2 of city water, you will be replacing your condensing coil due to calcification build up and loss of heat removal.
😂 Yeah I am sure it does, the timing was great. I have found it to be a good thing though over the years as we feed each others traffic. Speaking of crushing it, I have seen your stats, I think you are up there towards the top in growth over at least the past couple of months if not more in our category. Congratulations on the steady growth. It is well deserved. You don't miss on the details and you can tell you genuinely care about what you are talking about. Keep it going bro! 🚀
@@HowToHomeDIY You both definitely feed off of each others channels. I watched this specifically because I first saw his review on this product. Ironically, I only found his channel because it was recommended by TH-cam after watching your EasyStart review.
Important fact few people know about hose bib atmospheric vacuum breakers: Can an atmospheric vacuum breaker be used under continuous pressure? No! Codes do not permit this as the device could become "frozen", and not function under an emergency condition. Those of us who have attached battery irrigation timers can attest that after a time the hose bib vacuum breaker will begin to leak as the rubber gasket deforms from being constantly pressurized.
My ACR&H company years ago installed time-delayed evaporative cooling modules here in the high Desert of Southern California that cost tens of thousands of dollars in the 1990s on package units serving a large hotel complex and we finally had to remove them because the moisture began to corrode the aluminum fins and plug coils with white-crude soon threatening the life of the condenser coils. Just like lawn sprinklers that will damaged outdoor coils, using water misters will eventually create the same deposit condition. Best to have a large 20k CFM central swamp cooler and duct the cool air to the condensers from afar and deal with mineral deposits at the main water cooler unit. Wouldn't you think? Unless possibly you were to use distilled water or equivalent, problems will most certainly follow.
My newer window units use water from the condensate pan. It saves about 10% which is pretty good, considering all they had to do was make the fan rim reach down into the water. It takes very little water to achieve this evaporation effect. Folks, go buy the cleaning fluid and clean your damn coils, it's easy and you should be doing it anyway.
Careful with those things. Due to the fact that the coils will always get wet, they will tend to get more dust on them than normal requiring more frequent cleaning.
In humid environments, this might actually not be what you want to do. Part of indoor comfort is getting the humidity into the right range, and traditional A/C and heat pump units remove interior humidity as they run. Shortening the run time by lowering the temp will result in higher indoor humidity, the same as using an improperly sized (too large) system would. Many of these new smart thermostats even have a "cool to dry" feature allowing you to set a target indoor humidity range, and it'll flex what temp is sets to chase humidity to some degree.
See my comment I just added above. We installed one a month ago and saw our average interior humidity levels drop 5%. This is due to the inside coil being cooler. This set up actually improved the humidity levels in our home.
Thanks for taking the time to make this video. This, to me, just seems gimmicky. I can just see an HVAC tech laying eyes on that and asking the homeowner 'what the hell are you doing?' Yeah you're going to save a wee bit of money on your utility bill, but you're also increasing your water consumption, if you don't have a water softener, then you're on the hook for buying replacement filters - which no one is going to change like they should (the vast majority of people never even check their air filter like they should) If you do have a water softener then you are now on the hook for running a new 1/2" cold water line to a new hose bibb. Then you're constantly having water sitting on the unit rotting the base out if its not plastic. No thanks. You want to save money on your utility bill? Put a soft start on the compressor. Keep your condensor coils clean. Regularly check and change your filters as you should. If your HVAC unit is ancient, then change it. The money you'll save will be immediately realized in your utility bill with the new equipment. Leave this stuff for As Seen on TV. But that's just my opinion. Thank you nonetheless for taking the time to make the video. Your channel is great.
I'd like to point out these are very Humidity dependent. The LOWER the ambient humidity, the BETTER something like this will work. If where you are is already 80-100% humidity, the mist won't phase change as quickly, and therefore won't provide any cooling. I posit it would work best with ambient humidity below 30%. A mister like this would work a LOT better in places like Nevada, Arizona, California where summer ambient humidity levels go below 10%. The phase change of the mist evaporating to a gas is what does the lion's share of cooling. Second, that valve looks 'very' cheaply made, I'd be worried about it getting 'stuck' open and damaging the condenser/fan
They actually work quite well here in New Orleans area. We have 100% humidity a lot. The only thing I recommend my clients do is to have their coils cleaned at least 2x a year due to the hard water deposits.
This will not work for me especially in the area I live in. I live in an area In the city of Houston were it gets very dusty for whatever reason. Every weekend I have to power wash the area I will be hanging around in especially with this Sahara dust blowing in. In my area that will really clog the coils since it’s dragging that wet dust in towards the inside.
Does your HVAC system take advantage of already cooled air by recirculating indoors air to the HVAC unit for further cooling, instead of replacing (wasting) indoors air with outdoors "fresh" air that requires much more work to cool? I assume there will be much less savings with an HVAC system that recirculates, since it's more efficient.
I don't think I would use this all summer, I've got a package unit with all the electronics in the unit outside, so I'd be weary of all the water mist causing issues. However this might be good for those heat wave weeks.
I love this idea, but what about the increase in your water bill by leaving the water turned on on the spicket outside? Would it be enough to compensate with the lower amperage to run the ac unit and ac unit not running as often?
After 6 months of use a white deposit started forming on my condenser fins. The white deposit seriously restricted the air flow through the condenser fins and, in some areas, actually caused damage to the fins - they dissolvedI !would avoid using this kind of product in order to not destroy your condenser coil. I live in Boca Eaton , Florida and I suspect the minerals in my water have reacted with the aluminum fins.
Living in the high desert, the only type 'AC' we had, was called a swamp cooler...that worked rather well. Real AC would be a money pit. I see where many discount this type system due to the fact that manufacturers don't even attempt to have these on units. There are reasons for this. It's because there is inherent issues with this, mineralization the main one. Sorry, there is no filter that will keep minerals from collecting over time. They don't want to encourage the use of anything that would possibly impact the life (reputation) of their units. That being said, where I worked at a factory (with several massive roof-top units) we went a sort of different way. We basically copied the 'swamp' type coolers that have a recovery pan/supply...with the supply level maintained by a toilet valve type setup. The water used was from our ionized water waste from the factory, so no water bill. We did not use misters, we had very coarse filter media that was continuously soaked that surrounded the condenser housing. The water returned to the pan and was recirculated by a very small pump, engaged by the compressor connection. Our maintenance crew serviced these every month, mostly to clean the dirt and butterflies from the media. IIRC, it was horsehair media or something similar. At any rate, it apparently made an economic difference because the company was tight as hell.
My brother lives in Yuma, and the EPA guideline on TDS is a max of 500 PPM. His water usually tests out at 630 PPM. Those overhead misting systems clog up quickly there too. Until they make one with a filter able to deal with hard water, I would be afraid to use it on my condenser unit. I have seen how fast the water in Yuma can clog a showerhead, I hate to think what a mess it would make of my condenser coils.
Shared answer from a commenter's question: I think in at least the humidity part of this conversation there may be a misunderstanding. The evaporation of your supplied water is literally what is cooling the air around your condensing unit. As your tap water, hot or not, is atomized by the misting heads it evaporates more quickly AND COOLS the air immediately around the unit. So really, we're talking more about a very localized effect instead of atmospheric impact that humidity has, at least with humidity percentages of 50% - 60% and below. The smaller the droplets of water coming out of the misters the quicker they will evaporate. The easier they are to evaporate the quicker that localized air cools. So lots of that ambient heat is absorbed with those tiny water molecules causing cooling effect even in relatively humid environments.
Unfortunately my area has very hard water, so the cost of replacing the mineral cartridge every few months will negate the electric bill savings. My AC unit is far from my water valve, so that will mean running a long extension across my patio door, walkway, grass etc. It won't be a good solution for me. Also, what are the long term negative effects of constant water deposits onto the condenser coils, I would think mold, mildew, dust, wet leaves, etc. I will have to pass on this mickey mouse solution to perhaps save $25-30 dollars a month. How much is a new condenser unit, $3500???
Yes they know what they are talking about. They have been selling this for about the past 10 years. The water is especially hard there. They are up front about that so people in other places should be able to rest easy that they know their filter can handle everywhere else. Their website talks all about it.
I wouldn't recommend putting that on your unit that's going to create a problem for your condensor spraying water on the coil will bring down the head pressure but, sooner or later it going to increase corrosion on the coil and cabinet with will cost you more money in repairs or replacement.
Hey Adam, My wife and I have been in the process of installing a generator and all the other things that come along with it. We are learning a lot about the what needs to be done. From your content the one thing we have absolutely learned is that "we can do it ourselves." I know our question it is not the topic of this video but I was wondering if you would be willing to entertain questions about a surge suppressor in our electrical panel? We are not sure if you have another area you would like to discuss this in as well. We noticed you have a GE Breaker and Box but you installed a SIEMENS Surge Protection box rather than a GE Surge protector that has the pigtail that goes to the neutral bus bar. We are wondering why you made this choice. Are there pros and cons to this decision? In the meantime, thank you so very much for all your content and all you do for homeowners.
Yeah, I did a ton of research into whole home surge protectors and it was clear that the Siemens FS140 was the best I could find. It can absorb the most out of all of the surge protectors I could find. I also like that it lets you know using lights and sound, if it’s absorbed a large surge and needs to be replaced. Many others won’t do this so you have no idea if your surge protector is protecting you anymore. In fact mine is still good after 3 years where we get storms regularly but I bought another one as I’ll be doing an updated video on it soon. I researched them all again and still think it’s the best. Costs more but for me I’ve lost electronics to surge and they cost way more than the surge protector to replace.
@@HowToHomeDIY Thank you so much! I apologize for asking out of context of the the current subject. My wife and I are super grateful for everything you show!
I always wanted to see a heat pump water heater with a recirculation pump that has a heat exchanger, so it can run the hot water loop into the condenser to cool it, then you save the water AND the heat. It could just be a little water block that connects to another block with refrigerant before it goes out to the radiator. In a home with high hot water usage or like a hotel, with constant usage, you might be able to eliminate the fans entirely or just rarely turn them on.
There isn’t an increase in wear. All this is doing is basically lowering the outdoor temperature at the condenser. My AC runs when it’s in the 70s and nobody worries about it, why would this be any different?
@@HowToHomeDIY there's a big difference between getting rained on occasionally and have the coils doused every time it turns on. Coastal systems don't last as long as desert systems. That device will artificiality age the condenser.
Doubt it would work in Arizona. Even a three ft run of hose would heat the water to 130 to 150 in the summer. Our cold water temp is about 100 degrees at this time of year .
You still gain positive results from the evaporative cooling effect from the mist. Go to restaurants in Phoenix…many of them have mister systems for patio dining and the air is considerably cooler.
this really does work but riddled with problems. the concept comes from the freus air conditioners back 20 or so years ago, which is an air conditioner inside of a swamp cooler, I had one of these units and they were a constant maintenance nightmare, constantly replacing anodes, pumps, cleaning out the pan, descaling, unfortunately this works well with deionized water, which is expensive to rent these tanks, then you need to plumb it, but with soft water you have salt or potassium that is corrosive, and even if you live in a place that has good water there are still some minerals in the water, plus there are plastic parts to break, misters that get blocked with corrosion or debris, the demineralizing and filtering of the water is the key to keeping these systems relatively maintenance free, if you can achieve that in an inexpensive way then that's the way to go.
Just installed the units with the addon tubes. One leaked pretty bad and they sent me a replacement right away! Not sure if I will save anything in the end, but it seems like it should. Nearly 100 degrees here in SW Florida so we should see results quickly
Yeah let me know what you find. Seems most people in the comments are concerned about hard water deposits. I will be paying close attention to mine but the company says the filter removes scale so I have a feeling it is probably not a concern for me. Let us know your findings!
@@HowToHomeDIYYou just need to let some of that water run onto a mirror or piece of glass and dry. If it dries leaving any markings at all (pure water dries without leaving anything), then the filter is not removing the minerals present in hard water. Several years as a window cleaner speaking here.
@@HowToHomeDIY I had bought 2 for my outdoor units last season. The 1st unit flap flew right off into the yard after just a few weeks. The 2nd had nozzles that leaked. The owner sent replacement parts after sending him video of each of the issues. The 2nd flap lasted a month and that one flew off. The system is just not robust enough IMHO. If they ever beef these up, I will condider again, but as of right now, I wasted 200+ dollars.
So you used ice to cool the house. The heat from the room went into the ice to melt it, then your freezer, which is also completely contained within your house, had to refreeze that melt water, or else new water. Thus taking heat out of the water and dumping it, plus any waste heat back into your house.
I would love to see a bill comparison before and after using this device. Also no matter how expensive of a hose bib I use I ALWAYS have some sort of water leak. lol
this will seem obvious, but plumber's tape the male ends of the hose and it won't leak. wrap it clockwise so it's the same direction as the female hose spins to connect.
There are so many misconceptions here. Amp draw reduction with no voltage check is useless. Supply temp with no return temp is useless. No head pressure check, no suction side check. Time between amp checks? Even small time changes can affect readings. I could go on ad infinitum. Coil damage is coming due to buildup on the coil. Even if you could (which you can't) get de ionized water with your filters, corrosion of the coil will result. Bottom line: little to no savings with premature unit failure. GFM
Without giving it much thought one reason might be because someone out there no doubt will leave this on during the winter or first hard freeze and imagine what it could do. So there are many things out there that can be bought for other products that improve or modify them to the owner’s liking but may not be for everyone.
This is more of an experiment that proves water is more conducive than air. If someone is really serious about saving energy, geothermal heat pumps take advantage of waters superior ability to transfer heat by circulating a water/antifreeze mix. You can do things like adding insulation and sealing cracks to reduce energy loss which is beneficial all year and will almost immediately save more money than initial costs. Geothermal is one of the most efficient ways to heat and or cool a structure, couple that will an airtight building envelope, and power it with photovoltaic solar and it's reportedly possible to reduce energy consumption by around 90%.
I dont pay for water , we have a well. But the pump for the well runs on 220v. So there is really no way to find out if there would be any savings. Also how many gallons of water a day would that thing eat? I"ll pass.... ,
I would not want this misting all the time. I can easily see my water bill rising. I have taken a hosepipe over to the coils and misted them, so the concept works (as the fan blowing out hot air turns cooler as the coils are cooler). Just have to analyze how much $ you're saving on electricity versus how much you're water bill is going to increase.
wouldn't it be more effective to have your outdoor unit pulling air from an area under shade? My unit is to the back of the house in an area that doesn't get direct sun and surrounded by big leafed plants
If this was a great way to make the AC more efficient or cool you house "better", wouldn't every AC manufacture have this built in already? Not really dismissing the device entirely, but it just seems like if was a significant savings, it would be built in.
You also get some (probably significant) evaporative cooling from the water that makes it to the evaporator, lands, sticks and then evaporates due to air flow over the evap coil fins. Just sayin'.
This was helpful BUT how do you disassemble this to put it away for winter, especially with it adheard in place. Have this unit & nothing in the manual tells you how. I live in ND, things freeze badly! GB
I put my paddle on top while the condenser was turned on and my paddle doesn't go up in any position. My first thought was that maybe my airflow is being affected as my coils might need a cleaning, so I got a can of cleaner from Lowes and gave it a thorough clean (thanks for the video on how to do that properly). All good, I thought...tried to find the right placement for the paddle...no change. My unit seems to be working fine, but it's not lifting the paddle at all. I tried to contact the company, but haven't been contacted back yet. Any thoughts, by chance?
Thanks for the video! My home uses the a/c unit to heat the house in the winter. Would there be any benefit to using the mister in the winter or just turn them off?
I'll bet that you will have scale on the condenser soon and dont use acid to clean it off! But what else can yo use? I don't know. Acid will eat your coils and fins as In know of another persons experience with that. Also I spent 4 hours analyzing a similar system with a subcooler connected to the freon lines and the savings was all in the drop of air temp indoors. it is done all of the time in south west USA with subcoolers which do not affect the coils being sprayed with hard water .
I would also be interested to know, over time, what the added (if any) accumulation of dirt or buildup on the coils would be. Surely misting the air would be introducing dirt that would stick over time. And while yes, these are outdoor machines, and subject to rain etc, I would be interested in knowing if the constant introduction of water would degrade the unit sooner than without. That is, if so, is the early replacement cost worth the savings?
I agree with you 100% about the introduction of dirt into the system coils, I also think it prudent to mention mineral deposits from tap water as opposed to rain water, as you have already stated " These are outdoor machines" I would also bet, if this were a simple, cost effective and viable solution to improve efficiency, the manufacturers would have adopted it already. This seems to me to be just another short term solution over long term performance.
Right, but think of it as evaporative cooling. Basically a swamp box. I'm going to build my own version with a solenoid off the contactor and T off my home RODI line. Wish me luck @@TheSimba86
Failure for me. My new carrier units aren’t forcefull enough to fully raise the paddle. Also. When I manually lift the paddle and then release it does not seat the valve and makes a mess. I’m out nearly $150. Not happy about it.
@@HowToHomeDIY It's expensive in the S.W. states. I can see where in some locations this solution makes sense, but in states fed by the dying Colorado river water supply, it is kind of a hard 'no'.
I've always wanted the condensate water to cool my condenser coils, rather than sending that water down the drain. Kinda the same way I want outside air to cool my fridge in the winter. :)
I would like to have seen a measurement of the amount of water used during the test period. Depending on how much water is being turned to mist every hour, it may or may not be worthwhile.
That's my question: my water company got approval to raise the rate twice in the last 3 years. The reduction in energy would have to be a good deal to justify using much water.
I think this is another wasting money, time, Efford and at the end is only money for others.
@@erickmcgrawsame, with all the smart things we have now a days it would be easy to track. For example yesterday during this super hot Houston day with us being in the 100s, my ac ran for 14 hours and 24 minutes. During the peak it ran for 3 whole hours without turning off.
On top of just offsetting the cost somewhere else, Texas power isn't that expensive. I currently pay 11 cents a kW. Water I can't shop around for and already gets a little expensive for me in the droughts because I do like to water my lawn.
I was thinking exactly the same thing. The other consideration is the outdoor humidity. Misting is an effective way to cool in dry climates but much less so in humid climates.
Many of us are experiencing drought conditions and so water usage would be an important part of the equation whether to use this product or not..
I really feel for you people with hard water. Where I live the water is pretty much mineral free and can be used right out of the tap. It would take forever for any mineral build up.
mine is virtually mineral free but nozzles still got clogged by microscopic rust particles from the main pipes out on street and mains coming from mountains many miles away
Over a few years the radiator fins will become coated with water deposits that will be impossible to remove, resulting in costly repairs/replacement, far outweighing the savings of dropping two amps.
If this is in fact a great money saver (and not damage the condenser unit in any way), then why haven't the engineers for the major HVAC sellers (Trane, York, Carrier, etc. ) come up with this same "money saving" add-on to their units? My guess is because it doesn't save any money in the long run😉
You should get a yearly clean of the outdoor and indoor unit coils regardless. The cleaner they use will remove mineral deposits.
@@RussellWaldrop Maybe, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see your maintenance company charge more for the extra cleaning time.
Also, I wonder how long before the tube gets damaged, along with your water bill. 😮
So many theories here without any data. It comes with a water filter.
Perhaps a better question is whether the frequency cost of water filters is more than the cost savings of this setup.
Wouldn’t the incredibly tiny orifices on the misters clog before depositing any minerals?
Great video! I just installed one of these at my house and thought I would share my results. First information on my unit, set point and conditions. I live in San Antonio, TX and have a 15-year old Carrier 5-ton unit that has really started to struggled in these hot summers. I have three thermostat zones in our 3,000 square foot house and I have ecobee thermostats that allow me to track run time, temperature and humidity. We installed our cool n save two days into the billing cycle last month which was perfect for a monthly comparison. Our house is set to 75 degrees at night and 76 during the day with the exception of 3:00 to 8:30 when it goes up to 77 degrees so give some relief to the unit during the heat of the day. I have been using this program for years. My July Bill was $358. The average exterior temp in July was 86 degrees. So what was my August bill?
My August bill was $315. The average exterior temp inAugust for the billing cycle was 88 degrees. The department of energy states that for each degree up or down compared to the exterior temp is a 3% increase in energy costs. So using that assumption - all other things being equal - I would have expected my bill to go up 6% in August to $379. So the savings comes in at $64 or 17%. But what other benefits did we see? The unit runs quieter with the cool n save. The decibel level without the cool n save was 69.1. With it running (both measured after a 10 minute run time) the decibel level is 63.8. I assume it is quieter due to the compressor not working as hard. Finally one of the other benefits we have seen is that the interior humidity levels are on average 5% less on the inside of my house. So while our temp set points are the same - the house feels much cooler on the inside. As the video shows - we also saw interior air approximately 1 degree cooler inside the house. A colder coil pulls more moisture out of the air and makes the house more comfortable. Our interior humidity averaged 53% before the cool n save and now averages 48%. So yes this works and it works well.
What about the negatives of mineral build up? I am very aware of this risk…but given the age of my unit - I decided it was worth the risk to extend the life of my aging system. Plus every year I use Nu-Calgon brand Nu-Brite coil cleaner on my outside coil. If I do have mineral build up I will also clean with a vinegar solution. But after a month of use I have no evidence of mineral build up on my unit. I will keep a close eye on this going forward. As others have stated - A/C units are designed to work in the rain - so the misting system is not a problem.
I am a huge fan of how well this works and based off of my savings - this will pay for itself in approximately two months. Even with the minimal water usage. I highly recommend this - especially if you have an older system like mine you are trying to extend the service life. I wish I had discovered this earlier.
At the expense of destroying your coil. No AC professional would recommend to spray tap water on an AC unit.
@@executiveinvestmentsIt's not just tap water. It's run through a polyphosphate ion exchange filter, which sequesters a good portion of the calcium and iron in the water. You have to change it out every three months for maximum effectiveness. It's the same stuff your municipal water treatment plant probably uses for their own surface water.
@@MikeTrieu it’s 100% tap water. Those filters do absolutely nothing. Ur clueless. Go look at people who did this. Their outdoor units are destroyed. Plus spraying water on an ac unit does NOT make you get colder air. Total scam.
Thanks. This is a very informative post. However, a product being designed to operate in the rain isn't the same as being exposed to tap water. The minerals in tap water don't evaporate and then fall again as rain. Those minerals stay on the ground. Your rainwater is as close to pure water as you're going to naturally get.
After watching this video, I ordered and installed this w/ the extra 3 nozzles. I'm in suburbs of Houston. It has only been 3 days but I can see a good drop in electricity usage and the inside temperature is holding temp way better. My calculations are showing ~ $80/month savings AND the AC is working much better. I'm more than impressed! Thanks for the Video guidance.
And spend 80 dollars a month more in water ..waste of time and money unless you're on a well
@@vinperillo If you're spending 80$ a month in water you have serious problems elsewhere you need to worry about. I don't spend more than 100$ for 6 months of water in my area. No chance a mister system for an a/c unit costs more than 5$ a month to run for water costs even on scorching hot months like July and August.
@@vinperillo It's a mister dude, not a fire hose
Where I am at the water is very expensive. Did you water bill go up? By how much?
@@vinperillo I'm amazed at the number of people who don't understand the amount of water that MISTING uses. Try this. Get a liter sized bottle with a fine misting nozzle. Fill it up with water. Set the misting to the finest mist and see how many squeezes of the trigger it takes to empty that liter of water. What would this show you? That misting uses minuscule amounts of water.
@howtohomediy I just installed the Cool-N-Save today. I live west of Tampa about 3 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. Today it is 93 degrees and 66% humidity. I got less improvement but it did improve. Before - 10.5 run amps, after 10.1 amps. Supply temp went from 61 down to 60.5. I also did use the provided water filter even though I have a whole house water softener system, which includes my outdoor spigots. One tip, I had to off center the paddle to capture the best fan air flow to lift the paddle. I have a 6 yr old Trane 3 ton unit.
I live near you. Have you seen a notable difference?
Haven’t really tracked it, I figured it would not hurt and even if the payback is a year or more, it’ll still be worth the investment.
will be interesting to see your electric bill in the future. Here in Texas its 107 where I am. We already use a commercial mister on our gazebo and it cuts temps bu almost 30 degrees.
Dude, you rock. I never knew that this kit existed, but did know that cooling the condenser coil could be a help in cooling. Just ordered my Cool -n- Save... 🙂
@bobbyratt really glad to hear You liked it. Let us know your results or how you’re liking it.
@HeWhoIsWhoHeIs that is just your opinion.
Hey Adam, I installed the cool n save & had partial success. First, my system is 32 years old but still works like a champ. My amperage was 14A before and after, so that didn't change. My cooling out of the ducts was much improved though. 51.6F before and 48.3F after 😃. The paddle is leaking some water at its shutoff valve, so I'll contact the company
Hmmm can’t speak to the leak as mine doesn’t leak at all. I would just try to make sure all the connections are in enough. That drop in temperature is a lot! Really curious to hear how it will affect your bill. Thanks for the update!
@HowToHomeDIY I'm on solar, so my bill right now is $36.50/month. I live in northern California, and we do get days over 100F, but we also have a whole house fan that we use at night if Mother Nature cooperates and cools down. I also contacted Cool n Save, and they're sending me a new paddle. Thanks again for all of your great how-to videos... 😃
For everyome saying that water will cause build up on the radiator, youre supposed to clean the coils every year anyways with chemicals. With proper maintenance i think this may be worth looking into. Around my area water is cheap but my last electric bill was $450
Actually, most manufacturers recommend cleaning them with clear water only!! NO CHEMICALS as poor rinsing can cause the hidden and residual chemicals to eat through the copper and aluminum metal and cause leaks over time from corrosion. I have even seen some of the full outdoor "Package Units" with stickers right on the outside of them next to the coils that state "Clean with Water ONLY!" Now you know why! Most AC repair guys do great work, but they don't have time to flush the heck out of your coil after they clean it with chemicals. Time is Money!!! Yes, the chemical makes them look nice and shiny because it's eating some of the surface of the metal away every time it's used. If they fail to really flush and rinse the coils with lots and lots of water to dilute the chemicals from every nook and cranny of your AC Condensers interior, you could be left with a future leak or corrosion problem. I have a 25 year old Trane Dual Compressor, 2.5 / 5 ton XL1800 Heat Pump unit here in Florida, and I clean it good with water every couple of years and it's still running strong. Its a little tougher to clean because there are actually 2 sets of spine coil fins inside sitting next to each other so you can't separate them. Water and a simple hose end sprayer work just fine to clean the dirt and dust out of the unit. The unit is now in its 25th summer (Installed in May, 1999) and still going strong.
Catch rain water in drums, and it mount it above the ac using an inline water cyclone. Call it good 👍
i bet the condensation water from the system itself would also be good to use..
Excellent idea and sustainable unless you're in an arid region.
Mosquitoes have entered the chat...
A really well made video, so easy to follow along with you. Thank you. I may get one of these as they seem to work as advertised.
You are very welcome. I have been impressed with the results. Like I mentioned in the video, make sure to do your due diligence and verify that this would be a good addition for your AC unit. I would recommend a simple water test to make sure it isn't extremely hard. The filter is designed to remove most of if not all mineral deposits to prevent scale but like all things, there are limitations. You can find all of this on their website as well. Thanks a lot for the feedback!!
I worked at a restaurant years ago, and the air conditioner was old... when it wasn't working great, we would actually put a sprinkler on the condenser to make it work better... it actually works...
This would be great in Arizona with our low humid air but........our water is very hard and the manufacture recommends to not use in an area with hard water. Many comments have pointed out the hard water deposits will clog/destroy your condensing unit (very expensive to replace).
The control for this test is ambient air temperature outside and the load on the evap coil (wet & dry bulb). A sub-cooling number before and after would also help a lot and what SERR the unit is.
Can you do a follow up possibly 1 month later?
I had a similar system like this on my Lennox A/C unit (SEER rating of 18) for a few years. This system was originally launched on Kickstarter. Basic concept was same as the system mentioned here. It was a bit more high tech for a few reasons; rather than a paddle on top it had small fan to generate electricity to charge the lithium battery. The battery controlled an electronic valve for the system. This has an electronic control system the communicated with the internet via 3G cell signal. The system would use national weather data to control when it ran. So when my AC unit turned on the mister would only come on when temperature was above 80F and lower humidity (not sure what the cut off was set at). This had a similar calcium filter cartridge. I live in Michigan and the number of days above 80F is small relative to all the comments from others in Texas. My water is relatively hard (350PPM based on reading at tap). I never tested the water after the filter system to see if it reduced the calcium output in misted water. I did run this on and off for three years. The system had a lot of software problems and never worked great. It was a subscription plan for $99 per year. Free maintenance and replacement of hard water filters (self monitor when unit needed new filter). The company went under and that is when I took it off and dumped it.
A few comments:
1. Not sure I realized any electricity savings. I did not do the amperage testing or the cooling temperature indoors when system is running. My Lennox system is a variable fan speed motor so hard to do this testing versus older system that is either on or off. When I compared year to year electricity usage I did not see a significant savings. Given multiple other issues (like it not working as it should and poor connection to cell towers), I am not certain I would declare this a failure. I wish I had done more testing on amperage, indoor temperature at vents and PPM of water at mist.
2. I did run this for three years. I did not see calcium deposits on the condenser unit. I do all the annual cleaning so I know what the coils looked like before I started this system. I do find it interesting that this TH-camr did not see a higher amperage when the unit was running. I thought this might happen given increased work of moving higher humidity air by fan on compressor.
3. Total water usage was minimal. This maybe from how my system did not run all the time but only certain conditions like high temp and low humidity. Still doubt cost of water would much relative to cost savings on electricity.
4. Mold. I was concerned that I would see mold build up around AC unit. Did not see any. Did see bit more green moss near base of AC unit.
4. Why don't manufacturers build in this function, my thoughts are that this requires a lot of upkeep; changing filters, unhooking lines for winter, monitoring coils and cleaning, keeping clearance for mist to spray around.
Hope that helps
"I do find it interesting that this TH-camr did not see a higher amperage when the unit was running. I thought this might happen given increased work of moving higher humidity air by fan on compressor."
But it's not only moving air with a higher humidity. It's sucking in cooler humid air. That would seem to be less laborious.
I would say relative humidity and ambient temperature will make a huge difference on the benefit you see from this addon. High humidity sub 90 degree temps like you find in Michigan most days would provide only a small benefit. Low humidity high temps like Texas, Arizona, Nevada you would probably see a much greater benefit.
I would try sitting outside on the shade with a mister attachment on a hose, pretty sure they are cheap and would give a good metric. If it works really well, so will this. If you just get wet, this won't work very well.
Water cooled condensers connected to the municipal water supply is often not permitted by the building code. Example: Chicago.
Well that maybe true but no one’s would prob be more true than Chicago. Have you read the CP electrical codes due to some “cow” named Bessie.
How would they know?
Two words, Legionnaires’ disease.
@@jimp5024 If there's a Legionnaires problem it won't happen at the misting ends of this system. That would be a supply problem. The pipe coming into your house? Possibly. Your municipal water storage? Possible, see Michigan. But how in the world can bacteria grow in water that is instantly or nearly instantly evaporated?
I went from 7 amps to 5 amps and went from 65 to 60 at the register. Easy to install.
Any problems long term with water mineral deposits long term?
Yes and u have a outrageous water bill
The mineral deposits depends completely on your water. Their website talks in depth about this. I have no concern as my water is soft due to my water softener, area of the country I’m in, and the anti scale filter installed. I will monitor it closely though and if I see anything of note, will definitely make an update but I don’t foresee that. No, it won’t cause an outrageous water bill as the other commenter has said as the amount of water used on average is about the same as flushing your toilet once a day. And water isn’t expensive. Only times people notice their water bill go up is a large leak somewhere or they have teenagers that take extra long showers every day 😂
Vacuum breaker is code? For TN it's only required for dedicated irrigation systems. I don't know a single person that has one on their spigot.
I used something similar to this unit at my other house. I just used one of those patio misting systems and it worked well. And keeping the unit in shade will help also. You can use one of those 10x10 pop up tents or even a yard umbrella. Just don't put it too close as to restrict air flow or it'll have the opposite effect you're going for.
Only issue I had is the paddle valve would allow continuous flow so I ended up taping a rock to the paddle, made it work like it's supposed to!
I have heard this Conover time lay down deposits on the condenser coils.
That's what the filter is for.
How much water is that going to use though?
Those will work best in arid climates. In very humid areas, the mist won't evaporate as fast, not cooling the air as much.
You can do the same this with a sprinkler pump attached to the A/C thermostat wiring. both use 12v. but the calcium removers don't work very well and eventually the calcium will destroy your fins.
This is from another channel "@diyhvacguy" but I have the same questions.
@bigtexuntex7825 wrote 2 weeks ago
So you think continuously misting tap water won't ruin the capacity of the unit by causing a thick mineral deposit to form on the coils? Acid coil cleaner will help some, but it won't get it all unless you use a acid that will erode the aluminum. Calcium deposits erode best in the same acid conditions that will erode aluminum. So tap water will damage the condenser. Filtered rain water, RO water or Distilled water will be required if you want to avoid coil damage. Remember you will be evaporating literally tons of water, is your water clean enough to not turn the coils into a solid calcium deposit?
Yes I’m not concerned about it, especially since I’m not going to use it year round. It has a filter designed to remove scale and I have a water softener. But like I said in my video, do your due diligence. If you aren’t comfortable with it then don’t install it.
FYI/FWIW: Most homes with a water softener loop don't have soft water at the hose bibs( intentional so homeowners aren't watering plants with a little salt too ). Water at my house ( at approximately 15 to 18 grains of hardness ) and many others would clog that line filter quickly. It would be important to know the availability and cost of replacement filters for those in this situation depending on the line filter. Most homeowners don't clean their condenser coils and changing a dirty filter probably won't happen often enough either. In that case the misters are spraying hard water on the condenser coils. Not good.
I Removed this remark because I was arguing an invalid point.
@@KurtVWThat's not true at all. Water softeners absolutely do remove minerals through an ion exchange process. The salt is broken down and isn't salt anymore. Calcium, magnesium, and other minerals are flushed out of the softener beads during the recharge cycle.
You don't have to take my word for it - look it up. The process is well documented and explained for those that want to know.
However, what OP said is true - outdoor spigots are usually excluded from these systems.
@@watcherofwatchers Where do they go?
@@KurtVW The regen cycle of a water softener discharges the used salt water to a drain. When the regen cycle runs, the machine is in bypass mode so if water was to be turned on somewhere in the house you would be using untreated (hard) water. This is the reason the regen cycle is typically factory set to run at 2:00AM. Most experts will tell you that after the regen cycle the rinsing of the media beads is not 100% efficient, meaning a very small amount of salt does enter your house.
@@KurtVW There's a waste drain in a softener system. It goes wherever that drains to such as a sewer or septic system.
You have a fundamental lack of understanding about what these systems do and how they work. Seriously, go read up on them before so confidently asserting things that are exactly opposite to being true.
What are the long-term effects of having constant water spraying on your AC coils? Perhaps your AC will only last half as long as it would normally last? Perhaps you could do a follow up every year on the effects of this?
There are great devices. I have installed a few on some of my client's houses, especially those with multiple units on their house. I recommend that they clean or have their coils cleaned at least 2x a year in order to keep the mineral deposits off of the coil fins.
Another easy, cheap and low maintenance as well as low cost is to cover the unit/s with a Sun Sail/Shade. This lowers the ambient temps, and allows the unit to work less to cool the coil as well as the rest of the equipment.
When doing both of these, you save even more energy. Do I know if the units last longer? Not at this point in my career, because I have only been doing these methods for a few years now.
Really glad you did this video. The achilles heel on this system, in my opinion, is the water filter/softener. You should consider doing some follow up videos on filters and softeners. Maybe even look at reverse osmosis or rainwater harvesting.
Yeah you suggested it around 4 months ago I believe. So out of curiosity why do you think that? What do you think is wrong with the anti scale filter that comes with it? The 3 month expiration and having to replace it or something else?
@@HowToHomeDIY I don't know that there will necessarily be anything wrong with it. Just a wear item to factor in to the cost/benefit. That's why it might be worth exploring other options. Another person commented on possibly using this system rigged up with a "swamp cooler" setup which I think is a really interesting idea because it would be a 2-for-1 in that it would keep the coils clean and eliminate any worries about scale. Just clean or replace the filter material once a year and you should be good to go. Both of the "home stores" sell synthetic evaporative cooler pads that can be rinsed out. Worth experimenting with!
@@alldecentnamestaken My only concern with that though is could that not restrict air flow to an extent? I am willing to take my chances with the filter that the company says removes scale. They have been in business for many years so one would assume they have an idea what they are doing. They even talk in depth about this on their site. We will see. I am going to pay close attention to mine and if I find that there is any issue, will definitely report on it either through a video or post.
@@HowToHomeDIY I think an update video in a month or two would be great!
How much water does it take if the AC is running 24/7?
Bigger problem. Go solar.
5000'000 gallons
Yes, this water mister can reduce power use and cooler air from air docks. the drawback your outdoor condenser reduces the life by two times faster due to electrolysis on the cooling fin. The cooling fin (aluminum) and the freon tube (copper) used by the air condenser cause electrolysis when water deteriorates the aluminum when water is added to the play. Like in the boats, two different metals exposed to water cause corrosion/electrolysis.
These comments are interesting lol. I live in Arizona and this could be extremely beneficial. I purchased this kit and will be installing additional calcium filters inline and placing a patio umbrella over the unit for further cooler temps. Maybe I can ditch my 12,000 btu portable unit to help during the hotter months. My house has a 4 Ton unit (plenty for my sq. footage) but damn Arizona summers are brutal. Glad I stumbled upon this.
Great video, nicely done! But......"nah", danger of associated issues versus potential savings, not worth it to me personally. But, thanks, I do appreciate your efforts!
Very good and informative video. Thank you
I would never add this to a new unit, but if I had an old unit on its last legs, I might consider it. Remember, all the water that is getting sucked into the unit won't stay on the coils... It will eventually get everything inside the unit soaked with water which could create additional rust and rot in the bottom of the unit if it's full of leaves and dirt like most units that are never maintained. Also, think about all of the water constantly sitting on everything metal inside the unit. All the water "Mist" will be making its way into the electric fan motor and perhaps even into the electrical connections on the side of the compressor, expansion valve or reversing valves of heat pumps, high and low pressure sensors and other electrical components inside the condenser unit. While it may save you a few bucks short term for the few hot months of the year, I have to believe that the longer term negative effects will be far more costly over time and may well lead to a premature death of the condenser, the fan or other very expensive electrical components inside of the unit. I think I'll pass on this one.
Appreciate your opinion. I personally have to disagree. Condenser units are made to be outside. They get rained on, snowed on, etc. The mist is nowhere near the amount of natural weather and I just dont see it causing anything to go bad or wear down sooner. Like I have told other, I am keeping a close eye on this and if I see negative effects, I will for sure post an update of some kind. I have no stock in the company and bought it myself so only want to be honest with you all, my viewers.
@@HowToHomeDIY I'll 100% disagree with you, from experience. We've had multiple Rheem/Ruud units fail due to normal use water exposure. The condenser motor is mounted to the fan guard with recessed pockets where the bolts are connected. Water pools in these areas and the tenant will usually hear a loud BANG! in the middle of the night when they've rusted through. This is happening on 2-3 year old units(!).
While I've not encountered these water misting systems, I've spoken with other techs who have and yes, they'll rust out a unit prematurely. In our area, water is extremely hard, so any "savings" are quickly eaten away once the coils start to develop deposits, which doesn't take all that long here. Only a few months.
There's a reason water treatment is a huge part of the large chilled water systems. Even with proper treatment, those do require frequent servicing and cleaning to maintain them. Such cleaning isn't really possible or practical with consumer DX HVAC systems.
What happens to the water left inside the unit after it rains? That's what happens to this water too. It evaporates and since it's far less water under far less humidity than 100% rain not only does it evaporate it does so very quickly if not instantly.
What about the water usage and increase in water bill? What about places like Texas where the water coming out of the hose is very hot?
The water shouldn't be hot unless you are talking about the 50' hose (or whatever length) that is out in the sun heating the water in the hose. Otherwise it would be the same temp as inside your house. The water eventually is cold once it has replaced the water that was initially in the hose, right? The hoses for this assembly might still be in the sun, but obviously much less water is in them, so less hot water. Either way, if your A/C cycles, let's say, every 15 minutes, the water won't be as hot anyway.
@@ccyaltr He could be in an area like Yuma. The city water lines are not buried deeply, so in the summer there is no need for hot water to take a shower, the water from the cold tap is over 100 F. Many people turn off their hot water heaters in the summer.
@@ccyaltr you must not live here... the water coming out of the "cold" is sometimes scalding
It is supposed to be glued down on the top. In the winter it would crack under the cold weather. This means you would need to replace it next year. This was determined by two other testers.
Yeah in the winter I’ll remove mine. The following year just put it out again. It’s a pretty quick install.
Ever thought of simply disconnecting from the water hose? You could literally winterize this thing in 5 minutes with a small amount of compressed air.
Hope you are using rain water. In San Antonio, the water is very hard. After a year or 2 of city water, you will be replacing your condensing coil due to calcification build up and loss of heat removal.
This looks oddly familiar 😅 nice video bro. Your channel is crushing 👊🏼
😂 Yeah I am sure it does, the timing was great. I have found it to be a good thing though over the years as we feed each others traffic. Speaking of crushing it, I have seen your stats, I think you are up there towards the top in growth over at least the past couple of months if not more in our category. Congratulations on the steady growth. It is well deserved. You don't miss on the details and you can tell you genuinely care about what you are talking about. Keep it going bro! 🚀
@@HowToHomeDIY You both definitely feed off of each others channels. I watched this specifically because I first saw his review on this product. Ironically, I only found his channel because it was recommended by TH-cam after watching your EasyStart review.
I bought mine last month after watching your review!
Important fact few people know about hose bib atmospheric vacuum breakers: Can an atmospheric vacuum breaker be used under continuous pressure? No! Codes do not permit this as the device could become "frozen", and not function under an emergency condition. Those of us who have attached battery irrigation timers can attest that after a time the hose bib vacuum breaker will begin to leak as the rubber gasket deforms from being constantly pressurized.
My ACR&H company years ago installed time-delayed evaporative cooling modules here in the high Desert of Southern California that cost tens of thousands of dollars in the 1990s on package units serving a large hotel complex and we finally had to remove them because the moisture began to corrode the aluminum fins and plug coils with white-crude soon threatening the life of the condenser coils. Just like lawn sprinklers that will damaged outdoor coils, using water misters will eventually create the same deposit condition. Best to have a large 20k CFM central swamp cooler and duct the cool air to the condensers from afar and deal with mineral deposits at the main water cooler unit. Wouldn't you think?
Unless possibly you were to use distilled water or equivalent, problems will most certainly follow.
My newer window units use water from the condensate pan. It saves about 10% which is pretty good, considering all they had to do was make the fan rim reach down into the water. It takes very little water to achieve this evaporation effect. Folks, go buy the cleaning fluid and clean your damn coils, it's easy and you should be doing it anyway.
Careful with those things. Due to the fact that the coils will always get wet, they will tend to get more dust on them than normal requiring more frequent cleaning.
In humid environments, this might actually not be what you want to do. Part of indoor comfort is getting the humidity into the right range, and traditional A/C and heat pump units remove interior humidity as they run. Shortening the run time by lowering the temp will result in higher indoor humidity, the same as using an improperly sized (too large) system would. Many of these new smart thermostats even have a "cool to dry" feature allowing you to set a target indoor humidity range, and it'll flex what temp is sets to chase humidity to some degree.
See my comment I just added above. We installed one a month ago and saw our average interior humidity levels drop 5%. This is due to the inside coil being cooler. This set up actually improved the humidity levels in our home.
must have soft water...my hard well water would plug the AC unit is days/weeks and is very hard to clear out
Thanks for taking the time to make this video.
This, to me, just seems gimmicky. I can just see an HVAC tech laying eyes on that and asking the homeowner 'what the hell are you doing?' Yeah you're going to save a wee bit of money on your utility bill, but you're also increasing your water consumption, if you don't have a water softener, then you're on the hook for buying replacement filters - which no one is going to change like they should (the vast majority of people never even check their air filter like they should) If you do have a water softener then you are now on the hook for running a new 1/2" cold water line to a new hose bibb. Then you're constantly having water sitting on the unit rotting the base out if its not plastic. No thanks.
You want to save money on your utility bill? Put a soft start on the compressor. Keep your condensor coils clean. Regularly check and change your filters as you should. If your HVAC unit is ancient, then change it. The money you'll save will be immediately realized in your utility bill with the new equipment.
Leave this stuff for As Seen on TV.
But that's just my opinion. Thank you nonetheless for taking the time to make the video. Your channel is great.
I'd like to point out these are very Humidity dependent. The LOWER the ambient humidity, the BETTER something like this will work. If where you are is already 80-100% humidity, the mist won't phase change as quickly, and therefore won't provide any cooling. I posit it would work best with ambient humidity below 30%.
A mister like this would work a LOT better in places like Nevada, Arizona, California where summer ambient humidity levels go below 10%. The phase change of the mist evaporating to a gas is what does the lion's share of cooling.
Second, that valve looks 'very' cheaply made, I'd be worried about it getting 'stuck' open and damaging the condenser/fan
They actually work quite well here in New Orleans area. We have 100% humidity a lot.
The only thing I recommend my clients do is to have their coils cleaned at least 2x a year due to the hard water deposits.
If you buy this you deserve the results. Even the smallest amount of research says this is a bad idea from almost every expert that sees it.
None of what you say has happened to me. I just made a video on cleaning coils and there is no build up.
my water is really expensive, don't think this would help, unless I run off my irrigation meter, but still. thanks for sharing.
This will not work for me especially in the area I live in. I live in an area
In the city of Houston were it gets very dusty for whatever reason. Every weekend I have to power wash the area I will be hanging around in especially with this Sahara dust blowing in. In my area that will really clog the coils since it’s dragging that wet dust in towards the inside.
Does the manufacturer say how much water it takes? QUESTION; seems this would be great for an RV. If you have access to water that is?
I would guess that an umbrella providing shade would yeild similar results.
Nothing should be over the top like an umbrella . The umbrella would catch the warm air and force it back down to the coils .
Does your HVAC system take advantage of already cooled air by recirculating indoors air to the HVAC unit for further cooling, instead of replacing (wasting) indoors air with outdoors "fresh" air that requires much more work to cool? I assume there will be much less savings with an HVAC system that recirculates, since it's more efficient.
I don't think I would use this all summer, I've got a package unit with all the electronics in the unit outside, so I'd be weary of all the water mist causing issues. However this might be good for those heat wave weeks.
I love this idea, but what about the increase in your water bill by leaving the water turned on on the spicket outside? Would it be enough to compensate with the lower amperage to run the ac unit and ac unit not running as often?
After 6 months of use a white deposit started forming on my condenser fins. The white deposit seriously restricted the air flow through the condenser fins and, in some areas, actually caused damage to the fins - they dissolvedI !would avoid using this kind of product in order to not destroy your condenser coil. I live in Boca Eaton , Florida and I suspect the minerals in my water have reacted with the aluminum fins.
Micro Easy start cut amp pull down by 70% . Did mine
Awesome results! Thanks a lot for the feedback!
Living in the high desert, the only type 'AC' we had, was called a swamp cooler...that worked rather well. Real AC would be a money pit. I see where many discount this type system due to the fact that manufacturers don't even attempt to have these on units. There are reasons for this. It's because there is inherent issues with this, mineralization the main one. Sorry, there is no filter that will keep minerals from collecting over time. They don't want to encourage the use of anything that would possibly impact the life (reputation) of their units. That being said, where I worked at a factory (with several massive roof-top units) we went a sort of different way. We basically copied the 'swamp' type coolers that have a recovery pan/supply...with the supply level maintained by a toilet valve type setup. The water used was from our ionized water waste from the factory, so no water bill. We did not use misters, we had very coarse filter media that was continuously soaked that surrounded the condenser housing. The water returned to the pan and was recirculated by a very small pump, engaged by the compressor connection. Our maintenance crew serviced these every month, mostly to clean the dirt and butterflies from the media. IIRC, it was horsehair media or something similar. At any rate, it apparently made an economic difference because the company was tight as hell.
Bummer. These folks won’t ship their system to Arizona or those on well water due to hardness of the water.
My brother lives in Yuma, and the EPA guideline on TDS is a max of 500 PPM. His water usually tests out at 630 PPM. Those overhead misting systems clog up quickly there too. Until they make one with a filter able to deal with hard water, I would be afraid to use it on my condenser unit. I have seen how fast the water in Yuma can clog a showerhead, I hate to think what a mess it would make of my condenser coils.
@@terryjohnson2093I will use a reverse osmosis filter to remove the calcium
Shared answer from a commenter's question:
I think in at least the humidity part of this conversation there may be a misunderstanding. The evaporation of your supplied water is literally what is cooling the air around your condensing unit. As your tap water, hot or not, is atomized by the misting heads it evaporates more quickly AND COOLS the air immediately around the unit. So really, we're talking more about a very localized effect instead of atmospheric impact that humidity has, at least with humidity percentages of 50% - 60% and below. The smaller the droplets of water coming out of the misters the quicker they will evaporate. The easier they are to evaporate the quicker that localized air cools. So lots of that ambient heat is absorbed with those tiny water molecules causing cooling effect even in relatively humid environments.
Unfortunately my area has very hard water, so the cost of replacing the mineral cartridge every few months will negate the electric bill savings. My AC unit is far from my water valve, so that will mean running a long extension across my patio door, walkway, grass etc. It won't be a good solution for me. Also, what are the long term negative effects of constant water deposits onto the condenser coils, I would think mold, mildew, dust, wet leaves, etc. I will have to pass on this mickey mouse solution to perhaps save $25-30 dollars a month. How much is a new condenser unit, $3500???
If the AC blows colder does that make it short cycle leaving to much humidity in the house ??
They will not ship to the southwest where it is needed most citing poor water quality. I agree that you need to watch for mineral buildup on the fins.
Yes they know what they are talking about. They have been selling this for about the past 10 years. The water is especially hard there. They are up front about that so people in other places should be able to rest easy that they know their filter can handle everywhere else. Their website talks all about it.
I wouldn't recommend putting that on your unit that's going to create a problem for your condensor spraying water on the coil will bring down the head pressure but, sooner or later it going to increase corrosion on the coil and cabinet with will cost you more money in repairs or replacement.
Hey Adam,
My wife and I have been in the process of installing a generator and all the other things that come along with it. We are learning a lot about the what needs to be done. From your content the one thing we have absolutely learned is that "we can do it ourselves." I know our question it is not the topic of this video but I was wondering if you would be willing to entertain questions about a surge suppressor in our electrical panel? We are not sure if you have another area you would like to discuss this in as well.
We noticed you have a GE Breaker and Box but you installed a SIEMENS Surge Protection box rather than a GE Surge protector that has the pigtail that goes to the neutral bus bar. We are wondering why you made this choice. Are there pros and cons to this decision?
In the meantime, thank you so very much for all your content and all you do for homeowners.
Yeah, I did a ton of research into whole home surge protectors and it was clear that the Siemens FS140 was the best I could find. It can absorb the most out of all of the surge protectors I could find. I also like that it lets you know using lights and sound, if it’s absorbed a large surge and needs to be replaced. Many others won’t do this so you have no idea if your surge protector is protecting you anymore. In fact mine is still good after 3 years where we get storms regularly but I bought another one as I’ll be doing an updated video on it soon. I researched them all again and still think it’s the best. Costs more but for me I’ve lost electronics to surge and they cost way more than the surge protector to replace.
@@HowToHomeDIY Thank you so much! I apologize for asking out of context of the the current subject. My wife and I are super grateful for everything you show!
@@HowToHomeDIY The FSPD 140 has arrived and is installed! I am curious to see your take on it. Crazy simple job and no one got shocked! (LOL)
It still is going to use a lot of water, which is costly in my area.
From what I understand it uses on average the equivalent of flushing your toilet once during the day. It’s not much water.
yeah but my toilet is HUGE!!!lol...@@HowToHomeDIY
Great video!!!
I always wanted to see a heat pump water heater with a recirculation pump that has a heat exchanger, so it can run the hot water loop into the condenser to cool it, then you save the water AND the heat. It could just be a little water block that connects to another block with refrigerant before it goes out to the radiator. In a home with high hot water usage or like a hotel, with constant usage, you might be able to eliminate the fans entirely or just rarely turn them on.
They've had these for decades now. We had them in the 1980s. Used it to pre-heat the hot tub. If that got too warm, it'd dump the heat into the canal.
I don't think the increased wear on the condenser is worth the small increase in efficiency. Condensers are super expensive.
There isn’t an increase in wear. All this is doing is basically lowering the outdoor temperature at the condenser. My AC runs when it’s in the 70s and nobody worries about it, why would this be any different?
@@HowToHomeDIY It's soaking the condenser every time it turns on. That has a huge effect on life span.
They are made to be outside and be in the rain. This is a seasonal device, in most places not year round. It’s not going to wear it down faster.
@@HowToHomeDIY there's a big difference between getting rained on occasionally and have the coils doused every time it turns on. Coastal systems don't last as long as desert systems. That device will artificiality age the condenser.
Coastal units don’t last as long due to the saltwater and salt in the air. Not from getting wet.
Doubt it would work in Arizona. Even a three ft run of hose would heat the water to 130 to 150 in the summer. Our cold water temp is about 100 degrees at this time of year
.
You still gain positive results from the evaporative cooling effect from the mist. Go to restaurants in Phoenix…many of them have mister systems for patio dining and the air is considerably cooler.
this really does work but riddled with problems. the concept comes from the freus air conditioners back 20 or so years ago, which is an air conditioner inside of a swamp cooler, I had one of these units and they were a constant maintenance nightmare, constantly replacing anodes, pumps, cleaning out the pan, descaling, unfortunately this works well with deionized water, which is expensive to rent these tanks, then you need to plumb it, but with soft water you have salt or potassium that is corrosive, and even if you live in a place that has good water there are still some minerals in the water, plus there are plastic parts to break, misters that get blocked with corrosion or debris, the demineralizing and filtering of the water is the key to keeping these systems relatively maintenance free, if you can achieve that in an inexpensive way then that's the way to go.
Spraying your units condenser fins periodically with vinegar should neutralize your hard water deposits.
Just installed the units with the addon tubes. One leaked pretty bad and they sent me a replacement right away! Not sure if I will save anything in the end, but it seems like it should. Nearly 100 degrees here in SW Florida so we should see results quickly
Yeah let me know what you find. Seems most people in the comments are concerned about hard water deposits. I will be paying close attention to mine but the company says the filter removes scale so I have a feeling it is probably not a concern for me. Let us know your findings!
@@HowToHomeDIYYou just need to let some of that water run onto a mirror or piece of glass and dry. If it dries leaving any markings at all (pure water dries without leaving anything), then the filter is not removing the minerals present in hard water. Several years as a window cleaner speaking here.
Let me know how quickly the coils become coated in lime scale... I'm in SW FL too and have heard nothing good with these in the area.
@grayrabbit2211 2 weeks so far so good.
@@HowToHomeDIY I had bought 2 for my outdoor units last season. The 1st unit flap flew right off into the yard after just a few weeks. The 2nd had nozzles that leaked. The owner sent replacement parts after sending him video of each of the issues. The 2nd flap lasted a month and that one flew off. The system is just not robust enough IMHO. If they ever beef these up, I will condider again, but as of right now, I wasted 200+ dollars.
Back in my day we used box fans in the windows, put a bucket of ice inside the fans
So you used ice to cool the house. The heat from the room went into the ice to melt it, then your freezer, which is also completely contained within your house, had to refreeze that melt water, or else new water. Thus taking heat out of the water and dumping it, plus any waste heat back into your house.
I would love to see a bill comparison before and after using this device. Also no matter how expensive of a hose bib I use I ALWAYS have some sort of water leak. lol
this will seem obvious, but plumber's tape the male ends of the hose and it won't leak. wrap it clockwise so it's the same direction as the female hose spins to connect.
There are so many misconceptions here. Amp draw reduction with no voltage check is useless. Supply temp with no return temp is useless. No head pressure check, no suction side check. Time between amp checks? Even small time changes can affect readings. I could go on ad infinitum.
Coil damage is coming due to buildup on the coil. Even if you could (which you can't) get de ionized water with your filters, corrosion of the coil will result.
Bottom line: little to no savings with premature unit failure.
GFM
I have to ask though, if this is such a great idea why does the original manufacture not include it with their unit or sell it as an option?
Without giving it much thought one reason might be because someone out there no doubt will leave this on during the winter or first hard freeze and imagine what it could do. So there are many things out there that can be bought for other products that improve or modify them to the owner’s liking but may not be for everyone.
This is more of an experiment that proves water is more conducive than air. If someone is really serious about saving energy, geothermal heat pumps take advantage of waters superior ability to transfer heat by circulating a water/antifreeze mix. You can do things like adding insulation and sealing cracks to reduce energy loss which is beneficial all year and will almost immediately save more money than initial costs. Geothermal is one of the most efficient ways to heat and or cool a structure, couple that will an airtight building envelope, and power it with photovoltaic solar and it's reportedly possible to reduce energy consumption by around 90%.
I dont pay for water , we have a well. But the pump for the well runs on 220v. So there is really no way to find out if there would be any savings. Also how many gallons of water a day would that thing eat? I"ll pass....
,
The lower the humidity the better this works . LA and Phoenix it will work better than Houston
I would not want this misting all the time. I can easily see my water bill rising. I have taken a hosepipe over to the coils and misted them, so the concept works (as the fan blowing out hot air turns cooler as the coils are cooler). Just have to analyze how much $ you're saving on electricity versus how much you're water bill is going to increase.
wouldn't it be more effective to have your outdoor unit pulling air from an area under shade? My unit is to the back of the house in an area that doesn't get direct sun and surrounded by big leafed plants
Yes, the shade is extremely helpful.
Interesting idea, but a tree for shading the unit would be what I would do.
Nope that has been proven wrong
If this was a great way to make the AC more efficient or cool you house "better", wouldn't every AC manufacture have this built in already? Not really dismissing the device entirely, but it just seems like if was a significant savings, it would be built in.
You also get some (probably significant) evaporative cooling from the water that makes it to the evaporator, lands, sticks and then evaporates due to air flow over the evap coil fins. Just sayin'.
This was helpful BUT how do you disassemble this to put it away for winter, especially with it adheard in place. Have this unit & nothing in the manual tells you how. I live in ND, things freeze badly! GB
Excellent question. Have you gotten an answer yet?
water bill goes up but probably not as much as saved. neat idea
I put my paddle on top while the condenser was turned on and my paddle doesn't go up in any position. My first thought was that maybe my airflow is being affected as my coils might need a cleaning, so I got a can of cleaner from Lowes and gave it a thorough clean (thanks for the video on how to do that properly). All good, I thought...tried to find the right placement for the paddle...no change. My unit seems to be working fine, but it's not lifting the paddle at all. I tried to contact the company, but haven't been contacted back yet. Any thoughts, by chance?
Thanks for the video! My home uses the a/c unit to heat the house in the winter. Would there be any benefit to using the mister in the winter or just turn them off?
Definitely turn them off. Don’t want ice to form anywhere
I am curious how much your water use increased,and how much water accumulated around the unit?
what about if your alleged savings if due to a lesser running time for the outdoor unit?
I'll bet that you will have scale on the condenser soon and dont use acid to clean it off! But what else can yo use? I don't know. Acid will eat your coils and fins as In know of another persons experience with that. Also I spent 4 hours analyzing a similar system with a subcooler connected to the freon lines and the savings was all in the drop of air temp indoors. it is done all of the time in south west USA with subcoolers which do not affect the coils being sprayed with hard water .
I would also be interested to know, over time, what the added (if any) accumulation of dirt or buildup on the coils would be. Surely misting the air would be introducing dirt that would stick over time. And while yes, these are outdoor machines, and subject to rain etc, I would be interested in knowing if the constant introduction of water would degrade the unit sooner than without. That is, if so, is the early replacement cost worth the savings?
I agree with you 100% about the introduction of dirt into the system coils, I also think it prudent to mention mineral deposits from tap water as opposed to rain water, as you have already stated " These are outdoor machines" I would also bet, if this were a simple, cost effective and viable solution to improve efficiency, the manufacturers would have adopted it already. This seems to me to be just another short term solution over long term performance.
could I use a sprinkler valve to turn on misters when my air conditioner fan activates
So I went outside and clipped on my amp meter and sprayed down the condenser coil with my hose and went from 8.4a to 7.5a. Confirmed
Right, but think of it as evaporative cooling. Basically a swamp box. I'm going to build my own version with a solenoid off the contactor and T off my home RODI line. Wish me luck @@TheSimba86
I'm just going to hit Home Depot at 6 am and hire me some little guy to stand out there and spray mist my unit down :)@@southsko
Failure for me. My new carrier units aren’t forcefull enough to fully raise the paddle. Also. When I manually lift the paddle and then release it does not seat the valve and makes a mess. I’m out nearly $150. Not happy about it.
minus the cost of water and associated sewer charges = less savings
Water isn’t expensive and it doesn’t use much.
@@HowToHomeDIY It's expensive in the S.W. states. I can see where in some locations this solution makes sense, but in states fed by the dying Colorado river water supply, it is kind of a hard 'no'.
Costs money to run the well pump for the water all day. Not sure it would be much savings in the end.