Is your AC running hot?

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Is your AC running hot?

Postby mikeschn » Mon Aug 08, 2005 4:39 pm

I designed myself into a corner with my air conditioner. I didn't leave nearly enough room for air flow, and it was running so hot I couldn't even touch the case. Does that sound familar? If it does, what did you do?

Today I tried running it without the case, and leaving more space for the exhaust to escape. It's working better, not perfect, but better. But as you can see by the photos below, it's not exactly pretty. So I need some suggestions from you guys...

1) How do I make it run cooler?
2) How do I beautify it?

Your thoughts?

Mike...

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Postby madjack » Mon Aug 08, 2005 5:06 pm

...1st, the portion inside you cabin should be fine. 2nd, in the second pic you have posted it appears that the flow is blocked just a few inches down on the coil that blockage does not show in the first pic...is that just me or is it actually blocked. If it is and you are relying on the hot air going out the side where you cut a hole in that beautiful wood then you will need to baffle it so that it is not being pulled directly back into the intake side. If it is not blocked then you really don't need your opening to take in the space allowed for outflow, once again this is allowing the hot air to recirculate into the inflow side. Your compressor will always run hot and all of your cooling air is passing over it. The way it(AC) is mounted I dont see a way around it unless you open a vent into that little closet next to the AC unit from the inside of the cabin and allow some cool cabin air to be sucked in to help with your overheating problem. Good luck, I know you really hated cutting that hole in the side
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Postby john » Mon Aug 08, 2005 5:08 pm

It appears to have as much exterior exhaust room as mine does. (Mine does get warm, but not noticably so).

But, I can't tell from your photos how exterior air is pulled into your A/C and blow across your condensor. How did you do this? How did you route the air?



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Postby mikeschn » Mon Aug 08, 2005 5:15 pm

Thanks for eyeballing that.

The piece of temporary OSB is a baffle to separate the hot exhaust air from the intake air. It's not blocking anything.

You're making me feel bad... I didn't want to cut that hole in the side... I really didn't... But I tried everything else and nothing worked. So I went back to the system I had on the Baja Benroy. That hole will be covered with a grate (did I spell that right?) that is painted the color of the birch.

Anyways, the AC has been running since about 4:30 (1.5 hours) and it's not overheating yet.

So my plan is to make a baffle out of aluminum to place where that osb baffle is now. Perhaps make a box out of wood for the inside, and then put the ac front back on.

There may be a little exhaust coming out the side, but the majority of it will be coming out the top. The galley wall sure gets warm though!

Anyways, as it is now, the air comes in thru the hole in the wall, over the condensor, and out the exhaust.

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Postby Woody » Mon Aug 08, 2005 5:23 pm

Mike,
I ran across the same type of problem on my A/C install. Running very hot can cause the commpressor to overheat and shutdown and also increases the head pressure on the unit also. I ducted my hot exhuast to physically separate the cooling air intake and the exhuast. It looks to me that you are exhuast venting only the top of the unit. I had to install an auxillary fan the assist to removing the heat and it lowered the tempature due to the restriction I had created. It obstructed the air flow for exchanging the heat, becuase the A/C fan could not push the air fast enough for normal operation. The auxlliary fan made a huge diference on the way the unit operated. Also I installed a vent in the galley bulkhead allowing cabin air to mix with the intake cooling air and allowing some outside air to enter the cabin from window, to fool the A/C thermostat to allow the unit to run longer to dehumidify the cabin air. Otherwise the cabin got cool but was damp or humid. It seems to work(It has run like that for a year with no problems) Hope this helps
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Postby john » Mon Aug 08, 2005 5:25 pm

I see the hole in the roof and i assumed it to br the exhaust, but where is there room above the condensor for a hole and which wall? If there was still no hole in the exterior wall, then the hole bust be drawing air from the inside through the little closet i see. If so your tear may be so air tight as not to let enough air through your closet. I'd lay a bet you already ran the A/C with the windows open.

But it could be that your intake hole are someplace else....


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Postby madjack » Mon Aug 08, 2005 5:31 pm

...Mike to help cool the galley wall, round up a piece of scrap aluminum or what have you and place it in the hole behind the AC, angling it up to the opening at top, this way the hot air is not blowing directly on the galley wall but is being directed up and out the top openning
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Postby Stephen G. » Mon Aug 08, 2005 5:56 pm

Put a exhaust fan in it or a boat bilge blower they are water proof and you can hose it out about anywhere
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Postby Guy » Mon Aug 08, 2005 6:10 pm

Dear Mike,

You can get one of the 12v refrigerator fans and place it blowing on the heat exchanger.
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Postby mikeschn » Mon Aug 08, 2005 6:48 pm

john wrote:I see the hole in the roof and i assumed it to br the exhaust, but where is there room above the condensor for a hole and which wall? If there was still no hole in the exterior wall, then the hole bust be drawing air from the inside through the little closet i see. If so your tear may be so air tight as not to let enough air through your closet. I'd lay a bet you already ran the A/C with the windows open.

But it could be that your intake hole are someplace else....


john


John,

The ac is drawing air from the outside, thru this grill...

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Postby mikeschn » Mon Aug 08, 2005 6:51 pm

Madjack,

The aluminum is a good idea, but I'm afraid that would cut down the cross sectional area of the exhaust too much...

Now those 12 v fans that Guy and Stephan mentioned sound interesting. What if I put one right behind the grill, pointed at the compressor. Would that help?

Woody, where did you put your auxilary fan?

Mike...
Last edited by mikeschn on Mon Aug 08, 2005 6:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby Woody » Mon Aug 08, 2005 6:53 pm

It should pull from the exhuast side to maintain good air flow
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Postby Frank » Mon Aug 08, 2005 7:05 pm

Mike,
What happened to the intake air vent in the bottom of the tear?
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Postby mikeschn » Mon Aug 08, 2005 7:09 pm

Frank wrote:Mike,
What happened to the intake air vent in the bottom of the tear?


Hey Frank,

It's still there, but there's not much in the way of intake. In fact, hot air was blowing out the top AND out the bottom. The duct is way too small.

And btw, I am still trying to decipher your last message of how to baffle the lower duct to the intake, and the upper duct to the exhaust. Care to elaborate?

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Postby Jiminsav » Mon Aug 08, 2005 7:10 pm

peltier chips..
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