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This unique cooling technology from Freus, shouldn't be
confused with a swamp cooler. Although water is used to assist with the
cooling, it is sprayed over condensing coils rather than pads.
The water cooled condensing unit is a residential
application of the 250 ton split system chillers already used by commercial
buildings. Think of this technology as a mini-chiller for residential use.
Evaporative water cooler units for split system air
conditioners have a number of advantages over air-cooled units. Water removes
heat from the condenser coils far more efficiently than air. This reduces the
temperature of the compressed R-22 refrigerant, which in turn reduces the work
load of the scroll compressor. Not only will the compressor last much longer,
there is only a minimal loss of cooling efficiency when the outdoor temperature
exceeds 100 degrees.
Typical air cooled units can lose as much as 25% of their
efficiency at the same temperature.
So how much money can you save with a water cooled
condensing unit? Charles Mullin, a
casino worker living in North Las Vegas is also single, so every utility bill comes from his lone paycheck.
That's why he switched the air conditioning system on his 1,500-square-foot
home to a water cooled condensing unit.
"Before I
installed it, I had my thermostat set at 75 to 78 degrees to try to keep my
electric bills down," he said. "I tested the new system at 65 degrees
- felt like a meat locker. My bill went down to $86. That's about a 45-percent
savings and the house was set cooler."
Mullin told all his
friends about the units and the savings he's seen. He figured the Freus system
will pay for itself in about two years.
Richard Waite,
president of Hal Mechanical, installer of Mr. Mullin's water cooled AC, said
they are specifically made for the desert climate.
"The only extra
that's needed to swap out an old air conditioning unit for a new water-cooled
one is to run a water line to it. The unit has an automated system, similar to
a toilet tank, keeping the water at the correct capacity. The system also
flushes itself to avoid calcium buildup."
Due to the almost constant capacity, the condenser size does
not need to vary due to climate zones, like air-cooled units. The Freus is
installed in much the same manner as an air-cooled condenser and has the unique
ability to service multiple air handlers. This provides the space saving
convenience of housing two or three compressors (up to 10 total tons) in a
single cabinet.
Jim Kilby of Green Valley, a casino management professor, replaced his
10-year-old air conditioning units, one 5-ton and one 3-ton, with two
water-cooled ones of roughly the same capacity. He figures his electric bills
dropped by a third.
"The hotels have been using this technology for years," Kilby
said. "When you think about it, water does a better job of cooling the air
than air. It just makes sense."
Whether you call them evaporative water coolers or water cooled
condensing units, this mini version of the 250 ton chiller is sure to
revolutionize desert cooling.
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