help! my a.c. unit just quit

[K Frame]

Running that thing in Chicagoland on a day like today would probably result in a huge puddle under the unit by the end of the day 

 

There are supposed to be limit switches in them to prevent that from happening.

[Firethorn]

It appears according to Stand_watie that it does not have a condensate drain tube but that the water is being evaporated back into the air using heat from the discharge line and/or condenser coil.

I think you're missing an important tidbit that flips the evaporation process from being an energy waster to being an energy saver.

It's not being evaporated just 'back into the air'.  It's being routed to the condenser coil, where the condensed water is used to help cool the coil off - remember, the closer in temperature the coils are, the more efficient they are.  Rather than toss that cold water down a sink, you cool off the coil, evaporating the water into the hot air that's being exhausted outside the house.  It's effectively like making the condenser coil bigger.

It still needs a drip pan so if you're trying to cool down a high humidity sauna and there's just too much water to evaporate out, you don't the unit either filling up with water or dripping on your floor.

Nick - interesting.  Didn't know that.  And yes, I considered putting that it also matters how good of a system you buy.  My listing was just an 'average' for systems.

[Stand_watie]

I think you're missing an important tidbit that flips the evaporation process from being an energy waster to being an energy saver.

It's not being evaporated just 'back into the air'.  It's being routed to the condenser coil, where the condensed water is used to help cool the coil off - remember, the closer in temperature the coils are, the more efficient they are.  Rather than toss that cold water down a sink, you cool off the coil, evaporating the water into the hot air that's being exhausted outside the house.  It's effectively like making the condenser coil bigger.

It still needs a drip pan so if you're trying to cool down a high humidity sauna and there's just too much water to evaporate out, you don't the unit either filling up with water or dripping on your floor.

Nick - interesting.  Didn't know that.  And yes, I considered putting that it also matters how good of a system you buy.  My listing was just an 'average' for systems.

So do you think the design of this unit is to dump the water over the condenser coil and then excess to be dumped through hot air exhaust? That all I'm doing by leaving drain plug open is reducing efficiency? That was what I thought was happening based on what I've read so far. BTW it works really good even with drain plug open...air output at least 25 degrees less than air intake.

[Ron]

Yea, I googled it, and it seems like they are using the condensate to increase efficiency.

If they give instructions on cleaning the unit I would follow them. The only portable units I've ever seen had a drain tube.

My dehumidifier has the pan and limit switch like Mike referenced.

[K Frame]

"Yea, I googled it, and it seems like they are using the condensate to increase efficiency."

As I noted below, even window shaker air conditioners are now using part of the discharge water to cool the exchange coils and increase efficiency.

Industrial/commercial air condition systems often use the same principal, only they use a cooling tower type model in which the water isn't condensate, but from a different source (well or public mains).

The water either cools the coils directly, or is sprayed onto a medium through which the coils run, and fans provide airflow for the evaporation heat exchange.

This is a typical unit: http://www.salaair.com/commercial_htm_files/436.jpg

There are multiple variations on how the exchange is done, either as a primary stage (in which refrigerant is cooled in the tower) or secondary (in which heat exhange is done inside the building to a water loop which carries the heat outside to a cooling tower).

[Firethorn]

So do you think the design of this unit is to dump the water over the condenser coil and then excess to be dumped through hot air exhaust? That all I'm doing by leaving drain plug open is reducing efficiency? That was what I thought was happening based on what I've read so far. BTW it works really good even with drain plug open...air output at least 25 degrees less than air intake.

Generally speaking, leave the plug in. 

[K Frame]

Yeah, leave the drain plug in.

That's only for removing the last of the water before you store it in the winter so it doesn't grow a bumper crop of mold.