Capacitors! Yikes!

**MechAcc** · 07-29-2012, 11:43 AM

Sounds like an innovation for the Binford 5000 capacitor add on cooling fins. LOL

**Glennhvac** · 07-29-2012, 12:10 PM

Originally Posted by MechAcc

Sounds like an innovation for the Binford 5000 capacitor add on cooling fins. LOL

Or a heat exchanger system using the suction line

**midhvac** · 07-29-2012, 12:24 PM

Or to keep the heat out of the electrical panel to start with. The units that catch a good amount of sun seem to be the worst offenders. Some of those that have been off all day have caps that are almost too hot to handle when you open up the unit. Has to be IR causing that, plus the fact that there's very little openings in most electrical panels for the heat to dissipate via convection.
I'm wondering if a $4 can of spray foam around the outside part of the electrical panel might work.

**ironpit** · 07-29-2012, 12:39 PM

Originally Posted by Glennhvac

Or a heat exchanger system using the suction line

there you go!. Charge the unit so it sweats back to the compressor, tape the cap to the suction line at the compressor and in addition to the cool line it would be water cooled!

**hurtinhvac** · 07-29-2012, 12:42 PM

Originally Posted by ironpit

there you go!. Charge the unit so it sweats back to the compressor, tape the cap to the suction line at the compressor and in addition to the cool line it would be water cooled!

And the water could also serve as a bleed resistor when it dribbles over the cap taps...

**ironpit** · 07-29-2012, 12:47 PM

we're on to something. I can tell!

**Glennhvac** · 07-29-2012, 01:13 PM

Originally Posted by ironpit

we're on to something. I can tell!

Heck yes! Speaking of that what ever happened to that gadget I thought I heard of years ago to heat domestic water with the residential a/c unit.

**hurtinhvac** · 07-29-2012, 01:46 PM

Originally Posted by Glennhvac

Heck yes! Speaking of that what ever happened to that gadget I thought I heard of years ago to heat domestic water with the residential a/c unit.

dunno. But speaking of hot water: We're wacthing the end of a movie last night around 11:30 - both tired and ready for bed. The fire/burglar alarm starts chirping and then goes off blaring. The thing is loud and I have to get my firearms ear plugs I still keep in my night stand from when our kids were teenagers. I rip off the cover off the alarm as I can't stop the thing at the door interface and rip apart a red wire and stop it.

I was BQing earlier so I check the grill - nothing. I go down stairs to the main alarm panel in the utility room to discover the rust spot on the water heater expansion tank had ruptured and was spraying a fine mist all over the alarm panel.

Emergency service call at midnight in my own home. Valve to tank not functioning, shut off main, lucky to have 3/4 plug on truck. Temp fix done in 20 minutes - all the while the wife whinning "what are you doing - can we go to bed now...?"

As annoying as it was, I can't help but be grateful: As little as 18-24 months ago I would have been clueless as to what that barrell looking thing on the side of the water heater even was, and would have had to live without water until a plumber showed up so I could give him a bunch of money to fix it.

This trade comes in handy at times. Off to the Depot in a bit for a new tank.

I'm sure the wife will recognize my hero status shortly. If not I'm buying some tools with the money I saved her.

I know, I know

**midhvac** · 07-29-2012, 01:56 PM

Originally Posted by hurtinhvac

And the water could also serve as a bleed resistor when it dribbles over the cap taps...

And if it rubs a hole in the pipe when the unit vibrates, it would be gas cooled - for a while.

But if you flatten out the pipe, you'd get more heat transfer, and it wouldn't rub through it as bad.

OR you could turn it into a GROUND SOURCE capacitor by burying it in the ground. Just hope Fido don't dig it up lookin for his bone.