NO, I am not crazy, just broke

[jbleaux]

Hi, folks.

Brand-new guy here hoping to get some expert advice/direction.

First, I am retired and broke but I have a 30 x 40 x 15 metal, uninsulated building in central Texas. It is hot even though I have two huge fans blowing thru it thru one door and out the other.

Now, as dumb as I am, I know that insulating this thing would be the best but recall that I am broke.

What I do have is free diesel fuel and engines. I would like to build an a.c. directly drive by one of the diesel engines and try to cool this oven down. Yes, after I rob another bank, I may be able to insulate it but for now,
I would surely like to build this unit and hook it all to an evaporator and condenser.

Any suggestions beside going to a mental hospital. Folks designed/built these things years ago or you wouldn't be in business.http://hvac-talk.com/vbb/images/icons/icon7.gif

Thanks

Joe

[lynn comstock]

FREE diesel. Sounds like heaven.

Trade an engine for a swamp cooler.

[JimmyM]

FREE diesel. Sounds like heaven.

Trade an engine for a swamp cooler.

I think swamp coolers are a great idea. Use the existing fans and just add some misting nozzles. Trying to design and build your own A/C system from salvaged parts is going to turn into an expensive nightmare.

[ZeroTolerance]

YA WTF? Free diesel??? Can I get some? I pay $120 at the pump a week!!!! Stupid expensive.

He could make a swamp cooler for dirt cheap.

[seatonheating]

If you're broke, sell the building.

[iraqveteran]

Sell the Diesel....

Its only what, like 6 bucks a gallon by now. Sell that **** at 65% cost, pocket the money and you'll have AC by the end of the week.

[saylor240]

No I got it.....buy like 10 Diesal full size quad cab pick ups, take the doors off, park them inside the building....pipe the exhaust outside of the building...put the A/C in the truck on full blast...should keep it little cool in there.....

[Stamas]

Try what these guys did.
http://www.wboc.com/Global/story.asp?S=7891972

[Mr Bill]

Try what these guys did.
http://www.wboc.com/Global/story.asp?S=7891972

You know, how do crooks go through life everyday having to worry if there going to get caught? they are either totally stupid or have nerves of steel. Life is hard enough for me personally, just living right and doing right, I guess if the crooks could see into their future, there would be lots less crooks. Life is so much easier and much more fun, just working for a living and paying your own way.

[lynn comstock]

So is that FREE diesel?

[rojacman]

Hi, folks.

Brand-new guy here hoping to get some expert advice/direction.

First, I am retired and broke but I have a 30 x 40 x 15 metal, uninsulated building in central Texas. It is hot even though I have two huge fans blowing thru it thru one door and out the other.

Now, as dumb as I am, I know that insulating this thing would be the best but recall that I am broke.

What I do have is free diesel fuel and engines. I would like to build an a.c. directly drive by one of the diesel engines and try to cool this oven down. Yes, after I rob another bank, I may be able to insulate it but for now,
I would surely like to build this unit and hook it all to an evaporator and condenser.

Any suggestions beside going to a mental hospital. Folks designed/built these things years ago or you wouldn't be in business.http://hvac-talk.com/vbb/images/icons/icon7.gif

Thanks

Joe

Through the years i've worked on several internal combustion engines mated to an open drive compressor....Most i've worked on have been natural gas fired but the prime mover could easily be diesel fuel. you need a small tower to circulate the engine coolant so you keep the rad. heat under control if your equipment room is enclosed....your compressor needs to have unloaders and you can hook up the system normally as an electric driven compressor......normal controls as any other install , just some type of 'on-off' and safety string for the engine protection....just my......o yeah , have a heat-x between the rad. cooling tower and the engine.....it's easier to descale a heat - x than an engine block as we had to do a few times.....

[jbleaux]

Thanks, rojacman.

I appreciate the serious attempt to help. What I need is some information on open-drive compressors, e.g., what mfg, what size, what rpm and if they have a clutch.

Also, this is a crystal ball question but, in central Texas, the temp. gets over 100°; recall that this is a uninsulated metal building 30 x 40 x 15', what would be a rough estimate of the tonnage required to get to 80° f?


This ought to separate the men from the boys. I am just a boy, if even that but I have built several marine a.c.s from parts.

Thanks for your help.


Joe

Through the years i've worked on several internal combustion engines mated to an open drive compressor....Most i've worked on have been natural gas fired but the prime mover could easily be diesel fuel. you need a small tower to circulate the engine coolant so you keep the rad. heat under control if your equipment room is enclosed....your compressor needs to have unloaders and you can hook up the system normally as an electric driven compressor......normal controls as any other install , just some type of 'on-off' and safety string for the engine protection....just my......o yeah , have a heat-x between the rad. cooling tower and the engine.....it's easier to descale a heat - x than an engine block as we had to do a few times.....

[flange]

do you wanna jury rig this or make a real effort? refrigeration compressors, like tractors take a lot of inertia to get them spinning. controlling this bcomes the biggest issue, so youll need a transmission of some sort, and a way of starting/stopping this pig. if, however, you wanna think a little differently, perhaps you could make a diesel genset instead, and produce your own electric to run a real ac unit. maybe add some capacitor banks, a transfer switch, hell produce for your neighbors too for half of the local power company since your overhead is low with the free fuel.