Freus Air Conditioner

[coolguysfl]

Steve... anything can sooner or later be "fixxed"

I understand my suggestion to replace the products you have is not at the offset economical. If you have a passion for keeping the old stuff running, it can be done.... but I'm telling you - you are wasting time & money pursuing this endeavor.

No legitamate contractor will take your money to repair these.

This is a bad design at best - save your strength, start interviewing lic. contractors to upgrade your home.

[HumbleSteve]

Thank you for your post - not much has happened on this thread for a long time.

I appreciate your comments - which are supported by other comments on the site, but in the short run I need someone to help keep these units running. It is not just about buying new outside condenser units. When I installed the water cooled Freus units, the drop in the amperage required on the water cooled units permitted me to complete upgrades in my home without upgrading my electric service, so adding conventional higher amperage units may require me to upgrade my electrical panel. Also when I planned to put in the Freus units (in 2000), I invested in 2 high-end American Standard gas furnaces which have a 2 stage cooling option if the water cooled systems failed, but it appears that, at least for American Standard/Trane, the 2 stage condenser units are now only produced for the new R410A refrigerant. (My evaporator coil model/serial no. tag states that they are for Refrigerant R22 only.)

(Note: I replaced one AC2 unit with a Freus unit in 2008 - evidently right before the company went bankrupt - this so this one unit has actually only been used for 3 seasons and was manufactured in 2007. The AC2 unit is about 10 yrs old, so I know it is on borrowed time. I kept the replaced AC2 unit for parts.)

If I can't find somebody here in Phoenix, maybe someone on this site could provide "consulting services" for a fee?

[coolguysfl]

You'll have to consult the local rep / contractor for your evap. coils -- in most cases, the coils can be field converted to R410 as you are correct in pointing out all currently produced 2 speed product is R410.


Coils -- if required are not a remarkable expense, and I would highly recomend only embracing ARI matched / tested products (coils that that are rated w/ the condensors).... you've already had a taste of Rube Goldberg systems.

Can I suggest you obtain a few well educated reviews of your property and INSIST the duct work be validated as proper for the required air flow to OEM specs @ .1" static design.. if you ignore this element, you'll have more long term problems.

[HumbleSteve]

Thank you coolguysfl for your thoughts.

Good to know where I stand re: refrigerant situation.

I was aware of the duct work efficiency issue when I did my last upgrade. I insisted on using hard duct and reduced the number of elbows. I also figured out how to add an additional underground return where the circulation was not good.

[FreusCompany]

To All Who may inquire or have inquired,
In 2008 the company that manufactures the Freus unit went into bankruptcy. We were named as a creditor (owned no stock) and lost more than $500,000. The assets were sold to another company which defaulted on its payments to the Bankruptcy Court. During the summer of 2010 we bought the Freus name and all of its assets. Since then we have done the best we can to service and reach all customers to let them know we have parts and technical assistance. We are RR&P, LLC based out of the El Paso, TX area. Our administrative offices are based at:
RR&P, LLC
1305 Gardner
Anthony, NM 88021

We can be reached for any questions regarding the unit, parts, or service at (575)-544-8721 or (575)-621-5388; we can also be faxed at (575)-993-5394. The website for the Freus it has been under construction and will be fully operational soon.

[marvin]

you have along rocky road ahead of you to overcome the
previous track record of those before you. in theory the freus
is a good idea but in real time the maint. doesnt get done properly
& water treatment gets overlooked etc. & its all downhill
from there. good luck in your venture.
by the way proper maintainence does not get done in 20 min.
even by superwoman.

[Frostii]

Greetings! I've hit your site many times because I like others, own / use a Freus. And since I can't afford to change it out, I'll continue to use it until it just dies. I do try to take very good care of it especially when it comes to water quality and sediment. My pump, the one that pushes the water throughout the cooler is going bad. I have a system that houses (2) units. Anyone know what type and where I might find a replacement? Plus, thanks for all your prior posts, they've helped me become a Jr. Expert

[marvin]

i just inherited an account that has 6 of these things & will
be starting to clean things up next week. at this point the coils
still cleanable but told customer to get ready to start changing
out units & we will save as many parts as we can to try & keep
the other units running as long as possible.
i had fired this customer a few years ago because of the office
manager & now they end up with this crap on their bldg. because of
the energy savings they were told to expect. told the new manager
to come on the roof to watch their savings go down the drain along
with the scale.

[darbysan]

Glad to see some current postings regarding these units. Just purchased a house in Vegas that has 3 of them, and have been working to get them up to speed. When they work, they are great. But... they do take maintenance. Good thing I like working on stuff. So far, replaced 2 fans, 2 pumps, 1 cap, 1 sequencer, 1 delay timer.

I have 2 of the units torn down now to clean the nozzles and the coils. Found one of the water manifolds completely clogged with deposits. Had to saw it in half and use a 1" drill to clean out the insides.


At least 50% of the nozzles on both units were completely clogged. CLR and a little elbow grease got them back and functional. Previous owner indicates he was pretty regular in his cleaning practices ( twice/yr). However, in Vegas the water is hard, and I believe you have to really get into the units to be successful cleaning.

My little electric Power Washer was able to clean up the coils on the smaller ( 3 ton) unit, but the 5 ton I'm working on now has a pretty good coating on it ( at least on the half where the nozzles were not plugged). Tried a more powerful gas powered pressure washer today, with little success. Tried using CLR full strength on the coils that were bad. Let it sit for a few hours, but still no luck with the bigger pressure washer. Running it now with some more de-scaler in the water to see if it will help loosen it up.

Any other suggestions on my approach to cleaning would be appreciated. I know eventually these units will likely get replaced with Air Cooled units, but have to keep them alive for now.

[jpsmith1cm]

Gamko

This is the Ask Our Pro's forum. In order to post a response here, you must have verified qualifications and have been approved by the AOP Committee. You may ask a question by starting a new thread.

You can find the rules for posting and qualifications here.

Additional infractions may result in loss of posting privileges.