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Nobody swaps compressors on mini splits in Taiwan either. I feel like the first person in Taiwan who did anything like that, and brazed a flare fitting to the inlet and outlet too.

Originally Posted by taiwanluthiers

In Taiwan nobody would do this. If you're well versed in HVAC then refurbing a used mini split is infinitely better and easier.

A window unit has one motor for both condenser and evaporator, it's essentially a motor that spins 2 fans on both ends. This saves the number of parts needed but you would have needed at least another blower for the condenser or evaporator in order to make this work. Then sheet metal work to house all of these because the condenser is going to be outside so needs to be weather proof.

I think window unit splashing condensate into the evaporator is smart, not only you deal with the water but that condensate going onto the condenser coil actually improves efficiency as well as prevent excess back pressure in the compressor and causing acid in the system.

I actually thought about setting up a water sprayer system to spray the condenser with a fine most of water for this reason, especially with condensers in direct sunlight, they get extremely hot.

That is because you don't have American hill billy ingenuity.

I would just buy a portable, and put the tube out the window, if I did not working with refrigerant piping.

Originally Posted by servicefitter

Glad it comes with a fire extinguisher and what happens with the condensate.

I was thinking the same thing, the condensate would easily evaporate, with the dry AZ air?

In Taiwan nobody would do this. If you're well versed in HVAC then refurbing a used mini split is infinitely better and easier.

A window unit has one motor for both condenser and evaporator, it's essentially a motor that spins 2 fans on both ends. This saves the number of parts needed but you would have needed at least another blower for the condenser or evaporator in order to make this work. Then sheet metal work to house all of these because the condenser is going to be outside so needs to be weather proof.

I think window unit splashing condensate into the evaporator is smart, not only you deal with the water but that condensate going onto the condenser coil actually improves efficiency as well as prevent excess back pressure in the compressor and causing acid in the system.

I actually thought about setting up a water sprayer system to spray the condenser with a fine most of water for this reason, especially with condensers in direct sunlight, they get extremely hot.

Wait the post I was referring to just went poof 🤔

For example, don't read instructions ....

I wonder if the employees are to follow by example 🤔

Nice work

I think that if you put the attic fan in the incoming duct the fan would run much cooler. It would heat the Incoming air a bit but probably not enough to matter.

Woops I just saw that this is from 2018

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Originally Posted by Robert Poteet

BUT, not once did i actually get to enjoy it. i was watching and waiting... 12 hours a day, fully expecting this thing to combust. in hind sight, even if i caught a fire the second it started, id have been lucky to contain it. Dumb.

Or it may have gone to serve me reliably for a decade. But im just not willing to risk something so easily avoidable to save a few hundred bucks.

If you wanted to cool the fan you could have found a double bladed version or add a shaft and blade. Put a heat sink on the fan body and duct the exhaust outside. The front blades would be the normal blower, the rear blades the fan cooler and the heat sink in the middle with a shroud and duct. Same as electric motors cool themselves.

Cool stuff!

This reminds me of a conversation I had with a FSR last night at a spring service school. I told him about a Frankensystem I was going to build and he gave me that "WHY" look. I said it is like people that climb Everest, to see if they can do it. I said it's a tech's Everest. He got a chuckle out of it.

Originally Posted by Robert Poteet

Reading through endless... even hundreds of posts in various forums to see HVAC pros shooting down window unit conversion ideas is what prompted this dangerous little experiment.

Taking a week to develop a very basic understanding on how these units operate, combined with a desperate but not critical want for a cold Phoenix Arizona garage/shop, I successfully converted a cheap, ugly, noisy window unit into a silent, discreet indoor unit for under 300.

The picture at first glance is what id imagine seeing in the garage of a cheap skate meth head neighbors garage who... yes. But in reality, i knew from the get go that an inverter mini split system will be the solution. i Considered this more of a semi-controlled learning experiment, but soon after starting realized it was ultimately a huge fire hazard and risk to not only my home but my neighbors as well. Not cool.

Total costs were as follows:

New in box fridgidaire 10,000 btu casement AC - $100
Broan 15" 1600 cfm Attic Fan - $69.99
25 ft 12" Insulated flex duct - $62.99
2 x Sheets galvanized HVAC sheet metal - $ 16.99 Each
HVAC Tin Tape - $10.99
1 Gallon Mastic - $8.99

My understanding of this prototype would be that the slight negative pressure created between the inline 1600 cfm Attic fan and the exhaust of the unit would increase its efficiency and reduce noise. Both of which i believe happened. What i did not consider was the heat rating for the attic fan internals, and the likely fire hazard presented by that detail. i did not take a temp reading, but from the metal fan shroud and back, it was way hot too the touch. surprisingly not the case from anywhere before that. So that immediately destroyed my hopes and dreams.

Upon realizing this, i placed an Axis low latency network camera with a time stamp facing the outdoor exhaust, attaching a few small ribbons as flow indicators to be sure the video would not freeze without my knowledge. Painting this scene an entire 301" on my garage wall with a conference projector... to be sure it wasn't blowing a flame clear across my side yard into my neighbors bathroom window. Configured scene changing and tamper alarms to alert via loud Siren/red flashing should anything within the cameras view become abnormal that i happen to miss. Meanwhile i was inside the garage within arms reach of a fire extinguisher and the unit itself for about 12 hours a day, 7 days total. reloading rifle ammunition... with well over 200 lbs of various gunpowder types / roughly a million or so primers next to me.

Moral of the story is this, You can jerry rig something on the cheap to cool ya down. Itll sound like a no brainer when all you want is to be in your natural habitat even if its 120 outside and 140+ in your garage. Hell, it may even work in the end, mine did. i set it to 72 and the space never got above 76 at the highest temps peaking 119 outside. Of course that was if i started it at 6am. BUT, not once did i actually get to enjoy it. i was watching and waiting... 12 hours a day, fully expecting this thing to combust. in hind sight, even if i caught a fire the second it started, id have been lucky to contain it. Dumb.

Or it may have gone to serve me reliably for a decade. But im just not willing to risk something so easily avoidable to save a few hundred bucks.

This looks like something outa the "Red Green Show".

This also could bring about a gathering that involved many cases of a fine beer, that I'm sure would bring about a zealous discussion of "What th' Hale is that?!?".

Originally Posted by Robert Poteet

Exactly. However. I've since started at HVAC school and learned that by separating the condensing coil from the unit via 1/2" and 1/4" acr Cooper I accomplished exactly what I wanted. No noisy outdoor unit. More trouble than what it's worth. Fun though.

Wait, are you saying in the photo, that you posted above, you had separated your evaporator and condenser to turn it into a split system? With the design of the ducting it doesn’t look like you had done that... if you did separate the evaporator from the unit then that does create many more questions, including the one about the condensate... but also so many more.

Originally Posted by doc doc

what happens with the condensate.

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Glad it comes with a fire extinguisher and what happens with the condensate.

Originally Posted by servicefitter

Glad it comes with a fire extinguisher and what happens with the condensate.

All the window shaker units I've seen have the condensate collect into a pan. There is a slinger wheel that splashes the condensate onto the condenser coil to evaporate and get discharged with the condensers exhaust air. It's a smart design on multiple levels actually.

The sides we're covered and redirected to come in the top since it had to be outdoor air coming in and out .

Exactly. However. I've since started at HVAC school and learned that by separating the condensing coil from the unit via 1/2" and 1/4" acr Cooper I accomplished exactly what I wanted. No noisy outdoor unit. More trouble than what it's worth. Fun though.

For the same price or less wouldn't a portable A/C work... ok,ok I get it, it's a self satisfaction project.

Glad it comes with a fire extinguisher and what happens with the condensate.