You will never be happy trying to convert a window unit. Heres Why.
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.
That was simply to suspend the metal sheet in the mastic because I was clueless on how to form dimensional objects with metal, let alone seamless ducting. Still am
That is sweet. Ive seen that done in a garage mounted to the existing supply and return plenums after the air handler was removed. Funny thing is I was there for a gas insert install. The guy told me to look away when I saw it. Lol.
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.
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.
Quickly, I must hurry, for there go my people and I am their leader!
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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Quickly, I must hurry, for there go my people and I am their leader!
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?!?".
Hos 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that you may be no priest to me. Because you have forgotten your God’s law, I will also forget your children.
"You've got to Stand for Something or You'll fall for anything" (A. Tippin)
Mat_15:24 But he answered, “I wasn’t sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
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.
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.
Hanging out with the mice behind the fridge talking bad about the roaches in the oven.
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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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"Is this before or after you fired the parts cannon at it?" - senior tech
I'm tired of these mediocre "semi flammable" refrigerants. If we're going to do it let's do it right.
Unless we change direction we are likely to end up where we are going.
"It's not new, it's better than new!" Maru.
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ok,ok I get it, it's a self satisfaction project.
Originally Posted by servicefitter
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