Comments on: The Black Beauty

By: will

will — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 10:38:17 +0000

Love the idea of using ground temp water to cool the house
though there is a problem if you are paying for water.

My first question/comment would be:
Is it better to return the water down the drain?
Probably so in a leech bed septic system though in a city sewer situation I contend that it would be better to drain it through a sprinkler system in your yard at least you would get another benefit from your water use and the city wouldn’t have to treat clean water.

Second I would say dependent on your outgoing water temp, multiple radiators in a 2,3,4 stage system might make this system more efficent.
time for crude ascii graphics

Key: [=Radiator #1 |=Radiator #2 x=Fan
(2 Stage)
‘>Air Flow> |x[ x|[

note: you want the air to hit the coldest water last (Radiator #1)
so it gets the water first

By: Alex

Alex — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 04:29:34 +0000

hey man!
i will be short here, but wanna leave it clear:
my highest congratulations for your work!
you are one of those who make me proud of being an engineer. those unsociable geek classmates, whose professional dream was some multinational admin sector, sometimes made me wish to pass by.
anyway, i know in your country it’s mostly alreasy present in any home, but have you ever thought of a air heater?
cheers

By: Geoff

Geoff — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:14:15 +0000

Hi Rodrigo,

Check out: http://www.gmilburn.ca/2005/06/15/technical-notes/

Higher flow rates do lead to cooler temperatures, but there is a point of diminishing returns. In my opinion it’s better to invest in a higher quality heat exchanger than a higher flow rate pump.

By: Rodrigo

Rodrigo — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:34:48 +0000

Hello… Me again…

Did you ever measured the outside temperature and the inside temperature? Let’s get some exemple… Here where I live, the outside temperature is about 37ºC. Considering water at 15ºC. What would be the inside temperature? My room has 9 m². Consider the better flow rate in the heat exchanger. Thanks…

By: Rodrigo

Rodrigo — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:09:11 +0000

Hello Geoff. I’m from Brasil. I just want to ask you about the flow velocity. If I can purchase an aquarium pump with 3000 L/h, that would be better? Or if the flow velocity is too high, that can be worse then a low one for heat exchange? Is there a optimum flow velocity that you suggest? Thank you…

By: Geoff

Geoff — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 16:26:54 +0000

Hi Peter – Try looking for a heater core from an auto pick-a-part, or keep an eye out for old fridges or broken air conditioners cast off by moving students. The cooler method works, but if you’re using a radiator you’ll likely burn through a fair bit of ice – try some of the suggestions I gave Drew above, or if your campus has an ice rink there will be a constant supply of ice out back (too Canadian a suggestion? )

By: Peter Cavanaugh

Peter Cavanaugh — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 22:37:41 +0000

Hey I’m a college student who has no AC whatsoever and the heat is really bad. We are attempting to come up with a makeshift AC but were having trouble. i love the design but i need some help on a few things. First, what other kinds of radiators could i find that are similar to the one you found? Where could it come from? etc. Also, I would probably use the old cooler and water pump method. For that the water is just pumped through the radiator and back around to the cooler right? Sorry for the obvious question. I just want to make sure I fully understand the idea. Thanks!

By: Geoff

Geoff — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:16:33 +0000

Hey Drew – Yep, making ice in the same room as the system will obviously be an exercise in futility.

Few things: if you’re in a dorm, make friends with the cafeteria ladies. I can remember them giving us trash cans full of ice for free when a keg needed cooling. Also, if you have cold water in your room (or if you’re really bold, run a line from the bathroom…), you could simply hook it directly up to that (like the Black Beauty here – it doesn’t use ice).

By: Drew

Drew — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:45:56 +0000

Hi Geoff,

If I were to use ice from my freezer, than wouldn’t it stand to reason that the only thing such a device would be able to do is offset the heat produced by my fridge to make the ice? Especially since I live in a dorm and my refrigerator would be in the same room.

I’m thinking about building one of these, but I am worried about the cost/benefit ratio, especially if I have to constantly go out and buy ice. What would you suggest to keep the cost of running one of these low?

By: Geoff

Geoff — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 21:56:58 +0000

It all depends on the heater core – mine had 1/8″ outer diameter connectors which fit nicely onto standard 1/8″ inner diameter tubing, but your design may vary. Shouldn’t be too difficult to find the right parts – just check a hardware store.