How To Make Your A/C Colder!

You can instantly and easily make your air conditioner colder (more efficient) by adding a little water.

[Hilux]

the best thing possible is to keep the evaporator & condenser coils spotlessly clean, & operate the unit in the shade

[GadgetAddict]

Very cool! That's some significant improvements from doing something so simple.

The AC already does this, using the internal fan to flick water onto the radiator but it seems like adding more on the outside can make a big difference.

The cost of the water would be negligible compared to the power savings.

[MrPillowStudios]

My ac is pretty much a fan at this point :(

[EricV-ngvh]

Take the thermostat wire on the front of the condenser and tape it around an incandescent nightlight bulb. window units top out at about 60°. This will make it think it’s warmer and continue to blow cold. Check out that video to see the rest of it

[Diy-For-Life]

Its a cool trick for sure! But not as much savings as one might think and also results vary based on humidity level. Higher the humidity the less affect it has. Also yes it is designed to get wet. But the constant being wet and drying will cause it to rust out faster. Also the minerals in your water will build up in your unit. Run this same test with a meter and see what your amp or watt draw difference is. I bet its not 12 percent but your not to far off. The savings over the course of a year is like 40 bucks i bet.

[emmett]

I mist our outdoor compressor when it gets over 104f. It definitely makes a difference. I would have said before seeing this video by something like 10-15%. I try not to do it too much because I suspect it may lead to premature corrosion or leaving some build up on the fins. i.e calcium or other TDS in water.

[douglasbooth]

Creating shade for the outside unit will assist in cooler air being drawn into the cooling fan vent. Plus it just a one time cost to erect the shade structure.

[dscrive]

I think that might be a good use of rainwater. if the tank is elevated and shaded it should stay comparatively cool and a small pump could be used to build the pressure needed for a mister.
Using one of those power sensing switches like for turning on the sound system when a TV is turned on, could be used to ensure the water is only spraying while the AC unit is running.

I don't collect rainwater, but I do have a well, so I might see about utilizing that solenoid actuated water valve I harvested from a washing machine to turn on and off the water.
all I would need to buy is the misters, I already have an unused power strip with the "smart" outlets, and enough poly tubing to move the well water where I need it :D

[lewietubes]

A must-do 👍 for hot weather - like the 105 to 113 degrees we're expecting in Portland Oregon for the next 3 days!😩

[TedBackus]

this is why modern AC units are MEANT to have water build up in their basins. the fans slosh the water around onto the compressor coils, assisting in dropping temp. the compressor will begin to struggle in heatwaves if it cant cool well. i use an old dawn dish soap bottle filled with water, & i go out and squirt water on the compressor coils (the external radiator grill) every few hours, only when its 100+F

[KingdomUploader]

Which brand window ac is built with a really strong well made exhaust fan? That is always the part that breaks first on ones i've owned.

[Deneteus]

They sell a system that does this using a water sprinkler system based on temps inside and outside the house.

[angelamorgillo]

It doesn’t damage the a/c in anyway doing this continuously??

[markhenry]

Paint your house a lighter color, insulate the walls and attic better, put in better insulated windows, at night open your windows to let hot air out, shut blinds or drapes to stop sunlight coming into the house, something that most people don't know is that window air conditioners are often if not always rated to be put into a wall called a through the wall installation, a window is a wall it's just a wall made of glass so there's really no difference except that the true walls a bit thicker. This thickness is your limiting factor if you have two by eight walls they will likely block some of the vents on the side of the AC unit but 2 * 4 and 2x should be okay. When you do use fans put them in the direction that they're getting hot air out of the house. What this means is to work with physics. Hot are naturally wants to rise so put fans blowing air out at higher windows or blowing air in from lower windows

[piotrsroka]

Great! I was looking for that vid! I was wondering if I should make one. I did setup a tiny misters on my ac's years ago! I'm using regular low pressure misters you can buy at Hd or Lws. I did put a cheap old washing machine water valves so the water is on only when the compressor is on (warning! of electrocution if you don't know how). Regarding cost vs saving = very noticeable. We have very soft water from the town, cheap and a set uses only 2-3 gallons per day. I also did a water cooled window 5kBTU ac for a cellar w/o windows, still cheaper than a commercial one.

[Ellipsis-]

The system should do this automatic from the water it creates and the it’s channeled, it’s designed to pick this water back up and trickle down the fins

[greyhawk-]

How much does the water cost? Negligible?

[abelperez]

Why not just spray the fins from the back of the unit vs over top of the unit?

[abskhairoun]

So you cooled the high pressured refrigerant by spraying water to dissipate heat better.
This is not so bad, but this can take a toll on the water bill, which leads to my question
Can you do this with a model of air coolers(water cooler) as in constant water supply through the main line, a water pump to push the water above tge radiator of the AC, and a tank to collect the water at the bottom

[julianciahaconsulting]

does the water/mist fogger need to be running continually?