Tag Archives: energy

Half of What You Read; but Which Half

Posted in Uncategorized by

Verifying the accuracy of information is challenging when relying on quotations. I believed Mark Twain coined the advice to “believe nothing of what you hear and half of what you read,” but I questioned this attribution.

During my online research, I encountered a quote potentially attributed to Mark Twain, though I could not definitively verify its origin. A comparable phrase surfaced in what seemed to be an Edgar Allan Poe narrative. However, historical evidence suggests the sentiment predates both authors. An earlier writer named Johnson had previously crafted a similar line of dialogue, specifying the intriguing phrase, “Aye, But which half.”

Despite written accounts, personal experience provides the most reliable understanding. Direct encounters, like accidentally hitting one’s thumb while hammering, offer firsthand knowledge that transcends secondhand descriptions.

And so it is that I wrote the above to say this. Sometimes the internet experts do get it wrong, as I can contradict many of them with personal experience. I can’t remember why I stumbled into a bunch of questions concerning window air conditioning.

As I delved deeper into the expert’s responses, I found a growing discrepancy between their claims and my own lived experiences. Each successive question revealed a pattern of inaccuracies that undermined their credibility. My insights were not gleaned from academic texts, but from firsthand knowledge accumulated over years. Skepticism grew as I realized that only a fraction of the information presented could be trusted. My perspective was shaped by personal observations, such as the transformation of my home’s cooling system from central air to window units over a decade ago.

Over two decades of central air conditioning, I consistently paid over $1,000 annually for repairs. Since switching to window units, I’ve invested in three units totaling approximately $1,100, which I installed myself. My current unit, now three years old, performs flawlessly. If it fails, I’ll replace it for less than the cost of a single year’s central air maintenance.

The compact ten-thousand BTU air conditioner efficiently maintains my home’s temperature, rivaling the performance of my previous two-ton unit. Even during peak summer months, my electricity bill remains remarkably low, hovering just above $100, despite simultaneously charging my electric vehicle.

The window air conditioner offers unexpected advantages. Its washable filter requires monthly maintenance, a stark contrast to the costly, frequent filter replacements of central systems. Additionally, bypassing the evaporator coil allows the heater to operate with enhanced efficiency, ensuring a consistently warm and comfortable home environment.

To be sure, there are disadvantages to window units. The living room is always cooler than the rest of the house and it is a bit noisy. These are small inconveniences when one considers the financial aspects.

Based on my years of observation and understanding, I believe several core infrastructure challenges could be addressed with relatively straightforward solutions. The persistent nature of these issues raises questions about the genuine desire to resolve them.

A seasonal bypass lever for the evaporator offers a practical solution to reduce maintenance requirements during winter months. By redirecting airflow, this design can enhance heater performance and efficiency. The implementation appears technically feasible and potentially cost-effective, presenting an innovative approach to climate control system optimization.

Innovative HVAC design could revolutionize home cooling systems by integrating all components into a single, self-contained outdoor unit. This approach would streamline installation and maintenance, allowing homeowners to replace the entire system with minimal effort—similar to swapping out a major appliance. The modular design would enable quick replacement every four to six years, potentially reducing long-term repair costs and complexity. While this might challenge traditional HVAC service models, it represents a forward-thinking solution for residential climate control, emphasizing simplicity and efficiency.

Finally, evaporators should have easy access for cleaning. To me, that should be casual to the most obvious observer. This is true regardless of whatever other changes are made. At the least it might change a twelve hundred dollar repair into, maybe three or four hundred.I have seen repair men remove these things to clean them. It should not be that difficult to make regular repairs like this.

What truly astounds me is how an individual with minimal formal education can recognize these issues so clearly. Despite not being an expert or holding a high-ranking position, I believe I could address these challenges with minimal guidance. It seems those in charge are simply unwilling to take action.

Incidentally, when you see the words of so-called experts about the advantage of big expensive central units, just remember the words or Poe, or Johnson, or whoever it was who said it.

Not All Air Conditioners Are “Air Conditioners”

Posted in Uncategorized by

I know. It sounds confusing. It might be. However, there are two major ways of cooling air. Mostly, when we say air conditioner, we normally mean a refrigeration unit. That is to say, it generally compresses Freon to perform the air conditioning.

The second form is water evaporating air conditioners, frequently called swamp coolers.

There is one other possible type that, well I don’t even know if anyone sells them, but I guess I should mention it as it is possibly being used.

Nowadays, the refrigeration type is the most common as it works well in most situations. In essence it works by transferring indoor heat outdoors. While it definitely works best in high humidity, much of the energy used by the unit to remove water from the air. Hence, they do work better in low humidity environments.

Swamp coolers, contrary to their name, work best in non swamp conditions. That is to say, they work best when the climate is dry. They work by blowing air over something soaked with water and they evaporate the water. The evaporation does two things. First it cools the air. Second, it increases the humidity in the air, in a humid environment, that is pretty much a bad thing.

On the other hand, in a desert environment, it actually is good. Increasing air from less than 10 percent to 50 percent increases the comfort. So, in places like Death Valley, the swamp cooler would work pretty effectively. When I was in the Marines, I was temporarily assigned to China Lake, California. (Never did see a lake there) It was a very hot, and dry. The barracks I was in used a swamp cooler very effectively. I was very comfortable while in them. If for some reason I had to live in China Lake the rest of my life, I would be very satisfied with swamp cooling.

However, even there, when the air conditioning really counted, they still used refrigeration. However, condensation was nowhere near the problem we have here in Desoto County. My little 8000 BTU unit takes about a quart of water from my 900 sq ft house in less than half a day. That takes a lot of KW hours. On the other hand, it does lower the humidity in my house.

Right now, it is 58% humidity in my house and probably close to 90% outside. To me, that is worth the the money I paid for the window unit as well as the electricity I pay for.

The third type, hardly worth mentioning, simply compresses room air and cools it, generally with outdoor air, then decompresses the air back into the room. I am told, that though it is effective, the air going back into the room frequently contains ice crystals. I have no idea, at all, how efficient it is, but I would guess it is impractical. Otherwise they’d be building them like crazy.

Now. Why in the world am I going through all this explanation. There are a slew of ads these days where they are advertising what they call air conditioners and they aren’t much bigger than a shoe box. Technically, they are air conditioners, swamp coolers. They do cool the air going through them and, they are effective in some situations. However, do not expect them to work as well as my window unit, and certainly not as the central units. In China Lake, they will be effective. In Desoto County, not so much.

As a quick afterthought, I guess I should add that there is one more type of unit, those powered by natural gas. I checked into getting one for my house. The guy said yes, they are far more efficient. However, it would take about 40 years to recover the expense of buying one. They are big and expensive to purchase and install. In the early 1900s they were very common. However, today they are mostly used in situations where large areas need to be cooled. Even so, I really put them in the same category as the refrigeration type, in that they do cool by refrigeration.

I do find them somewhat confusing though, in that they use the heat from a gas flame as the energy source for cooling. It seems very contradictory.