How Does Central Air Conditioning Work?
Posted by admin in How Air Conditioner Units Work on July 30th, 2009
All primary home air conditioning systems tend to work on similar principals and central air conditioners are purpose built to cool the entire home. They use ducts to disperse and recycle cooled air throughout rooms on a continuous basis. Some models may also move chilled water via pipes and heat exchangers.
Frequently, you will find a split system where the condenser and compressor are located outdoors and connected by refrigerant lines to a coil (or evaporator) in the in the air handler unit. Such a unit basically resembles a metal box that may comprise of a blower, filters, heating/cooling elements, humidifier, mixing chamber, controls and vibration isolators. With a singular ‘packaged’ system, everything is normally located in a single outdoor unit.
In a split system, heat from the home is transferred to the outside using a compressor cycle that works similarly to a refrigerator. A refrigerant fluid is passed through an expansion device which changes from liquid to gas when it absorbs heat and is then released outdoors at high pressure as vapour before changing back from gas to liquid. The fluid will then return to the expansion device and the process repeated. The air in the home is cooled as it travels over the evaporator; the moisture removed from the air and disposed by the unit via the normal household drainage system.
Central air conditioning has a few benefits over other systems as the air is drawn through a filter. This filter extracts any dust and lint particles cleaning the air as well as cooling it. Additionally, specialist filters can also remove microscopic pollutants which can affect health. A further benefit is that noise is reduced as the unit is external to the building.
Central air conditioning is an efficient system but you do need to try and get the highest SEER rating you can afford (the range is 10 to 17). (SEER refers to the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio.) If the unit carries the Energy Star label, it will have a SEER of at least 13 for a split system and 12 for a single unit.
Hope the above helps!
Making Your Own Solar Panels
Posted by admin in Other related posts on August 22nd, 2010
Making your own solar panels is not as difficult as you may think and will put you on the road to your very own supply of solar power electricity. There are many places, especially online, where you can find the instructions on how to go about it. You can get a comprehensive step by step manual that will walk you through the process in great detail. Many even include a DVD so you can actually see each step.
There are also kits that will come with not only the instructions but many or all of the necessary parts as well. Either one of these options will save you a ton of money versus buying a panel already assembled. These ready made panels cost thousands of dollars but to make your own you’ll spend between $200 and $400 dollars on average. This price does not include any labor costs and is contingent on you doing the work yourself.
Making a solar panel isn’t as hard as it may sound. The average homeowner can do it in a day or so even if they aren’t what you’d call ‘handy’. Even though it’s easy and cheap to build a solar panel yourself, the savings on your utility bills can be significant.
Now don’t get me wrong, you’re not going to get off the grid or cut your bill down to nothing with just one or two panels, but you can save several hundreds of dollars a year. The more panels you have the more money you can save on your utility bill.
Before you decide on the optimum number of panels you’ll need to think about your budget as well as how much room you have to mount them. Most people mount the panels on their roof since this is out of the way and has the most exposure to sunlight. Obviously when you’re choosing your location you’ll want to make sure that you place the panels where they’ll get the most sunlight throughout the day. Also make sure that they aren’t obstructed by tree branches or the neighbors house.
Step one to make your own solar panels is to find a quality kit or manual that will walk you through the process. It will include details on how many panels you’ll need as well as what tools you’ll need. After that it’s just a matter of rolling up your sleeves and getting busy.
For more on DIY Solar Power Electricity, visit our website at www.diysolarpowerelectricity.com
