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Leaking after air con use
Volkswagen water-cooled cars Volkswagen water-cooled cars (uk.rec.cars.vw.watercooled)
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#11
 
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Re: Leaking after air con use -
08-24-2009
, 07:19 AM
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Thanks for the explanation most, interesting.. In early units the compressor was driven by an independent electric motor, presumably little different then to a vehicle's unit being run from the engine, IIRC they also had a reasonably trouble free life, apart from an occasional broken drive belt or defunct motor. |
used a cartridge heater to effectively "compress" the refrigerant.
Consequently they were very reliable, although freezing capacity was
minimal.
Industrial refrigeration from that era was pretty unreliable. It suffered
in the same way as modern car systems with leakage from the compressor
shaft seal. As the refrigerant used was often ammonia, this was quite a
safety problem!
Chris
--
Remove prejudice to reply.
#12
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Mrcheerful wrote: Anth wrote: Adrian wrote: "munki" <none (AT) none (DOT) com> gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying: Never having owned a car with air con and it only happens when air con is used am I to guess this is something to do with that ? and is it normal or is this a leak or something else ? It's not a leak, it's condensed humidity from the air - perfectly normal. One of the most useful benefits of aircon in the UK is that it dries the air as it cools it - so in winter, you can get dry warm air, which'll clear misted windows _instantly_. Don't forget to make sure you use the aircon regularly - 10min every couple of weeks or so minimum - to keep the seals from drying. I frequently read about problems with car air conditioning units, such as leaks and regassing, however as it's not at all uncommon for fridges and freezers to work continuously for decades without problems, does this mean that vehicle air conditioning has to work on a completely different principle to that of a 'sealed for life' refrigeration unit? the principles of the refrigeration are identical, the problems with the car stuff is that of necessity there must be flexible pipes and connections that may be dismantled and the pump must have a seal which can leak and in addition the physical conditions with regard to vibration, damage and corrosion all do not occur in a fridge. fridges use a pump inside a sealed container, all the pipes are welded together, and it is rare to get any physical damage or corrosion, also the condenser can be much larger on a fridge. if it was convenient/practical to run an electric aircon on a car then many problems can be eliminated. I believe the prius uses a peltier block to cool when the engine is off, but it does have masses of batteries to run it. Thanks for the explanation most, interesting.. In early units the compressor was driven by an independent electric motor, presumably little different then to a vehicle's unit being run from the engine, IIRC they also had a reasonably trouble free life, apart from an occasional broken drive belt or defunct motor. |
drive motor. Again though most of the joints are solid, there are no rubber
hoses. In the old air conditioning units in buildings with separate motors
they sometimes used ammonia as the refrigerant, they also expect to top it
up regularly and because of the large quantities of refrigerant a small leak
is not noticed so soon.
If you want to see some fascinating cooling eqipment and have a nice day out
then visit the ' Secret' Nuclear bunker at kelvedon hatch in essex, well
worth a visit. One of the fridge pumps is in a stripped condition as they
stood the place down during its routine maintenance!
#13
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On Mon, 24 Aug 2009 12:11:35 +0100, Anth wrote: [...] Thanks for the explanation most, interesting.. In early units the compressor was driven by an independent electric motor, presumably little different then to a vehicle's unit being run from the engine, IIRC they also had a reasonably trouble free life, apart from an occasional broken drive belt or defunct motor. Very early (1950's) domestic refrigeration didn't use a compressor. They used a cartridge heater to effectively "compress" the refrigerant. Consequently they were very reliable, although freezing capacity was minimal. Industrial refrigeration from that era was pretty unreliable. It suffered in the same way as modern car systems with leakage from the compressor shaft seal. As the refrigerant used was often ammonia, this was quite a safety problem! |
1960s, (it could almost have been used as a freezer when turned it up to
max) we had that for about 15 years and only got rid of it because it was
starting to look tatty and old-fashioned.
#14
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I frequently read about problems with car air conditioning units, such as leaks and regassing, however as it's not at all uncommon for fridges and freezers to work continuously for decades without problems, does this mean that vehicle air conditioning has to work on a completely different principle to that of a 'sealed for life' refrigeration unit? |
drive shaft passing through a seal and bearing. The pipe work is also
brazed up, rather than jointed as on a car.
--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk
#15
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Yes I had a 1940/50s Electrolux absorption refrigerator given to us in the 1960s, (it could almost have been used as a freezer when turned it up to max) we had that for about 15 years and only got rid of it because it was starting to look tatty and old-fashioned. |
gas, 12v and 240v. They do manage to freeze.
--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk
#16
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Anth brought next idea : Yes I had a 1940/50s Electrolux absorption refrigerator given to us in the 1960s, (it could almost have been used as a freezer when turned it up to max) we had that for about 15 years and only got rid of it because it was starting to look tatty and old-fashioned. This method is still used for caravan fridges which can work on any of gas, 12v and 240v. They do manage to freeze. |
Einstein Szilard cycle which is almost completely different to a
conventional heat pump) but almost totally silent & durable.
#17
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On Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:24:28 +0100, Harry Bloomfield harry.m1byt (AT) nospam (DOT) tiscali.co.uk> wrote: Anth brought next idea : Yes I had a 1940/50s Electrolux absorption refrigerator given to us in the 1960s, (it could almost have been used as a freezer when turned it up to max) we had that for about 15 years and only got rid of it because it was starting to look tatty and old-fashioned. This method is still used for caravan fridges which can work on any of gas, 12v and 240v. They do manage to freeze. However the efficiency's lower & they're quite low power (they're normally Einstein Szilard cycle which is almost completely different to a conventional heat pump) but almost totally silent & durable. |
the postwar prefab kitchens?. if so it would have been something of a
revelation in the austerity plagued aftermath of world war two, allowing for
the fact of there being sufficient electricity generation capacity left to
power them of course. <http://www.gtj.org.uk/en/small/item/GTJ31007/>
#18
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Thanks for the explanation most, interesting.. In early units the compressor was driven by an independent electric motor, presumably little different then to a vehicle's unit being run from the engine, IIRC they also had a reasonably trouble free life, apart from an occasional broken drive belt or defunct motor. Yebbut, you don't bounce your fridge up and down curbs or hit potholes |
--
Clint Sharp
#19
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As the refrigerant used was often ammonia, this was quite a safety problem! Ammonia is making a comeback as a refrigerant. Chris |
Clint Sharp
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