Originally Posted by hvacgaspiping

Hey Wowza,

If you don`t want to scramble the compressor, you need to be careful about letting the frostback get past the accumulator and into the compressor. That`s the job for the accumulator (that little black expanded bulb in the suction line returning to the compressor). Running that compressor with no heat load on it, ie without heat transfer of the water, is extremely hard on it. It would only take a half dozen or so times of your name written in frost to knock out the compressor. Also, do NOT remove any fins from the condenser; I gave that advice in an earlier thread about the evaporator that another guy was going to immerse in his reservoir. I see you removed the fan blade that was going to the evaporator; good move, `will cut down on the air noise. You`re on the right track. You can get some Armaflex (brand) sheet closed cell rubber insulation at most refrigeration supply houses. Even though these places are wholesale, I think they will still sell this to you, as that would be no threat to the tradesmen competition wise. `Same goes for the Armaflex pipe insulation, which comes in varying thicknesses and I.D.s. If you`re going to run your refrigerant piping any distance over 20 feet, you need to vapor seal each joint of pipe insulation. Black duct tape will be good enough, unless you want to use spray on contact glue. A better evaporator to immerse in the water was shown in the earlier thread, which consisted of a specially coiled copper tube specifically made for this type of setup. But to do this you need to be prepared to do some refrigeration work, which would take the right tools and materials (freon-22, refrigerant scale, torch, vacuum pump, copper couplings,refrigerant access taps w./schrader valves, 15% silv-floss, and the skills and know to use them). If you have any more questions relating to this topic, ie refrigeration and chillers, let 38 years of experience give you a hand.

Originally Posted by hvacgaspiping

Hey Wowza,

Why not set that chiller outside and make it a split system. What I`m talking about is setting the compressor/condenser unit outside and pipe the refrigerant lines through a wall/window to the evaporator inside your house where it sits in the reservoir. The only other control you`ll need for the outside unit is a condenser fan cycling control for cold weather operation. This control would connect to the refrigerant liquid line (smaller refrigerant line to the evaporator) via of an access tee with a schrader tap. This control would keep the refrigerant pressures at the correct level for proper operation when it`s cold outside. When the weather warms up it would just keep the fan run normally, instead of cycling on and off. You just have to make sure that you have the glycol mix concentrated enough for winter time, in case the pump quit or got shut off accidentally.

Originally Posted by hvacgaspiping

You don`t need to insulate the compressor itself, just the suction line and accumulator connecting to the compressor. The compressor shouldn`t get cold enough during normal operation to cause condensation. If something weird happens to cause it to get cold enough to have condensation form on it, then there is some improper operating condition. If this is worrying you, then you can cover the area where the suction line enters (maybe a 2" to 3" diameter area) it with closed cell rubber insulation (Armaflex). You have to be careful here, so as not to cover too much area. If you do, it could cause the compressor to run too hot and also present a fire hazard with the insulation getting too warm.