Question:
Does anyone have any experience or facts about a air conditioning
waste heat recovery system for heating hot water. A HVAC
contractor told me that a 10SEER A/C unit could perform like a
13.8SEER A/C unit while getting hot water for free. Are they
worth the price? Can you really get hot water and a more efficient
A/C ? What can go wrong with them?
Answer:
Using a water cooled air conditioner or heat pump works very well for
making hot water. The efficiency varies depending on the air temperature
entering the evaporator and the water temperature desired. When
condensing into a cold tank, (50°F), the EER would most likely be around
23. The EER would drop to about 10.3 when the tank got to about 120° F.
The hot water temp. limit for an R22 machine would be around 120° F. 140°
F. for an R500 machine if you can find one.
I suggest that the most likely problem with that type of application would
be dirt build up on the evaporator. If the application is for cooling a
kitchen, then I would suggest using an impinger as a pre-filter along with
an electronic air cleaner to remove smoke and grease.
Try calling HydoTemp in Arkansas for more info. They have a lot of
experience in heating Hot Water from refrigeration equip. Tel.
501-892-8343
