Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 08:06:08 -0500
Reply-To: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: AC converted to 134
In-Reply-To: <b861788505071916444e54a2e1@mail.gmail.com>
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You mentioned being in AZ. I lived in NM for a time.
In NM I found my AC didn't work so well there, even though everything
was up to snuff. I wonder if it has a lot to do whith how much humidity
is in the air. NM is almost as dry as AZ. While living there, I found
that air conditioners were not the thing to have in your home in that
dry climate, but instead ......swamp coolers!!
As you probably know, a swamp cooler - essentially a pump, a sprayer,
and a fan - sprays a fine mist into the dry air being moved by the fan,
and the water instantly evaporates into the dry, hot moving air, and the
evaporation cools the air. A swamp cooler can actually cool to the point
of making one feel the need for putting on a light coat to break the chill.
With an air conditioner, part of the process is to remove water from the
air, by condensing and removing the water vapor in the air by passing
the air over cooling coils. This chilling of the air removes the
moisture and results in a cooler, drier air that instantly evaporates
moisture from the skin, thus having a very definite cooling effect on
the body. Thus we feel that the AC is functioning properly. If the
moisture is not removed, the AC shows noticably poor performance. One
cause for failure to remove the moisture is the refrigerant is low or
leaked out, or, there is such low moisture in the air to begin with that
the AC cannot do it's job, even with everything working properly.
Just my $0.02 on AC's in very dry, hot climates.
Regards,
John Rodgers
88 GL Driver
honemastert wrote:
>The previously described workings of the AC
>system are correct.
>
>Low and medium speed dont result in an
>A/C compressor shutdown.. only when the
>fan hits 'high' speed does it get muggy.
>
>Just had the whole system on my syncro
>R&R'ed (new dryer, compressor and expansion
>valve.. what a beeotch!) flushed the system out
>really really well, then re-upped with the expensive
>R-12
>
>Stress testing time, the past few weeks in
>phx it has been 105 to 115 UUUUGH!
>
>I notice (compared to last year) that the compressor
>cycles on/off more (probably because I have freon
>now!.. last year, I was down a bit I'm sure!?) and
>more heat is being dumped up front which in turn
>drives coolant temps up.
>
>Radiator, fan etc (entire cooling system) was R&R'ed
>last year when the new engine went in as well.
>
>So.. what does that tell you.. I have essentially
>(as *new* as you can get it without replacing the
>condensor or evaporator) a new A/C system, and
>a *new* cooling system still running r-12!
>
>the things just dont work that well in 110 degree F
>heat!
>
>if its any consolation, the EV 2002 MV Weekender
>gets warm in the 'back' and the front a/c/ has a hard
>time cooling the entire van as well.
>
>So, pick your poision kids stay cooler in the syncro
>westy, the front passengers stay cooler in the eurovan.
>
> -tim (two and a half months of summer left!)
>
>90 syncro westy
>mesa, az
>
>
>ps believe me.. either van with A/C is still more comfortable
> than without. Drove the westy one day 111 without A/C
> uuuugh! it sucked big time.. worse than when the compressor
> kicks off!
>
>
>
>
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