water cooled air conditioning?

[jodil]

Yesterdays inspection was a normal looking Heil gas furnace with a tag that said "water cooled Air Conditioner inside." Everything looked like a normal furnace except for this "thing" below... I dont believe this is an evaporative unit, so what could it be and how does it work?

thank you

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[John Dirks Jr]

Was there a pool at this property? Some systems pump pool water through the core to provide cooling. The idea is that the warmth taken from the house air is transfered to the water in the core and then sent back to the pool to heat the pool.

I suppose the water could come from another source and only be intended to cool the house.

[jodil]

Yes there was a pool, which is very unusual for ND. I could not find any refridgerant lines of any kind anywhere. This type of pool water system isnt an evaporative style unit is it? Where could I find out more about this style of system?

[Inspectorjoe]

Were there supply and return lines from the pool? Since you saw no refrigerant lines, pool water wouldn't be going through a condenser, but would be simply going through a coil in the furnace plenum. I can't see how that would work, since pool water often gets pretty warm in the summer.

That "thing below" you mentioned looks like a well casing. It seems odd that a well casing and pressure tank would be jammed in right next to the furnace. I'm guessing that that system pumped well water through a coil in the plenum. Was that pressure tank supplying potable water to the house?

The most important question: do you have more pictures?

[Billy_Bob]

On your car you have a radiator with metal fins. Hot water from the engine flows through the radiator. Then air blows through the fins. The air coming out the other side is hot.

Same thing can work with cold water. Get a similar coil with fins, run cold water through it, then it will cool the air blowing through it.

I can't tell by the picture where all the pipes go or if there is a "coil with fins" in the unit. But this might go to a supply of cold water. This could circulate swimming pool water, water from a river, etc.

[Tim H]

I can't tell from the plumbing, but 'water cooled air conditioner' sounds like a residential version of a 'chiller' split system. Water is sprayed over the condensing coils to cool the refrigerant because water removes heat from the coils more efficiently than air. I have seen a few, but it my understanding that they are used most frequently in desert climates.

Tim

[SonOfSwamp]

For what it's worth, there's nothing wrong with just saying or writing something like, "I've never seen one of these. I don't know anything about it."

I've done it hundreds of times. Never got any pushback.

WJ

PS: I don't know what that thing is or how it works. If I wanted to know, I'd call the manufacturer, or start Googling.

[exploreparadise2]

The photo doesn't help much. I don't have knowledge of ACs being cooled by swimming pools, but I have come across what I describe as water cooled air conditioners. The condensing unit was installed in the basement rather than outside. The water was piped from the potable water supply, cooled the condensing coils, and drained into a waste pipe. The water was not re-circulated. Every time the condenser ran, a valve opened the water supply and kept it flowing.

Unless you get free water, the cost savings from the small decrease in electrical consumption because a cooling fan is not used is more than offset by the increased water usage.

Blair

Home Inspection Seattle Bellevue

[Brian G]

Originally posted by SonOfSwamp

For what it's worth, there's nothing wrong with just saying or writing something like, "I've never seen one of these. I don't know anything about it."

I agree. It's good to try, but sometimes you just can't come up with a solid answer in time, and it's better to admit you don't know than to pretend you do. I make them aware of the thing in question, and usually suggest they ask the sellers about it. My job is done.

Brian G.

Non-Omnipotent Home Inspector []

[Phillip]

Originally posted by jodil

Yesterdays inspection was a normal looking Heil gas furnace with a tag that said "water cooled Air Conditioner inside." Everything looked like a normal furnace except for this "thing" below... I dont believe this is an evaporative unit, so what could it be and how does it work?

thank you

Image Insert:

83.74 KB

I don't know if it fits your system, there are Geo-therm heat pump systems that pumps water in from one well and pumps out to another well.

There also closed loops systems that run in to wells and lakes and under the ground where the temperature stay about the same year round.

[Billy_Bob]

Also you get people like me who design and install their own "gizmos".

For example I have two black 50 gallon water tanks next to my woodstove for pre-heating my hot water. This is not anything I purchased. Something I designed and installed myself.

[jodil]

Unfortunately I did not take any other pictures of that area as it was a cluster F@^$#. . There were three furnaces (not all running) a WH a water filtration system and all these "gizmos" jambed in a 9x9 space... I ended up just saying that I hadnt seen that type of system before, and to get it checked out by a professional HVAC tech (air coming out of registers when air was on was 69 degrees.)

I asked the seller if I could come back out when he calls a tech and he said ok so Ill report back my findings.

thanks for all your input