Has anyone got a view on the "Digitemp" airconditioner units from Xpelair?
They seem like a good idea as you don't need an external unit but are they actually any good in practice?
Does anyone know of an alternative machines that ducts through the wall in the same way?
(I'm not after a mobile unit)
sPoNiX
From a quick look the one downside seems to be that they are quite bulky
- about the same as a storage heater.
Last week B&Q had a new split system air conditioner for £499.
These sound like the type that you fill with water, and they vent warm air to the outside? Can't check on this as the site seems to use a version of Flash my browser doesn't support.
If so, they're not a patch on the conventional 'heat exchanger outside' type.
On location filming indoors in warm weather really needs a decent portable cooler - and expense doesn't come into it. But nothing on the market works as well as the old fashioned type - which unfortunately isn't really portable.
not waiting all day for a silly site. a/c is not the best tech though, in most cases one can run an earthpipe for less cost that delivers more coolth, and at a fraction of the energy use / run cost.
Whole house fans have their place too, though thyeyre not as pwoerful as eraethpipes..
NT
Can someone please translate this for me?
What's an Earth Pipe?
A pipe that runs under the garden, 4" wide, 20' long. Fan air in via it and in summer the air will be cold.
add a heat exchanger inside the house to keep out any trace of mould from condensation.
Less cost than ac if you diy (dig it yourself), a small fraction the run cost and energy use.
NT
They *say* that they are air conditioners, not those evaporative things.
Do these really work? Why aren't they widely used?
sPoNiX
Probably because they really need to be about 3' down :-) But yes they work, though I would recommend several 2' flexible pipes (the green ones don't insulate the heat) in parallel to get more surface area.
How much cooling can you expect? Are there any sites on the internet?
The only place I know that could probably answer that is news:alt.solar.thermal.
I know that practical results from doing it have produced all the coolth wanted.
I suggest using a heat exchanger on the house end to avoid sucking air in past mould which can form in teh pipe due to condensation. Such might be a car rad and fan, with the earthpipe air going thru the rad and outside. However its normally been done with no exchanger, just piped air into the house.
This isnt something likely to be taken up by ac installers because it would let people nkow that anyone can install ac themselves, and that the installer's service isnt really needed. Many professional products routinely overcomplicate to put customers off diying, and to help justify the price.
NT
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