would adding a water mist to an AC help?

Question

would spraying the outside coils of an air conditioner with tap water make it more effecient? would evaporation cool the coils?
or would the water slow the airflow and make it worse?

I already said OUTSIDE coils.
they are the HOT ones. the water will not freeze. the condensation and dripping forms on the cold inside coils that cool your room.

Good info about corrosion and minerals, thanks

maybe I will use a car windshield washer pump to spray the dripping water from the inside coils onto the hot outside ones. there should be no minerals since it is distilled (condensed humidity)

Answer 1

Yes, it gets very slightly more efficient but the cost of the water, additional corrosion, etc makes it cost inefficient in practise.

Answer 2

It would help by lowering the temperature of the freon condensate or liquid form of freon before it gets to the expansion valve. They make units that exchange with a closed loop ground cooling system that takes advantage of the cool ground temperatures in soil below a certain depth. (like a cave being cool all summer).
I don't know what the effects would be on the coils spraying tap water as far as mineral build-up and such. The coils shouldn't corrode because of this, but the other parts of your outdoor unit would. Also, what will happen to the run-off? Lastly, since the tap water isn't free, you'll offset some of your savings with the cost of the water. You could try it for a month and see what the cost drop in your electric bill is vs. added cost of your water bill. Be sure to write us all back with the results of your experiment and include amount of additional water used and average daily temperatures.

Answer 3

It would help the heat transfer, but add scale and corrosion problems, so it isn't typically done. The air course through the outside coils is engineered quite closely, and thiese close spaces don't handle mineral build up very well. Also, most are aluminum, which is very prone to corrosion in the first place.

Keeping the coils clean and unbent probably helps more than anything. Also, keep the unit shaded, as the extra heat load on the exterior component could decrease its efficiency.

Answer 4

It's actually quite the opposite. I've tried it out, and if you spray water on the ribs and coils of the condenser (I'm assuming you're talking about a window ac) the water will actually freeze to the coils and impede the airflow through the ac. Try it out!
(Hint: to quickly thaw the coils, turn the control to fan only and watch it melt away!)

Answer 5

it will increase the efficiency by spraying the condenser with water. but the water will leave behind scale on the coil and eat away the aluminum fins and over a few years destroy it. ive done it to units before but only as a last resort when i know its going to be replaced before next summer.

Answer 6

I would assume so

spraying the back would cool down the coils and then less air would have to be blown over the coils...

but i really don't know

interesting question though

Answer 7

No efficiency increase.

Most (almost all) of the cooling effect comes from the change of phase of the freon as it is expanded from a liquid to a vapor--not from the temperature of the liquid as it enters the expansion process. The heat of vaporization times the rate of flow determines the cooling BTUs

Answer 8

Considering the fact that they are already dripping due to the fact that the air conditioner is removing indoor humidity I dont think so!

Answer 9

That is not likey to make any difference