building a home brew Phase Chng

[thegrouch]

Ive been considering building a phase change setup for quite some time. a while back i built a refrigerated water cooling system but ive always wanted more, im wondering is there a place to buy compressors online , ones able to work continously. and is there any chance that i would be able to get my system charged assuming it was built??

 

[El<(')>Maxi]

eBay is OK for finding compressors. Alot of places that sell these will not sell to an uncertified individual. Same goes for gassing it, you need a cert to obtain them legally and to handle them. Thats why so many that start out in this use regular propane even with the added risk.

 

[thegrouch]

Thats why so many that start out in this use regular propane even with the added risk.

is propane an equivalent substitute to refrigerant?
.. how risky ?

 

[squasher]

If the propane leaks and a spark is made you could burn down your house.

 

[Who]

You could get parts from AC units.

 

[man_utd]

If the propane leaks and a spark is made you could burn down your house.

With the charge that would be in a small compressor? Hardly.

Biggest danger is that if you don't know what you are doing you will hurt yourself doing it, not the propane.

No you don't need a EPA 608 or 609 license (USA anyway) to purchase Propane. Nor 134a, but HCFCs do require licenses.

 

[El<(')>Maxi]

is propane an equivalent substitute to refrigerant?
.. how risky ?

Its actually superior to 134a. If you know how to braze and handle this stuff correctly it's no more risky than any other gas imo.

 

[{PMS}fishy]

If the propane leaks and a spark is made you could burn down your house.

No it can't.

There is so little propane in a system, you'd be lucky to get a small boom.

 

[{PMS}fishy]

is propane an equivalent substitute to refrigerant?
.. how risky ?

Propane is a refrigant. R290. Its very similair to R22, but actually has a lower boilling point.

 

[matttheniceguy]

Propane is a refrigant. R290. Its very similair to R22, but actually has a lower boilling point.

Quite correct. Is also has a bit lower capacity though, so the gains from the lower boiling point are usually lost to increase capacity. In any case, R290 performs pretty much the same as R22 (and way better than R134a.. why does that crap even exist?)

 

[man_utd]

Because it's an HFC and we don't like putting HCs in refrigerant systems, for whatever reason that is.

 

[thegrouch]

You could get parts from AC units.

will these compressors be able to handle the stress of almost constant use ?

has anyone had success building there own phase change block? i remember reading something a while back saying that increasing the volume in the block creates more cooling capacity is this true. or is there a special design to maximize cooling efficiency, links, pics ?

 

[matttheniceguy]

Oh boy... simple question, such a large and complicated answer. First of, yes, many people have had a lot of success making their own "phase change block". They are called evaporators, and you could easily have an entire forum devoted entirly to their design and construction. You can build one yourself using almost no tools, or have some rediculous design built by a machine shop. There are so many designs and techniques there is no way to list them all here. Best thing to do would be to search here or at XS for an evaporator gallery or something like that.

Also, the compressor from an AC unit is made to run 24/7 so no worries there.