Wayne Boatwright wrote:
On Thu 30 Jul 2009 08:40:59p, harry k told us...

On Jul 30, 3:05 pm, Wayne Boatwright
wrote:
Our A/C Compressor/Condenser is only shaded by the shadow of our
house un til about mid-morning. The rest of the day it sits in
direct sunlight. We live in the AZ desert where our summer
temperatures are typically 110°F and above by early afternoon.

Natural shade from trees or shrubs are not a practical solution,
both due to the location of the unit and the time it would take for
the plants to gro w to a useful size.

I would like to construct something that would shield the unit from
the intense sun, yet also provide adequate air flow for the unit.
Air i s drawn in through all 4 sides and exits through the top.

I would like to do this as economically as possible, but I don't
even hav e a clue where to start.

All ideas welcome...

TIA

--
Wayne Boatwright

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Old people shouldn't eat health foods. They need all the
preservatives they can get. Robert Orbe n


There have been threads in the past on shading a compressor/
condenser. Altho it seems to go against common sense it seems that
there is no benefit to doing it. The compressor works on the air
passing through it, not on the ambient conditions around it. Might
be some gain on initial start up but not after that.

Harry K


Perhaps, although one would think that if temperatures measured in
both full shade and full sun vary by as much as 8-10 degrees in
adjacent areas, that it would lighten the load on the unit if it were
shaded.

That temp measured in sun is a static thing. Start moving air with a fan and it
quickly disapates. The savings by shading the heat exchanger will be pretty
small.

A louvered lid over the unit would probably be the best way to shade it if this
is really wanted. Angle the louvers toward the north. The air passes through,
the sun is stopped. The sides are open for full air flow.