trying out huge Kenmore window AC :)

[cfz2882]

My Mr Slim has stopped cooling well after abt. 8 yrs,so will try out a large,25,000 BTU vintage window unit for a while until I fix the mini split.
ran the Kenmore today and man,does it rock! I think it may have a 2 cyl compressor as it runs so smooth and sounds nice,pulling 11A of 230v current as it blasts out a stream of brain-freeze cold air takes just seconds to get results.Sears used to sell good stuff!

 

[arbilab]

<blockquote>
My Mr Slim has stopped cooling well after abt. 8 yrs

</blockquote>
I'd bet on RoHS brazing at the evaporator.  Used to take closer to 30yrs for that to fail.

<blockquote>
25,000 BTU... 11A of 230v current

</blockquote>
2.53kW doesn't sound that bad for that big.  @15c/kWh, an hour running full time only costs $0.38.

 

 

[turbokinetic]

It may be more efficient than that even.   If the power factor is around 0.8 as with many motor loads, it could be using as little as 2.03kW.

 

(Sorry but the power generation guy in me can't stay quiet some times!)  

 

[yogitunes]

I have a 30,000 BTU unit....

let me tell you something, "SIZE MATTERS"

 

[cfz2882]

arbilab:yep,that is my prime suspect too..def a low charge problem.
The big Kenmore has a 4/82 build date,rated to pull 15a,but 11 is the most I saw running on a hot day.My big GE AC,12,000 BTU rating,1958,also pulls 11a at 230: VERY nice running,huge 1725 rpm compressor and shaded pole fan motor-(probably an extra 2.5a right there)
reply 2: thanks for that info
reply 3:right on that!

 

[petek]

WHen we moved into this house in 2006 there was a Mitsubishi high wall unit that quit cooling iirc around 2011. The dealer told me it was close to 15 or so years old. So I replaced it with another cool only unit. By then they had changed the design where it was difficult to clean the filters which were on top. Being as it is positioned on the wall overtop of the stairway I could just reach up and pull down the filters on the old unit, but this one meant I had to get an adjustable ladder out and position that on the stairway and climb up to get them.. THe filters did not filter all the dust out which would escape around the frame and clog up the fan , which had to be removed to clean a couple of times, at considerable expense. Even taping the filters down to the frame didn't help.. About the 10th year, last summer, it started losing cooling and I had it checked/dye etc, they couldn't find any leaks in or outside. I decided against getting another Mitsubishi and went with a Carrier heat pump. which so far seems to be working well. It cost considerably less than the Mitsubishi, only time will tell. While the filters are on the top and just as awkward to clean as the Mitsu was,, I have seen no evidence of dust and dirt infiltration onto the coils or fans so far.

 

[cfz2882]

about a day after posting this thread,cooling of the minisplit dropped to useless and the big Kenmore would not fit any of my windows,so a smaller KM,12k,1988,was checked and then installed-working good The 25k 1982 KM is such a nice running and effective unit that i way devise a non-window install for it.Meanwhile,at work,the 1978 WH 9.8k was starting to sound sick and lose cooling in 100* heat so it was pulled out and cleaned(condenser fins plugged and needed combed) now the WH is cooling like a champ again and sounding nice in sweltering heat

 

[tomturbomatic]

All of the newer AC units I have had in the last 30 years had these semi-rigid frame filters that you can see through. After experiencing the clogging of the units with the dust these let through, I always buy replacement filters that are either washable foam or a combination of foam and something with a nap attached to the foam. I generally just tuck them between the filter and the front grill. They give much better filtration and keep the coils clean. I also use pan tabs, a product that can be put into the evaporator coil pan to prevent algae and fungus growth that eventually clogs the passage that carries water from the pan below the evaporator to the outside. I recently noticed that the outside pan of the kitchen air conditioner was not draining properly so I dissolved one of the tablets in hot water and squirted the solution in the outside pan. The unit is draining better now with less water sloshing noise. Unlike putting in a tablet and waiting for it to slowly dissolve, the hot water solution acted quickly.