The Lighter Side This month’s Lighter Side brought to you by:
Education sessions and the latest technical insights. Special discount pricing for students. Go to www.airah.org.au/refrigeration2022 VOTE FOR THE WINNER!
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Choose your favourite entry at www.hvacrnews.com.au/the-lighter-side And check out last issue’s winner: Going bush from Chris in Launceston.
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EASY INSULATION
Jay found this “insulated drain” in North Lakes, Queensland. “Pretty rough job to just use clumps of ceiling insulation duct-taped to the drain,” he says. Graham says: Hard to tell from the image, but drain insulation is extremely important in the tropics. Any cold surface will produce condensate which can ultimately collapse a ceiling. Fibreglass insulation that isn’t vapour sealed will just get wet and lose any insulating properties in the long term.
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ADVANCED COOLING
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FAN TLC
Brendon spotted this unit at a service station in Queensland. “The air conditioner airflow didn’t reach the console operator,” says Brendon, “so somebody decided to move it closer.”
Mitchell was called out to look at this unit when the owner complained about (surprise surprise) a lack of airflow. To their credit, Mitchell’s crew pulled out the fan deck, gave it a full clean, and pressure washed it a few times to get it as good as possible.
Graham says: There is a difference between air conditioning and spot cooling. Unfortunately, the budget often gets in the way of doing the job properly. Innovative though!
Graham says: The air we breathe! There would be many fan decks around in a similar condition. We don’t design or budget for maintenance, yet it can become a health issue.
COOLING THE ROOST
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At least this unit has some breathing holes, although they look like they were made for pigeons rather than a condenser. Thanks to Adrian for the photo, snapped on a pier in Melbourne. Graham says: Someone has gone to a lot of trouble to “hide” the air conditioner, but the unit will suffer in both capacity and longevity. Would have been a lot better with a water source heat pump than air source.
PLUG IT IN!
Regular contributor Mick has sent in another classic. “A cool room condenser has been jammed in with some sort of cover,” he says. “But look harder – they had the nerve to tap into the AC power supply with a GPO. Plug it in boys, good as!” Graham says: Interesting and innovative and probably not legal wiring. I would have thought an electrician would not have put his/her licence to that!
Additional comments and observations provided by Graham Boyle, F.AIRAH, portfolio manager, heavy automotive and refrigeration at South Metropolitan TAFE. Please note that the comments are provided on the basis of the photos only and should be read with this in mind – not all issues or solutions are apparent from a 2D image.
HAVE YOU COME ACROSS SOMETHING SCARY, UGLY OR JUST PLAIN FUNNY? If your entry is deemed the winner, a 700ml bottle of Jim Beam will be on its way to your door. Please include a postal address with your entry. Entrants must be 18 or over. Send your hi-res (>500KB) photos to Editor, Mark Vender at mark.vender@airah.org.au 30
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HVAC&R News
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www.airah.org.au/hvacrnews
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April–May 2022
