HVAC question

[like2wheel]

Most fan blades are curved. If you look at them, you can see they they would be very ineffective in the wrong rotation.
That should give you a good indication which direction the air is supposed to move.

 

[Pixguy]

Thanks for all the input. Yea too dark last night to take pix but here they are.

Units are 10 years old, vacation home til last year, so not used like a full time home til now.

Unit on right in question.

The units were installed by plumber who's a great guy but limited knowledge in HVAC. I thought it was possible that the fan has been turning the wrong way the entire time, no? Blowing towards house?

 

[murphy1244]

Blow towards the house I think

 

[milkman636]

That fan is designed to pull air into the box from the front side. It would exhaust out through the coil as you describe. If you look at the other fan that blows out away from the house you should see the trailing edge of the fan blade is curved toward you. The other indicator of airflow direction is the curved throat around the fan. The fan should turn clockwise when looking from the front.

 

[Chef Pa]

It is definitely blow through, as others mentioned. Rotation of the prop should be clockwise, viewed facing the prop hub. Another way to tell in this unit is by looking at the fan mounting panel. The smooth radius edge is the inlet and the fluted or sharp edge is the discharge. I am guessing the horizontal airflow type condensers probably use this more often. Not the most efficient design, but gets the job done and makes the unit a lot more compact. Also explains why inside coil rows get dirty first.

 

[Pixguy]

OK, I agree and appreciate all comments. I will just be more diligent by cleaning the inside more often. It doesn't seem as efficient as some say to push towards the house, which is 16"(?) away.

We will be looking to replace these in the coming years and add another(vaulted ceilings, no room for ducts) which units are the best? Fujitsu, Mitsubishi are the ones I see.

Yes, we get both extreme cold and hot, reached 102 in sun last week.

 

[deerefan]

OK, I agree and appreciate all comments. I will just be more diligent by cleaning the inside more often. It doesn't seem as efficient as some say to push towards the house, which is 16"(?) away.

We will be looking to replace these in the coming years and add another(vaulted ceilings, no room for ducts) which units are the best? Fujitsu, Mitsubishi are the ones I see.

Yes, we get both extreme cold and hot, reached 102 in sun last week.

Thanks for the pics. I have not worked on these type units before, not very familiar with them. My input was geared toward the more upright units where the fan pulls air across the coils and out. Sorry for any confusion.

 

[murphy1244]

Thanks for the pics. I have not worked on these type units before, not very familiar with them. My input was geared toward the more upright units where the fan pulls air across the coils and out. Sorry for any confusion.

I see these used for industry users, not used in residential around here.

 

[Chef Pa]

This type of unit is being used more in the US for residential, especially in areas where ductwork isn't possible or desirable. Another plus is turndown capability, as you can turn off AC in vacant rooms more efficiently, and at a lower cost than having a multi-zone ducted system. Only downside to me is what to do with small rooms like bath, etc, and having to look at the units on the wall. In an area with vaulted ceilings where there's a lot of open space they are probably a good option, especially if you don't want to mess with ductwork.

Don't have a lot of direct experience with these, but suggest adding Daikin to the list of mfrs to check out. They have pioneered a lot of the newer, more efficient units, and definitely worth a look.

Residential | Product | Daikin Industries, Ltd.

 

[murphy1244]

This type of unit is being used more in the US for residential, especially in areas where ductwork isn't possible or desirable. Another plus is turndown capability, as you can turn off AC in vacant rooms more efficiently, and at a lower cost than having a multi-zone ducted system. Only downside to me is what to do with small rooms like bath, etc, and having to look at the units on the wall. In an area with vaulted ceilings where there's a lot of open space they are probably a good option, especially if you don't want to mess with ductwork.

Don't have a lot of direct experience with these, but suggest adding Daikin to the list of mfrs to check out. They have pioneered a lot of the newer, more efficient units, and definitely worth a look.

Residential | Product | Daikin Industries, Ltd.

If your not running duct work your running a line set to each room. plus power to a fan.