Air conditioning cable/wire/tube insulation/covering

[stbkk]

Hi all,

 

Please excuse any incorrect terminology or general lack of understanding of the technology. Being English, air conditioning is not exactly something I grew up with.

 

I have a Daikin air conditioner in my spare bedroom at home, and the large box-like external part of the installation (is it the compressor?) is on the roof of my town house, about 3 metres above. There is a tube (I think) connecting the two, and the last metre or so of this runs along the flat concrete roof, and is exposed to the elements. This is covered by some sort of foam type insulation/wrapping, which because of several years exposure to the elements is now degrading, and the tube is exposed for part of its length. This tube is wet, and cold to the touch if that helps. I guess it is something to do with the circulation in the cooling process or something similar.

 

I hope the photos will be clear, or at least clearer than my garbled description!

 

My questions are:

 

1. Do I need to worry about this, and if so is it urgent? The air conditioner was serviced a couple of months ago, and is working fine.

2. Even if its not urgent I assume I should replace the insulation (if that's what it is). Does anybody know what it is made of, and where I could get a replacement roll (or whatever it comes in).

 

Thanks for your help,

 

Steve

[bankruatsteve]

Yes, should be re-done.  The foam stuff is insulation for the copper that carries the coolant to your inside unit.  Obviously, it's not going to be as cool as it could be if exposed like that.  The installations I have had also cover everything with a plastic conduit.

 

[stbkk]

Thanks for being right on the ball! Would I be able to buy a roll (or whatever it comes in) myself, or do I need to get somebody in to do it?

 

Thanks again.

 

Steve

[KhunBENQ]

That the insulation degrades, surprises me.

How old is it?

I would have expected that it is UV resistant?

(intense UV radiation from the sun kills many plastic and other materials)

 

Urgent?

Not really, but it costs your money as you loose cooling capacity to the environment.

(as you wrote the tube is cold, that what it is working like).

 

Where to find?

Ask the person/shop that serviced your aircon.

And probably let it be done by a craftsman.

 

[bankruatsteve]

Chances are the unit could use a cleaning so I would just get an AC outfit to do that and re-do the insulation at the same time.  Guessing not more than 2K baht at the high end.

[stbkk]

Its about 5 years old, and is on the roof of the house, so gets all of the sun and rain.

 

I didn't go on the roof for several weeks after it was installed (I was away on business), otherwise would have got them to put it in ducting/trunking or some similar protection.

 

[sfokevin]

I would recommend you have a AC guy come out and replace the insulation and wrap... given the way it look I would also have them clean both the outside and inside unit as well as top off the freon... it also might be a good idea to make some sort of roof over the outside unit to shelter it from the rain and heat of the sun... 

[KhunBENQ]

4 minutes ago, bankruatsteve said:

Chances are the unit could use a cleaning so I would just get an AC outfit to do that and re-do the insulation at the same time.  Guessing not more than 2K baht at the high end.

Well the OP says:

Quote

The air conditioner was serviced a couple of months ago, and is working fine.

At the service they should have pointed and asked about replacement. A bit poor.

[CHRISTIANa9]

Armaflex the brand is the better insulation. But I suggest u use aliminium foil to shield the heat if u want to safe cost

[sfokevin]

On a separate side note... from your picture where does the water go in a good rain storm?... 

[stbkk]

You cannot see the drain, its hidden behind the air conditioning unit. However, I need to keep it unblocked, which is how I noticed the insulation had started to rot away.

 

Interesting roof design, not something which I've seen before in the West! Also great for leaks, which I have regularly.

 

[electric]

Hi stbkk .... the box on your roof houses the aircon compressor, condensor coils and hot air exhaust fan.

 

The box unit inside your second bedroom houses the evaporator coils and blower fan.

 

Linking these 2 boxes are 2 tubes. One much bigger in diameter than the other. The big one is the suction pipe, and will always be very cold. The thinner tube is the liquid line, and will always be quite warm.

 

Only the bigger pipe really needs to be insulated to prevent it from sweating. The thinner pipe needs no insulation to operate effectively. Attached is a photo of typical aircon black or grey split foam insulation pipe. Your aircon guy certainly should have plenty, plus many big hardware stores carry it also.

 

As it appears that you have excellent access to your roof area, this should be a simple do-it-yourself job re attaching the new insulation.

 

Airconditioner installers often group the big pipe, the thin pipe, and the electrical wiring harness all in the one bundle, then wrap the lot in miles of grey plastic tape for aesthetic purposes only.

 

I agree with Reply#7. I would be a good idea to put a roof over the box sitting exposed on your rooftop. Don't enclose the front or back though.

 

 

[stbkk]

Thanks to all for the helpful replies and advice, much appreciated.

 

I'll go looking for the split foam insulation tomorrow as a first step, as even my limited diy skills can handle that (it looks very much like the stuff we used to use in the UK to insulate water pipes to stop them freezing - How does it know which pipes to keep cold and which to keep warm is my question?  )

 

Then I'll think about the best way to cover the box on the roof also, as a second part of the project.

 

Thanks again for all of your help everybody!

 

[bankruatsteve]

If you DIY, then you will need duct tape.  

[BEVUP]

15 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

Well the OP says:

At the service they should have pointed and asked about replacement. A bit poor.

no that would be called thinking (not knocking Thais )

It's like you ring them & they say what you want & that is all you will get 

[Crossy]

13 hours ago, bankruatsteve said:

If you DIY, then you will need duct tape.  

 

And WD40.

 

If it moves and it shouldn't, duct tape. If it doesn't move and it should. WD40.

 

Just normal engineering

[Crossy]

1 hour ago, BEVUP said:

no that would be called thinking (not knocking Thais )

It's like you ring them & they say what you want & that is all you will get 

 

But surely, any business worth its salt would be on the lookout for extra sales.

 

I know 99.99% of car service places are. Go in for rubber, come out with new brakes and battery (they didn't have the right tyres).

[wayned]

29 minutes ago, Crossy said:

If it doesn't move and it should. WD40.

I just drank a glass of WD40 and all that it did was give me a stomach ache, no improvement in the movement!

[sfokevin]

^^^ Wayned... Wrong orifice...

Note: WD40 comes with a straw for precise placement...

 

[Naam]

the exposed pipes pose an insignificant problem in comparison to what i assume. namely that the compressor/condenser unit is installed above the evaporator inside unit without a loop in the pipes. this means the compressor piston does not get the optimal lubrication after a standstill and restart which causes higher amps, lower cooling capacity or a combination of the two plus eventually a compressor seize or too much oil in the compressor causing "liquid hammer" (material physics 101 "liquids" cannot be compressed!)