I'm always amazed at how many single use devices we use in our homes. They produce one "end effect" and often more than one by-product effect. Nowhere is this more true than in refrigeration-based products. The most commonly wasted by product of these units is heat. Now, you might be saying to yourself, "Charlie, I'm not following you!" Here is a little theory.
A refrigeration unit is used in things like our fridge, freezer, dehumidifier, air-conditioner, water cooler or heat pump. To produce cool, these units actually have to "remove heat". The way they do this is by concentrating it, or condensing it. This is done by the compressor. The heat then travels to the condenser coils and "Wastes" the heat. The cooler refrigerant then drops it's pressure and goes through the evaporator coil where it is able to pickup more heat.
As you see, it's a heat removal process, not a "make cold air" process.
So what are we supposed to do with all this heat? "Just get rid of it" is what we have always done. But now we know better and we can use this waste heat to heat our Domestic hot water (DHW). If we can capture heat and get rid of it in our DHW tank, then we are essentially killing two birds with one stone. We can effectively get A/C for our house and heat water! Wow, what a concept! Now this isn't really a big technological breakthrough, it's just that we have always thought that the equipment we have only has one use.
Another way we can do more with this waste it by converting the heat pump's waste of "cold air" into refrigeration for our fridge or freezer. Why not? Why not use waste heat from the fridge or freezer to heat water? There are many ways to save, and save BIG. All we have to do is think a little further than our immediate need!
To view one companies design, visit their site. http://www.airgenerate.com/products/airtap.html
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