Gulf Construction Online - Sandycott fixes condensate worry

Air Conditioning & Refrigeration

Sandycott fixes condensate worry

01 April 2004

Sandycott, a leading British manufacturer of condensate pumps, has for the past 20 years been selling and constantly developing a range of pumps specifically designed to allow installers, consultants and designers the flexibility to mount any split air-conditioner wherever they please without having to worry about the condensate drain.

“One of the major problems with mini-split air-conditioning systems is you have to find some way of draining the condensate which is produced in the indoor unit. Up until now the easiest way was to mount the indoor unit on an outside wall and just gravity drain the condensate either into a drain or straight on to the ground outside. But things have changed since the Hydron condensate pumps were introduced a few years ago,” says a spokesman for the company.
Hydron condensate pumps are a range of small discreet water pumps, which can be mounted either within the indoor unit (space permitting) or externally up to four metres away from the unit. It will automatically pump any condensate produced, 20 m vertically or 70 m horizontally.
The basic principle of operation is very simple. A small remote sensor is placed within the indoor unit and collects the condensate in a built-in reservoir. When enough condensate has been produced to fill the reservoir, the sensor switches on the small water pump and the condensate is removed. The pump motors are small enough to be mounted alongside the refrigeration pipes.
Sandycott’s condensate pump range consists of two models:

Hydron Compact, which is suitable for cooling capacities of up to eight KW; and
Hydron Universal, which is suitable for cooling capacities of up to 48 KW.

Both pumps come fitted with an alarm facility, which allows the pump to control the air-conditioning in the event a problem occurs and the condensate cannot be removed. The alarm contacts are fail-to-safe, which means even in the event of loss of power to the pump, the alarm contact will still stop the production of condensate by closing down the air-conditioning system.
“With all new technology there is a learning curve,” the spokesman points out. “Choosing the wrong-size pump for the application could result in intermittent alarm conditions in peak season and costly damage from leakages if the alarm contacts are not used.
“Sandycott has made it easy to ensure that the right pump is chosen for the application by producing a simple chart that allows consultants, installers and designers easily select the pump they need by taking the cooling capacity of the air-conditioning unit along with the vertical lift plus horizontal run of the pump. The total pumping head is added – remembering every four metres horizontal run equates to one metre vertical lift.
“Installation of this type is quick and easy, and all that the installers have to remember is that the sensor should be mounted level, the suction hose and discharge hose should be free from kinks and the alarm contacts must be used. A typical installation can take as little as 10 minutes if the discharge hose follows the insulated refrigeration pipes going to the outdoor unit.
“The main drain is connected to the air conditioning unit by using the flexible rubber tube provided in the kit. The suction hose is a simple “push-to-fit” PVC (polyvinyl chloride) tube, which is also supplied. The remote sensor has a built-in air vent, to ensures that air escapes the sealed sensor when the condensate starts collecting.
“If the main supply fails to the pump and the air-conditioning unit, the residual condensate can be considerable. Sandycott has designed this system to allow condensate to collect in the drain pan and fall pipe of the system in the event of a total mains supply failure thus preventing leakages.”
Hydron condensate pumps are not only suitable for wall-mounted units, they can also be used on any type of split air-conditioning system, including, under ceiling, floor standing and cassette type units.