I think my junk pile just coughed up a radiator for my 6/1

[MacGyver]

I was digging through my "pack rat pile" and some potential radiator parts for my 6/1 came to the top of the stack...

These are made out of 3/4" copper pipe with 2.25" square aluminum fins pressed on. There are 54 fins per foot.
http://sweetwatergems.weirdstuffwemake.com/geek/images/lister_2693.jpg

I have a 4 foot one, a 3 foot one, and three 2 foot ones.

I was thinking about using the 3 foot one as is, cutting one of the 2 footers in half and using the pieces to extend the other 2 foot ones to 3 feet, and cutting a foot off of the 4 footer to make it 3 feet.  I end up with 4ea, 3 foot pieces.  I would make a copper tubing manifold to use those pieces side by side to make a 4 row radiator 3 feet tall and about 10" wide.

I would probably tilt the top of the radiator away from the engine at a 25 to 30 degree angle to help promote air flow through the radiator.  I could use an electric fan on it too if it was really necessary, but I'd rather not...

It's probably close to 6000 sq/in of surface area and 4 parallel copper tubes should certainly flow enough coolant.

Any reason why that sounds like a bad idea? 

[Doug]

Great idea and I bet in free air that won't need a fan....

[MacGyver]

Ahhh, it's good to have the Doug Seal of Approval.    Thanks!

I don't really know how much radiator it takes to cool a 6/1...
I like the time honored "tank method", but that uses up a lot of space and I'd really like to run some kind of antifreeze/corrosion protection in my coolant, which sounds expensive with a tank.

A car radiator sounds good, but it's hot down at pick'n'pull this time of year to go search for radiators, and I've been packing these things around for about 5-6 years now wondering why I kept them.  (I'm such a pack rat) 

I think the tall (3 foot) hight of this radiator will lend itself well to good thermo siphon and I would be delighted if it would stay cool at full load and occasional 100+ degree days *without* a fan.

I guess I'll pick up some copper pipe fittings next time I do a hardware run and I'll build a rad out of these and give it a go.
Gee, I hope a suitable expansion tank surfaces out of the rubble soon...   

[ronmar]

I have looked at those on another website, and from what I have read, with 200F water, they are good for about 700 BTU per hour per foot of length.  16' X 700 = 11,200 BTU  There is of course a gradient as the temp decreases as the water flows down thru the pipe/radiator, so without forced air, the output would probably be less than that.  that figure is also for a 60-70F room temp, so any additional air temp will lower that figure further.

A 6/1 under 3KW of electrical load on the generator will need to dissipate around 17,500 BTU/HR thru the cooling system so it might not be enough at full load...

Ron

[MacGyver]

I have looked at those on another website, and from what I have read, with 200F water, they are good for about 700 BTU per hour per foot of length. 

Hmmm. Well... that's a depressing number. Thanks for spoiling my party. 

I guess I'll give it a try anyway. I've got another 6 feet of the stuff available if I need to expand my radiator more. I was kind of hoping to use that chunk for something else, but the 6/1 would get priority if it needs it...

If all else fails I'll resort to plan B. Which probably means toiling under car hoods in the baking sun looking for just the right radiator at the wreckers.

[xyzer]

Like this?
My dad used it on his and had good results after a little tweaking.


Dave

[Tom]

That looks like baseboard heat exchanger. Why not install it in the house or other area you want heated and just use an evaporative tank in the summer? If you want to use it as a all season radiator a small fan will help or just leave the top of the system and let the extra heat boil off. Nothing like a good scrap pile!

[ronmar]

I have looked at those on another website, and from what I have read, with 200F water, they are good for about 700 BTU per hour per foot of length. 

Hmmm. Well... that's a depressing number. Thanks for spoiling my party. 

I guess I'll give it a try anyway. I've got another 6 feet of the stuff available if I need to expand my radiator more. I was kind of hoping to use that chunk for something else, but the 6/1 would get priority if it needs it...

If all else fails I'll resort to plan B. Which probably means toiling under car hoods in the baking sun looking for just the right radiator at the wreckers.

Sorry, I don't make up the numbers, I am just a slave to them...  The low numbers are probably due to the small inside surface area of that 3/4" pipe(28.27 SQ/IN per foot).  That surface area is the limiting factor for heat transfer.  lack of turbulence is probably also a factor.  When you put yours together, add some bare copper wire zigzagged/twisted inside the 3/4" pipes before you solder it together.  This will help turbulate the flow thru the pipe and break up the laminar flow that will develop along a smooth pipe wall.  A smooth laminar flow will insulate the pipe wall from the hot fluid in the center, much like the trapped layer of water in a wet suit insulates the diver from the cold.  The wire inside will also reduce the liquid volume required in the system. An auto rad just packs so much more transfer area(and turbulence) into a smaller space.

I hear tell that a Geo Metro rad is a good size match for a 6/1 when accompanied by a small electric fan, but I have not tried one...

Ron

[MacGyver]

Like this?
My dad used it on his and had good results after a little tweaking.

Well... yeah!  Like that.

What are the dimensions of that one?
What "tweaking" did it need?

[xyzer]

MacGyver,

He had a problem with his thermal flow. He basicaly solidered it up wrong and had to redo it. His power was out this winter in CA and ran it for several days keeping reefers and TV going and he had no problem. I'll quiz him some more on lenght and his specific problem.

Dave

I hear tell that a Geo Metro rad is a good size match for a 6/1 when accompanied by a small electric fan, but I have not tried one...

Ron

Ron
They work well but do need a fan in an enclosed area or a hot day. Outside on a cool windy day the fan is a backup.
Dave

[t19]

I used a rad out of a Caravan... nice size, seems to work well for me

I do use a small fan on it and it works very well... I have a 10/1 and ran for 12hrs, 9 hrs and 5 hrs so far

[MacGyver]

That looks like baseboard heat exchanger. Why not install it in the house or other area you want heated and just use an evaporative tank in the summer?

It is baseboard heat exchanger. I got it for free.
Our house is only 1100 sq ft and isn't really ideal for baseboard heaters. In fact I removed some electric baseboard heaters just to get them off the walls and out of the way.

A small forced air system, with floor vents in the 2 bedrooms and in the bathroom would be the best bet for heating here. Perhaps with heat extracted in part fro a 6/1...

[MacGyver]

He had a problem with his thermal flow. He basicaly solidered it up wrong and had to redo it. His power was out this winter in CA and ran it for several days keeping reefers and TV going and he had no problem. I'll quiz him some more on lenght and his specific problem.

Yes please! I'd love to know what "The Specs" are on it. And what problems he's had.
I need mine to be able to shed heat at full load at 100+ degree temps.

[rpg52]

I put a rad from a '80's Volvo I had around.  It worked well and already had a burp tank, but wasn't enough in hot weather without a fan.  I've added a fan, but haven't yet tested it.
Ray

[dieseldave]

 I have some of these kicking around(4 feet long). I was told by a plumbing and heating suppier that a 4 foot section was good for 8700btu with 4gpm@180.F or 7000btu with2gpm@180.F.  700btu/foot seems awfull low.

 I was thinking that a unit could be made that has sections 2 feet long. I would use a 1inch header top and bottom using the proper fittings. I have seen T's that are 1 inch straight thru with a 3/4 takeoff.

  Nice polished copper after solder job would almost make it look like an antique radiator.