System Retrofit

There are others here with more knowledge of this, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

Just because all of the components are UL listed, does not make the assembly UL listed. If you take a UL listed appliance (anything really), and change/add/remove parts from it, it would require expensive testing to pass.

UL/CE... Started out as good ideas to protect the public; but IMO have turned into a racket.

There are many different levels of UL certification but only UL can provide these certifications. AFAIK The easiest certification to obtain from UL involves sending them documentation that a design utilizes only UL components. However, your work in HVAC might be the type of work that UL may not grant this lowest level of certification.

If you want UL certification you can only get it from them.

Actually, many other testing agencies can certify equipment to be of legal use in NA. UL, CSA, Intertek...

They have reciprocity agreements that give you the choice of one or another most of the time. Their rates and flexibility also vary depending on the product and conditions.

You have more choice but it it still a complex process...

Maybe a Solar boost....

Yes, I inadvertently used the wrong terms. I meant the generic meaning of the word "certification" with my comment. My memory was recalling that what tonyhemet desired was a UL Component Recognition. Still, this requires approval by by UL that will require a fee if this type of cooler can be grated this certificate of recognition. (Still seems awkward to not use the word certification there.)

No, UL certification has to be done as a complete unit.

SolarEagle's reference tells you that you will have to pay UL to list your parts.

Insurance companies won't allow you to self-certify, I believe. $

Hello Tony.

UL can be tough to work with and expensive.

There are NRTLs other than UL.

Department Of Labor has a list.

As stated above, UL listing or certification can be achieved through alternate agencies as well as through Underwriters Laboratories. However, in my experience dealing with these agencies (especially with HVAC systems) the cost is very high. The last AC system I wanted to get certified (I RFQ'ed with CSA, Met Labs, UL, Intertek and a few others) was bid at $10,000 - $25,000 for initial analysis and listing. That is only the initial cost. If you plan to manufacture the product, you will need to pay for quarterly factory inspections to continue to list the product.

As a result, we decided not to list the AC unit, but that does not mean we cannot sell it - it just means that some customers will not buy it!

Why re-invent the wheel? Just go to Coolerado company and use their split stream air flow (working and service air streams). Only the service air stream is cooled, after the working air gives up heat to water being evaporated, then absorbes heat from the service stream. It is possible to cool the service air to very near the dew point with these systems, even from very hot dry working air.

The direct answer to your question is no. No such combination of items will remain UL certified, because there is no guarantee that any one item will not overheat one of the other items supplying energy to said item.

You will have to patent your device (or copyright it?), then submit to an independent testing laboratory such as UL for any certification of "safety".

Thank you for you answers.

James Stewart said, " Why reinvent the wheel ? " answer: because it's fun and challenging.

Example: People are looking to save money and they want efficiency. In the area of southern California where I live, the water has a high TDS composed of high concentrations of calcium and magnesium salts, in a metal cooler, these form a cement like scale and a degree of corrosion that if left unchecked can render a cooler rusted out in as little as 5 years. So the average homeowner needs to spend approximately $1200.00 every 5 years to replace the cooler that was supposed to be cost efficient to cool his/her house. With these costs & customer dissatisfaction, the swamp cooler guy wouldn't stay in buisness very long. So the swamp cooler guy goes to home depot or another big box store and buys an inline scale - corrosion cartridge ( made in China ) for about $20.00 dollars and installs one every 3 months on the customers cooler water supply. The season here generally lasts about 7-9 months, so that equals $60.00 for cartridges & $75.00 for labor ( I charge $25.00 per hour for some jobs and have a fixed price for others ) , so figure about $135.00 per season.

So, not being an engineer, but after having received encouragement by engineers on this website, I decided to pursue a plan of action to create a workable and cost effective solution. For about a year, I read government white papers and engineering bulletins on scale and it's properties. I located a company that offered housings made in Germany and cartridges made in USA. From my research I found that the average purity of the Chinese cartridges was about 62% & the USA cartridges are 100%, ( clearly the Chinese are more interested in quotas than in doing testing at the mine site and afixing purity certificates ) on top of that, German quality is, well, darn good.

Here's how I save the customer money: I install a cartridge system for about $50.00 dollars ( this includes a replaceable cartridge ) I charge 25.00 for the install. The housing unit does not need to be replaced every year and the following year a replacement cartridge costs $30.00 dollars. The cartridge will treat 16,000-20,000 gallons. After paying for shipping and the other parts to assemble a housing I make about $15.00 and on the cartridge I make about $5.00.

Granted it's not a lot, but if I can offer my customers a cost effective solution that will lower thier operating costs then maybe they will call on me the next season and the next to service and maintain their equipment.

Tony