any advice on buying a window AC unit?
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Even renting a house it’s in my lease I can’t use a window unit. Which sucks because our swamp cooler outputs into the living room in a way that makes it very difficult to get its air into the second bedroom.
What's their reasoning on no window units?
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What's their reasoning on no window units?
I’ve been told this everywhere I’ve rented with different reasons ranging from it’ll put undue stress on the sill, liability (non first floor apartment would’ve been bad if it fell out), and the current ones thought was they tend to leak water which can damage the pain and then damage the sill.
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I don't have information specific to midea, so there is some speculation, but I do have a ge unit which does outright say that the water condensate is slung across the condenser coil to boost efficiency. And yes, my ge unit got really nasty and I ended up drilling a hole in the base of the condensate pan to drain all the water.
https://products.geappliances.com/appliance/gea-support-search-content?contentId=16758
Heat pump efficiency is limited by the temperature delta across the compressor.
The larger the temperature delta, the less efficient a heat pump is. Evaporating water off the condenser coil drops the refrigerant temperature compared to air only and gives a small boost to efficiency. I don't think it's a big difference, but it's enough to be worthwhile doing if you can "get it for free." Unfortunately, a constantly cool and wet pool is a great breeding ground for mold and pathogens that you don't want airborne.As for cleaning ease, I based that off of comments (on reddit I think), recommending people push midea to pay for a technician to perform the fix because taking it apart for a thorough cleaning is a hassle. So I have no firsthand experience there and I'll defer to your judgement.
Fascinating. The "slinger ring" holy shit I've definetly heard that sound on my previous GE. And very slightly in the midea unit but much less often. Maybe due to the U set up making it quieter/ harder to hear.
Or seeing as there is a recall, probably doesn't work as well on midea.Makes sense in regards to cooling the coil surface but yeah no doubt it won't be enough to evaporate all the moister and cause mold. Thanks for the info
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We have to buy a window unit for our house. We have Central AC but it's not keeping up and we can't afford to upsize it right now. So until then I'm researching which window units to buy. Any advice or anything to cut through all the marketing spam and AI copy that I have to wade thru?
I was in the same situation as you at my last house. Central AC was added to a 100 year old house but it was never enough. I got new windows put in, and that helped, but it still got to hot in the summer.
We got this U Shaped Midea window unit and that did the trick: https://www.midea.com/us/store/cooling-and-heating/window-air-conditioners/u-shaped-air-conditioner-ultra-quiet.MAW08U1QWT
It's better than a standard window unit because you can close the window nearly all the way, unlike standard window units that rely on those crappy plastic accordion things.
Best of luck.
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I was in the same situation as you at my last house. Central AC was added to a 100 year old house but it was never enough. I got new windows put in, and that helped, but it still got to hot in the summer.
We got this U Shaped Midea window unit and that did the trick: https://www.midea.com/us/store/cooling-and-heating/window-air-conditioners/u-shaped-air-conditioner-ultra-quiet.MAW08U1QWT
It's better than a standard window unit because you can close the window nearly all the way, unlike standard window units that rely on those crappy plastic accordion things.
Best of luck.
I have 3 of these and love them. Unfortunately there is a recall on them for mold (never had a problem with mold in my units) and I think because if it, they're really hard to find now. Amazon has pulled them from sales.
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This isn't actually necessarily true if you just need specific cooling.
If for instance, you just care about cooling your bedroom for sleeping, then it can be more efficient to install a window unit in just that room and let the rest of your house be warmer. A mini-split would be more efficient than a window unit for that role, but they're also a lot more expensive and permanent.
Yeah for new installs but service for the existing unit might be like $200 for a cleaning and it’s certainly going to be cheaper to run in the long run
Window units are built to fail, are mold prone, use an excessive amount of electricity comparatively (even the newer inverter ones) and a higher risk of injuring a person or damaging the building.
Also their smart features often entice people to install apps that track you to sell to advertisers. So not only are you buying an inferior product but they’re also capitalizing of spying on you.(tl/dr: fuck Frigidaire lol)
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Yeah for new installs but service for the existing unit might be like $200 for a cleaning and it’s certainly going to be cheaper to run in the long run
Window units are built to fail, are mold prone, use an excessive amount of electricity comparatively (even the newer inverter ones) and a higher risk of injuring a person or damaging the building.
Also their smart features often entice people to install apps that track you to sell to advertisers. So not only are you buying an inferior product but they’re also capitalizing of spying on you.(tl/dr: fuck Frigidaire lol)
wrote on last edited by [email protected]Yeah for new installs but service for the existing unit might be like $200 for a cleaning and it’s certainly going to be cheaper to run in the long run
No, it's not necessarily.
From an electricity usage standpoint, it's cheaper to inefficiently cool one room than it is to efficiently cool a whole house.
Cleaning it also may solve nothing, it's $200 on a chance of it solving the problem. If cleanliness wasn't the issue, then you just wasted $200. On the flip side, you can find a used window AC for $200 easily, or buy a new one for $400 and then sell it when you're done with it and get $200 back, and it is guaranteed to solve your problem assuming you're concerned with a specific room.
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We have to buy a window unit for our house. We have Central AC but it's not keeping up and we can't afford to upsize it right now. So until then I'm researching which window units to buy. Any advice or anything to cut through all the marketing spam and AI copy that I have to wade thru?
DO NOT BUY ONE THAT SITS IN YOUR ROOM. The ones that sit in the window are better because the heat is already outside instead of having to go through a tube.
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We have to buy a window unit for our house. We have Central AC but it's not keeping up and we can't afford to upsize it right now. So until then I'm researching which window units to buy. Any advice or anything to cut through all the marketing spam and AI copy that I have to wade thru?
get one rated for the room size.
I have one for an attic room that gets around 100°F without one. it's about 100sqft and I'm running a 9000BTU system. with the unit it stays around 71-74°.
stay away from "Mr cool". they've had lots of defects from factory.
I would get something local, probably Walmart. reason for that, if you have any problems you can just take it back.
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I have 3 of these and love them. Unfortunately there is a recall on them for mold (never had a problem with mold in my units) and I think because if it, they're really hard to find now. Amazon has pulled them from sales.
can confirm. mold was growing in mine.
look inside the blower when it's off. mine had all these little white dots of mold that looked like dust, but it was definitely mold.
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Don't do it at this time of year.
This is a fact. It’s absolutely the highest priced time to buy any air conditioning. Everyone is buying so they have zero incentive for true sales.
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The single-hosed ones literally suck...
...air out of the room. This inevitably leads to ingress of warm air from the outside through various crevices. But you know that already from this comment section.They still work better than no AC. Your costs just go up more than with a dual hose.
Source: had a single hose version and couldn’t sleep without it.
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Can't improve insulation? Did you mean can? If so, yes, that's on the to do list. We need better windows too.
Yes, those are good tips thanks.
wrote on last edited by [email protected]You should have at least 16” of insulation in your attic. Check for regional guidelines on this as it depends on where you live.
Insulation settles over time so the older the home the less your insulation has air gaps that do the work. This is the lowest cost form of improving your situation and the cost is mostly in labor since it’s hot work. Buy insulation yourself and do the work yourself to save a LOT. You can rent insulation blowers from big box hardware stores and they usually have deals where if you buy a certain amount of insulation the rental is free. Early morning is the best as it’ll be the coolest, drink lots of electrolytes when you start sweating. New insulation has rolled ends so it’s not the super itchy type of yore. It’s not terrible and you’ll be glad you did it once it’s over. Having a hand is not essential but makes it a lot easier.
We insulated our garage with paper backed rolled insulation for 2x4s for not much more than $300 over a few months (I did the labor) and it improved the temp swings by ~40°. Absolutely great investment and it was super easy to do. All I needed was a stapler, tape measure, utility knife, a ladder, and myself.
Buy a meat thermometer and put it in your floor or ceiling vents. You should have a 20°F+ drop from what the room is at to what is coming out of your vents. This is known as a delta T (temperature difference). If it’s lower you need to get your AC checked out by a reputable company with warranties and guarantees. Chuck and truck is always a waste of time and money, they’re lower cost up front but you will regret it most of the time. If your system is 15 years or older you may need to get it replaced as repairs are often more costly than it’s worth and all newer system are much more efficient, saving you $ in the long term.
Duct sealing is another thing that can improve your AC issues. Most ducts leak 40% due to holes in joints etc. The air you want to get to the furthest part of your house isn’t getting there at its full extent. Look for companies that Aeroseal. This will be cheaper than a mini split but can be as effective. You’re looking at a few thousand depending on the size of your situation.
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They still work better than no AC. Your costs just go up more than with a dual hose.
Source: had a single hose version and couldn’t sleep without it.
I'm not saying they don't work. Even thermoelectric ones do, it's just that they are worse.
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Yeah for new installs but service for the existing unit might be like $200 for a cleaning and it’s certainly going to be cheaper to run in the long run
No, it's not necessarily.
From an electricity usage standpoint, it's cheaper to inefficiently cool one room than it is to efficiently cool a whole house.
Cleaning it also may solve nothing, it's $200 on a chance of it solving the problem. If cleanliness wasn't the issue, then you just wasted $200. On the flip side, you can find a used window AC for $200 easily, or buy a new one for $400 and then sell it when you're done with it and get $200 back, and it is guaranteed to solve your problem assuming you're concerned with a specific room.
I didn’t say cleaning would solve it. I said that a service tech should look at it and it was possibly a simple fix.
Also window units will have to fight against the rest of the house being warm. Interior walls are seldom insulated, warm air drafts in around the unit and around doors. A window unit in one room could cost as much as a dedicated unit for the whole house, as it has to work harder to maintain the desired cooling.
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I didn’t say cleaning would solve it. I said that a service tech should look at it and it was possibly a simple fix.
Also window units will have to fight against the rest of the house being warm. Interior walls are seldom insulated, warm air drafts in around the unit and around doors. A window unit in one room could cost as much as a dedicated unit for the whole house, as it has to work harder to maintain the desired cooling.
wrote on last edited by [email protected]You said servicing the central AC will certainly be cheaper in the long run. That's wrong.
It might be, but it depends on a lot of other factors.
You seem to be biased against window ACs for some reason, and seem hell bent on misinforming people about them.
Decent modern window ACs will have a higher baseline efficiency than older full house units, and cool just the room you want. Conduction losses through the wall are minimal compared to trying to to cool literally 10x as much space. They are incredibly easy to DIY, and cost $500 up front, but you'll get half that back when you sell it when you're done with it. Literally the same price as the AC tech who's gonna come out and say that you need to install more return ducts, insulation, or another unit to keep up with the increased average outdoor temperature.
Like literally everything else, some are built cheaply, some are built well. Look up reviews before you buy.
