What to do about the wall air conditioner of doom?
April 8, 2011 8:50 AM Subscribe
What to do with a dead through-the-wall air conditioner that we no longer need?
Our master bedroom has a through-the-wall air conditioner unit that is completely dead and prior to that was never really used (because we added central air conditioning right after we moved in).
My husband and I are debating what to do with the hole in the wall that will result by getting rid of the dead a/c. Our choices are:
1) Replace it with a new through-the-wall a/c (but my husband really does not want to pay $500+ for a new a/c that we most likely will never use).
2) Replace it with a jury-rigged window a/c (but I am hesitant to do so because I feel like there must be a reason why wall a/cs and window a/cs are different and priced differently). I'm worried that moisture vented from the a/c could drip down into the wall and cause issues later on.
3) Patch the hole in the wall (but we're not entirely sure how to go about this -- it seems like it could be a big pain in the butt project).
There's plenty of info out there on installing wall a/cs, but not very much about removing them. Has anyone done this or have any experience with either patching such a hole in the wall or getting a window a/c to work in a wall a/cs place?
Our master bedroom has a through-the-wall air conditioner unit that is completely dead and prior to that was never really used (because we added central air conditioning right after we moved in).
My husband and I are debating what to do with the hole in the wall that will result by getting rid of the dead a/c. Our choices are:
1) Replace it with a new through-the-wall a/c (but my husband really does not want to pay $500+ for a new a/c that we most likely will never use).
2) Replace it with a jury-rigged window a/c (but I am hesitant to do so because I feel like there must be a reason why wall a/cs and window a/cs are different and priced differently). I'm worried that moisture vented from the a/c could drip down into the wall and cause issues later on.
3) Patch the hole in the wall (but we're not entirely sure how to go about this -- it seems like it could be a big pain in the butt project).
There's plenty of info out there on installing wall a/cs, but not very much about removing them. Has anyone done this or have any experience with either patching such a hole in the wall or getting a window a/c to work in a wall a/cs place?
Is it in a spot where you could reasonably put a window in? We had that experience when we moved in our house. The wall A/C happened to be cut into the wall directly underneath a window, so we just removed the A/C unit and had the window enlarged and reframed to fill the empty space. It turned out beautifully and I love all the extra light that comes in now.
posted by anderjen at 9:11 AM on April 8, 2011
posted by anderjen at 9:11 AM on April 8, 2011
Response by poster: Unfortunately, it is not in a good place for a window, unless we also knocked out the other window on that wall and combined them into a super window. Which might be more work than we really want to deal with right now.
posted by countess duckula at 9:15 AM on April 8, 2011
posted by countess duckula at 9:15 AM on April 8, 2011
Best answer: The difficulty (and therefore expense) of patching the hole depends on the exterior siding, and on how invisible you want the patch to be. Wood and vinyl are easiest. Aluminum, brick and stucco are harder. The interior plaster or drywall and paint work is easy and fairly cheap.
posted by jon1270 at 9:29 AM on April 8, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by jon1270 at 9:29 AM on April 8, 2011 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks -- I am not too concerned about the exterior looking a little shabby for a bit, as it faces the backyard/woods and we plan to replace our siding in the next year anyway. That link was really helpful, thanks!
posted by countess duckula at 1:06 PM on April 8, 2011
posted by countess duckula at 1:06 PM on April 8, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by thewumpusisdead at 9:01 AM on April 8, 2011