How can I property vent my window air conditioner?
April 5, 2012 7:14 PM Subscribe
How can I properly vent a window air conditioner?
This is my situation: I want to buy a window air conditioner. Problem is there is only one window in the place that will accept one. And that window leads to another room. The room is an add on to the home, but I don't use it for anything but storage of junk.
Now I know I cannot simply allow the air conditioner to vent into that room because it will become humid and everything will become mildewed and hot and make it impossible to cool the adjacent room. If there is condensation, I can have a drip pan.
My question is, is there a way to conduct the hot air away via a hose and feed it outside a window? Would that solve my problem?
This is my situation: I want to buy a window air conditioner. Problem is there is only one window in the place that will accept one. And that window leads to another room. The room is an add on to the home, but I don't use it for anything but storage of junk.
Now I know I cannot simply allow the air conditioner to vent into that room because it will become humid and everything will become mildewed and hot and make it impossible to cool the adjacent room. If there is condensation, I can have a drip pan.
My question is, is there a way to conduct the hot air away via a hose and feed it outside a window? Would that solve my problem?
To more fully explain: window AC units aren't typically built to be attached to a hose; they just have their sides open to allow as much surface area as possible and they function passively. There's no fan other than the one that blows cold air into the room. The floor units I've seen were specifically meant to hook up to a hose. Like this guy, there's a circular hole in the back (change the default picture), and the unit comes with some short hose and a window opening adapter.
posted by LionIndex at 7:39 PM on April 5, 2012
posted by LionIndex at 7:39 PM on April 5, 2012
LionIndex is orrect: window air conditioners are not built to have hoses attached to them. Perhaps you could jerryrig some sort of contraption to fit btween the part of the ir conditioner that dumps hot air and the hose. But there is no connection or a hose built into a window air conditioner...
posted by dfriedman at 10:08 PM on April 5, 2012
posted by dfriedman at 10:08 PM on April 5, 2012
There are floor air conditioners that don't require windows. Why don't you get one of those?
posted by J. Wilson at 10:23 PM on April 5, 2012
posted by J. Wilson at 10:23 PM on April 5, 2012
But the best way* in this situation to cool ~400 sq.ft. is to install a ductless, split air conditioner. There are two parts to the system: one that you install inside (removes heat from the air) and one that you install outside (adds heat to the environment). They're connected by some tubing that you can get creative with and run out any window.
This is actually how all air conditioners work. Window and through the wall systems just combine the inside and outside parts into one box. But if you open it up there's a definite split. Through the wall systems are just like window systems w/o the window. And your central air conditioner with forced air is just a larger version of the above.
Problem is that you'll need somewhere outside to put that half of the unit. Hopefully there are no tweekers around looking to steal it because it's much easier to card one of these things off. Also, it's going to be more expensive. Also, I don't know but you might need to run power to the outside unit or run the unit's cord through whatever opening you have for the rest of the tubing.
[* "best way" assuming you can't install central air]
posted by sbutler at 10:28 PM on April 5, 2012 [1 favorite]
This is actually how all air conditioners work. Window and through the wall systems just combine the inside and outside parts into one box. But if you open it up there's a definite split. Through the wall systems are just like window systems w/o the window. And your central air conditioner with forced air is just a larger version of the above.
Problem is that you'll need somewhere outside to put that half of the unit. Hopefully there are no tweekers around looking to steal it because it's much easier to card one of these things off. Also, it's going to be more expensive. Also, I don't know but you might need to run power to the outside unit or run the unit's cord through whatever opening you have for the rest of the tubing.
[* "best way" assuming you can't install central air]
posted by sbutler at 10:28 PM on April 5, 2012 [1 favorite]
All of my window units came with little nozzles onto which a tube can be attached to drain the water out. Or you could place a bucket beneath the air conditioner and empty it often, or plumb it up somehow with a drain hose.
What you need to do is make sure the add on room gets ventilated and you should be fine.
posted by gjc at 4:00 AM on April 6, 2012
What you need to do is make sure the add on room gets ventilated and you should be fine.
posted by gjc at 4:00 AM on April 6, 2012
LionIndex writes "window AC units aren't typically built to be attached to a hose; they just have their sides open to allow as much surface area as possible and they function passively. There's no fan other than the one that blows cold air into the room."
Every window unit I've seen has an exterior fan; a passive radiator would have to be huge (see for example the size of the black grill that used to be common on refrigerators and A/Cs have several times the cooling capacity of a fridge).
A simple hose won't work but a duct the size of the back of the unit if it was straight and not too long, say less than 12' long, would work ok. You'd still need to supply air to the sides of the unit so the room you are venting through would need to have an open window. And you'd have to manage the condensate. A few A/Cs evaporate all the water they produce but most window units just drain out of a hole in the bottom of the unit. Usually that water falls harmlessly on the ground but you'll need to provide a bucket to catch it.
posted by Mitheral at 8:06 AM on April 6, 2012
Every window unit I've seen has an exterior fan; a passive radiator would have to be huge (see for example the size of the black grill that used to be common on refrigerators and A/Cs have several times the cooling capacity of a fridge).
A simple hose won't work but a duct the size of the back of the unit if it was straight and not too long, say less than 12' long, would work ok. You'd still need to supply air to the sides of the unit so the room you are venting through would need to have an open window. And you'd have to manage the condensate. A few A/Cs evaporate all the water they produce but most window units just drain out of a hole in the bottom of the unit. Usually that water falls harmlessly on the ground but you'll need to provide a bucket to catch it.
posted by Mitheral at 8:06 AM on April 6, 2012
Do you own your own home? Would it be possible to cut a hole in the wall and pop in a window unit? My current apartment has this in the bedroom (the other rooms have the units in the windows, but it wouldn't have worked in the bedroom windows), and my parents did this to their bedroom when I was a kid. You'll actually end up with less air leakage if you do this properly.
posted by radioamy at 3:25 PM on April 6, 2012
posted by radioamy at 3:25 PM on April 6, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by LionIndex at 7:33 PM on April 5, 2012