Would like input for buying a thru-wall air conditioner for condo please
July 15, 2022 10:44 AM Subscribe
I am planning a move to a new condo where I will need to replace two old 12,000 btu thru the wall air conditioners. Does anyone have a preference for a particular manufacturer (Keystone, Frigidaire, etc.)?
Quietness is one of my chief concerns, so the maximum decibel rating is important. Most of the ones I'm looking at come in at about 61 dBm. Another factor though is what happens when I'm trying to sleep in the room with A/C on. Do they all cycle on and off during the night (annoying) or can you get units that just purr softly in the background?
Any other thoughts on the use or purchase of this A/C would be helpful!
Quietness is one of my chief concerns, so the maximum decibel rating is important. Most of the ones I'm looking at come in at about 61 dBm. Another factor though is what happens when I'm trying to sleep in the room with A/C on. Do they all cycle on and off during the night (annoying) or can you get units that just purr softly in the background?
Any other thoughts on the use or purchase of this A/C would be helpful!
I'd be tempted to close up the hole in the wall and install a mini split instead. That way, all the compressor noise happens well outside the living space and there's only a quietly purring fan on the inside that typically won't cycle with the compressor.
posted by flabdablet at 11:22 AM on July 15, 2022 [9 favorites]
posted by flabdablet at 11:22 AM on July 15, 2022 [9 favorites]
You should definitely close the hole and put in a minisplit or even a heat pump, if you need heating where you are. I just got two heat pumps installed at my house and they are insanely quiet. The indoor unit is essentially silent, and the outdoor unit is quiet enough that you have to be within ~10 feet to be able to tell if it's on.
posted by Aizkolari at 11:44 AM on July 15, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Aizkolari at 11:44 AM on July 15, 2022 [2 favorites]
If quietness is a chief concern, close the holes and install Mitsubishi minisplits.
If you're stuck with the holes, through-wall ACs are not substantially different to window-mounted ACs, so follow the standard recommendations for those.
posted by caek at 12:03 PM on July 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
If you're stuck with the holes, through-wall ACs are not substantially different to window-mounted ACs, so follow the standard recommendations for those.
posted by caek at 12:03 PM on July 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
Agreed with the above that a mini-split will be the best course of action if noise is your primary concern. There are also heat pump style AC units that are the same form factor as in-wall AC units.
Regardless of the style you go with, a heat pump is the only responsible way to do heating and cooling re: climate. They provide more efficient cooling than traditional AC systems and provide heating if needed. In wall and window mount models tend to be more expensive than the AC only counterparts, but the heat pumps just completely dominate energy efficienty for heating and cooling (so much that Italy is paying nearly everyone to install them- you get 110% of the cost of the unit to install it).
posted by furnace.heart at 12:09 PM on July 15, 2022
Regardless of the style you go with, a heat pump is the only responsible way to do heating and cooling re: climate. They provide more efficient cooling than traditional AC systems and provide heating if needed. In wall and window mount models tend to be more expensive than the AC only counterparts, but the heat pumps just completely dominate energy efficienty for heating and cooling (so much that Italy is paying nearly everyone to install them- you get 110% of the cost of the unit to install it).
posted by furnace.heart at 12:09 PM on July 15, 2022
If you're stuck with the holes, through-wall ACs are not substantially different to window-mounted ACs, so follow the standard recommendations for those.
Just make sure it's a window unit that vents out the rear and not the sides.
We have a Midea U shaped window unit that wouldn't work for you, but it's very quiet. I see mixed reviews for their customer service so I'm not sure I can recommend them as a company.
You might look into PTAC units as well- you'd have to cut a new hole in your walls, but they are self contained so you don't have to worry about how to find a place to mount a compressor for a mini-split.
We have a Mitsubishi mini-split at our other house, and if you can make that work they are definitely quiet and efficient.
posted by oneirodynia at 9:09 PM on July 15, 2022
Just make sure it's a window unit that vents out the rear and not the sides.
We have a Midea U shaped window unit that wouldn't work for you, but it's very quiet. I see mixed reviews for their customer service so I'm not sure I can recommend them as a company.
You might look into PTAC units as well- you'd have to cut a new hole in your walls, but they are self contained so you don't have to worry about how to find a place to mount a compressor for a mini-split.
We have a Mitsubishi mini-split at our other house, and if you can make that work they are definitely quiet and efficient.
posted by oneirodynia at 9:09 PM on July 15, 2022
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I don't know if you can even get 12KBTU units with all mechanical switches, but consider it if you can. You set it about at your general comfort level and then plug it into a smart switch you can program to come on/turn off at certain times. I have my bedroom unit set to come on an hour before bed and shut off on weekdays around 8am (because we should be up and working by then) and weekends at 10am. Aside from that, mechanical units don't have cheap crappy controller boards that will be the first thing to fail.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:59 AM on July 15, 2022