What's the best air conditioner I can get?

July 19, 2006 11:22 AM

I'm moving to third floor apartment in Brooklyn with giant windows facing east and west. My landlord says I should buy an air conditioning unit if I want to function. What unit should I buy? I'm looking for the best balance of price and quality.

(1) The apt is maybe between 400-700 sq feet. I'm not sure how big the window openings are. Does this really make a difference for the BTU-type, etc.?

(2) Ideally I'd want something I can order online and have them ship directly to the apartment. Are shipping costs horrible? What's a good site to use?

(3) I've seen models that fit in the windows and ones that use either a hose or just sit in the middle of the room. What are the differences in quality and expense?

I went to Fry's in CA and every unit I saw was enormous and $500. Is they all this expensive? (and enormous?)

posted by kensanway to home & garden (14 comments total)

Consider heading to Lowes or Home Depot and looking at their As-Is pile. I bought a working Frigidaire AC for a 750 sq. ft apartment for $55. I don't remember the BTU rating. I had to take it home and carry it myself, but if you use shipping, budget at least $50-100 for the weight alone.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 11:33 AM on July 19, 2006

I suggest you wait til you move in, measure the windows and walk or take a cab to a nearby store.

You can buy small window units for about 100 dollars at any large retail chain. If one is two small you could buy another for your bedroom.

For instance, one of the transportation hubs in Brooklyn is Atlantic terminal. You can get there from almost every subway line in town and if you buy a small unit, and you're capable you can take it home on the subway or catch a cab. There is a PC Richard's (an east coast chain, I believe; they have website.) there.
posted by miniape at 11:36 AM on July 19, 2006

You will need a 12,000 BTU unit, maybe even 14500 BTUs. You can bet that it will be gargantuan, but $500 is on the high side. ACs that sit in the window are more efficient than portable ACs that move from room to room. The best way to save money is to find a unit with a high EER rating. This is an energy efficiency rating that is stamped on all ACs. A more expensive unit with a very high EER will cost less in the long run than a cheaper, less efficient unit. Home Depot and Lowes will ship. THIS looks about right.
posted by Crotalus at 11:37 AM on July 19, 2006

This is a pretty decent guide for buying an air conditioner.

I've never paid more than $200 for an AC unit (always window units). One of the best ACs I've ever had was a cheap $80 unit I got at my local grocery store (about 6000BTU). It just died after 6 years. Portable units are significantly more expensive.

If I can offer some advice about placement - I just moved into an apartment with east and west facing windows. Without thinking, I put the unit in the west facing window. It doesn't get nearly as cool as it should because it spends half of the day baking in the afternoon sun (which sucks when I get home from work). I moved it to the east window, and I am much happier temp-wise!
posted by zerokey at 11:37 AM on July 19, 2006

$500 sounds pretty high to cool 400-700 sq feet. Best Buy has 10000 BTU units for a bit over $200, which they say is good up 640 sq feet.

Whether you want an 8000, 10000 or 12000 BTU unit probably depends on whether the apartment is closer to 400 or 700 sq feet. I have a 5000 BTU unit that gets my 200 sq foot bedroom quite comfortable on the hottest of days.

Also, you want a window unit. I've heard the hose ones are pretty inefficient.
posted by justkevin at 11:40 AM on July 19, 2006

Before you buy, you should probably measure the windows and make sure that if you a buy a window unit that if the windows are a lot larger than the unit that you also buy insulation or whatever you need to fill up the space not being used by the actual AC unit.

I just recently did some research into this myself - the window units are cheaper than the portable/hose units, but I ended up needing to buy a portable unit. Thus far, I'm happy with what I bought - a 10,000 btu unit from Home Depot (in-store, not an online purchase, although I see that they are available online).

Oh, and I really wanted to think that I could buy a window unit and just not put it in the window - yeah, that doesn't work.

If it were me and I were going to buy online, I'd stick to major and well-known sites - Amazon, Home Depot, etc. I saw some pretty shady looking outfits online while I was doing my research.
posted by KAS at 12:39 PM on July 19, 2006

If you get a portable unit, get the kind with two hoses (one to pull air in to cool the condenser, and another to exhaust air heated by the condenser), they are more efficient than the single hose units.

As other's have noted though, the window units tend to be cheaper, just don't drop the damn thing out the window as I did. They work so good after that, and the cost ads up when you have to buy a second one.
posted by Good Brain at 12:57 PM on July 19, 2006

I can very, VERY highly recommend Panasonic ACs. By far the quietest of those out there, and locally (NY) available at J&R downtown. Good EER, many come with a remote. The quiet part is the real kicker though.
posted by fet at 1:47 PM on July 19, 2006

Just another vote for Panasonic. I have one that I bought second hand seven years ago (it's probably 10 years old) and it's just now starting to lose some of it's cooling power. It's been moved numerous times, installed and uninstalled, and I've never had a moment of trouble. It's 7000 BTU's, and cools my living room and kitchen (probably 300 square feet) quite well.

As far as where to buy... there are lots of places like Bed, Bath, and Beyond and K-mart that have $10 delivery, sometimes same day. That's probably cheaper than anything you could get shipped.
posted by kimdog at 2:04 PM on July 19, 2006

ummm... that $10 delivery in Manhattan. I am assuming there's a similar charge in Brooklyn.
posted by kimdog at 2:05 PM on July 19, 2006

I have windows that are ridiculously huge and cause a bit of pain when it comes to installing the AC in the summer. Here is the solution I came up with:

Get whichever air conditioner is right for the room size and your wallet size. Don't worry about the size of the window.

When you get the AC home, put it in the window and have another person measure the distance from one side of the window to the side of the AC. Inspect where the gaps will be -- probably underneath. You may also want to measure the space inside the sill.

Go to Home Depot. Watch out for falling toilets. Find the cheap lumber section. You want something thick enough and something that don't warp. I ended up going with particle board, which has lasted three summers now. Use your measurements to have it cut to your specifications. They'll do it for you for free.

You may also want to buy a two by four that will rest inside the sill, supporting the AC unit from underneath. Also have this cut to your specifications. Be very careful to make it small enough that it will actually fit inside the sill, or you'll have to go back and buy another freakin' piece of wood. (I speak from experience).

Last thing you need is foam insulation tape. They sell rolls of this stuff for about $10. It's sticky on one side, and you can use it to fill in all the gaps. It'll give you the closest thing to an airtight seal you'll be able to get with a window unit, thus preventing all the happy coolness from leaking out through your over-large window.

Good luck!
posted by brina at 2:34 PM on July 19, 2006

Funny that you should raise this question. I just bought a new air conditioner after using this sizing worksheet and reviewing Consumer Reports's ratings.

I purchased this Frigidaire from Amazon, and have been pleased with it so far. I believe Amazon is offering some price and shipping discounts, and will reduce the price further if you purchase the item with an Amazon credit card.

Let us know which model you choose!
posted by NYCinephile at 2:49 PM on July 19, 2006

This is all great advice! Thanks. I'll definitely put it to use.
posted by kensanway at 9:19 AM on July 21, 2006

I thought these energy-saving tips might be useful to you, too, after you install your new a.c.
posted by NYCinephile at 7:48 AM on July 23, 2006