Where to buy an old-fashioned AC window unit?

August 18, 2023 11:38 AM

I want to buy a window-mounted air conditioner with drainage holes on the bottom of the unit. That turns out to be a surprisingly tall order these days. Do you know of any new models, sub $200, that aren't designed to retain water?

I'm used to window-mount ACs that drain the water they condense through holes beneath the drip pan. However, every new unit I've seen for sale lately (at least in the 5000-BTU range) lacks these holes, which means water continually builds up inside. It's a design feature, you see: a "splash ring" kicks the water back up into the works, cooling the condenser and garnering a slight gain in efficiency. Ideally, any excess will drain out the side vents before it endangers the machinery; the remaining water will evaporate before it has a chance to stagnate.

A cool idea, I guess, and I think it could even be practical with sufficiently precise engineering and manufacturing, and in a low-humidity environment where the water reliably evaporates. In practice, the slinger-ring GE unit I got last year is already a rusting sludge trap, because the water inside refuses to evaporate and stagnates rapidly.

If I were to get another one like it, I guess there are things I could do differently to prevent that outcome:

• remove the plug from an emergency drain hole in the back of the unit. (The manual advises against this, and the hole is positioned too high to drain the unit completely.)
• drill holes in the bottom of the unit. (The manual absolutely opposes this. There is a significant risk of nicking a coil and ruining the unit.)
• run the AC at all times to keep the water moving. (Seems like that would neutralize those vaunted efficiency gains)
• disassemble the unit and drop sanitizing pan tablets inside. (The unit is absolutely not designed for easy disassembly.)
• disassemble the unit every few weeks for a thorough cleaning. (Again, the unit's design makes this a nightmare.)

I don't want to do any of that. I want a window unit AC that drips its water out the bottom and just works for the next 10+ years.

However, everything I'm seeing for sale in my range (sub-$200, 5000-6000 BTUs) is outfitted with these splash rings and impermeable bottoms. If you know of any exceptions--any new window models that reliably shed water instead of trapping it--please point me to them before I order a cheapo unit and a cordless drill.

posted by Iridic to Home & Garden (3 answers total)

Portable AC units (the ones that sit on your floor and have a flexible tube connecting to a plate that goes in your window) operate like this by default, typically having little drains you can open on the bottom to expel stored up water as needed, and sometimes with dehumidifier settings.

Midea has some larger pricier models that Wirecutter loves, but this unit is more in your price/BTU range.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:55 AM on August 18, 2023 [1 favorite]

I had an LG unit in an office with a removable drain plug. It was older and I'm sure not sold now. But I would check them out. Their website has official instructions on how to remove the drain plug if you are in "humid environments".

See this reddit post from someone with a LG ThinQ asking about removing the drain plug- it is on the bottom surface of the case where it would do the best job draining all the water.
posted by sol at 11:59 AM on August 18, 2023 [1 favorite]

Faced with this problem at the old house, I drilled ickle baby holes in what seemed like the lowest points of the pan.

At least once a summer the couple of holes would fill with assorted ick and I'd have to go out there with the appropriate drill bit to ream out the orifices and be rewarded with a thin stream of yuckwater.

I mean yeah you might fuck it up, but it's already an inch from garbage.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 1:52 PM on August 18, 2023