Wall AC Questions

[mcman56]

I was looking for a local place to buy a wall ac unit and ended up being given an old unit. I made up an extension cord and ran it on a cart so it seems OK. I have anumber of questions.

• The is a Westinghouse White that came with its own sleeve. I don't see anything that holds it in the sleeve from a functional or home security point of view. Am I missing something?
• It is pretty dirty so I started blowing air through the heat exchanger on the back but is seems like I could blow out dirt forever? If I tilt it back, can I use water?
• Can I use water on the front heat exchanger?
• I'm assuming the structural requirements are just like a window and everthing I see shows that you have to remove drywall to the floor to create the structure for holding the "hole in the wall". Is there any other option? This is a garage and I really dislike trying to finish drywall. Wall studs will need modification to make the wide hole.
• Are there any good referencees I could read or any words of warning I should hear?

Thanks Dan

 

[kenfath]

Some years ago we inherited a Fedder's 10,000 BTU window A/C that had lived its life in a third floor Chicago, smoker occupied, apartment window. Took it to a car wash and the water finally ran clean after 15 minutes of high pressure washing. Worked great for another five years for us. My considerations before washing it were: the A/C was free, it was internally filthy and required cleaning. Conclusion: there was nothing to really lose.

In later years installed an 18,000 window A/C in a through-the-wall application. Inside walls were still open making framing similar to the way a window would be framed fairly easy. The center stud was cut and appropriately framed. The normal width was larger than the A/C unit and I purposely made the vertical distance larger than needed. The extra space was filled with suitable lumber which was screwed in place. The idea was IF the next A/C (which I hope is many years from now) had a larger cabinet it could be installed fairly easily. Drilled four holes from the inside out which located the corners of the opening. Cut the stucco siding using a masonry blade. Placed the cabinet in the opening, screwed it to the studs and caulked around the cabinet. It was a fairly straight-forward project.

Interestingly my son had a similar installation done. The seller had a deal to install any appliance for $50. They assured him this covered a through-the-wall installation. Their charge was a bargain. They did a decent job and based on on my experience was money well spent.

 

[smokey0810]

Gonna be some $$$, but ever consider a ductless mini split? I got a 9000 BTU heat/air unit for $600 and change from Amazon. Only requires a 2.5" hole in wall.

 

[mwchase]

You can wash the condenser and evaporator with the hose, just try not to get any electrical parts wet.
Is this a PTAC (Package Terminal Air Conditioner) like you would see in a hotel?
240V or 120V?
How big is the garage?

 

[mcman56]

This looks similar to a window AC but has a sleeve. 240V 20 amp, around 2300 BTU. The garage is about 700 sq feet. This is probably oversized but free.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Have at it with the hose on the exterior parts. They're more or less in the weather anyway. If you clean the evaporator coil (the one inside the house) just try to keep electrical components dry. You can also use a spray-bomb self-rinsing evaporator cleaner. Most HVAC supply houses carry it.

Tommy

 

[metlmunchr]

That type unit is called a slide out window unit. Most all of them used to be made that way. The case mounts in the window or wall and the unit itself is normally held in the case by a couple screws accessible from the indoor side. The screws are there to prevent someone pushing the unit inward from outside and gaining access to the space.

Depending on how much you'll be running the A/C you might want to look at how much power it uses as compared to a new unit. If the unit is 20-25 yrs old its not unusual to find they use twice the electricity of a current unit the same size. On a 23K btu unit, the difference in operating cost can be as much as $3/day on a unit that runs full time. Doesn't take long at that rate to spend the price of a new unit in excess electricity.

 

[mwchase]

Like Smokey said mini splits are ****! But if you already have that unit give it a go. Performance will be very similar to a PTAC, if you are going from no ac and plan on cooling the garage all summer get ready for a shocker on the electric bill.

 

[metalTobman]

If that unit rating is actually 23,000 btuh, I think you'll find it is more than adequate for your 700 sq. ft. garage, assuming you have decent insulation in the walls, and especially an insulated ceiling .
If you don't want to tear the walls apart to frame an opening (properly) you can install external supports on both sides of the wall, just make sure you carry the load across at least three studs, and tie the sides in as well.
I've done this numerous times, hanging large and heavy external hvac units on the outside wall of a trailer type structure (metal siding over 2" x 2" or 2" x 4" stud walls) for the telephone company. The structure you add inside and out carries the weight through the studs to the floor, typically.

 

[mcman56]

One more question:
The sleeve has a lip/ ridge that protrudes on the bottom a few inches from the inside edge of the sleeve. It protrudes down about 1/2" and is maybe 1" wide. It is across the full with of the sleeve. Why is it there? Does it sit on the lower support? It does line up with the mounting screw holes. Or is it to be intended to be inside the room...such that it will not fit thorough the opening so can not fall out of the wall?

 

[Waterloo Structures]

Hey Im looking to buy a window AC for my new house and its supposed to be on the upper floor so I wanted to ask which brand would work best in the upper portion??

 

[TractorJeff]

First floor or Second floor window, there is no difference to the Air Conditioner.

 

[mcman56]

I washed with water and installed like the pictures. It feels very solid. Cools quickly so is over sized.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I washed with water and installed like the pictures. It feels very solid. Cools quickly so is over sized.

Looks good !

Most window units need to be mounted with a small tilt downward on the outside to let the condensation drain.

 

[Jinks]

Put some framing on the outside like you have on the inside & learn to make a miter cut. That & a little caulk & paint & you'll have a great installation!

 

[Syberia]

Be sure to fill the gap around the A/C on the outside with caulk or spray foam. You don't want water getting inside your walls.

 

[mcman56]

I was unsure if this model really needed to tilt to the outside but figured it was easier to install that way rather than change later. It also minimized the chance of me screwing up and having it tilt towards the inside. A piece of trim at the top and caulk was adequate to seal the outside.

Due to removing drywall and building a pass through structure, the inside trim has 3 different widths. Top and bottom are different plus the sides are a 3rd width. Can you really miter that properly? (One of the goals was no drywall installation or repair. and minimal other work)

 

[Syberia]

My miters were all messed up, especially because I'm "not the best" at the art of drywall repair. Nothing a little wood putty, drywall knife, and a power sander couldn't fix. I just filled in the gaps and painted to match.