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Indoor air conditioner? (1 Viewer)

Sacha_C

Second Unit
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Jan 13, 2003
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With my PC, Monitor and receiver in my room, it gets VERY hot in here even in winter with my window open when it's below freezing outside.

Now that summer's comming and that I have my new receiver, it's gonna be worst that last year (I only had a 300watt minisystem last year that barely got warm, my new receiver gets very hot).

We have central AC but for it to be ok in my room the rest of the house would be freezing, so I'm thinking of getting an AC, I can't have those that fit in a window because that wont fit in my window type.

I think I saw AC's that you can just put in your room and turn on with maybe just a pipe that goes on the window to blow the hot air out, does anyonw know were I can find something like this for about $200?

Thanks
 

CRyan

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Most places that sell window units will have these, but usually are in the $300 range. Why not get a small window unit for around $140.00

C. Ryan
 

Sacha_C

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As I said, my window will not accept an air conditioner, it's the type of window with a handle you turn to open it.
 

Steve_Tk

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You can always close half of the vents in the rest of the house. Take the grill off and put duct tape over half of it.

Get a fan to circulate some air out of the room.

I have huge ceiling fans that do a great job of getting that air out.
 

Alf S

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If I recall a report on indoor a/c from Consumer Reports, they weren't worth the cost (expensive) nor did they do a good job cooling. I think you also have to constantly maintain them (emptying water tank etc)
 

Malcolm R

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You're not going to find that type of A/C for $200. The cheapest I've ever seen was over $1,000.

As Steve_Tk says, I'd invest in a couple fans.
 

Shawn C

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I have a portable air conditioner that I use in my office in the summertime. It has a flexible vent that vents through a window. You just crack your window opem, slide the plastic vent in place, and then close the window back against the vent. It also has a small tank inside the unit to collect any moisture. You just dump this out whenever if fills up.

Mine is similar to this:
http://www.lowes.com/lkn?action=prod...19-42189-PAC10

Look up KY-20U on Amazon.com and you will see one for $499.99
 

Eric_L

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First hire a HVAC specialist, found at any AC dealer, to come inspect your house. Sounds like poor ventilation. The answer bmay be as simple as putting a vent over your door through to the hallway. It may also be that there is blockage in your vent, your filter is dirty, or a myriad of other things.
Hire a good specialist first. Now, finding one is a whole nother story. Start with the yellow pages under 'Air Conditioning' - but don't stop there..
 

Shawn C

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I have read that the 'all inside' small a/c use WAY more power per BTU than the 'window/wall' variety.
You are 1000% correct on that one. It sure does eat up some power, but I only use it maybe 4-5 hours a day, during the middle of summer here in Vegas. I have a two-story house with only 1 :angry: ac unit. My house was built in '88, but all of the new houses here have two units.

So, in order to keep my upstairs office cool, I need to either run the A/C so hard that it's like 60 degrees downstairs, or I just use my little A/C unit when it get's too hot upstairs.
 

Philip_G

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I'm with eric, get your system balanced by someone with the PROPER equipment. It'll take measurements, calculations, and analysis of the flow in each room.
 

Larry Schneider

Second Unit
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Aug 9, 1999
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Open the window, and check to see if you can remove a couple of screws to remove one of the window panels. Remove the bottom one, and install the AC in the empty space. Use plywood or something to fill in the hole. When you don't need the AC anymore you can screw the panel back in. Cheap & effective.
 

Ryan Wright

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I'm with eric, get your system balanced by someone with the PROPER equipment.
This won't solve the problem without spending big $$ on a zoned system. There is nothing wrong with Sacha's HVAC system.

The simple fact is that there are too many heat producing devices in the same room. I have a ~13x13 foot room for my computer & equipment. During the winter, I close the heat vent. The equipment still keeps the room above 80 degrees.

Summers are horrible. An hour in there with my workstation powered up and the room will hit 90, even with the A/C running.

I don't have any suggestions, unfortunately. I'm solving this problem with the birth of my son. He will get the room, and my equipment will move to another part of the house that is huge and open to the rest of the house. So the heat won't be an issue out there.
 

Philip_G

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Yes, I believe it will ryan. if the system was installed correctly to begin with it should have butterfly dampers to each run. most people install a system and then cut it loose without ever balancing it. Not to mention they put one, maybe 2 returns in the entire house.
No need for zoning, though it is nice :)
 
E

Eric Kahn

they still make window AC units for "casement" crank open windows, there is also a window unit where the part that sticks in the window is only 4 inches high, the rest hangs outside
a temporary solution would be to turn the fan control on your thermostat to "on" instead of auto, will help circulation some, also you might want to get a duct fan and install it in that room
the AC system in houses is not designed to have a huge heat load in one of the "bedrooms" it is assumed that there will at most be 2 bodies in the room and they will be sleeping most of the time they are in there, so the duct for the room is most likely the right size for that

in your situation, a ceiling fan will be of no use since it will not move any cooler air into the room

your last option, and the most expensive, is a small split AC unit, which is just a small version of a house unit, the compressor/condenser unit goes outside and a small fan unit hangs on the wall, you would have to drill holes for the refrigerant lines and the power supply, these units were designed for offices with just your problem, too much heat producing stuff in a small room and no way to upgrade the current central air system
 

Sacha_C

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Jan 13, 2003
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294
I'm 19 and will be in an appartment in a few years so modifying the current system isn't a really good idea.

I just saw one of those ACs that go inside with a vent that you put on the window for only $579 canadian, but I still have the problem of my crank window so you can't put anything in the window, are there any indoor ACs that dont need anything at all in the window? If not how can I setup the vent for the window if I have a crank window?

Thanks
 

Jason_Els

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Feb 22, 2001
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Sacha,

I'm in the same boat you are. I have a small room with a lot of equipment and inadequate a/c and casement windows. Here's the situation:

1. Stand alone units are over US$1000. They all require some kind of vent to remove the hot air generated by the compressor. A/C works by condensing the air and creating an evaporative effect. This process, as a byproduct, generates heat. It also generates water (nice distilled water perfect for delicate plants and ironing, but water nonetheless) and that water either has to drip outside OR be collected in a tank that you have to manually empty. These units use a ton of electricity and you're still left with modifying your window with a plywood board to accommodate the vent.

2. There are air conditioners for casement windows. You still have to put in a board or a blocker to install it but they usually fit without a hassle. Casement windows are not all standard size so be SURE to measure before you buy. The link below shows a list of casement air conditioners. I'm not endorsing the merchant but use it simply as a way of showing you all the various choices.

Sample of Casement Air Conditioners

3. You could get an a/c engineer to come in and tweak your a/c system to feed your room more of the cold stuff. The best thing would be to put in a thermostat and a separate butterfly vent controlled by the thermostat. This can be REALLY expensive but not necessarily. It depends on the design of the house and the A/C system. Call around and see how much an assessment would cost. Shouldn't take more than hour to get an estimate.

Good luck and hope this helps!
 

Sacha_C

Second Unit
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Jan 13, 2003
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294
I don't think fixing the central AC is a good idea because my mom only lets us put it on when its over 100 in the house (meaning about 600 in my room).

And Costco has a special on those stand alone units, next week it will be $579 canadian ($420 US) so this is a really good price, and about the vent I am thinking of just letting the window sligtly open, and if that isn't efficient my mom says we could get a hole done in the wall to put the vent.
 
E

Eric Kahn

the stand alone AC unit will only cool your room if you can vent the hot air from the condensing side out through the window, otherwise it will only make the room hotter since it will just move the heat from one side of the unit to the other and add the extra heat generated by the compressor to it, the stand alone units I have seen usualy have a hose (like a dryer hose) to vent the hot air outside, be prepared for the extra noise the unit is going to add to your room
just cracking the window will not have anymore effect on the cooling of your room with the stand alone unit than it does now without it

Jason, the water condensed by an AC unit is not fit for human consumption, it is full of whatever crap is floating around in the air, just concentrated by about 1000 times, just let a bowl of it sit for a couple of days, it will grow amazing mold colonies
 

Jason_Els

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Feb 22, 2001
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Jason, the water condensed by an AC unit is not fit for human consumption, it is full of whatever crap is floating around in the air, just concentrated by about 1000 times, just let a bowl of it sit for a couple of days, it will grow amazing mold colonies
Which is why I suggested its use for ironing or plants sensitive to hard water like orchids and carnivores. :D
 

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