window vs central air?

[kingoftheapes]

Do HVAC guys every suggest Windows A/C units over Central Air.

Are there any instances where you think using window units is a better option?

[dan sw fl]

Originally posted by kingoftheapes
Do HVAC guys every suggest Windows A/C units over Central Air.

Are there any instances where you think using window units is a better option?
Sure,
if your open plan house or floor level is < 540 Sq. Ft.
and you live in Montana, Maine or MN
and don't mind a little noise.

[danglerb]

Window units have one feature, cheap.

If you insulate and drywall your garage and want to cool it off to work on stuff on the occasional weekend, bingo, and I wouldn't even buy a new one unless I was cutting a hole in the wall to fit or something.

If I was broke, and wife really on my back about no AC, maybe one in the bedroom to keep me sane.

Maybe, and a big maybe if my house was laid out REALLY bad so I had some room with a cooling problem, and my two choices to fix it were totally replace my existing central air for like $10,000 with a larger unit and new ductwork etc., or stick a window unit in that room, then maybe.

[mjk_na]

Window ACs are especially useful for room by room cooling, seldom uses, and project uses.

Many project site offices use these units. Many still use these units for cabin cooling.

Suprisingly these units can cool a space up to (approximately) 1200 sqft (30,000 BTU/hr or 2.45 ton).

http://www.air-conditioner-selection.com/window-air-conditioners.html

P/S: These can be mean cooling and NOISY machines :). I almost catch cold the other day.

[behappy]

The newer ones are not that noisey. We keep them as loaners for good customers waiting on systems or major parts. They are usually good for only one room.

ALSO they are wonderful when you are running on a generator because of a hurricane! :)

[zzyzzx]

They are good for temporary usage for when your central A/C is out.

They are good for supplemental A/C in a room that has crappy air flow that's too hard to fix (as explained above) and/or in a room where you have a computer or other electronics on a lot.

They are good for cooling your bedroom when you don't want to cool the whole house. When you think about it, I can run my 5000 btu window unit instead of my central air and maybe use 1/3-1/4 the electricity. Considerable cost savings possible.

[kingoftheapes]

how about as supplement for second story rooms which aren't getting as much cooling as the first floor?

[danglerb]

If decorating your bedroom like a cheap motel does something for ya, go for it. ;)

I haven't seen much talk about them here, but instead of a window unit you might want to think about something called a mini split, which is like a baby sized central air system. Time for a new thread I think. ;) Give me a few minutes to look for some links and I will start one.

[perel]

I'm using a small window unit right now to hold me over until my new system is installed next week. Generator is a good point too! It draws little enough power that a small portable gasoline generator can run it, so I can still have a little AC if we ever have a major power failure during a heat wave.

Also, I agree with everything stated here so far.. they're cheap. Sometimes that's the primary factor with, say, rentals. Especially if you use the 'dodge' of "Tenant is permitted to use their own window units" to provide heat only, so it's not your problem to fix the AC if it breaks..

[mjk_na]

Originally posted by kingoftheapes
how about as supplement for second story rooms which aren't getting as much cooling as the first floor?

Hmm. I would rather spend money to size my central AC, and the duct work properly.

Using it as a supplemental cooling, will fix the situation for you, but will not solve the problem.

Are you using the rooms often?

If YES: Correct the current AC size and duct work.

If NO: Shut the ducts to top floor, redo load calculation for gound floor and the duct work. Install window ACs inside top floor rooms. Use the ACs when needed (normally at night).

JMO.

All the best!

[koald]

Originally posted by kingoftheapes
Do HVAC guys every suggest Windows A/C units over Central Air.

Are there any instances where you think using window units is a better option?

This is not advice, just information. I am waiting on a new HP for my 2400 sq ft tri-level, and until it arrives, I installed a 6000 btu window unit in each of the three upstairs bedrooms and one 5000 btu window unit in the kitchen downstairs. To my surprise, with the old air handler fan running, they cooled the house reasonably well during the low to mid 90's we have had recently. They are not the equal of the old 3.5T central HP, but they keep the upstairs cooler (68-70) and the downstairs ~ 75-80 where I couch potato on a regular basis. Cost was ~ $125/unit, and was cheaper than a divorce settlement. Too bad they don't heat also. If all I required was A/C, I could do ok with ~ $500 worth of window units instead of the ~ $6000 HP. Hmmmm.

[mark beiser]

I regularly recommend a window unit to my customers that stick 3+ computer systems in a spare bedroom, then wonder why it gets so hot, lol.

Brand new 5k btuh window units can be had for ~$75, or less, and even the cheep ones are very quiet these days.

[smngmu]

I personally have three computers in one small office in my home.They do not turn off......EVER. I found a small window unit to put the extra cooling in.My central ac is fine for the entire house and the office but I just needed a "kick" without over-cooling the rest of the house.
PS My computers run a lot better,too.

[zzyzzx]

Originally posted by kingoftheapes
how about as supplement for second story rooms which aren't getting as much cooling as the first floor?

I just started using one for just this reason. It cools off my bedroom way quicker than my central A/C ever did, and now I can keep my central A/C set much higher than I used to (when I bother to use it) and still have my upper bedroom much cooler than the rest of the house. I'm sure it's alw way more cost effective to use it too. My strategy is to run it for a a few hours in the evening to get my bedrom as cool as possible, then turn it off right before I go to sleep, then turn on the ceiling fan. That way I don't have to deal with the noise from the window unit or keep my central A/C on all night like I was last summer.

[star882]

Originally posted by smngmu
I personally have three computers in one small office in my home.They do not turn off......EVER. I found a small window unit to put the extra cooling in.My central ac is fine for the entire house and the office but I just needed a "kick" without over-cooling the rest of the house.
PS My computers run a lot better,too.
Properly designed, a PC can easily keep on running in 90F or higher temperatures. I use high power Delta fans (the same kind used to cool some older Britney CPUs) in all my PCs, and they just kept on running while the A/C was being replaced.

BTW, for those who want to retrofit their PCs, the fans I used were 12v, 1.5A. (There are also 2A and 3A fans for larger systems.) Just don't stand too close when turning it on... (I once powered up a 2A fan on the bench and it caused a "Janet Jackson" accident.)

[behappy]

(I once powered up a 2A fan on the bench and it caused a "Janet Jackson" accident.)


Where can you get these fans? :)

[star882]

Originally posted by behappy
(I once powered up a 2A fan on the bench and it caused a "Janet Jackson" accident.)


Where can you get these fans? :)
The ones I have are actually from old servers. You can buy 12v fans from Fry's, but I don't think they have the 2A fans. I think the best ones they have are 1.1A fans. (Note: these amp figures are for a 12v fan (common in PCs), so double the number for a 24v fan to get an equivalent figure.)

[robertc65]

Originally posted by star882
[QUOTE]Originally posted by smngmu
[B] I personally have three computers in one small office in my home.They do not turn off......EVER. I found a small window unit to put the extra cooling in.My central ac is fine for the entire house and the office but I just needed a "kick" without over-cooling the rest of the house.
PS My computers run a lot better,too.
Properly designed, a PC can easily keep on running in 90F or higher temperatures. I use high power Delta fans (the same kind used to cool some older Britney CPUs) in all my PCs, and they just kept on running while the A/C was being replaced.

I think you are trying to keep yourself cool not the PCs Am I correct?

As far as the PCs are concerned installing fans with a higher CFM rating can help keep them a bit cooler but if the air is being pulled from the hot room you are really just blowing the hot air through your PC.


I have a basement office with 3 PCs a Server, Tape Drive Unit, Multiple Monitors etc which dissapate lots of heat combined. The office is in the basement and it sure gets a lot hotter in there than in the rest of the basement. I installed a bunch of aftermarket fans and it was just to loud. I could no longer hear the wife coming.

What I did to solve my Hot office issue was to install an inline Panasonic vent fan ducted to the outside and ran some 4" flex into my office. From here I branch out to each PC and the server. It's a little sloppy right now as it's still in the Prrof of concept phase but it looks as though I will be able to cool my PCs without running a case fan inside each one and the office is much cooler now. I'm still fine tuning the ducting to maximise the air flow but at this point All is cool and I can hear again. You want to be careful however not to get to powerfull of a fan. The first one I tried almost sucked the processor out of the back of the PC and in the process was sucking all my AC out of the house.

[kingoftheapes]

it seems like such a cheaper solution.

I don't understand why people only suggest using Central air when the window AC units are SO much cheaper.

[behappy]

I will make the point...
A couple of years back I had a customer who owned/lived in a duplex. Because of the floorplan they had 3 window shakers in each side. the power company gave them rebates for installing heat pumps and we put a system in each side. Their power bill was cut by over a third and the noise (window shaker) dissapeared. They didn't realize just HOW noisey they were! Also the home was more comfortable because of humidity control and even tempatures. Unless you have lived in a home with a properly designed and installed central system, you don't know the difference between cold air and comfort.

IMHO

[zzyzzx]

Originally posted by kingoftheapes
it seems like such a cheaper solution.

I don't understand why people only suggest using Central air when the window AC units are SO much cheaper.

Window units are cheaper to buy, but probably not cheaper to run. When I see 19 SEER window units, then maybe.

[kingoftheapes]

It seems that the cost savings on buying a SEER 19 central AC unite would take a very long time to make up.

A SEER 19 Trane AC unit so much more expensive than a window unit.

It would take you many years of use to overcome the very high initial cost of the central AC unit (noise being a separate issue).

Although I am going with central air myself, I can see why window units are an attractive option.

I was just suprised that no one ever mentions them on this message board when it should be a viable option for many people on a tight budget.

[billadams]

Well I'd say central a/c. You can't ad any I.A.Q. products to a window ac. I like my home clean and fresh. I have a 15seer a/c system with an erv, gaurdian air, and spacegaurd. I used window units before and the house was always dusty, damp and uneven tepmatures. I save 40% on my elec bill by using central air with a varible blower and 2 stage condensing unit. THem more you spend the more comfortable you are.

Bill