Installing a small one room window AC into a 20″W x 60″H casement window. How to fill the void?
fassbinder
| Posted in Energy, Heating & Insulation on
I am looking to buy a small emergency window ac unit to cool a room about 14 x 20 (a master suite with small bath). The windows are 20 x 60 which leaves quite a gap to fill up above the ac unit. The windows open vertically.
I’m looking for ideas for a temporary and not very complicated material to fill the void.
This will only be used for times when the power is out and the portable genrerator will be powering whatever few things are required in the house.
Thanks.
ps Actually, in writing this I remembered I have some either 3/4 or 1″ rigid foam panels left over from another project. That might work. I think I answered my own question but I’ll post it anyway so you can tell me everything that’s wrong with the idea.
Replies
For temporary use rigid foam would be the best choice. But you could even just tape plastic in the opening.
Just make sure that the unit itself is solidly mounted first.
Are you going to lug this unit into place every time the power fails or will it be mounted permanently? If it's permanent think about creating a small opening in a wall. It's not that much work, and means you don't need to fuss with window mounting. Plus you can seal it better and dress it up with trim.
It's just for temporary use. During outages when it's extra hot.
After that wicked storm blew through here the other day and thinking about being without AC for as long as a week made me pull the trigger and get the window unit. Those folks without power must be in misery.
It's a very small 5K unit weighing 35 pounds so I don't think it will need much work to get it in the window.
I'll just have to work out how to provide some support for the top side of the unit as there won't be any window to butt against.
Going small and light should help.
Presumably you have a generator?
This is actually a pretty easy job since you have a single or double hung window and I presume a 120 volt A/C no larger than 14,000 BTU's. The A/C should fit in the bottom part of the window once it's open. Close the window behind the mounting bar on top of the A/C unit. If you slide the A/C unit to one side that will leave you about a 3" gap to fill. The A/C will come with expandable side pieces made to fill thta gap. Put a couple of screws through the top mounting bar into the sash and use the clips thta come with the unit to fasten the bottom of the unit to the window frame. A few small pieces of foam stuffed in the gaps will seal it up. Weight shouldn't be an issue at all, the unit will weigh about 50 pounds. I have one I use in exactly the same way and for the same reason.
It's a casement window.
And, though he doesn't say it, he must be running off a generator, since otherwise he wouldn't be needing something for when the power's out. The generator would dictate a smaller unit.
Yes. Whenever it will be in the window it will be running off a generator.
I think it will do fine for at least a couple days duty when required, if not a full week. It can't be that hard to cool a 14 x 20 decently insulated east facing bedroom...the suite part of the bedroom I don't really care if it's that cool.
Whoops. Just read your last response. Don't know where you are but 5K is too small for your room. An 8 or 10K will work much better. If your window won't shut on the A/C cut out a piece of 3/4" ply to fit over the window frame and around the A/C. It will support the unit and provide security.
yup, 5k inadequat
You can find ac room size calculators on the net, the right unit makes big difference.
+1 for plywood, not foam. Although you may want to insulate the plywood with foam for obvious reasons.
Good luck.
Have you read the insturctions yet?
I have to ask, because I just bought and installed one. The instructions, were clear, (no bad chinese to english translation), with good inllustration, and all the materials to do the install for a vertically opening window were in the box.
I couldn't follow them however, because my window slides to the side. I filled the resulting 23-inch wide, by 24-inch tall open space, with two sheets of 1/4-inch lexan, (I keep it on hand for making guards on jigs-n-fixtures), with three layers of 1/2-inch thick foam weather stripping. This gave a compression fit to hold it in the channels for the window, and allows me to still see out the window, with a pretty much unobstructed view.
I may change it up a bit, this fall when I take it out for the winter. I'll have a pretty good idea of how it is working by then.
Yeah, I read them already.
Whenever I buy appliances or tech stuff anymore I always try to download the manuals first so theres no surprises or parts needed that I could pick up.
In my case the unit will only be in the window for a day or up to a week. I haven't received it yet but when I do I'll fire it up to make sure it works and do a test "install" so I know how to get it in there without surprises.
The unit is only 35 pounds so it shouldn't be too tough to get it stable.
Mine will be used in an Anderson window which swings open to the side so it will look completely ugly while its in there, so I won't even worry about how good it looks.
The AC arrived yesterday. 90 day warranty so I checked it out, worked well.
Then it dawned on me that this might have to be put in a window during the night so I had better do some prep work.
Only 3" of the unit are designed to extend into the room, so that leaves about 13" or so sticking outside.
As the bottom of the window isn't very high off the ground (and there will be no window frame above it to hold it in) I'm probably just going to prop it up with some concrete blocks and some cushioning.. Kinda tacky but it's just for emergency use.
I can cut the rigid form panels beforehand.
Now I just need some sort of foam material to cushion the underside of the unit from the window sill it will be sitting on...and also to fill in the 2" on each side of the unit , assuming it goes in centered. It stands 13" high. It came with some foam but its too cushy and theres not enough of it.
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I have a roll of unfaced R-19 Fiberglass. But I think some sort of somewwhat sturdy foam would work better.