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I bought an air condtioner. I carried it home on a shopping cart and carried it up the stairs myself. But, how do I install it without dropping it out of the window? It's going to be 94 degrees tomorrow and rabbits get sick at 80 and above! Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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1) Read ALL the instructions first and have all the tools and screws, etc, ready to go.
2) if you need to drill starter holes for the screws, do that first so when you put the unit in place you can immediately start putting the screws in place.
3) Most of these units now have a safety cable. Make sure you use it, if there is one. You'll be glad you did on that first windy day when you sit there wondering if your installation was good enough. If it doesn't come with one, that's okay, but just make doubly sure you do all the installation as per instructions.
4) It's supposed to lean just slightly DOWN at the bottom furthest away from your window. That allows it to drain outside instead of into your window frame (where the water could rot your frame out over the years and you end up sending your A/C unit to the pavement below.
5) Get help holding it in place while you do all the screws and setting the spacers, etc. Nothing worse than having to pull it back out of the window because you forgot to grab the right something or other. Or trying to one-hand it while you reach for the Phillips head screw driver.
6) Try not to run an extension cord to it. If you do have to use an extension cord, get one rated for the power consumption of that unit. Don't use one made for a lamp or some other low-duty appliance. It'll heat up and could cause a fire.
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Also, be careful of the outlet you are plugged into, as Bob mentioned. Make sure it is not the same system(whatever the electrical term is) as the dishwasher or other big energy pull. try to plug the vacuum on a different circuit(that's the word!) Otherwise, it might short out.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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Elizabeth, you did great until the last two words. I think you meant it might trip the breaker or blow a fuse. (Shorting out means connecting the power or hot wire directly to ground or neutral.)
Most plugs in houses in the U.S. are good for 15 Amps. Make sure the total current draw on a single plug doesn't exceed 15 Amps. If you attempt to pull more (other than brief surges when appliances with motors first turn on) then (hopefully) whatever overcurrent protection (breaker or fuse) is on that circuit will kick in and shut off your air conditioner. If this happens only rarely, for instance during a lightning storm when the power blinks a lot, then it's not a problem, just reset the breaker (or keep extra fuses on hand and replace the fuse, if it's one of the old fuse systems). If this happens a lot, then you need to find a different plug to plug into, or else call an electrician to run a new circuit specifically for the a/c, which is expensive.
Definitely make sure any extension cord you use is rated for the full current (Amps) that the appliance can draw! Bob is very right about that. If you can't find current ratings, just be sure to get one that's even thicker and heavier looking than the cord on the appliance itself.
Hope things work out, Syn. Let us know how it went, and how the rabbit(s) do(es).
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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Syn, how did you size the a/c for the room you are cooling? They are rated in tons of cooling, I believe, (a quaint unit of the english system rather like furlongs per fortnight), or possibly in BTUs per hour? But I don't know the rule of thumb for how many you need for a given space.
For instance, if you bought the smallest one possible, it may not cool the whole apartment well at all. In that case you'd probably do best to keep the rabbits in the room with the a/c and keep the doors closed to the other rooms.
Rabbits don't have efficient cooling mechanisms. I did read that before. And they don't route the blood to the brain through the tongue, as dogs do. Their ears are their main cooling method. Perhaps bathing their ears in water some, (if that's not horribly annoying to them) might alternatively help keep them cool, if the a/c proves less than adequate. Are you gone to work during the hottest part of the day?
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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Yes, unfortunetly. I will have to leave him a frozen bottle. This ac is 6,000 BTU so it should be enough to cool the living room at least where Bernie lives. It is enough for a medium room. Now to figure out how to get it out of the box without smashing my foot.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Syn, this is where you get some big, strong men (or at least big strong women) to come over and help you.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Tatiana, Thank you! Saying "short out" did make me feel cool there for a bit, though, I must say. No AC pun intended, of course.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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It's not artic cold or walk in fridge cold, but, it's not unbearably hot in the living room either, like sweat dripping down hot.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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6000 BTU isn't much. Usually enough for (say) a 10'x 12' bedroom. But for a larger room it can certainly bring the temperature down to reasonable levels. I am comfortable at 78deg, as long as the humidity is low.
You're actually better to have a slightly small air conditioner than an oversized one, since an oversized unit will cool the air without dehumidifying it. This is what causes that musty smell in motels. They put in huge units so that customers can come into the room, turn on the unit, and expect it to cool quickly. The problem is that the unit cools the air without dehumidifying it, so the moisture settles out in the upholstery, and everything smells of mildew.
BTW, one "ton" of cooling equals the amount of heat you would use to melt one ton of ice. (Per hour)
Posts: 3735 | Registered: Mar 2002
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Glenn Arnold, that's interesting. Can you explain to me why a larger capacity unit doesn't dehumidify as well? That's not instantly apparent to me at least.
Is it because it puts out air at a lower temperature, so it doesn't have to process as much air to achieve the same cooling? I still don't quite get it, but I'm curious. Can you make it make more sense to me?
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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it's cooler, but now it's on medium. i had to tape the gaps in it. I sort of want it to be colder. Like need a sweater cold or I can still drink my tea hot cold but that might use up a lot of energy. Perhaps I could move Bernie's cage.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Bob_Scopatz: Go paint a red x on the area of the sidewalk where it would fall. And put a sign next to it saying "# accident free days."
Then add one to the number every day when you get home.
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I forgot to add that if you find your A/C unit on the ground in pieces, you can't add a number to the sign that day.
Posts: 22497 | Registered: Sep 2000
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The air that passes through the air conditioner is dehumidified, but most of the air in the room is cooled indirectly, by the air that comes out of the air conditioner.
For a given amount of moisture in the air, the relative humidity is higher as the air cools.
Since a larger unit cools the room faster, the relative humidity in the room will actually rise fast enough that moisture will drop out of the air in the room, rather than in the air conditioner, where it is drained outside.
Posts: 3735 | Registered: Mar 2002
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quote:Originally posted by Bob_Scopatz: Go paint a red x on the area of the sidewalk where it would fall. And put a sign next to it saying "# accident free days."
Then add one to the number every day when you get home.
That is the funniest thing I've heard all week! Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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The air that passes through the air conditioner is dehumidified, but most of the air in the room is cooled indirectly, by the air that comes out of the air conditioner.
For a given amount of moisture in the air, the relative humidity is higher as the air cools.
Since a larger unit cools the room faster, the relative humidity in the room will actually rise fast enough that moisture will drop out of the air in the room, rather than in the air conditioner, where it is drained outside.
Ah, that does make sense. And I've felt that muggy feeling in hotel rooms many times. Thanks for the explanation.
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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