room a/c units

[SamNC001]

I am purchasing a house, and there is a sunroom-like room in it. It is (in my opinion) more than a regular sunroom, as it is carpeted, has real walls on it etc...

anyway, i want to install a window A/C pump on it. However, the windows are not the kind that slide up and down, and I would have to take the window out and replace it which is a pain for someone who knows nothing about fixing anything.

my question is, aesthetics aside, can i put a window AC unit inside a room? would it harm anything? i know they make portable AC units, but the only ones i have seen are 10000 BTW, for 400$, and all i need is a $100 window 5-6000 BTU system.

finally, the room has a baseboard heat, but i am not sure if it works. if it does not, and i can not fix that, how energy efficient are space heaters? are there any options to heat that room, other than to stick a duct in?

thanks for all your help!!

[Lost-In-Translation]

Putting an air conditioner INSIDE is defeating the purpose. The heat the thing throws off will negate any cooling it provides.

What kind of windows are they? If they are jalousy/older windows, Sears has units that fit those windows as well, although you have to remove one but I've done it to two bedrooms and they work great.

Space heaters are a difficult breed, there are so many on the market. BOTH the heater and the ac will eat some electric, the heater more than a window ac unit.

[Steve B.]

[Steve B.]

No. A window a/c unit disharges heat from the back. If you just put it in the room and let it run the room temp would go up instead of down. They used to make some portable units that had a very small top section with the "works" section under the window. Kind of like an updside down L. I don't know if these are still made or not but if they are it could be a sollution to your problem.

Baseboard heaters tend to last forever. There are generally no moving parts to wear out. If the baseboard were bad for some odd reason you can replace it relatively inexpensively. Portable units are just as efficient but I always worry about them when left running.

Steve B.

Steve B.

[Dan Hartung]

? Normally this is the meaning of sunroom, at least in older homes. The

1920s house I grew up in had a "sunroom" that simply had more windows and could be closed off; otherwise it was completely normal.

Do you mean the windows are fixed, or do you mean they open vertically (a casement window)? They do make ACs that you can special-order that will fit a vertically-oriented window.

As noted, this is foolish; it would just heat the room. The heat generated by the compressor must be exhausted in some fashion.

i know they make portable AC units,

Well, the portable AC with an exhaust pipe you can put in a window (and surely you could fashion a way to do this, even with a piece of plywood with a hole) is probably the easiest way to go here.

Other options include cutting an AC mounting hole through the exterior wall, just going with old-style air circulation and a ceiling fan, etc. Be sure you aren't limiting your choices unnecessarily; with proper ventilation the room may be perfectly comfortable in most seasons.

Also be sure you consider window tinting or awnings to shield the brightest sunlight.

[ameijers]

1. Can you just leave the door open, and draw cooled air from the rest of the house? (with maybe a small fan to aid circulation.) If the 3-season room is the enclosed porch it sounds like, it probably isn't insulated worth a damn, so heating/cooling will be expensive. Is there an exterior-type door, or the frame from one, between sunroom and rest of house? If so, it was probably born as an open or covered porch. Hard to see from here- what year was house built, and where is sunroom in relation to rest of house?
2. Why are you buying a house where you aren't certain if basic systems like baseboard heaters work? That should be trivial to check, even in warm weather. Turn the sucker on and wait half an hour, and see if it gets hot. Does rest of house have baseboard heat? Maybe there is a zone control to turn off that segment.
3. If you really want heat and/or a/c in the space, they sell thru-the-wall units (small version of what most cheap motels use) that a carpenter can easily cut an opening below the window line for.

aem sends....

[Dan O.]

SamNC001 wrote

You can buy air conditioners for side sliding windows if that's what you have. They are often called "casement" units (see the following link) but are more expensive than regular window units due to their more limited sales.

Casement Window Air Conditioners

Totally inside the room? You can but it won't cool the room, it will actually make it hotter. *Any* air conditioner you purchase will need to be vented to the outdoors for it to work.

Other than using power and making the room hotter than before, no.

Not if you don't have $100 windows to put it in. You can buy smaller BTU portable A/C's (see the following link) but they're not much cheaper.

BTW. What makes you think you only need a 5-6000 BTU A/C? Typically, the more window area you have (like in a 'sun room') the greater the cooling capacity you're going to need to cool it effectively.

The only other alternative I can think of is installing a mini-split system for the room but they are 3-5 times as expensive as any window unit once installed by a professional (which is required).

JMO

Dan O.

- Appliance411.com

=Ð~~~~~~

[barry martin]

S > I am purchasing a house, and there is a sunroom-like room in it. It is (in my S > opinion) more than a regular sunroom, as it is carpeted, has real walls on t S > etc... S > S > anyway, i want to install a window A/C pump on it. However, the windows ar

S > not the kind that slide up and down, and I would have to take the window ou

S > and replace it which is a pain for someone who knows nothing about fixing S > anything. S > S > my question is, aesthetics aside, can i put a window AC unit inside a room? S > would it harm anything? i know they make portable AC units, but the only o es S > i have seen are 10000 BTW, for 400$, and all i need is a $100 window 5-6000 BTU S > system.

You need to exhaust the heat produced by the window a/c to the outside. Dumping it to the inside will not have the effect you desire. They do make vertically-orientated units like for the windows on either side of a picture window but not sure of their price.

One thing you could try is two fans in the doorway, one at the bottom to push in the cool air and one at the top to exhaust the warmer air from the sunroom. Have seen smallish fans which look like a quarter- circle. The movement of the air in the sunroom may also help you to feel cooler.

S > finally, the room has a baseboard heat, but i am not sure if it works. if t S > does not, and i can not fix that, how energy efficient are space heaters? re S > there any options to heat that room, other than to stick a duct in?

I don't think a space heater is the most efficient way to heat a room but may be more cost-effective than some options. First of course would be to find out if the baseboard heat works. (Seems like this would be included in the disclosure statement while selling the house.) Reversing the "a/c fans" (initial suggestion, above) may provide sufficient warmth.

I have an electric space heater here in the Computer Room, which is located in the upstairs of a one-and-a-half story house. Needed it maybe a half-dozen times to 'take the chill out' last winter.

You might also consider a duct fan (can be thermostatically controlled) if you install an outlet into your sun room. (Remember you also need to provide a way out for the ducted air.) Am quite sure the others will tell you this option may upset the flow of heated/ cooled air in the rest of your home (see Manual J, etc.).

Shading of the windows might also be considered to help cool the room.

- ¯ barry.martinþATþthesafebbs.zeppole.com ®

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