Room Air Conditioners

[Lee B]

I had two through the wall units in my last house; they came with the place and I'd never seen any before. At the time I bought, the house didn't have central air, and those units were really handy. Even after I installed CAC, I got a lot of use out of the wall units. The CAC didn't work perfectly in the rowhouse (it was good and cold in the basement, adequate on the 1st floor and better than nothing on the 2nd). The wall units were really helpful at helping cool off the bedroom, and also let me keep the rest of the house set to a warmer temp. (My real estate agent was worried a potential buyer might want me to remove the wall units, but fortunately that wasn't a problem).

I liked being able to open the window if I wanted, although to be honest I didn't very often because they were the old metal casements and difficult to control... which probably explains why there were no window units when I bought the house.

[HeyBub]

My electric bill, after paying $150 for the window unit at Walmart and installing it in a bedroom window, went from $240 in July to $80 in August. I consider that a big savings. Your situation, of course, will be different.

[krw]

If you like to be holed up in one room for months, sure I guess you can save some money. Why not just get an efficiency apartment? You'll save a ton more.

[HeyBub]

About the only time I'm in the house portion of my duplex is for lunch and to sleep. I spend most of my waking hours in the office side (where the electric bill has exceeded $400 every once in a while).

But it's true I don't get out much.

[krw]

Yeah, it's pretty obvious that it's cheaper to cool one room than an entire house. Seems like you need a bigger office and smaller apartment.

[HeyBub]

No, the house part serves a purpose. Thanks to many of the tips I've garnered from this newsgroup, it's been turned into something magnificant. The "living room" has been converted into a "Great Room," with a 13' mural of a Tuscan countryside on one wall, a large tapestry on another wall, elegant fireplace, piano, and assorted trappings. The room formerly known as the "kitchen" is now the "Beast Preparation Area," with all the latest and finest appliances. One "bedroom" has been converted to a "Library," with comfy chairs, personal lighting, and grandfather clock. The former "master bedroom" is now the room of the "Master's Repose." And more.

The purpose of all this re-do is obvious - and rewarding - when a female first visits.

[krw]

How does the female respond to having only one room cooled? ...and it's not the kitchen. ;-)

[burkheimer]

window unit removal can become a major issue....

drafts or the cold conducted indoors by the window unit....

window unit while your sleeping you may have to turn it on hours earlier to= not only cool down the room but remove the excess moisture / humidity...

ith central air.....

Here in Texas, when your central A/C fails, invariably the repair company s= ays "It's shot, you need a new one". $5000 for a plain old 3-ton for a 150=

0 sq ft home. they rape you, because you are sweating and you just wan it c= ool NOW. With window units, if one fails, the other 2 or 3 keep working while you go= down to Sears of Lowes and spend $300 for a brand new one. Done deal. I like the idea of the mini-splits, if the cost difference were not so h= igh. they also are a little more technical for a DIY replacement. They are = higher quality than most window units, and more efficient. And window unit= s do have that low-rent social status. I am about to built a 1000-sq ft garage with a guest apartment on a 2nd = floor, so I have been considering this question. If I can find a winter dea= l on a central unit, I'll go that way, but if there is a big difference in = price, I'll probably go with mini-splits, but window units are not out of t= he question. I'd do wall mounts if I use window units.

[Stormin Mormon]

Monday Aug 13, a caller to the Dave Ramsey show called. His central AC "froze over". He and Dave were discussing financing to replace.

My advice, which I emailed to Dave. Is that such a system can be serviced and repaired. No need to pull $6,000 out of the air. I wasn't there to do the diagnostic work up, but I'm guessing I can repair such a system for a lot less than six grand.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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Here in Texas, when your central A/C fails, invariably the repair company says "It's shot, you need a new one". $5000 for a plain old 3-ton for a

1500 sq ft home. they rape you, because you are sweating and you just wan it cool NOW. With window units, if one fails, the other 2 or 3 keep working while you go down to Sears of Lowes and spend $300 for a brand new one. Done deal. I like the idea of the mini-splits, if the cost difference were not so high. they also are a little more technical for a DIY replacement. They are higher quality than most window units, and more efficient. And window units do have that low-rent social status. I am about to built a 1000-sq ft garage with a guest apartment on a 2nd floor, so I have been considering this question. If I can find a winter deal on a central unit, I'll go that way, but if there is a big difference in price, I'll probably go with mini-splits, but window units are not out of the question. I'd do wall mounts if I use window units.