Summer is knocking at the door and thinking about cooling your room? Thinking of buying a new air conditioner, but you don’t need a central AC? Again are you living in a dorm and thinking about dealing with your summer? Are you looking for a cheap, energy-efficient, or space-saving material?
Ok, let’s solve all of your problems. There are a lot of air conditioners in the market, but if you are facing any situation mentioned above, I will suggest you buy a window air conditioner. The window air conditioner is a simple type of air conditioner. It is also affordable and energy-efficient.
Nowadays, window air conditioner users are increasing rapidly. Also, so many questions are arising too. Like, the efficiency of window air conditioner, window air conditioner exhaust open or closed, and many more. Again, those do not have window air conditioners but looking for it, having questions like, why should I consider window air conditioners.
To help you figure out what AC unit would be the best solution for you and view all of your confusion, we have made a list of question answers. I, myself, have experience of borrowing window air conditioners. I’m sharing it too so that it would be helpful for you.
So, pull up a chair, and let’s find out the answers. Here I’m explaining all of your FAQs and other confusions.
Should I Keep The Window Air Conditioner Exhaust Open Or Closed?
Window air conditioner exhaust open or closed is up to you. If you are conscious about your energy efficiency, you should keep exhaust venting in a closed position most of the time. It will be the best set for your maximum cooling. If you want to introduce fresh air in the room, open-air is the way to go.
So, keeping exhausted open or closed it’s up to one’s choice. Again, if you desire, you can also use the fan-only setting with the air vent open to draw in a cooler outside the air.
What Are The Window Air Conditioner And Its Installation?
As I have already mentioned, the window air conditioner is the simplest, most reliable, and durable one, and it is also the easiest one to install. You can also install it without calling a professional.
Here, I’ll give you some tips on installing your window air conditioner.
- Clean & inspect your window: First, thoroughly inspect your window and make sure it is in good condition. Check double whether there is any damage on the window frame or not. It is also a good practice to clean your window before installing it. You may not like to clean it before the season ends or while using it.
- Gather all the equipment: Secondly, gather all the equipment together before installing a window air conditioner. You may need equipment like a screwdriver, screws, brackets, measuring tape, and scissors. Next, you should call someone as your assistant. You may need an extra pair of hands while installing it. You should read the user manual. It would be best if you did everything according to AC installation guidelines.
- Mark the center of the window: After gathering all the equipment, measure the window’s dimension and mark the center of the window. Keeping the center will ensure that side panels evenly reach both sides of your window. Otherwise, it will be uneven and unsymmetrical.
- Install the weatherstrip: Install it to block incoming air if your AC manufacturer has provided a weatherstrip.
- Attach the side panel to the window air conditioner: Slide the slide panel of your window and fasten them onto the air conditioner using screws. Ensure that you’ve tightened up the screws perfectly.
- Place your AC in the window: Place the air conditioner in the window safely with the assistance of your helper. After placing, close the window and make sure that the window sash perfectly sits on the AC unit.
- Secure the sash and install L-Brackets. First, secure the window sash and then install L- brackets outdoors to hold the air conditioner in place. You should use screws to attach the L- frame to the upper window. But the problem is you cannot use the L- bracket in all types of your window. You have to use wood strips for vinyl windows to place the window perfectly.
- Fasten the side panels. You need to extend the side panels you have initially installed and secure them in place with screws.
- Fill in the gaps. It’s the last step. Use foam insulation to fill in the gaps between the upper window sash and the lower window sash. If your air conditioner does not provide foam strips, you can buy them separately.
Yes! You have installed your window air conditioner just by yourself. Now plug it in to enjoy the cool air.
Read more: Can I Use A Portable Air Conditioner In A Room Without A Window?
What Is An Air Conditioner, Even The Air?
The air conditioner vent is mainly a critical component of any complete and maintained ventilation in your AC system. Let’s skip the traditional definition. If you look closely at the blower louver of your air conditioner, you will notice a black lever. When toggled, it will open or close the back of your air conditioner. This thing is called a vent.
Your air conditioner vent can be opened or closed depending on your preferences and needs. Closing the vent will prevent your warm air from coming outside inside your room. Keeping it close will be efficient too. On the other hand, holding it open will let warm air inside your room, which will increase temperature.
What Does Exhaust Close Or Open Mean?
Exhausting air in the air conditioner means mainly air ventilation. When the vent is “open”, outdoor air is allowed into the room. That will increase the pressure in the chamber, which will force out the indoor air to vent out.
When you set the vent “closed”, the window air conditioner circulates and recycles the air inside the room. It will cool down the room preciously.
Why Is There A Vent In The Window AC?
The vent on a window air conditioner opens the unit where outdoor air can enter the room, and indoor air can be exhausted. There are several reasons why there is a vent in the window air conditioner.
But the main reason is to circulate the air. If you’re using the AC to cool the room, are opening the vent and letting the air out of the room will seem counterproductive. However, keeping it open or close is up to you.
Does A Window Air Conditioner Pull Air From Outside?
Nowadays, environmental pollution is our biggest concern. While switching on your window air conditioner, you may have a question: Does the air come from outside and be polluted?
Don’t worry! Window air conditioners do not pull outside air into the home. They work by circulating the air inside. They spread it throughout the room, cool it, and dump it outside the room with an exhaust system. All air blown through an AC unit into the home is recirculated air.
A window air conditioner unit is considered a sealed unit. That’s why air conditioners
will operate only the air within the building ecosystem.
Let’s learn about the process and some other concerns you may have. Rean on!
How To Clean Your Air Conditioner Vent?
The air conditioner vent collects dust, dirt, and other floating particles around in the air. So that’s why they get dirty very quickly. The dirty vent may cause some negative impact on your air conditioner. That’s why you need to clean your vent regularly.
Things to clean your window air conditioner vent:
- Dish soap
- Scrubber
- Vacuum with a hose
- Screwdriver
- Screws
- Brushes
- A bucket or a bathtub
Steps of cleaning an air conditioner vent:
- Before cleaning anything, turn off your HVAC system. That is for both the furnace and air conditioner.
- Take your ducts off with the help of a screwdriver and put them to the side.
- Take the vacuum hose and let it run until the ducts are clean properly. Please don’t go too far in the chimney while vacuuming it. If your air conditioner needs a complete duct cleaning, you will need an HVAC professional to do it.
- You can use a duster to get all the extra dust and dirt out of the vent.
- Now get some warm water and mix in some dish soap in a bucket or bathtub.
- Let your vent soak in the tub for 10-15 minutes. Do not soak it for more than 15 minutes.
- After soaking, try them as dry as possible with the help of a towel.
- Replace the clean filter and turn on the HVAC system.
When Does A Window Air Conditioner Vent Need Replacement?
If you do not clean your window air conditioner regularly, it will get dirty and hamper your air conditioning badly. Sometimes it may be so contaminated that only cleaning is not enough. You may need to replace it too. When your air conditioner can’t ventilate air properly even after cleaning the vent, you need to replace it.
You can buy a vent kit easily from the market. But while replacing it, you should call for a professional.
Read more: Why Is My Window Air Conditioner Making A Loud Humming Noise?
Is The Window Air Conditioner Efficient?
The answer is tricky. The efficiency is dependent on your need and the size of the room. If we compare window air conditioners and portable air conditioners, window air conditioners use energy more efficiently than portable air conditioners. Again, compared with central air conditioners, window air conditioners are bound to use more power than central air conditioners.
However, energy efficiency can vary from company to company, model to model. It would be best to research with the local HVAC to choose a suitable model. You should check the energy ratio EER. The higher the EER is, the better the window air conditioner is.
But even a highly efficient window unit is bound to use more electricity than a central unit. But it will cost you less if you want to cool one or two rooms with a window air conditioner.
Guideline For Buying A Window Air Conditioner
After knowing so many things about air ventilation and the efficiency of window air conditioners, you may want to buy one. There are many shapes, sizes, and brands available on the market regarding window air conditioners. So, while purchasing a window air conditioner, you may get confused about what you should buy. Here’s a little guideline to avoid getting confused while buying it.
Determining your need
We have already discussed the essential functions of air conditioners. Now you can address your current needs to determine which kind of air conditioner would be the best for your space. Before taking any decision, think twice about two factors.
- Size of your space
- The place you want to install it.
Most business owners or homeowners install central air conditioners as they cool down space centrally. However, major air conditioning systems tend to be costlier than other systems.
On the other hand, you can choose portable or window air conditioners to cool down one room at a time. It will save your money and electricity bill too.
Now the question is portable air conditioners or window air conditioners? What should you choose? It depends on the place you want to install air conditioners. If your room doesn’t have sufficient space, you should choose window air conditioners. If you are a renter or staying in a dorm, or your room has adequate space, you should choose a portable air conditioner.
So, determining the air conditioning system is also a serious task. Do it wisely according to your needs.
Sizing guide
Generally, you need 0.12 to 0.15 KW power per m². Now you can calculate how you need to—here giving you a chart showing the capacity of air conditioners.
| Room Size | Room Type | System size |
|---|---|---|
| 10-25 m2 | Bedroom | Study | Small lounge |Small kitchen | Small office | 2.6 kW |
| 25-35 m2 | Mid-size Bedrooms | Bedrooms with ensuites |Mid-size lounges | Mid-sized kitchens |Small rooms with high ceilings | Offices | 3.5 kW |
| 45-60 m2 | Large bedroom | Bedroom with ensuites |Mid-size lounges | Large kitchens |Mid-sized rooms with high ceilings | Offices | 5 – 6 kW |
| 60-80 m2 | Large lounges | Large open plan areas |Small shops | Offices | 7 – 8 kW |
*source- Google
Conclusion
The features of window air conditioners are enormous. I tried to answer some frequently asked questions in the article. Also gave a short overview on window air conditioners, especially Its venting system like window air conditioner exhaust open or closed.
I hope that will help you a little bit to fight the scorching heat of the summer!
