New Air Conditioner Time

[danemodsandy]

I didn't want to do it, but the old, behemoth window unit I had in the living room was no longer viable - oversized, too heavy, too greedy and too noisy, probably due to aging compressor mounts.

I shopped around with my heart in my mouth, and was very pleasantly surprised when a visit to Wally World turned up the Haier unit shown below. My preference would be for a mechanical air conditioner, but I couldn't find one, so electronic it is.

This is 8000 B.T.U.s, with a remote control, timer function (both on/off and up/down), and an EER rating of 10.8. Installation was a breeze compared to the old unit, which weighed about double the 50 pounds this new one does. There's an Energy Save cooling setting, and a dehumidfier function for cool, rainy days. The window kit (those accordion panels that slide out to fill the window opening) was included - not a given any more.

What blew my little cotton socks off was the price - $188! I only hope the Chinese workers who assembled the unit were paid halfway decently; I have terrible misgivings about that sort of thing.

Between this 8000 B.T.U. unit and the 5200 B.T.U. unit in the bedroom (also Haier and now in its third cooling season), this little 480 square foot house is nice and cool. I'm hoping for a noticeable difference in the MidAmerican Energy bill, too.[this post was last edited: 6/18/2013-06:22]

 

[yogitunes]

congrats on a new one, and a great price....I got the same thing only in 12,000.....I like the remote that is magnetic, never gets lost that way....

the down side to newer A/C, as in the past 15 years, is similar to energy saving washers, not really more efficient, they just adjust the thermostat so you get cold air, not frigid air, thats how they get the higher EER's....slightly warmer........I found out from a tech that all I have to do is open it up and with an allen wrench on the set screw is turn it back up, now its ice cold air being blown out.....

another down side I don't like is the tinny feel of the metal, and the insides are all styrofoam, the metal bulkhead is gone....and daylight shines right thru, as well as outside noise......

others argue but I like overkill when it comes to an A/C....I want to cool down fast, have extra reserve ready should the stove be on, and the bigger units don't run as long.....I can always turn my thermostat down, I can't make the unit bigger! if needed....

 

[danemodsandy]

Yogi:

Thanks for the tip, and when the warranty's over, I can do that. While something's in warranty, I don't touch it. Service people can tell. Oh yes they can.

 

[twintubdexter]

just my 2-cent's worth

I'm no expert, but I kind of think these new air conditioners are not lacking when it comes to quality and the price makes them all the more attractive. And compared to some vintage unit, I'm sure they save on your electricity bill. When it comes to air conditioning, central or window/wall, efficiency and performance are everything.

she figures if she's paying to run it she might as well dress for the occasion

 

[DADoES]

 
Window unit thermostats don't directly control the temp of the air the unit blows out, that's a function of the cooling capacity (BTU rating) and fan speed (lower fan speeds may produce cooler output by a slight margin).  The thermostat controls the room temp by turning the compressor on/off.  Any adjustment to it simply makes the unit run longer, thus the room temp drops accordingly.

Assuming that a newfangled variable speed compressor is not involved ... the compressor is either off, or on and producing the maximum output it can garner ... nothing between.

Do electronic-control units have a thermistor, or an analog thermostat behind the panel?  Seems unlikely a thermistor is adjustable by a hex key.  Is thermostat response skewed such that setting 75°F temp for example results in a room temp of 78°F or some such?

 

[mrb627]

Portable

I purchased a 9000 btu portable unit a few years back when my central unit bit the dust.  It is enough to cool one bedroom which was all I needed for the week it took to get the new unit delivered and installed.  It is a wheel around with a hose that vents through a window.  It wasn't cheap at close to 400 dollars, but I have used it twice and loaned it to friends a couple of times too.  So, it has paid for itself.

 

Malcolm

 

[arbilab]

I live in an institution. Not a mental institution though it might as well be. A HUD retirement building with through-wall units like a hotel. And I worked in a hotel 4 years ago. I can tell you one thing, the days of 30-year compressors is long gone. The building is only 15 years old and it's already on its 4th generation of airconditioners. 3 of 4 hall units on my floor don't work, the compressors locked up. The only one that does work is one of the originals.

 

[DigAPony]

Whoa, wait a minute..

Where is this set screw to crank down the temp on A/C units??

I have two Goldstar units 12,000 and 8,000 BTU, a few years old.

 

[danemodsandy]

She's All In!

I have to confess that day before yesterday, pretty much all I did was to sit 'er in the window and pull 'er side curtains out - no time, too hot and I was bushed anyway.

So, today was taking care of all the details - sash brackets, side curtain screws and some closed-cell foam weatherstripping tape to close some gaps.

Much better! No rattling, no air infiltration, just clean and cool.

I think I did okay, but the next MidAmerican bill will be the final piece of that puzzle.

 

[yogitunes]

for digital versions, there may or may not be a set screw, it depends on how it senses the temps....each model is a little different....

but for any with a mechanical turn dial to set temps, look on the back/sides/bottom of the thermostat, most all of the ones I have done used a tiny allen wrench, and adjust a little at a time...just don't go overboard...

 

[tomturbomatic]

That picture of the lady standing in front of the Carrier window unit; that is the kind of Carrier window units from the early 50s that the people who let me watch their Economat had in their house. I guess after getting all strapped up to get into that outfit, she needed the cold air blowing on her.

 

[ovrphil]

Your house, Sandy, is about the size of the one I grew up in - and we had one window A/C in the dining room, centrally positioned in the floorplan. It was loud and heavy, but ran forever. If you get five or more years out of this new $188 a/c unit, this is probably considered a long time(vs. the years we got out of our older, heavier a/c). Remote control? Very cool! (no pun intended).

 

[travis]

Yogi,

I don't understand how making an adjustment to the thermostat would result in colder air output. A mechanical thermostat is just a switch with a temperature probe. If you turn the dial colder, the compressor runs longer to acheive the cooler temperature.

My only problem with newer window units is that the Frigidaire 8000 btu that I bought in 2010 was load. I used it as little as possible and relied on a 1960 or so RCA unit.

 

[yogitunes]

from the factory, the thermostat is "set" to allow the A/C to cool to a certain temp, give or take 76 to 74 degrees, this is a recomended setting for cooling comfort and to save energy.....and you can't make your room any cooler than that!....

I, on the other hand, can freeze you out of a room with the oven on!....on low speed at that!.....ApplianceLou can testify to that!....

but I can adjust the settings to my liking, like water levels in a washer, not by government regulations!.....as long as I can make these adjustments, I will....I prefer some of the older machines because of this.....some day I will hit a point where I have no choice....

 

[danemodsandy]

Phil:

I'm hoping for five.

I do several things that help extend the life of an A/C unit, even today's:

1) I both turn it off and unplug it when not home. This protects the unit against surges and the dread "Georgia Power Effect," which occurs when a storm makes neglected electrical infrastructure blink off and on rapidly several times in succession. This is very hard on refrigeration equipment of any kind, and it used to happen to me all the time in Atlanta. Here in Iowa, not so much, but I still do it.

2) Units come out of the window in Winter, getting stored in a warm environment. This protects delicate parts from freeze/thaw cycles that are not kind to them.

3) I clean the units before Winter storage, doing some dis-assembly. This lets me spot stuff like bug and spider nests that can cause shorts.

4) If there's a bad storm when I'm home, I do the unplugging thing as well.

I used to be able to get 20 years out of a unit, then it dropped to 10, and now I suspect your prediction of 5 is about right. But I'm still going to maintain them as best I know how.

 

[appliancelou]

hey hey guys

mr yogitunes tell you no lies n yes ive been at his home in mid summer with the
oven going n his A/c will freeze you out in no time flat n i mean freeze !!!!

 

[appliancelou]

hey hey guys

mr yogitunes tell you no lies n yes ive been at his home in mid summer with the
oven going n his A/c will freeze you out in no time flat n i mean freeze !!!!

 

[ovrphil]

Supercold - Supermoon

Yogi-I tend to freeze at 74F, so I'd be standing near that stove. Wait, do you adjust your recipes, then, for temperature. 375F = 425F with a/c. I think I saw a cooking book that had those adjustments for Siberian natives. It's the summer solstice...and the moon is full.

 

[norgeway]

Re Vintage Carrier

That Carrier pictured had a semi hermetic cast iron compressor just like commercial Carriers did, it used a different freon, 500 or 502, i cant remember which, if you ever find one of these, it will run forever..very quietly and efficently, and it will blow air so cold it will make your teeth hurt!!

 

[twintubdexter]

an ever so slighlty off-topic quesion

Here's one for all you cooling Xpurts...My friends across the street have a 1,500 sq foot home with a through-the-wall evaporative cooler, professionally installed when the house was constructed but a window unit nevertheless. These guys insist that on a typical 100 degree day the unit maintains a 70 degree temperature throughout their home. I think this is bunk. How can water, heated from 100 degree outside air and circulated over pads come out 30 degrees cooler on the other side? I understand the principle of evaporative cooling and how it makes you feel more comfortable. Logic tells me that even if the air was that much cooler temperature-wise it would not maintain 70 degrees throughout the house. Because of the size, my house requires 2 central systems...not huge since anything over 2,000 sq ft here in the desert does. I have no evaporative system and they are constantly telling me "poor Joe, he's forced to use those expensive air conditioners." Actually they're fairly new American Standard units and very efficient and my house and attic area are super-insulalted.

 

[mieletag]

Actually, the evaporative cooling does work, but the relative humidity must be low enough for the process to work correctly. When the hot dry air enters through the water soaked pads, a little bit of the water is evaporated, taking away heat with it. That is why there is generally a constant makeup water supply available, usually a float, to replenish the evaporated water. But, I have been hearing for several years now that the dry Southwest is getting more humid than it was years ago because of lawns and swimming pools and people just using more water in general, and swamp coolers are not quite as effective as they once were. As the latent load increases (humidity), the sensible load (dry bulb temperature) is not as easily controlled.

 

[nurdlinger]

Swamp Cooler conventional wisdom...

...says that the device can drop the incoming air temperature by 20 degrees F. I ran one for 30 years and that seems about right. So the 70F claim with 100F outside air makes me skeptical. I had recently to replace the 23 year old heat pump on my roof, and I took the opportunity to have the swamp box permanently removed at that time. When I was younger I could get up on the roof and service it myself. Can't do that anymore. Also, the cooler was 28 years old. Exterior is stainless steel and has stood the test of time quite well. (no leaks!) However all the inside items like the squirrel cage fan housing and bracing is rusted to pieces. Parts are still available and it could be restored to service for a few hundred bucks, but people for hire to service it every spring are getting more scarce/more expensive as time goes on. It provided very good cooling. Cooler start up day in the spring was the best day of the year. The scent of the new aspen wood pads was delightful.

 

[arbilab]

* At 32 °C (90 °F) and 15% relative humidity, air may be cooled to nearly 16 °C (61 °F). The dew point for these conditions is 2 °C (36 °F).
* At 32 °C (90 °F) and 50% relative humidity, air may be cooled to about 24 °C (75 °F). The dew point for these conditions is 20 °C (68 °F).
* At 40 °C (104 °F) and 15% relative humidity, air may be cooled to nearly 21 °C (70 °F). The dew point for these conditions is 8 °C (46 °F).

(Cooling examples extracted from the June 25, 2000 University of Idaho publication, "Homewise" via Wiki.)

Calculations of evaporative coolers at several inlet temperatures and dewpoints. We see that 90 to 60 or 100 to 70 are indeed possible in dry areas. I have used 3 swamp coolers, in Colorado, San Jose, Palmdale. Best not left on much after sunset, they get TOO cold.

 

[spookiness]

shopping again

I got a Frigidaire LRA067AT7 6k BTU early this season, and I'm not crazy about it. Despite various high ratings, it is noisy, the compressor engagement/disengagement is too abrupt, and experience with other Frigidaires leads me to believe it will eventually become a mold factory.

I might try an LG. There is an 8k LG unit in my housemates space, but I haven't spent much time around it. I am wary of Haier and other off-brands, but willing to try something else.

 

[launderess]

I guess after getting all strapped up to get into that outfi

Especially if she had on a Playtex rubber girdle!

Just getting into the thing could cause one to work up a sweat.

*LOL*

 

[whirlcool]

Do women even still wear girdles? I haven't heard of that in a long, long time.

 

[foxchapel]

Do women even still wear girdles?

Yes, some do, sort of. The new millennium version is called Spanx.