Window-mounted air conditioners are small cooling units that fit into a window and lower the temperature of a room.
What Does Window Mounted Mean?
Window Mounted means the air conditioner is placed on the window sill.
The window is opened, and the air conditioner is placed in the window to blow cold air in and the hot air outside.
Advantages and Disadvantages of a Window AC Unit
Advantages
Easily installed
Low Cost
Disadvantages
It can only cool a small space.
Not as efficient to run as other types of HVAC units
A window HVAC package has the advantage over a large standard home A/C unit in that it is cheap and easily installed by a novice installer.
Almost any homeowner can also install them with many packages available.
Some disadvantages are that they can only cool a small space and are not the most efficient unit to run.
The biggest advantage of a window air conditioner is that it can be bought and installed by almost anyone.
Installation of a Window Mounted Air Conditioner
The units are small and can weigh roughly between 35-90 pounds.
All the cooling components are tightly fitted into the package, so there is no need for extensive knowledge of HVAC systems. Fitting a unit into a window is all that is required.
All units will need brackets to hold them in place and not fall from the window.
The brackets come in different shapes and sizes since most window ledges defer slightly and are not the same.
Sealing the outer edges is important mainly to the sides of a unit so the cool air cant escape.
Units can be either 120 Volts or 220 Volts so be sure to match the outlets in your home.
Operation and Features
Depending on the unit bought, better features can come built-in.
Most all units will have a fan setting and high or low cool.
Some units will have a remote control as well as other features such as digital displays or timers.
New units now have WiFi built-in and other smart features such as using an app on a smartphone for controls.
Operating any unit is easy and simply needs to have power and the correct operation settings pressed.
How Do Window Mounted Air Conditioners Work?
Window AC units work like any other VAC system by manipulating pressures and refrigerants.
When gases are released from high pressure, they have a cooling effect that can be sued to cool a room.
The gas or refrigerant is pumped by the compressor in a cycle that goes from high pressure to low pressure.
The different stages of the cycle will output heat or cold, which can be used for cooling.
Do Window AC Units Bring in Outside Air?
No, window AC units do not bring in outside air but recycle the inside air in a loop.
The inside fan pulls air from inside a room, through a filter, and past the cooling coils, which cools the air and blows it back into the room.
The air in a room is constantly recycled in this loop to cool it.
Maintenance of a Window AC Unit
Regular maintenance includes cleaning the filter and outside portion of the unit.
The filter is usually located on the inside front of a unit and needs to be cleaned when it becomes dirty.
Airflow is essential for any HVAC machine to work correctly, including a window system.
The outside portion of the assembly can become dirty and need to be cleaned. The outside part included small fins that air needs to pass through to dissipate heat.
If too many of the small fins become, dirty air will not be able to pass through and push heat away from the area.
Summary
Window air conditioner units are low-cost HVAC units that almost anyone can set up and operate.
While not the most efficient cooling system to run, they have improved greatly in efficiency over the years.
Most will last roughly 4-5 years, depending on how heavily they are used.