Air Conditioning

[xinirgi]

Hey guys,

I bought a new place and I am looking at getting an air conditioner for the master bedroom. I am not looking at getting it though the whole house (central air?) as I can deal with the heat no problems, just at night I need it cool.

So far I have been looking at both the ones you hang out the window, and the ones that are portable. The cons are I hear from other people is that they're noisy, any truth to this? I don't really want to buy one to find out.

What is everyone here using, or have experience with?

[max_boost]

I have Central Air in my 1700sq.ft home and before you write it off, the guy JordanLotoski recommended is upto 40% cheaper than retail. Just some thought. PM if you want his name.

I have a 2.5tonne unit. Sears quoted me $6000 and Gavin did it for 40% off. Great guy, great work, killer prices, works great. Mine is outside my house so I don't hear a single thing haha

[dj_rice]

I have a Danby Premiere 13000BTU one at my place, its portable but I have to ghetto rig a frame for it since most portable air conditioners are made for windows that open sliding up/down and not crank turn style that open outwards.

It is noisy yes, but I leave it on all day and turn it off once I go to bed, I got it for $399 on sale at Costco $100 off regular price.

It cools my 1100 sq.ft condo in 3 hours from maybe 25 down to 22-21. If I leave it on all day, it feels like the freezer section at Superstore so its awsum


The downside with portable is, if you have a huge house with lots of corners and stuff the air has to go around then its not very effiecient and can't do much cooling, and another downside is, I have to drain mine out every couple weeks from the build of water from the cooling. Takes me 10-20 mins to do but its a bitch


Heres the link

http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10324291&search=danby&Mo=22&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-CA&Nr=P_CatalogName:BCCA&Sp=S&N=0&whse=BCCA&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BCCA&Ne=4000000&D=danby&Ntt=danby&No=0&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1

[n1zm0]

i was in the same situation about 2 weeks ago, the master bedroom at my new place is on the third floor and it is soooo gdmaned steamy at night, bought a 9000 BTU NOMA portable A/C unit from crappy tire, the kind that vent from the window with a 5 inch or so hose.

was about $500 but i read the reviews for it and so far has lived up to them, whereas i saw reviews for cheaper but higher BTU rated ones but it seems most of those were problematic, you truly get what you pay for for stuff liek this imo. have put a bucket for hte water drain because they provide you with some pos tray which would not in a million years catch all the condensation from the duckbill drain.

edit: oh yeah, its performance: you can put it on when just jumping into bed and it will get pretty neutral temp in about 5 mins, by 20 mins its comfortable, wake up to take a piss at 3 am its fken freezing lol, put it on sleep mode which shuts off automatically after 6 hours.

[ExtraSlow]

I got whole home from Jordan's guy Gavin, and I'm so happy I did. Was cheaper than i was expecting, and I love the result.

[r3ccOs]

I think unlike being in Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal etc.. Air con is really an option and mostly subjective to where your windows face.

I have a new house, have it piped for AC (apparently it has a larger piping for cool air?) but never got it installed. Was going to, and could still get a good deal on it, but I have no need.

I got a West facing house, the bonus room windows are the only ones facing West, I'm inbetween two houses, so anything south facing, pretty much faces nothing and my bedroom does not get any direct light after 3-4 pmish.

So as such, its never been warmer than 20deg in my house.

If you do need one, those standalone portables I've heard are pretty good.

[xinirgi]

Thanks for the info so far guys.

n1zm0 - How loud do you find it? And thanks for the tip haha.
dj_rice - Sounds like it works pretty well, can you hear it from other parts of the house? I suppose another option would be to place it in another room away from the master bedroom.
max_boost - As great as a full system could be, I just really don't think I'd use it. Currently I am in a condo that has it, and I never use it, except for at night sometimes. I think it'd just be a waste of power to use the whole system to cool one room. Thanks for the contact though, I'll leave it open as an option.

[dj_rice]

When mine is on, its almost similiar to one of those hood range fans over the kitchen oven, its a noise you get used to. Mind you, I do have to turn on music/tv louder to hear things but my condo faces east and I live on the top floor so air conditioning is a must so living comfortable is better than not hearing things.

[idriveabox]

Originally posted by dj_rice
I have a Danby Premiere 13000BTU one at my place, its portable but I have to ghetto rig a frame for it since most portable air conditioners are made for windows that open sliding up/down and not crank turn style that open outwards.

It is noisy yes, but I leave it on all day and turn it off once I go to bed, I got it for $399 on sale at Costco $100 off regular price.

It cools my 1100 sq.ft condo in 3 hours from maybe 25 down to 22-21. If I leave it on all day, it feels like the freezer section at Superstore so its awsum


The downside with portable is, if you have a huge house with lots of corners and stuff the air has to go around then its not very effiecient and can't do much cooling, and another downside is, I have to drain mine out every couple weeks from the build of water from the cooling. Takes me 10-20 mins to do but its a bitch


Heres the link

http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10324291&search=danby&Mo=22&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-CA&Nr=P_CatalogName:BCCA&Sp=S&N=0&whse=BCCA&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BCCA&Ne=4000000&D=danby&Ntt=danby&No=0&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1

DJ, can you post a pic of your ghetto rig job? I'm trying to make one for my crank window as we speak and some ideas would be great.

Do you have two hoses? intake and exhaust?

[dj_rice]

I do have the 2 hoses, intake and exhaust.


To make my ghetto rig, I went to Home Depot and got this corragated plastic sheet, it was $20, and then traced out the 2 holes for the exhaust, and screwed the brackets onto that and then plugged the hoses into the brackets.


The whole sheet covers all of the window and its just taped onto the window at the edges, I didn't want to screw it in in case removal for winter and selling my condo etc. I"ll post up pic tonight

[JordanAndrew]

http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/danby-danby-7000-btu-portable-air-conditioner-dpac7099-dpac7099/10142370.aspx?path=c3921acfa0edb68c8bb594101be2e6b6en02

I have a Danby 7000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner that I got from futureshop. It cost me $249.99, it normally is listed for $299.99. It's a portable unit that has a hose you put out of your window and a small hose you can attach to a small bucket(not included) for the water to come out.

It's a bit noisy at first honestly you get used to the sound. The down side is you have to empty the bucket every time you use it, although it only takes a couple of minutes to dump in the bath tub and set it up again so it's not a big deal.

It is a smaller unit so it doesn't take up space. Danby says it's good for up to 250 sq feet but honestly you can use it for a bigger room. It should be more than enough for you, if you have a bigger room, just buy a cheap fan to circulate the rest of the cool air and you're golden.

Many people would argue to just get a bigger unit, well a bigger unit would cost another extra $100-$300 more, where if you just buy a fan to circulate the cool air, it would only cost you $50-$80 more.

You don't need to completely seal off the window either for the hose although it does come with a kit so you can use it if you want. It only works for sliding windows though.

Here are some pictures for my simple setup


http://www3.telus.net/public/rarmada/Jordan/Danby1.JPG
As you can see, I don't bother with any of the sliding kits for the exhaust hose. I just use the blinds and curtains to "seal" it off.


http://www3.telus.net/public/rarmada/Jordan/Danby2.JPG
In this picture you can see the small hose coming down on the left side. I bought a flat type of container so I can hide it under the bed and empty it out whenever I use the aircon. Call it ghetto but it works and I sleep well at night. haha!


http://www3.telus.net/public/rarmada/Jordan/Danby3.JPG
This picture shows you when I close the curtains, not a bad setup considering I only paid for the portable aircon and nothing more.


-You can put it anywhere in your house as long as you've got a window/door to vent it out.

- No extra installations necessary.

-fairly cheap to buy

-Put it away in storage during winter

-It is a bit noisy and the setup does look a bit ghetto, but I mean you only really use it for 2-3 months MAX.

[xinirgi]

Awesome Jordan, thanks for the pics/review.

[sillysod]

We have full blown central air and bucked up for a bigger compressor.

It's nice, but with this shit summer we rarely need it.

[cam_wmh]

Jordan,
What's to stop you from venting the water out your window as well? Lol@ people below?

<sigh> that would be my issue, unless I can get it into an Eavestrough.

[n1zm0]

Originally posted by xinirgi
n1zm0 - How loud do you find it? And thanks for the tip haha.


not bad, it's really just white noise along with the ceiling fan swooshing, its a nice hum lol, when its on full blast its pretty loud but that is only at that speed when i'm about to goto bed - say an hour or so before i hit the sack.

i'll try and post pics like Jordan did, exact same setup of course. but i use the sliding kits because imo the efficiency of cooling the room is totally useless, that hot exhaust air you're trying to expel is basically coming back in = waste of energy cooling the room


Originally posted by cam_wmh
Jordan,
What's to stop you from venting the water out your window as well? Lol@ people below?


it needs a gravity feed for the duckbill drain iirc, so hose must go lower than the unit, the NOMA one i have has 2 drains, i used the higher one, if its for your room, then chances are the windows are always going to be higher than where the a/c unit sits

[xinirgi]

So I just thought of a comparison for the amount of noise these units put out. About how much louder, or quieter are they compared to the ones usually found in hotels? I find that the ones in hotels can be loud, but not loud enough to stop me from sleeping.

[JordanAndrew]

Originally posted by xinirgi
So I just thought of a comparison for the amount of noise these units put out. About how much louder, or quieter are they compared to the ones usually found in hotels? I find that the ones in hotels can be loud, but not loud enough to stop me from sleeping.



The noise is about the same so I think you're golden to get a portable unit.


cam_wmh Like what someone already mentioned, you need gravity to make sure you're actually draining the water and since my window is higher than the AC, I have no choice. Like what I said though, it only takes 2 minutes to drain and rinse the bucket/container and then it's good to go again.

[JordanAndrew]

Originally posted by n1zm0



i'll try and post pics like Jordan did, exact same setup of course. but i use the sliding kits because imo the efficiency of cooling the room is totally useless, that hot exhaust air you're trying to expel is basically coming back in = waste of energy cooling the room




My blinds and the thick curtains that I have pretty much stops the hot air from coming back in. It's also a lot easier to close and lock the windows once I'm done using the unit every time I use it.

With the sliding kit that they give you, it'd be a pain in the ass to keep taking off and putting back on. I like to lock my windows during the day especially when I'm not home.

[dingmah]

Originally posted by JordanAndrew
With the sliding kit that they give you, it'd be a pain in the ass to keep taking off and putting back on. I like to lock my windows during the day especially when I'm not home.
Try compressing the hose more to take out some of the slack, it makes it more rigid.

When I want to lock up the window, I just unwedge my 1 hose kit from the frame, and it stands/pivots on the window sill just fine.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4081/4870532251_3d50a95849.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4118/4871143344_42dc4c7db2.jpg

[nzwasp]

Has anyone got Aircon recently installed in thier house? Im looking for a place to get a quote and a reasonable price of what it might cost or how much it cost you?

I have a 2000sq ft house.

I tried calling a couple of places but they have to give me an estimate in my home - i just wanted a general ball park I hate sales people in my home.

[revelations]

^ youre doing it at the wrong time IMO - slower times of year would be much better.

[jeffh]

You need 3-3.5ton unit. I think you are looking at around $4000.

[JordanLotoski]

If you would like my AC contact please PM me

[masoncgy]

I have one of those Haier portable units with the dual hose set up, one intake and one exhaust... ran it through a sliding window last year, but I hate the look of those big tubes running up the wall.

I ended up buying 2x 4" dryer ducts and cutting 2 holes in the wall underneath a narrow window I have in the corner of my living room... works great, looks much cleaner and it does exactly what it needs to do.

My house is vinyl siding and I have spare pieces, so I'm not too worried about having to patch up & close those holes one day should I want to sell the house and move.

Inside, I built a little box of sorts out of some 1x6 boards that I painted with the wall color and they cover up the ducts & tape joints and everything at the back so it's completely hidden.

[black_2.5RS]

Originally posted by jeffh
You need 3-3.5ton unit. I think you are looking at around $4000.

I just got 5 quotes from different vendors. This number is right, all vendors are close (within + or - $300 bucks).

Things that do vary:
1. Warranty's: 3 parts to a standard warranty - labour (guy doing the work), condenser (thing that makes it cold), and components (everything else).

2. I also got an upgrade to my air filter (upgrade to electronic from standard paper filters) and the prices on those vary all over the board ($300 to $800 per furnace).

3. I insisted on getting a permit on the work as I don't want any hassle later on and it's only $150 or so. Some of the vendors recommended on Beyond won't run permits for you which was a deal breaker for me.

I actually have Sub Zero Technical over at my place now installing the same model most other Beyonders have (Tempstar slimline) and we'll see how they are in an hour or so when they're done but I thought their pricing was really good.

[VWEvo]

Jordan Lotoski's guy Gavin is absolutely amazing. Just had 2- 4 tonne units installed. Incredible price, but his service was awesome.

[rx7_turbo2]

Won't derail this thread like the last A/C thread.

No matter who you choose to use for your install, if you're in the City of Calgary be sure they're licensed, bonded and insured, and if any electrical components ie) new circuit breaker and wire are added that the proper permits are applied for, and ultimately inspected by a Safety Codes Officer. Being prudent will avoid future issues with your insurance company :)

If you are only looking to cool a single room or area, I've had great experiences with Mitsubishi spit units. :thumbsup:

[SportEL]

How good are Evaporative Coolers as an alternative to portable A/C units? The advantage is they don't need to be vented, use less energy, and aren't as loud. Or maybe the $400 Dyson fan?


http://www.homedepot.com/p/Honeywell-525-CFM-4-Speed-Indoor-Outdoor-Portable-Evaporative-Cooler-with-Remote-Control-for-320-sq-ft-CO30XE/205062821?N=5yc1vZc4lr

[hampstor]

Originally posted by nzwasp
Has anyone got Aircon recently installed in thier house? Im looking for a place to get a quote and a reasonable price of what it might cost or how much it cost you?

I have a 2000sq ft house.

I tried calling a couple of places but they have to give me an estimate in my home - i just wanted a general ball park I hate sales people in my home.

Had mine done a few months ago.

2200sq ft home, 3.5ton Trane unit. Friesens did it for $4000 all in (inc. GST), they pulled permits for me too.

[rx7_turbo2]

Originally posted by SportEL
How good are Evaporative Coolers as an alternative to portable A/C units
Someone with far more technical knowledge could explain why, but my dad bought a similar unit and found it wasn't all that effective, well not effective at all actually. He was using it on the B.C coast though, someone explained they're more effective in dry climates :dunno:

Originally posted by hampstor
They pulled permits for me too.
:thumbsup:

[UndrgroundRider]

We had ours put in last year. Following the recommendations in one thread or another we went with Sears. The price was quite good. Came in lower than most of the other quotes. One big bonus though was that they offered 0% financing.

[saiyajin]

Originally posted by SportEL
How good are Evaporative Coolers as an alternative to portable A/C units? The advantage is they don't need to be vented, use less energy, and aren't as loud. Or maybe the $400 Dyson fan?


http://www.homedepot.com/p/Honeywell-525-CFM-4-Speed-Indoor-Outdoor-Portable-Evaporative-Cooler-with-Remote-Control-for-320-sq-ft-CO30XE/205062821?N=5yc1vZc4lr


hmm that's interesting anyone have any experience with these? will be moving into a condo soon so looking at some portable AC units as well.

would love to see some of the set-ups everyone has as the pics from the first page aren't there as the thread was from so long ago :nut:

[yellowsnow]

Used Gavin to install my 3 ton unit a month ago. He was cheaper than the other quotes I got, and was very professional. :thumbsup: Gave me a install date, showed up with his partner, and was done in a few hours.