Air Conditioning

[dj_rice]

Being the cheap Nammer I am, I decided to wait till summer was over and almost near winter to cash in on buying a Air Conditioner to get some good discounts but I think I have been waiting a bit too long and Costco/Home Depot are starting to put away A/C units and bringing out heater units


Anyone know any stores that still have AC units for sale for good pricing?I've checked Home Depot, Futureshop, Canadian Tire so far, any help is appreciated and I need something able to cool 1000sq/feet of living space, (2 bedrooms and the kitchen)


So far, this is the best one for the power

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brows...onditioner.jsp

[Mixalot27]

Honestly I don't think a unit like you're looking at is going to be very effective at cooling 3 separate rooms at the same time. By nature, cold air is very dense and doesn't move well around corners, under doors, etc. Unless you are planning to buy several high velocity fans to move the air, the portable air conditioner is really only going to cool down the room which it is located in. So unless you plan on constantly moving it around to which ever room you are in at the time, I would suggest buying 2 or even 3 smaller units, as oppose to one larger unit.

[dj_rice]

Originally posted by Mixalot27
Honestly I don't think a unit like you're looking at is going to be very effective at cooling 3 separate rooms at the same time. By nature, cold air is very dense and doesn't move well around corners, under doors, etc. Unless you are planning to buy several high velocity fans to move the air, the portable air conditioner is really only going to cool down the room which it is located in. So unless you plan on constantly moving it around to which ever room you are in at the time, I would suggest buying 2 or even 3 smaller units, as oppose to one larger unit.

Thanks for the information, would it help if I left the AC on during the day and left both bedroom doors open?And the rooms aren't really separated as I live in a condo, the AC unit would be going in the living room/kitchen, dunno if that helps

[Mixalot27]

Yes it would definitely be better to leave the bedroom doors open. Also you can use fans to help direct the flow of air from the A/C into the bedrooms. During the day you would want to keep all the windows shut to keep the hot air from getting in and the cold air from getting out. As for running it during the day, its usually recommended to run an A/C before your place gets hot and you actually need it. But you also have to keep your electricity bill in mind too as it can get expensive if you run it 24/7.

The window you are using to vent the A/C should also be closed except for a small area to fit the venting hose. If your windows are the type that open by sliding upward or to the side, the A/C you buy should have a kit which will work to do this. If your windows are the type that open outward with a crank, you will have to get a piece of plexi-glass made or rig something up yourself. You want a nice tight seal with no heat getting in from outside and no cool air escaping out of your place.

Also portable A/C's aren't as efficient when they are in direct sunlight, so you might want to put it by a window that doesn't get much direct sunlight, or else have good blinds or curtains on the window in front of it. Actually good blinds or curtains on all windows helps quite a bit to keep the heat out. In particular home theater blackout blinds or curtains which keep out almost all the light.

The ideal setup would be a small portable A/C in each bedroom and then a larger one for the Living room/kitchen. And then also some good quality blinds or curtains on all windows. But obviously you can only do what your budget allows. Something is always better than nothing. You can always move the A/C from the living room into one of the bedrooms at night for sleeping, if need be.

[dj_rice]

My condo fees pay for electricity/natural gas/and water so I BBQ everyday and am fine with leaving the AC running all the time and I wish I had the option for in-window units but condo board regulations don't allow it and the ledge is too small/weak to support one and yes my window opens outward with a crank, and theres the screen/mesh thing

[Mixalot27]

That's awesome that electricity is covered in your condo fees. That should make it easier to keep your place cool. The outward crank type window presents a bit of an issue, since portable A/C's don't come with a kit to fit those. I've seen people who just clip the hose to their screen or run it right out the window. Problem with that is the rest of the window is also open, so half the heat you are exhausting is coming right back in, and half the cool air your producing is escaping out the window. So if you want it to be efficient, you have to make something to cover most of your screen, but that has a small opening for the hose to exhaust out.

I guess it all depends on how bad your heat problem is. Personally I live in a top floor loft condo which faces West. My ceilings are 21 feet high and I have many huge windows. So my place gets god awful hot. I've spent the last 3 summers and over $2000 just to be able to keep the temperature tolerable.

I hear you about the window A/C units, more affordable and efficient. Or better yet, central air. But unfortunatley not an option in most condos/apartments.

Keep an eye on the Sears website, they usually carry quite a few A/C's and sometimes have some good sales.

[dj_rice]

I live on the top floor also, which faces east and it gets insanely hot, last summer was intolerable, it was 30 outside, itd be 36+ inside my condo...

But thanks for all ur suggestions, much appreciated, I'm hoping somewhere has a clearance sale on AC units

[Mixalot27]

My place would get around 10 - 15 degrees hotter than it was outside, so if 30 outside, at least 40 inside. Now with Blackout curtains on all windows and 2, 10 000 btu portable A/C's, I can keep the main floor to about 25 during the day and 21 or so at night. The loft is kind of a lost cause but Its just my home gym up there anyway. The electricity costs my a pretty penny though.

I got lucky around this time last year, and got my portable A/C's for 60% off from the Home Depot website, they came to about $250 each. Hopefully you can find a similar deal, good luck with the search.

[thetransporter]

If your are going to spend 700$ your better of spending a few more and getting a central AC installed that uses your existing ducts.and then you will probaby have a better warranty then dealing with Canadian tire.

If your home is 10 degrees hoter outside, try leaving hte windows CLOSED at nighttime when its cold in calgary. then when it gets hot side notice how quickly the house warms up. its all about building materials, windows and quality of home.

[dj_rice]

Originally posted by thetransporter
If your are going to spend 700$ your better of spending a few more and getting a central AC installed that uses your existing ducts.and then you will probaby have a better warranty then dealing with Canadian tire.

If your home is 10 degrees hoter outside, try leaving hte windows CLOSED at nighttime when its cold in calgary. then when it gets hot side notice how quickly the house warms up. its all about building materials, windows and quality of home.

I live in a condo....there is no ducts?

[thetransporter]

Originally posted by dj_rice



I live in a condo....there is no ducts?

oh sorry.