I've done a little reading and checking up on walmart and other stores websites. Just looking for a little terbite advice. My place is 900 sq ft, open concept, rectangular. My bed is on the opposite end of where the a.c will be installed. How many btu would I need to be able to sleep comfortably at night? Would 6000-8000 do it? Or would I need 10,000 or above?
Air conditioner recommendations
- Thread starter topoon
- Start date
what ever you can afford and remember they are efficient at 90%
so if you air conditioner cools 1500 square feet and you have it in you bedroom you are wasting money
so if you air conditioner cools 1500 square feet and you have it in you bedroom you are wasting money
You'll need at least 12,000 btu. most likely something around 14K. Many of the 12 K ones are stating 550 - 650 sq ft.
My 11K one just barely does my 750 but I too have an open concept but have 14' high windows facing south.
Another good way to choose is to determine things like:
Do you have blinds?
Which direction do you face?
Do you have ceiling fans or fans to circulate the air?
If you face west, you're going to need some good block out blinds because you probably get afternoon sun. I face south and get sun until about 2 pm and when I pull my blinds my place stays way cooler longer and easier.
Are you getting a window unit? Portable? What type of apartment do you have? If it is a condo you might want to review your condo documents to see what they say about window units. Mine does NOT allow window units that protrude past the plane of the windows.
If you are in a rental unit, and electricity is included in your rent (you don't get a personalized bill) there may be clauses that prohibit you from installing an a/c unit.
My 11K one just barely does my 750 but I too have an open concept but have 14' high windows facing south.
Another good way to choose is to determine things like:
Do you have blinds?
Which direction do you face?
Do you have ceiling fans or fans to circulate the air?
If you face west, you're going to need some good block out blinds because you probably get afternoon sun. I face south and get sun until about 2 pm and when I pull my blinds my place stays way cooler longer and easier.
Are you getting a window unit? Portable? What type of apartment do you have? If it is a condo you might want to review your condo documents to see what they say about window units. Mine does NOT allow window units that protrude past the plane of the windows.
If you are in a rental unit, and electricity is included in your rent (you don't get a personalized bill) there may be clauses that prohibit you from installing an a/c unit.
Wal-Mart has a great Danby, 5'100 BTU.
I bought it, and installed it, It's doing my 500sq apartment very very well.
1 bedroom.
I bought it, and installed it, It's doing my 500sq apartment very very well.
1 bedroom.
G-Soldier76 said:
5100 btu? that's WAY underpowered for your space....but it could work if you face north and have blinds and a newer building......
You might find when it gets really hot (and it hasn't yet) that your bedroom will be warm (unless you have it in your bedroom then your livingroom will be warm).....
G-Soldier76 said:standup fan faces my bedroom door.
And yes, I face the harbour
well, the harbour is south....but I am having a hard time believing 5100 btus is cooling off 500 sq ft adequately.......but if you have very few windows, block out blinds I suppose it is possible.......
I mean, right on the ad for the a/c unit they state:
"Cools areas up to 175 sq. ft. based on the conditions"
tboy said:
Hey tboy, do they make 14,000 BTU window or portable air conditioners? (BTW How good are those portable air conditioners?) I have central air but I live in only one room at a time and am thinking maybe a portable air conditioner would save on energy costs.
It depends on your budget and your needs. These days you can get a 5000 or 6000 BTU window AC for $100. Which brings up what your windos are like, if it is the type where one side swings away from you when you crank the handle it will be the hardest type to deal with. The windows that move up and down are the easiest and the ones that slide side to side are not too much trouble.
- First look up how many BTUs you need, just check out AC sites on the web and they will recommend how many BTUs you need.
- The cheapest way is to use the window ACs. The second type is more expensive by about 3 times, that is the floor ACs with the duct tube going out the window to vent the hot air. You can use one type or a combination of the two.
- I use ceiling fans and floor fans to circulate the cold air, it make a big difference.
- First look up how many BTUs you need, just check out AC sites on the web and they will recommend how many BTUs you need.
- The cheapest way is to use the window ACs. The second type is more expensive by about 3 times, that is the floor ACs with the duct tube going out the window to vent the hot air. You can use one type or a combination of the two.
- I use ceiling fans and floor fans to circulate the cold air, it make a big difference.
yup, guess I'm nuts:
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=howTo&p=BuyGuide/AirConditioner.html
Area To Be Cooled Capacity Needed
(square feet) (Btu's per hour)
100 to 150 5,000
150 to 250 6,000
250 to 300 7,000
300 to 350 8,000
350 to 400 9,000
400 to 450 10,000
450 to 550 12,000
500 to 700 14,000
700 to 1,000 18,000
remember: when you use auxiallry fans etc those too consume energy to operate so you have to include that into the efficiency of the unit.
and
http://lgknowledgebase.com/kb/index.php?View=entry&EntryID=6265
and
http://electrical.about.com/od/heatingairconditioning/a/windowairconditionerssize.htm
and
http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/home/heating_cooling/window_ac.html
yeah, there's a bunch of us nuts out there lol....glad I'm in good company!
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=howTo&p=BuyGuide/AirConditioner.html
Area To Be Cooled Capacity Needed
(square feet) (Btu's per hour)
100 to 150 5,000
150 to 250 6,000
250 to 300 7,000
300 to 350 8,000
350 to 400 9,000
400 to 450 10,000
450 to 550 12,000
500 to 700 14,000
700 to 1,000 18,000
remember: when you use auxiallry fans etc those too consume energy to operate so you have to include that into the efficiency of the unit.
and
http://lgknowledgebase.com/kb/index.php?View=entry&EntryID=6265
and
http://electrical.about.com/od/heatingairconditioning/a/windowairconditionerssize.htm
and
http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/home/heating_cooling/window_ac.html
yeah, there's a bunch of us nuts out there lol....glad I'm in good company!
T-boy is right on with the sizing of the unit required for the space the original poster described. General rule of thumb for cooling in residential applications: 1ton/1000 sq. ft. for forced-air systems. Window units have smaller, weaker fan motors than the smallest forced-air system, & they move less air over the evaporator and need to compensate by being "oversized" to the rule..... so 1.5tons would be a good bet (1ton= 12000 btu's).
Hey Topoon, out of curiousity, when was your place built?
Hey Topoon, out of curiousity, when was your place built?
seth gecko said:
Where in blazes do you buy a window unit that pushes out 18,000 BTU's? That unit probably weighs 1.5 ton as well, so you need a pretty strong back to lift that beast.
Rockslinger said:
Futureshop, Sears, and many other places, I bought a 25,000 btu unit from futureshop.
Just one thing to note: if you have high ceilings (like mine at 14') you will need a larger unit than those suggested because those numbers are based on standard 8 or 9 foot ceilings.....
