Installing Air Conditioner Units

How to Install an Air Conditioner

Overview: The location for installing air conditioner units depend if you want to cool a single room or the whole house. A window air conditioner will cool a single room but for a large space a wall mounted unit or a central air conditioner is the best way to go. 

When the dog days of summer come in August every one that does not have a complete HVAC system wishes they did. The term HVAC is often used to describe your home heating and air conditioning system. The term means the Heat-Ventilation and Air Conditioning system in your home.

Most all homes have a heating system but they may not have a system that includes all the four elements of HVAC; heat, ventilation and air conditioning. The primary utility systems in our homes vary depending where we live in the country. If you live in the cold regions your heating system most likely provides only heat such as baseboard hot water, baseboard electric, or forced hot air.

They use oil, gas, or fuel oil for a fuel supply to generate the heat. If you live in the warmer regions of the country you probably have a central HVAC system that uses a hot air heating system jointly with an air conditioning system. These systems consist of a complex system of air ducts that carry the air throughout the house. For those home owners that do not have a full HVAC system in their home and want to avoid the expense of upgrading to one, installing air conditioning units has become the solution. They work great in areas where cooling is limited to a few weeks of the year.

Unfortunately they look somewhat unsightly and are a nuisance to install and take out as the season changes. In the mid latitudes where air conditioning may be needed more than a few months of the year the window unit is not installed in the window opening. It is frequently installed in blank wall space, usually in the back or end of the house.

These air conditioning units are permanent in nature, remaining in place year around. During seasons of non-use they are covered to prevent cold air infiltration into the house. These types of units are usually large, with approximately 36.000 BTU output rating and can weigh as much as 250 pounds and run on 220 volt circuits. Normally only two units are required to cool a complete house providing they are strategically located. They are quite efficient in terms of the power use for the cooling output. Window air conditioning units with a 7,000 to 12,000 BTU’s are great for a single room such as a bedroom.

They usually operate on a 110 volt circuit which really drives up the electric bill. If possible it is better to avoid these small units and install the larger 220 volt units. The additional cost of the larger unit can be recouped from the electrical savings in about one seasons use. There is a variety of so called ductless portable air conditioners on the market. They tend to be pricy and are not very efficient. The point of air conditioning is to remove warm air or air that needs reconditioning from the house, recondition it and put it back in the house.

Central air conditioners, window, and wall units do the best job at conditioning air because they filter as well as cool it. Portable air conditioning units that set in the home and ductless air conditioner units do not filter the air. They simply cool the air that is in the room. If the room air is contaminated it will remain contaminated.

If your home requires air conditioning and you do not have a central heating system to adapt a cooling system to, the best and most efficient way is to install large wall mounted units as a DIY project. It will require cutting a hole in the outside wall to accommodate the unit. Pick a wall that is on the rear or the end of the house to enhance the esthetics of the installation. These units should be approximately 30,000 to 35,000 BTU depending upon the square footage of the house and wired on a 220 volt circuit for maximum efficiency. The operating expense of this type of installation is compatible to a central air conditioning system. If you do not have air conditioning in your home see how to reduce the humidity  by installing a dehumidifier.

Related articles:

Installing a Dehumidifier

How Air Conditioners Work

Air Conditioner Maintenance