Appliances Discussions

Air conditioners are extremely easy to figure out. First, go to Sears. The boxes for most air conditioners will have a chart on them showing what BTU range for what size room. Then, if the room has sunny windows, add 500 BTU per window; if it's a kitchen, add 1500 BTU; for every person beyond two who will be in the room, add 500 BTU (I believe these are all approximately correct numbers...I have a million different numbers in my head). If you don't see air conditioners in boxes at the store, there will be pamphlets that have all this information in them, along with a line-up of most of the models Sears carries. From there, select the right size and take it home. It doesn't get much easier!

A personal habit of mine is to simply measure the dimensions of the window and then buy the highest BTU model that has an energy star certification on a 110volt cord. I like overkill - i'd rather have the ability to make a room considerably colder than is comfortable, then just the ability to make it comfy. that way, anyone regardless of their personal preference to room temperature should be able to be happy in the room, and on unnaturally hot days, i wont have to worry either.

But thats just me. And its not a scientific process at all!

It's also a wasteful process. If the air conditioner is too large for the room, it will use excessive energy and get cold too fast, and the air will not have been sufficiently dehumidified, resulting in a clammy room. If the air conditioner is too small for the room, it will take too long to cool, and the air conditioner will run full-blast all the time, again wasting energy. The best method is to use the chart at Sears for determining A/C size. Then the A/C will cool AND dehumidify the room effectively. You wouldn't buy a car based on the width of your driveway, why buy an A/C with the same philosophy?

Go to the Searws store get ahold of the brochure and it shall recommend the type you may need and their are plenty of internet sites for info also.

Also, if the room is in an open area (Living Room), keep in mind that without closing doors, the air conditioner will attempt to cool the larger combined area - lowering the unit's effective cooling power to the one main room.

Closing doors to contain the cool air and to reduce the load on the unit works.

And, in a pinch, even tacking up a temporary "blanket" doorway covering improves a unit's performance on especially hot days.

Anything 18,000 BTU or up IS a 240 volt unit.

Don't buy one - if you're not prepared to hire an Electrician to run the higher voltage to your new BIG unit.

I accepted returns of AC's for years at one Sears store and the biggest issue is the initial "sizing" of the unit.

The little 10 x 10, 5000 BTU units will probably NOT meet your needs.

All AC's "leak" some water out of the back.

Some into a tray, that the internal fan attempts to evaporate and some out a little drain hole in the back of the unit.

You can even install a drain hose to the air conditioner to "water" a nearby plant.

Also, some apartment/duplex dwellers are not allowed to have anything sticking out of their windows.

The Sears portable AC unit addresses this complaint, very well.

Good luck with your choice.

Sears has a lot of good units.