Air Conditioners and Casement Windows

[Burninator]

I haven't been getting a great sleep the past couple weeks because of the heat. So I am planning on buying a portable air conditioner to cool my place down. The only problem is all my windows are casement (hinged on one side and crank out) and my exterior door is a regular door. So the attachments that come with the units won't help me.

My casements aren't very big, about 1' x 4'-6". I figure I need to replace the screen with a solid board with holes to allow for the vents. I figure I could use painted plywood, plexi-glass or some sort of plastic. But I am unsure how to mount it to my window so it doesn't fall in or out and keeps the bugs out. I also don't want to damage my window in this process if at all possible.

Any ideas? Anyone else done this before? Thanks for your help.

[Jimmy Stang]

At work we have one of those standalone/portable air conditioning units. They come with a tube that you vent with, and requires substantially less window space than the types that sit mostly outside of the window. The disadvantages, however, are that they are very loud as they are inside your room, and they also need to be drained because they collect the water instead of letting it drip to the ground.

Even one of those ones would require some modification to fit in the casement windows that you have, however.

[Jimmy Stang]

Although not an air conditioner (and not sure whether it would easily fit into your window), but I have something similar to this:

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/3/HouseHome/1/HeatingAirConditioning/ElectricFans/PRD~0435611P/NOMA%2525AE%252BDual%252BWindow%252BFan.jsp?locale =en

It works surprisingly well, especially if you set it to "exhaust" so it sucks the air out of the house. Seems counter intuitive, but it cools the house much better. Our bedroom is at the back of the house where I leave the window open a bit, and I have this at the front spinning away all night. It creates a nice through draft and makes the house noticeably cooler.

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang

At work we have one of those standalone/portable air conditioning units. They come with a tube that you vent with, and requires substantially less window space than the types that sit mostly outside of the window. The disadvantages, however, are that they are very loud as they are inside your room, and they also need to be drained because they collect the water instead of letting it drip to the ground.

Even one of those ones would require some modification to fit in the casement windows that you have, however.

That is the type of air conditioner that I was looking to buy. One that sits inside and has a vent or two that exhausts to the outside. The window mounted a/c units aren't allowed in my building.

[GoinAllTheWay]

I think I'm understanding your window and I'm sure the one I have would fit it. My windows open up and down. Without having to take the screen out, I lift the window about 6-8 inches so I can put in this thin plastic sleeve that the vent from the AC clips onto. I can't imagine this setup having a problem with a window that cranks out. If a window is not an option, you can always put the vent down a cold air return. Moisture tanks aren't much of a concern either as they tend to evaporate the air in the holding tank and send it out with the outgoing hot air. I have never had to drain mine in the 2 yrs I've owned it.

If you want more info on it, I can post the make and model when I get home tonight. It's not overly loud either and does a bang up job.

[Burninator]

This what a casement window looks like.



It will work with a windows like this? The problem that I have seen with every adapter that comes with the portable a/c units is it won't seal off the opening. There is nothing to prevent the exhaust air from coming back in.

[Jimmy Stang]

I think that you could definitely rig one to fit in your window by pinching the exhaust vent in the casement window. The tricky part would be closing off the rest of the window to ensure that you don't lose all of that cold air back to the outside.

If you're handy and don't mind losing all of the light from that window for the summer, you could always do kind of what you said in your first post - take the window and screen out and make a big piece of wood/plastic to fill the window and then put a hole to match the size of the exhaust vent.

If I made it, it would look hideous. But I would rather be cool anyway. Your level of handiness might make it look presentable.

Edit: And I have never seen anything that would fit a casement window perfectly, unfortunately. Some amount of improvisation would definitely be needed, whether it involved the entire window frame, or just the open part.

[yads]

At my old house I had this exact problem. I built a screen. Here's what you need:

As screen kit
A piece of plexi-glass
Some clear caulking

Assemble 3 sides of the screen kit, but turn the bars so that the slot that is normally for the rubber spline faces inwards. That slot is were you will slide the plexi glass. You will need to file down the corner connector pieces because they're only meant to connect in the other direction. You will then need 2 pieces of the same size for the other end of your screen frame. One piece will hold the plexi glass in place and the other piece is for the air conditioner window piece. Use caulking between the plexi glass and the screen.

This will work on a normal sized window, For a narrow window like you have, you will likely have to make a more complicated screen.

[OldDutch]

Bump.

I want to buy a portable air conditioner now, but I have the same issue with casement (crank out) windows. In the last few years has anyone figured out a easier solution than build a plexi glass window? If not, is there good instructions you can share on how to build a good adapter for the exhaust?

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by OldDutch

Bump.

I want to buy a portable air conditioner now, but I have the same issue with casement (crank out) windows. In the last few years has anyone figured out a easier solution than build a plexi glass window? If not, is there good instructions you can share on how to build a good adapter for the exhaust?

my dad bought plaxiglass, and replaced the screen with Plexiglass, and cut a hole in the plexiglass to fit the exhaust tube.

[Rerun]

This is my airconditioner. Open the window, place the fan in front of said window, turn fan on, close room door. 2 hours later room is same temp as outside.

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by OldDutch

Bump.

I want to buy a portable air conditioner now, but I have the same issue with casement (crank out) windows. In the last few years has anyone figured out a easier solution than build a plexi glass window? If not, is there good instructions you can share on how to build a good adapter for the exhaust?

I have yet to find a solution that will work for me without damaging my window. I looked at doing the plexiglass screen/window idea but it won't work with the style of my window (at least not easily). Luckily my casement isn't that wide (less than a foot opening). So I just used the expandable exhaust vent that came with the unit and slightly forced it between the head and sill. Then I cover up the remaining couple inches with plastic (plastic cardboard type material) and white tape to secure everything. It doesn't look as bad as it sounds. It seems to do the trick. I would like something better but haven't come across it yet.

[flamingchina]

On a related note: We need a new air conditioner for the condo, and can only have the portable kind. It's a large loft, so I need something that can cool a lot of space (800 sq ft of floor space, with 20 foot ceilings)
Anyone have any suggestions?