Window Air Conditioners

[donsgal]

Who uses window air conditioners? Our new homestead (mobile home) had a central air conditioning unit when we bought it but it's old and might not work again after we hook it up. It will cost us over $250 just to find out. I told dh, let's just use window air conditioners (it's a small mobile) and he screwed his nose all up and said he would "rather not". I'm convinced that window ac is good enough and doesn't automatically put you into the trailer trash category.

What do you think?

donsgal

[agmantoo]

Here is a good alternative and will provide cheap heat in moderate climates
http://www.amana-ptac.com/
I have have excellent results using these.

[WolfWalksSoftly]

A window A/C will work fine. I lived in a 70 ft. trailer and had I think a 12000 BTU (next to the largest you could get using 110) and it worked fine.....and a lot cheaper too !

[swampgirl]

I use window units, the 110 volt kind, in several rooms in my small house. It's not a mobile home, but I wouldn't care if I were called trash because of this. This really keeps my electric bill down, because I only keep the ac on in the room we're in. Only have to run two of them if we have company. But....you'll do best to buy really good units. The Fredreich's with a high energy efficiency rating are best & last the longest.
I believe that most central ac use 220 volts and my old house does not have that.
You get a tax deduction when you buy the energy efficient ones.

[LvDemWings]

I have a 10 or 12,000 btu unit, I forget which, and it cools the whole house down. It has both a thermostat and an automatic timer. I use this in conjunction with the ceiling fans to help push the cool air into the other rooms.

[pixelphotograph]

I dont think they are wanting heat they want cool LOL

Anyway we have a custom built house that is around 3000 square feet all one level. It is now over 12 years old and we use window units for certain rooms. The new window units are cheaper to run per year than the aging whole house unit. Our electric bill went from 170 to 98 switching to window units and only cooling the rooms we stay in. We also use ceramic heaters in the winter to only heat the rooms we stay in most of the time. We close off the doors to rooms we dont use and it helps maintain temps in the rooms we use like the bedrooms and living room.
We have a very nice house so i would hardly call it trailer trash. I know others who have window units in certain rooms for extra cooling or ceramic heaters for extra heating in the winter. One day when we can afford it we will upgrade the whole house unit and may use it again but for now we are saving money on our electric bill by only cooling and heating the rooms we use the most.

[farmergirl]

We have an older mobile home with a newer central air unit, and we still opt to only turn it on once a month or so just to keep it from dieing from lack of use. We have a small, new energy efficient window unit that works quite well. We only have a window unit in the master bedroom, though I have thought of adding one to the opposite end of the house where the guest room is. One window unit won't cool the whole 3 bedroom/ 2 bath house, but it gets the master bedroom so cold that we switch it off part way through the night. I have found that switching to using just that one window unit and box fans throughout the house has cut our monthly electric bill in the summer by $150!!!

[donsgal]

Our mobile is 14X60 and I wonder if one large-ish ac would be enough for the whole thing. I'd like to stick with 110v so we don't have to do any wiring.

donsgal

[BobDFL]

We're in a MH (3/2 1600 sqft) while we are building our house on the property and just like you it had an older central air unit.

Well after getting it fixed 3 times we gave up and got 3 window units. 1 - 10,000 BTU unit in the main living area, and 2 - 5,000 BTU units, one in each of 2 bedrooms (Master and oldest DD, youngest DD didn't want one).

They keep the house fine even in our 90+ days.

[agmantoo]

The units I referenced above are heatpumps that are mounted through the wall. Makes a neat installation and is versatile. There are refurbished units available very cheap also.

[farmergirl]

Agmantoo,
Does a heat pump draw hot air from the house and dump it outdoors? If so, I might need one of those!

[farmergirl]

Originally Posted by donsgal

Our mobile is 14X60 and I wonder if one large-ish ac would be enough for the whole thing. I'd like to stick with 110v so we don't have to do any wiring.

donsgal

So your square footage is 840. You should definitely be able to find a window unit with that area cooling capacity. You'll probably have to buy one that's rated for 1000 square foot, because I believe the next smallest would be for 500 sq ft. But you can see what's available locally.

[shadowwalker]

Now we are just me and my wife. We have a almost 1300 square foot house, we have two 220 volt AC's. One in our bedroom and one in the living room. We have a small fan (about 6" wide with three speeds) on the doorway between the living room and kitchen. We leave the bedroom we don't use closed up. And we use the window shades on the sides of the house when the direct sunlight hits them. During the day. Our electric runs between 70.00 and 85.00 during the summer. And my wife works nights. So we have one running most of the time.
I never had much of a problem looking like trailer trash. To the neighbors. Growing up I had to live in houses you could see through the walls to the outside, one had no roof on one bedroom-yes we still used it as a bedroom, one had six windows and only two had glass in them.
I won't tell you about the neighbor kid that had no feet, but he always had new shoes!

[MariaAZ]

Our house has central evap cooling but we use a portable A/C in our bedroom. We've been looking at a multi-zone ductless A/C unit for the whole house. They seem pretty neat; the main unit is on the ground outside and each room cooled by it has a thermostat so you can keep areas warmer or cooler.

[Bink]

Originally Posted by donsgal

I told dh, let's just use window air conditioners (it's a small mobile) and he screwed his nose all up and said he would "rather not". I'm convinced that window ac is good enough and doesn't automatically put you into the trailer trash category.

What do you think?

donsgal

Moot point. If somebody's going to think you're trashy for using a window AC, they already think you're trash for living in a mobile home.

We use a window AC, we got it at a yard sale for $20 five years ago and it works just fine for us. When it finally craps out, we'll pitch it and replace it with another window jobbie.

[agmantoo]

farmergirl
A heatpump is a device for extracting heat or cool. Consider heatpumps as a transfer device that can take the heat from in the home and dump it externally and in the cooler season a heatpump can take the heat from the outdoors and transfer the heat to the inside of the home. The newest versions are very efficient and can provide, in some conditions, much more conditioning than the amount of the power they consume. The PTAC that I referenced in the link above mounts in a sleeve that is installed in the wall and is less obtrusive than a window unit. They are also quieter and have a remote thermostat. I use the PTACs in rental homes and if necessary I can replace one without having to go through a repair company. Do not expect service companies to give a high rating on these units as they do not like them as it takes potential work away.

[big rockpile]

Wegot two 110 Units at Lowes the largest they have before going to 220.

Our House is 20X40.They said one unit would do but because of the way our house is set up we went with two.

Oh you have to have Pink Flamingos to be Trailer Trash.

big rockpile

[PlowGirl]

Originally Posted by big rockpile

Wegot two 110 Units at Lowes the largest they have before going to 220.

Our House is 20X40.They said one unit would do but because of the way our house is set up we went with two.

Oh you have to have Pink Flamingos to be Trailer Trash.

big rockpile

NO NO! You have to leave your christmas lights up, too. And, park anywhere but the driveway.

[whiterock]

I have central heat and air in my house. When I became single , I put a small window unit in my bedroom. I cool it down for sleeping. Usually set the main unit on about 85 just to keep some humidity out of the rest of the house. When one of the kids comes in, or I have guests, I cool the whole house. "This made a husge difference in the elec bill.
Ed

[big rockpile]

Originally Posted by PlowGirl

NO NO! You have to leave your christmas lights up, too. And, park anywhere but the driveway.

Got them coverd.Been thinking of putting gravel down for Driveway but I would have to cover the whole yard.

big rockpile