Thinking of installing air conditioning of any kind
 

Lets first take a look around.

If you are thinking of installing air conditioning of any kind, whether central air or a window unit first look at the size and overall tightness of the area that you are wanting to cool.

Check List Of Things To Look For

How large is the room or building?

How many windows does this building or room have?

How high or the ceilings? (I live in the Southern portion of the US, where we have some houses and buildings with extremely high ceilings.)

Does the building or room get any shade during the hottest part of the day?

How much money do I have to spend? Or what can I afford?

Now, lets go shopping!!

Hopefully you have now examined the space in which you are wanting to cool, and made a few observations.

If you are running low of money and can not afford a central unit, (that is a unit that is usually placed outside your home or building but have duct work and vents that bring cool air into each room.) Then a window unit may be what you need.

If you are going to purchase a window unit, take into consideration the above questions and remember that you not only are cooling the air inside the building or room but also you are cooling you and everything else that is inside the room.

Some mistakes people make.

One of the most common mistakes people make when it comes to air conditioning is they place musical thermostat. That is where they change the air conditioner settings during the day and night. This wastes electricity and cuts down on both the life and efficiency of the unit. So make sure you set your air conditioner at a comfortable level and leave it there.

If you are buying a window unit, make sure you purchase one that has the type of fan switch that will enable the fan to cut on and off when the compressor cuts on and off. Not all window units have this ability and can run up your electric bill because the fan runs all the time.

I have known people who have bought small air conditioners and expect them to cool a large area. Make sure you check the Kilowatts Output on the one you are looking into buying to make sure it is large enough to handle the space you are wanting to cool. It is better to buy too big a unit than buy one too small. This is because the smaller unit will have to struggle to cool the large area.

Lastly
Shop around and ask questions, see what types other people you know are using, take into consideration the above questions when asking and keep a record of what brand they like and where they bought it.

Happy cooling!

* Added as per request on June 6, 2003 *

I've been asked several times since writing this review, for more information regarding air conditioners. The reason I can not give you a starting point with what size is good for which size rooms is there are several variants that can affect this. As I mention is my article, the size of the room, the insulation in that room (or lack thereof as is the case in my area often times), how cool you wish to keep the area verses how hot it gets outside. These are all things to keep in mind when shopping for an air conditioner.

For example, when we bought the house I live in now they told us that we wouldn't need more than a two-ton central unit. However, since I know I want to keep my house around sixty five to sixty eight degree's Fahrenheit we bought a four ton unit.

It works basically the same when buying a window unit or a central air conditioning unit the way we have, you have to think about how hot it gets in your area verses how cool you wish to keep it indoors. The smaller until would have worked fine, had I not wanted to keep the inside of my home as cool as I do.

If I had chosen the smaller until, it possibly could have done the job, however, it would have had to work harder.

I hope this helps answer some of the questions. I will not give examples of BTU's because my example might or might not agree with your needs. You really have to just do as I suggested in the above article and do your research, check around ask the people you know what types theirs are and how good or bad they've performed. Then take that information in account when choosing the one you think is right for you.

Thank you for reading.
Kahfess