175 posts tagged with ac.
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Texas filter: replace Central AC with Heat Pump?
The kind folks who installed a new central AC system in my Austin home suggest it’s nearing the end of its life (10 years) and should be replaced soon. They discouraged me from replacing with a heat pump. A friend who oversees HVAC issues with a large school district said that I should stick with my existing gas furnace, as ‘heat pumps are more efficient than older electric furnaces but not gas.’ Should I consider installing a heat pump to replace the AC and continue using the gas furnace for heating? [more inside]
Hot house: a central air conditioning query
My in-laws live in a house built in the 1980s in an area known for hot, muggy summers. They've lived there for almost 30 years. The house has central air conditioning and the first floor is usually very cool and comfortable. But upstairs it's like there's no air conditioning at all (at least 10-15 degrees hotter than the rest of the house without much cool air coming through the upstairs vents). [more inside]
Can mold be fully cleaned out of a window A/C unit (and if so, how)?
There's a window A/C that's lived in our shed since before I moved in. Whenever I walk into that shed, I immediately start sneezing and coughing. I had sinus issues last summer when my roommate was using the A/C in their room across from mine. I'd like to use it for the kitchen this summer, though - is it possible to clean all the mold out, and how would I go about doing that?
Could we reuse our AC ducts for heat pump heating?
We've been looking into replacing our aged central AC and our gas-powered hydronic heat with an air-source heat pump. We already have ducts for the AC, but they are in the ceiling and cooled air flows down from them into the house. The HVAC guy pointed out that if the heat pump pumped heat through those ducts, it would be inefficient because heat rises, so he suggested either building floor ducts (which is expensive) or going with a ductless system. It makes sense, but I just want to check: How inefficient is it? Is there really no way to use these ducts we already have? [more inside]
What’s wrong with my air conditioner?
What’s going on with my AC? The drip pan is filling up. [more inside]
Where to buy an old-fashioned AC window unit?
I want to buy a window-mounted air conditioner with drainage holes on the bottom of the unit. That turns out to be a surprisingly tall order these days. Do you know of any new models, sub $200, that aren't designed to retain water? [more inside]
Do I Need to AC My Bedroom During the Day to Prevent Mold?
I formerly lived in a hot dry city, and in the summer I would close all the doors to all the rooms during the peak hours and only AC my living/ dining room. I now live in a hot humid city, and am wondering if not keeping my bedroom cool/ dry (I'm running my AC in dehumidifier mode) during the day will invite mold. I don't want to needlessly cool a room I'm not using, but I don't want ruined bed and/ or closet stuff either, so bedroom door: open or closed during the day?
AC in very unhealthy air quality area
We are in a very smoky area, and people in my household have respiratory ailments.
What if anything can we do to help maximize better indoor air through our central air conditioning?
Cooling a three bedroom terraced house in the UK
It's so hot and I'm trying to figure out longer-term solutions to the heat problem in my house. Help! [more inside]
AC unit arrived oily?
Ordered this AC unit refurbished and on unboxing revealed itself to be...greasy. Gross, but also weird. I've cleaned it but don't know how serious this is. [more inside]
Power Outage> Generator> Furnace/AC> How?
My house has central air through a gas-fired furnace. It doesn’t function when the power is out. What is the simplest/cheapest way to use a generator to supply the necessary electricity for the AC to work? I’m aware of the high end solutions and know that an electrician/new wiring is probably involved. I’m trying to ascertain the range of possibilities that won’t damage anything. Thanks!
Why is our air conditioning suddenly worse after a repair?
We recently got back from a week's vacation, arriving home at midnight to a dead air conditioner. In July. In Texas. Many tears were shed. We had a recommended repair company come out the next morning, and he fixed it. All was well! Except... not. [more inside]
A/C unit compatible with air filter?
Is there such a thing as a Portable A/C unit that is compatible with a MERV-13 or higher air filter? Our apartment has no A/C, but we had to keep windows closed all weekend due to air quality, and it was quite overheated inside. We'd like to kill two birds with one (cool-to-the-touch) stone...
Portable AC busted or just overworked?
We bought a new portable AC to cool my attic office, but it’s blowing hot air instead of cool air. I probably should have sized up even more to account for attic heat, but is blowing hot air a sign that the unit is defective, or just not able to cool the space? [more inside]
Window unit AC compressor thumping - why?
I have a six year old window unit air conditioner which produces a single pronounced thump at intervals. Why? [more inside]
High BTU
I have a window that slides open horizontally with a max opening of 20 3/8" width x 32 1/2" height. What is the highest BTU air conditioner that can fit in it? [more inside]
Most efficient window AC set up
From an efficiency perspective, is it better to cool a small apartment with one larger window AC or two smaller window ACs? [more inside]
How do we de-stink our air conditioner?
Our Mitsubishi mini-split smells bad at certain times. I've read about dirty-sock syndrome and understand something must be cleaned, but I'm not sure what or how to do it. The manual is completely unhelpful on this point. [more inside]
Sharing a Heat Pump for Multiple Uses
We are thinking about adding a chest freezer in the garage. We have also considered adding ductless minisplit AC to a room or three in the house. The thing that turned me off the AC previously was not having a great place for the compressor, but if we're going to get a freezer anyway, I'm wondering if there are any space/energy efficient combo options that could use the same heat pump for multiple applications.
How much better are dual-inverter window AC units?
I have a window AC unit in my bedroom that is fairly quiet when running, but often wakes me up when the compressor kicks in. It's a small room and the current AC is somewhat oversized, which I know is part of the problem here.
Will a smaller, dual-inverter unit actually help me? More details within. [more inside]
Help me understand this HVAC system!
New home owner, no info from prior owner, complicated to me! [more inside]
New air conditioner doesn't hold stable temperature at night
My wife and I recently bought a new 6,000 BTU window air conditioner (model LG LW6017R). It cools the room in the evening, but doesn't hold the temperature at night. [more inside]
Yet another question about a noise keeping me up at night
I'm still cursed to not get a good night's sleep. My downstairs neighbor's window AC unit is incredibly loud. Normally for me, noise at night is no issue because I sleep with earplugs and occasionally earmuffs over them. However, this noise is bassy and carries through those, and it's at a low enough frequency that neither that attenuation or any amount of white noise helps. Strangely, it's only on at night, and only from 11 PM - 8 AM or so. [more inside]
Window air conditioner that filters out cigarette smoke etc.?
We live in a ground floor apartment and our only windows face a walkway where people like to gather to smoke cigarettes and sometimes use as a toilet. [more inside]
Best video of cleaning a window AC unit
Hi there - I'd like to show my landlord how easy it is to clean a window AC unit (when you have access to a hose, and strong people to carry it, which I don't). There are a lot of videos showing how to do this - what's the best one? [more inside]
Controlling an AC using a universal TV remote?
Every button on my window AC unit is working...except on/off. The AC still powers on via Delay Start. It came with a flimsy (infrared) remote that broke long ago.
I've seen universal AC remotes and replacements for my model, and I might go that route eventually. For today, I just want to do some cheap testing. Could an ordinary TV remote work if I programmed it with the correct Frigidaire AC code?
This Old House Spring Edition - Plumbing Noise and A/C Service
Two questions:
- What is that beached-whale groaning noise that my cold water pipes make when the cold water is turned on? (Video with audio inside) What can I do to solve it, or is this a call a plumber now situation?
- I'm getting mailers from service companies I've previously used to install things chiding me to do A/C maintenance. My system is going on it's second year now - are these maintenance service calls needed? [more inside]
Okay how does this unmarked Japanese AC/Heater work?
So the Beaver heater/AC in my new bedroom in Japan has a wired remote. Pic of AC and a Pic of Remote. It's got a bunch of sliders that do...something. I can't figure out what. Once it had some kind of panel on it that explained what things did. It doesn't now. So first, what model is this thing? Second, what DID it say on the remote? And third, roughly translated, what does that mean in ENGLISH? Please help. It's cold here.
Will a new furnace be quiter then a 30 year old furnace?
Will a new furnace be quiter then a 30 year old furnace? [more inside]
How do I turn off my PTAC heat?
How do I stop the heat coming out of my McQuay through the wall HVAC system? [more inside]
soothing noises
My husband is stressed out about mold. Can you help me reassure him? [more inside]
Setting AC in 100 plus degree weather
If I set my AC to 84 when it's 105 degrees am I conserving the system or making it work harder because I'm allowing it to get too hot? [more inside]
On and Off and On and Off...
Does turning the Air Conditioning off during non-business hours save money for office buildings? [more inside]
Do you run your wall AC unit constantly?
My new apartment in LA has wall AC units, and I'm wondering if they're meant to run all day (even while I'm at work), or if they should only be turned on while I'm at home. All of my previous apartments had central air. [more inside]
Portable AC experiences?
I have never had a portable AC and I am curious if my experience with mine is the norm.
Turning off and on repeatedly over night. [more inside]
How bad are window AC units (old and/or new) for mold allergy?
I'm trying to find a new apartment in Chicago. A lot of older high-rises, which would otherwise be a good fit, have window air conditioner units. I'm seeing a lot of warnings about mold in window AC units. [more inside]
Mold in air conditioners questions
Found some mold in window air conditioners, trying to figure out what to do now. [more inside]
Best way of cooling a house using window A/C units?
I will be renting a 2-level house without central air. I would like recommendations from people on how many/how big/what type of window A/C units I should get. [more inside]
How to jury-rig a window AC to work well with a window that's too small?
I've discovered my new window is just a bit too narrow for my air conditioner. Please help me make an insulated tent (or something?) to keep hot air venting outward safely and (relatively) efficiently. [more inside]
Help me cool my studio condo.
The risers in my building are being replaced, and just my luck I’m in the last tiers as summer approaches. I need a solution while the convectors are out of commission. [more inside]
Kobo won't turn on!
I have a Kobo e-reader that is about 5 years old. I haven't used it in a couple of years. Now, no matter what I try (all kinds of suggestions from the Internet - various different chargers, pushing the button several times while plugged in, holding down for X seconds while plugged in, etc. ), I can't get it to turn on. The error message is "Please charge your EReader. Please connect to an AC outlet or your computer to recharge.". I realize this is my mistake. I should have topped up the charge occasionally. It's a micro USB if that helps. Do you know any hacks that I may not have happened upon? Am I wasting my time? Thanks!
Mini-duct air conditioning for an old house
Retrofitting an old house for air conditioning. Does anyone have experience with retrofitted high-velocity mini-duct AC systems? [more inside]
How do I mini split?
Renting a place with Daikin mini-splits, and can't seem to figure out how to effectually use it. [more inside]
Which heat pump to get?
My heat pump (a 10 SEER packaged unit) is dead. It would cost at least $800 to fix it, assuming it's an easy fix. If not, it would either be unfixable (because no one makes the coils anymore), or cost well over $1k (if, for example, the reversing valve needs to be fixed/replaced). So I've had a few different quotes on new heat pumps, and can't decide what to do... Can anyone shed some light on the best route to take? [more inside]
Get My AC Into This Terrible Small Window
Radiator vs. A/C: Whichever wins, we lose.
The radiators in our new home are going rogue and destroying our attempts at using A/C. How do we turn off our radiators for the season? [more inside]
How To Know if Heating/AC ducts should be replaced?
My place has forced heat. I'm getting quotes to cut in AC. Most reviews I read say the person who quoted the job said they should replace their ducts, and this seems like a typical upsell. Sure enough, at the first quote, the guy suggested replacing my ducts. How do I know if I need to do that or not? [more inside]
How to cool off my basement apartment this summer?
Summer is coming! I love my apartment. It is large, it is in a wonderful neighborhood, it is affordable, it is also in Brooklyn (miracle!). However, I am from a Midwestern clime, and am hopelessly intolerant of summer heat. I have a basement apartment, so the windows that I have all have bars on them. [more inside]
How can I insulate my window air conditioner against the cold?
The sides are essentially open to the elements and I'm looking for a way to cover them up. [more inside]
Please help me install a window air conditioner safely
I own this relatively new (only one season of use) 6000+ BTU GE window air conditioner, but have lost the plastic framework that allows it to be installed in a window. Does a universal kit exist that will fit this A/C (and if so where can it be ordered online)? Also, please share your tips for successfully and safely installing a window A/C unit that won't ever fall out? [more inside]