Buying a new window air conditioner

last month

last modified: last month

I need a large a/c window unit bc it has to cool off a large open space of 450 sq feet. It looks like I need 12,000 BTUs. That's a heavy machine. So installation is not going to be easy. And we have vinyl siding on the house and don't want to have to screw anything into that on the outside. I assume a unit that large will need additional support brackets?

In addition to the installation issue, they've just recalled millions of units that were causing mold. Midea and associated brands...Frigidaire? Any way I am not sure if it is that particular model or if the new Ushape design units are a problem. I like the idea of the U shape and would it be easier to install? The GE has a clearview model that hangs below the sill and allows more view out the window etc. So it is one of the U shape units?

I am going around in circles about which one to get. In that 12,000 btu category - Of course I wouldn't buy a Midea, which is the most popular one. The GE Clearview - do I have enough space under the sill for it. I have a radiator there but...it is almost recessed and not on now. It would not come down low enough to cover the area where the heat comes out. But a lot of people hate the GE brand, but Consumer Reports gives it high marks.

The other two choices are LG which again, Consumer Reports rates highly, but on Amazon they tag it as something that is frequently returned. And a few very bad reviews with nightmare experiences with bad customer service for a damaged unit. I haven't read all the reviews on all the brands, I normally would but I'm rushing.

The only other unit I am considering is a Friedrich. Consumer Reports considers them lower then the others and rate them a 75 vs 89 and 92 for the others.

I was hoping that someone here might have experience with any of these air conditioners or has had some great experience with another unit that they could recommend?

Also has anyone used TaskRabbit for something like this a/c installation?

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Comments (2)

w0lley32
last month
Is there a reason why you don't want to install a minisplit system? You can get a heat pump that will also heat in the winter, and no heavy bulky air conditioners to move up and down the stairs. I used to have a 12,000 BTU window unit and I don't miss having to bring it up the stairs at all. They are more expensive up front, but they should last longer than window units.
prairiemoon2 z6b MA
Original Author
last month
last modified: last month
We considered getting a split ac unit. We just didn't think it was a good fit for us. We have a small house and just the way the rooms are configured and the available wall space, a unit installed in a wall would have stuck out like a sore thumb. Plus we'd have to install a unit outside the house, which didn't appeal to us. Splits have to have professional installation and annual professional maintenance. And the initial cost is considerably more. So we are sticking with the window a/c. And they can develop mold too and then you are looking at a solution that is a lot more expensive then replacing a window a/c unit.

We;ve avoided getting a 12,000 BTU unit for awhile. Our LR/DR/Kit are open to each other for a total of 450sq ft. Because of the weight of these larger machines, we didn't want to depend on getting help putting them in. We had a machine that was heavy and still not as high as 12,000 BTUs and we didn't enjoy getting that in the window every spring. So 6 years ago when it was time to buy another - we got a 6,000 BTU to avoid a heavy machine. We thought with the help of strategic oscilating fans we could keep it reasonably comfortable, but in a really hot week, we realized it wasn't good enough for us. So we finally decided we'll get the larger machine to really cool off the space and plan on getting help to install it and store it in the fall.

We really love the new U Shape design and the GE Clearview would have been my first choice except for the uncertainty about that design being easier to develop mold and the window we have to install an a/c has a radiator under it. So we're leaning toward just a big box a/c that sits on the window.
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