"Through the wall" Air conditioner

[Rand]

So an elderly relative of mine has a through the wall AC unit its a 15 year old kenmore. all the knobs are busted and its in general poor condition.

They want me to replace it I pretty much have a blank check.

current unit is unmarked but draws 8.8amps 115v so I'm guessing its an 8000btu unit.

It is in the back wall of a 1 floor condo so its used to cool 500-600sqft but there is really very little sunload with neighbors on all sides that run a/c also (above below side and side.) front is the door, back is a balcony

I'd like to know what I'm getting into I would be reusing the old installation(metal box?) It looks like it was mostly installed with some foam..

Should I upsize to 10 or 11.5kbtu?

So far the nicest one I found online seems to be

this frigidaire


one with a remote thats simple for an 85 year old woman to operate would be a huge plus.

higher EER is a plus but in general it appears the eer on through the wall is much lower than window mount??

 

[Oregoonian]

Check recent issue of 'Consumer Reports' which rated air conditioners....to choose the best both in quality and price.

 

[AandPDan]

I wouldn't upsize the btu's if the current unit does the job. If you go to big the unit will cycle on and off rapidly and it won't dehumidify as it should. It will feel damp in the apartment.

I've replaced them in the past just using the same box. Since it's a condo, keep it simple.

Just about everything nowadays comes with a remote.

 

[Donald]

It sounds like the condo has a sleeve. You need an AC designed for a sleeve. The condo association may not allow you to install anything but one in a sleeve. They want the condo's looking similar and not with a jury rigged AC stuffed in a hole. And thats reasonable.

Make sure the new AC will not require more power than the old one.

Or a new inside one that just has hoses to a small window opening.

 

[Rand]

through the wall is the type thats for the sleeve.. as the one I linked is.

its a condo with 800sq ft (20x40)

the 11500 btu is exactly... 20$ more

 

[Volvohead]

Do the smart thing, and run a load analysis before going bigger.

An oversized AC unit can create a very uncomfortable result.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: Volvohead
Do the smart thing, and run a load analysis before going bigger.

An oversized AC unit can create a very uncomfortable result.

We got a 6000btu window unit for our house and its main benefit is probably more in the dehumidifying effect of having it run for longer periods of time. I thought about getting a bigger unit but its pretty rare here we get nights much over 70F for a couple days in a row, but high humidity is very common so I thought it would be better to have it run more even when its not all that hot out.

 

[JHZR2]

IME, many ACs now are a "sleeve", in that there is an outer sheetmetal casing, and then the guts pull out. I have two window units that are that way.

So it seems that many (most?) ACs can now be dual-use.

But if there is a hole, of course it is critical that the size is about the same. Moreso on the outside becaue of siding and sealing than on the inside, which can be framed/shimmed.

If $ is no big deal, Id look at Friedrich. All made in Mexico, but my US made X-star is the best AC we have ever owned. Super quiet.

Friends just got an upper-level Frigidaire and complain about the noise, no better than something from 10+ years ago (this is a wall-installed unit).

Id look at the Friedrich Kuhl. A lot has to do with how good the install is, though Im not knowledgable about what is or isnt a good install.

I dont think the EER issue is one of window or wall unit, partially because as mentioned above, they kind of are the same. I think it more directly correlates to capacity - the higher capacity units all universally have lower EERs, with 9.7EER as roughly the max in the high teens or low 20k BTU units than smaller, which can go up into the high 11's or low 12s when down at the 5500-6000BTU size.

 

[Volvohead]

It's still hard to go wrong with a Friedrich.

Ten or fifteen years ago, Friedrich and Pannys were the gold standard in room/window units.

 

[JHZR2]

Panasonic made ACs???!?

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Panasonic made ACs???!?



Yes, good quiet ones, I still have a 5000 that's about 15 years old. Ya gott CLEAN the evap and condenser, and oil the blower motor to get long efficient life out of a window unit.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: Rand
So an elderly relative of mine has a through the wall AC unit its a 15 year old kenmore. all the knobs are busted and its in general poor condition.

They want me to replace it I pretty much have a blank check.

current unit is unmarked but draws 8.8amps 115v so I'm guessing its an 8000btu unit.

It is in the back wall of a 1 floor condo so its used to cool 500-600sqft but there is really very little sunload with neighbors on all sides that run a/c also (above below side and side.) front is the door, back is a balcony

I'd like to know what I'm getting into I would be reusing the old installation(metal box?) It looks like it was mostly installed with some foam..

Should I upsize to 10 or 11.5kbtu?

So far the nicest one I found online seems to be

this frigidaire


one with a remote thats simple for an 85 year old woman to operate would be a huge plus.

higher EER is a plus but in general it appears the eer on through the wall is much lower than window mount??


I just bought an 8000 Fridgi from Amazon. Very nice, very quiet. 200 odd bucks delivered.

 

[Shaman]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Panasonic makes ACs???!?


We have a Hitachi because the FIL worked for them, but I am pretty sure my last apartment was Panasonic, wallmount with hoses to an outside unit.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Shaman
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Panasonic makes ACs???!?


We have a Hitachi because the FIL worked for them, but I am pretty sure my last apartment was Panasonic, wallmount with hoses to an outside unit.


Oh a ductless split system. Yeah I'm sure they make those.

I'm looking at a Mitsubishi.

 

[Volvohead]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Panasonic made ACs???!?


Yes, they made room/window units.

 

[JHZR2]

heh, go figure! Cant say Ive ever seen one though...

Interesting... I generally like their stuff.