Advice on buying an air conditioner? I'm a girl, btw.

Ferret Lady

Ferret Lady

Well-known member
ha ha. ok, i told you I'd do it (adding the I'm a girl bit.. heh ..)

it's SO hot in my apartment that i can barely stand to be in here so i need to get an air conditioner so i can spend more time sitting infront of my computer and posting on DVX User. heh.

but i don't know what to look for and i was wondering if you guys have any advice? i'm thinking i'll buy a used one on craigslist and i'm willing to spend up to $200. i'd like something that's easy to maintain and i don't have to install. just something that sits in my living room and maybe i have to empty the water thing occasionally or whatever.. i dunno, i've never had one..

my place is pretty big, well by my terms anyways... i think the whole apartment is like 900 - 1000 sq ft, if my memory is correct..

so any advice guys?
 
My neighbour/uncle has a portable one, thats a conditioner dehumidifier. It works pretty well and don't think it's too expensive.

And yeah, it has been hot as hell here the past couple of days.

What about mounting one in a window, is that an option?
 
ya i could mount one in my window i think but being a girl and all i wouldnt know the first thing about how to install it and would probably drop it out the window.. ha ha..

no but to serious, i just want one that can sit on the floor, like one of those up right portable ones.... i was in futureshop the other day and they had these but they were like $600. my friend bought a $200 one (it was new) and said it didnt work at all..

so... do you know how many btu's i need for my place?
 
you want to look at two things. btu and seer rating. the higher the btu, the larger area the air conditioner will cover. the higher the seer rating, the more energy efficient the unit is.

as far as instillation goes, it will be much easier to get two small window units than a large one. unless you're helga from american gladiators, you won't be able to lift a large air conditioner by yourself.

also, if you get two small air conditioners you can place one in your bedroom and one in the living room. that way you can have a smaller air conditioner running in your room at night instead of a larger one for the entire house that consumes more energy. close doors to cool off the room and use fans when you want to circulate the air around the house.
 
thanks ooga booga. :) very informative post... sadly i am not helga. so you're idea of two small ones is pretty good except i think i can only afford one right now.. buying that mac pro really set me back!
 
scratchpatchfilms said:
thanks ooga booga. :) very informative post... sadly i am not helga. so you're idea of two small ones is pretty good except i think i can only afford one right now.. buying that mac pro really set me back!
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if you look around you can find one for $99.99. target and sears both have them.
if you're strapped for cash you could just get one for now.

but if you see a deal on craigslist for a bigger air conditioner you could go that route.

10,000 btu is too small to cool an entire apartment. it will sufficiently cool one area of your place, but won't be enough for the entire thing.
 
i'd settle for my living room being cool. i just measured my living room plus kitchen and it's about 21ft by 17ft. any recommendations for how many btu's this would need?
 
Scratch,

Buy two small window units off of craigslist + 24 pack for two guy friends who will install it for you, and follow with a cool party with cold beer.

Problem solved?
 
scratchpatchfilms said:
thanks simon. good suggestion... guys will do anything for free beer, right? heh.
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Alright... I've been quiet thus far... but now this is getting a little out of control. The power is being abused!

Ohh, who am I kidding. Guys will do anything for beer (or in my case, Vodka Tonic).:beer:

On a serious note, I'm going to agree with the norm that the window units are much more "proven" than the stand alone's. AND can be picked up a lot cheaper...

Out of curiosity, is AC not a standard in Canada apts? or is this just a rare case?
 
ryan brown said:
Alright... I've been quiet thus far... but now this is getting a little out of control. The power is being abused!

Ohh, who am I kidding. Guys will do anything for beer (or in my case, Vodka Tonic).:beer:

On a serious note, I'm going to agree with the norm that the window units are much more "proven" than the stand alone's. AND can be picked up a lot cheaper...

Out of curiosity, is AC not a standard in Canada apts? or is this just a rare case?
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by the power of greyskull i command thee!!!!! ah ha.. sorry.

anyways. phh. as if every apartment in USA comes equipped with air conditioning! some got em, some don't. i'm sure most newer buildings do but i live in an older, 3 story walk up.
 
I´m in the same boat 32 and more Celsius the whole week.
And 8 workstations on 10 square meters.

Phew!

Here in Germany AC is a rare beast.
I had one of the transportable stand allone units and gave it back after 3 days.

Need energy like crazy, and has an hot air "exhaust hose" that you have to route out of the window - that thing allone almost heats more than the unit cools.

Get a window AC or two - sure te best bet.

Many greetings from the hot, sunny down south (Bavaria),

Frank
 
As I sayd, forget it.
The exhaust hose is heating like hell, your electricity bill will raise to obcene figures and it don´t cool verry well.

Just leving the fridge doore open would be cheaper and cooler :)

Get a window AC!

Frank
 
Postmaster said:
As I sayd, forget it.
The exhaust hose is heating like hell, your electricity bill will raise to obcene figures and it don´t cool verry well.

Just leving the fridge doore open would be cheaper and cooler :)

Get a window AC!

Frank
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i dont care much about the electricity cuz that's included in my rent and even if it wasnt, it's only for a month or two... i NEED to cool down, i'm dying here, so it's worth the money!

but i dont get it. if i hang the exhaust hose out the window, doesnt that solve the problem? i could even make some sort of contraption for the window that has a hole in it to attach the hose too... (i've been known to be quite handy in my day..)

why won't this one work? i just really cant install a window one on my own and dont have any guy friends avalable now to help...
 
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