Category Archives: Window Air Conditioner

Types of Air Conditioner Units

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Window air conditioners are the most common style of A/C, but – like everything else in appliances  – they’re by no means standard.

Depending on your home, you might purchase a casement air conditioner or a wall air conditioner instead.

Casement Air Conditioners

Casement air conditioners (also known as slider casement air conditioners) are very similar to window units, but they’re designed for framed windows with a sliding sash or metal casement. Casement air conditioners are tall and thin as opposed to traditional window units, which are short and wide.

In general, casement air conditioners cost more than traditional window units and offer less selection.

Wall Air Conditioners

Wall air conditioners, you guessed it, go into a wall cutout. Air and moisture vent through their back, unlike window and casement window units, which exhaust air and moisture out both the sides and the back.

Window air conditioners are NOT appropriate for use in a wall application, as the compressor could burn out from improper ventilation and moisture build-up could cause mold in the walls.

Wall air conditioners also are generally more expensive than window units, as they are more of a specialty product.

But if you don’t like the look of a air conditioner hanging out of your window or if you dislike reinstalling your window unit every year, getting a wall unit cut in to your house could be the answer.

Which air conditioner type do you prefer? Let us know in the comments.

HOW TO: buy a window air conditioner

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Don’t expect any reprieve after the weekend’s hot, humid weather. Today’s supposed to see record high temperatures in the 90s.

Excessive Heat Warnings have been issued for this afternoon and early tonight for Hennepin and Ramsey counties.

Here at Warners’ Stellian, that means sweaty, sleepless customers start shopping for window AC units (or wall air conditioners).

If you’re shopping for a window air conditioner but don’t know what to look for, check out our air conditioner buying guide.

Don’t try to sweat it out, either, thinking you’ll save money. Buy early in the season, because window air conditioning is a seasonal item and runs out at nearly every store every summer. TRUST. ME.

I fielded far too many calls from desperate families looking for window air conditioners later in the summer after stores had sold out of normal window air conditioner BTU units (the only units left were the more expensive, 20,000-plus BTU units). My heart broke for families pleading for help for their elderly parents, etc. But once they run out…

Buying bigger than you need isn’t a great idea, either, or moisture won’t be removed from the air. From our buying guide:

In addition to cooling, air conditioners also dehumidify a small amount of moisture from the air. So it’s important to buy an air conditioner with cooling power appropriate to the size of the room it is in. If the air conditioner is too powerful, the room will be cooled too quickly for moisture to be removed. This results in a lower room temperature with high humidity levels. This kind of environment can cause the air conditioner to cycle on and off, ultimately creating a room that feels damp and clammy.

In terms of figuring out how many BTUs you should buy, Good Housekeeping has a great online calculator to take the guesswork out of it.

Of course, Warners’ Stellian can do the calculating for you if you come prepared with your square footage and room information.