Tag Archives: window air conditioner

How To Keep Your House Cool

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2398572388_0c19999959Not only is it important to keep the cold air inside, it’s important to not create more heat for your air conditioner to cool.

Here are some easy ways to make sure you’re not making more work for your AC!

Tips to Stay Cool

1. Run dishwasher, washer and dryer at night

If you’re in bed with a fan trained on you, the kitchen heating up won’t bother you as much…right?

2. Dry loads of clothes back to back

Though this seems to contract No. 1, the residual heat from the previous load will decrease the amount of time your dryer needs to do its magic.

3. Substitute the microwave for your range

Do you really need to use your stove, or can you boil that water or cook that soup in the microwave?

4. Don’t preheat!

If you must use your oven, just throw your food in right away to cut down on cook time. Unless you’re baking, who cares about being precise. Convection baking also will reduce the necessary temperature and time by 25 degrees and 25% respectively.

5. Cover pots and pans

You’ll prevent heat loss, boil and cook faster, thus you’ll shut off your stove faster.

6. Clean your refrigerator coils

The better your fridge exhausts heat, the less it runs, thus the less heat it will give off.
>> How to clean refrigerator coils

Window AC shortage means you better keep yours working

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I’ve blogged previously about this summer’s air conditioning unit shortage, which will likely not be noticed until more retailers sell out (we still have stock; we were shipped 100% of our order.).

This weekend, my brother Joe Warner shared tips on what to know when buying a window AC, and more importantly, how to keep it working for summers to come.

>>Watch video here: How to maintain your window air conditioner

Really, maintenance becomes most relevant during a manufacturing shortage. If you don’t have a window air conditioner, you probably bought one or are buying one this week.

But what if you already have one, and it breaks down in the middle of July? You probably will be out of luck when trying to replace it. So stay cool and listen to my brother’s wisdom!

As always, professional installation and maintenance is a good investment to consider, and we offer easy (no-sweat, ha!) plans for you.

Like to Gamble? Wait to Buy your Window A/C

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Not much saddened me more in my former life as a Warners’ Stellian store receptionist than the summer gamblers who’d just run out on their luck. Because everyone in town had just run out of window air conditioners.

Sweaty and restless (drowning in sweat makes it hard to breathe at night), the poor souls stumbled in and asked where our air conditioning was…as if I couldn’t tell what they were going to be shopping for on a mercury-busting, 90something-degree day.

And I’d have to break the news to them that their neighbors had beat them to the punch, and our stock was sold out.

Warners’ Stellian generally stocks so many window air conditioners that we’re last to sell among our competitors, but it happens every year, no fail.

sweatycan

This could be you.

Stores that carry A/Cs typically sell out of most sizes by early to mid-July, but it looks like stock will be gone even earlier this year. Most retailers selling air conditioning units weren’t shipped the full amount of units they tried to buy. Thankfully, we got 100% of our order.

But supplies are limited. Window air conditioners are a seasonal item, and there’s only so many of them. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.

I’m not hating on the thrifty people. I buy generic “Ultrabright” toothpaste. I wait to see if my traffic ticket will pay itself…I get it.

But don’t gamble on this one. You won’t win. You don’t have to buy your air conditioner from us, but you should buy one before they’re gone.  Don’t wait to find out when that is.

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.