How To Vent Window Air Conditioner
Don't suffer in the heat with crank out windows! These simple, rental friendly solutions will allow yous to have a casement window air conditioner this summer!
Our upstairs rooms take casement windows (also known as crank out windows), making an in-window air conditioner impossible to install. We avoided going upstairs altogether on the hottest days! But I've found 3 simple ways to set up up a casement window air conditioner, to keep our upstairs cool all summertime long!
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Key air conditioning is pretty rare in Seattle, since our summers are usually 75 degrees with low humidity (to make up for those dreary, rainy winters!) But the last few summers have been creeping into uncomfortable territory, and when y'all add in wildfire smoke that forces our windows airtight, it becomes unbearable!
Our upstairs is but the playroom and the invitee room, then nigh of the time we just avoid going upwardly there when it gets too hot. But with family unit coming to visit this summer, I started searching for a way to install a vertical window air conditioner to make our guests more comfortable.
What is a Casement Window?
A casement window is a window that operates on a hinge, instead of sliding on a sash. My window cranks outward, which is prissy for communicable the breeze but doesn't assist when the air is yet and hot.
Supposedly, casement windows are more energy efficient and are more soundproof than sliding windows. Only I'm non a fan of the design, and plan to switch them out if we ever remodel the upstairs.
Portable Air Conditioners
Portable air conditioners have dropped in price significantly since they first came on the market. Now they're comparable to window units, and way more versatile. I nabbed 1 of the few left in the store just earlier our heat moving ridge started!
Instead of mounting the entire unit in the window, a portable air conditioner rests on the flooring and uses a vent pointed exterior. It's easy to remove the vent when the conditions cools downward, so you tin open up the window instead. Unfortunately, the vent brackets won't work with a casement window! 🙁
I needed a style to block out the hot air (and bugs) outside while still assuasive for venting for the air conditioner. After some research, here are a few adept options for how to put a portable air conditioner in a crank window.
Plexiglass Casement Window Air Conditioner
This was my showtime idea, and it turns out I'm not the but ane who thought of this option! I was debating screwing the Plexiglass directly to the window frame, but this video shows how i homeowner replaced his window screen with a custom made Plexiglass insert instead.
This is a great long-term solution, and one that I will probably do at some bespeak once I figure out all the parts. But with the heat moving ridge imminent, I needed something quick and easy!
The downsides to this method are that big acrylic sheets are expensive, and it's difficult to cutting a perfect hole for the exhaust vent without dandy. Bank check out my tips and tricks for cutting Plexiglass if yous decide to go this road.
I also had a hard time finding a screen frame that would fit in our windows, and I didn't want to drill permanent holes in our window frame either.
Cream or Plywood Window Insert
This method uses the window vent insert that comes with the portable air conditioner, coupled with a slice of rigid foam or plywood to cake the rest of the window. This would too work if y'all want to install an air conditioner in a sliding window too. You can see how one homeowner did it in the video below.
This is a adequately cheap and easy solution, but also has its own drawbacks. We merely have i window in this room, so blocking off all the sunlight isn't really an pick. Plus, a strong gust of wind would knock a cream insert correct out! Plywood would crave multiple screws to exist drilled directly into the window frame.
Cloth Window Seal for Portable Air Conditioners
I stumbled upon this fabric window seal kit on Amazon, and information technology was cheap enough that I decided to give it a endeavor. This is definitely the most renter friendly option, and a temporary solution that we'll utilise while I puzzle out the Plexiglass version to a higher place.
This casement window air conditioner installation kit comes with a triangular piece of fabric with a zipper down the middle and Velcro along the edges. Y'all besides get a scroll of adhesive Velcro and large zip ties.
How to Install the Fabric Window Seal
The instructions weren't exactly articulate, so I thought I would do a quick tutorial on how I installed the fabric window seal. I apologize in accelerate for the horrible photos. Taking pictures of a window on a sunny day is difficult!
Our window frame was filthy, so I removed the screen and gave the unabridged thing a practiced cleaning. This volition help the adhesive Velcro stick better.
Apply the Velcro to the window (the office that moves) and the window frame (the part that holds the window in place when closed).
Observe the widest point of the fabric, and attach the narrow side to the moving window frame where information technology opens. Make certain the zippers will be on the inside where you can actually use them!
Piece of work your way around the frame, folding the fabric at the corners to make a 90 degree turn. I had a piffling extra material at the ends, but I only tucked them outside.
Apply the other side of the fabric the same way to the non-moving office of the window.
Then just crank out the window, open the zipper and stick out the vent. I tried to wedge mine between the window and the exterior trim and then it wouldn't move.
Then shut the zipper around the vent, and thread the zilch tie through the pull. This keeps the zipper from opening and letting in those pesky bugs!
It's certainly not the most attractive option, merely it works! When the weather cools down, I can remove the material and put the screen back in nearly 15 seconds. 🙂 The casement window can nevertheless open and close normally, so I can exit the Velcro in identify until we need to utilize the material seal again.
Now that we have a casement window air conditioner solution in identify, we can become upstairs on those hot summer days, and our guests volition be so much more comfortable!
Bank check out these other easy home improvement projects!
Source: https://www.thehandymansdaughter.com/casement-window-air-conditioner/
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