jarrin > My House

Air Conditioner

I first did some general Googling on the subject of air conditioners.  Specifically, I was interested in energy efficiency ratings and the meaning of BTU.  After seeing some charts, I produced my tape measure and started calculating square footages.  Depending on what doors I want to shut, I'll want to be cooling somewhere between 385 and 512 square feet (the upstairs half of my house: two bedrooms, bath, solarium and a half of the landing).  The best fit seemed to be about 10,000 BTUs (with 10%, I suppose).

Then it was time to get some dollar signs.  The Home Despot didn't really have much selection on their website, so I decided to go the route my coworker and neighbor went: Sears. Not only did they have one in the size I wanted, but it was also on sale!

On my way to work, I stopped by Checkoslavakia and found the unit I wanted to buy.  I loaded it into my truck, went to work, returned home and immediately went to installation. It was actually quite easy to get it installed. I didn't need to build any cumbersome 2x4 mounts, though I did need to remove part of the storm window frame that was in the way (slightly too narrow, you see).

Anyway, it's installed, weather proofed a bit, and functional (though I have a big ugly extension cord running down the stairs and across the living room floor). Naturally, the weather has since become quite less humid and I can't even slightly justify running this behemoth, but that's not a terrible thing to have to complain about. My next task here will be to install an outlet on that landing and connect it to currently-unused circuit 9 (which is dedicated to an outlet near a window on the main floor in which the previous owners must have had an A/C unit).