Through-the-wall a.c. Died today.

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Packard

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Not completely dead—it still blows cool-ish air.  Best guess is the air coming out is in the 70 - 75 degree range.  Not enough to keep the room cool.

Any idea what a 23,700 BTU room A.C. Costs nowadays?  Any sage advice?  I will probably go to Best Buy tomorrow.  Hopefully they have stock and staff to install it.

I installed the current one about 22 years ago with a helper for lifting. My back has been ailing me, so I’m hiring someone this time around.

The next week we are expecting temperatures in the high 80s, or low 90s, so some urgency is involved.
 
Hi Packard,

No idea on pricing for the through-the-wall A/C system, but if worse comes to worse I'd suggest running a dehumidifier while you're waiting for a new A/C.

I've been running a dehumidifier in my ~700 sq-ft shop and it goes a long ways towards managing the comfort level, even at relatively high temperatures. I'm able to maintain a relative humidity of ~35% RH with a small, portable dehumidifier. On hot, humid days it's not unusual to walk into the shop and have it feel relatively cool, only to check the thermostat and see that it's actually 95F in there. I just have to remember to drink lots of water.

Needless to say, I'm beyond excited to have a mini-split system installed in the shop next week, but for the last several years the dehumidifier has been a very economical means of managing comfort without actually cooling the air.
 
I have a smaller (8,000 btu) unit to supplement the main a.c. In the late afternoons when the sun makes the other side of the room too warm.

I’m hoping that the modest output of the main unit and the full time use of the supplemental unit will keep things tolerable until the replacement is installed.

If that fails, I can fall back on the whole house exhaust fan—which is OK as long as the humidity is not too high.

I will find out tomorrow what delivery times are.

Does a mini-split make sense to replace a 23,700 btu unit?

 
waho6o9 said:
https://www.homedepot.com/s/23,700 btu?NCNI-5

Home Depot has some window/wall AC units for under one thousand dollars.  If the electrical is accessible I'd go with what has

worked for you in the past. 

Other systems may require permits and or electrical work. 

All the Best
Click to expand...

I will check that out.  There is already a hole in the wall, so if I don’t fill it with an AC, a bunch of carpentry and dry-wall work.

I will check both Home Depot and Lowes.
 
Lowes and Best Buy won’t install.  Lowes would install a mini-split, but won’t remove the old AC or dispose of it. And a mini spilt would require that I patch a 17” x 28” hole through the wall.

I will visit Home Depot this afternoon.
 
waho6o9 said:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Frigida...ls-1400-sq-ft-with-Wi-Fi-FHWW245WE2/328983551

Roughly 23.75 Wide, 25.5 Deep and 18" tall.

I like the inverter technology.
Click to expand...

I will go there tomorrow morning.  They are less than 2 miles from my house.  The price looks good.  If they have a handyman to install it for $200.00 or so, it’s game on.

Right now it’s 82 degrees outside and 79 degrees inside with the a.c. On maximum.  So a change is needed.

The data plate on the machine says it was manufactured in December of 2000.  So nearly 24 years.  A new machine will likely be more efficient.

I hope Home Depot comes through for me.

Thanks for the info.
 
Michael Kellough said:
I had to get the refrigerant in my car replaced. Works great now.

On a big AC like yours is that not possible?
Click to expand...

Replacing refrigerant in an automobile is a common issue because of the vibration and engine heat. Replacing refrigerant in a stabile home system...not so much.
 
I considered a repair.  But the machine was manufactured in December 2000, so nearly 24 years old.  It is probably near the end of life for most of the components, and is probably less efficient than a modern unit.  So probably it is time to replace.
 
I ordered a Frigidaire A.C. From Home Depot.  The 24,000 BTU one is not available for through the wall installation.  I suppose that it does not have a separate sleeve, but they don’t specify why.

The 28,000 BTU version is available for through the wall installation, and happily the opening size is nearly the same so no major carpentry.

Old size:  17” high x 26” wide.

New size 18” high x 26-1/2” wide.

I also found someone to do the installation as Home Depot did not offer any installation at my local store, and only window installation at other stores. 

Delivery 8/2 - 8/8

The installer is coming on Wednesday to scope the work.  I will apply the trim molding inside and out.  I expect about $400.00 install fee.  Home Depot’s window installation fee is $180.00.

The guy’s last a.c. Install was $600.00 but included trim molding, drywall work, and repairs to the siding and paint.  Probably around $400.00, but I don’t know if he will haul away the old unit. The new A.C. Weighs in at 137 lbs.  The old one might be just as heavy.

When I moved in the old A.C. Was 17,000 BTUs.  I went with 24,000 BTUs because the larger size mean almost no change in the size of the hole in the wall.

Now going to 28,000 BTUs because the larger size mean almost no change in the size of the hole in the wall.  [big grin]

At some point I will have a 100,000 BTU unit in the wall. [big grin]
 
Completely aware that the last bit was a joke, but beware of over-sizing too much. A unit that is too big does not run often enough/long enough to dehumidify properly. Yes, the effect is cool air but the moistness feels clammy. A few degrees warmer, yet dryer feels better.
A smaller unit, running more often/longer, consuming less power is preferrable.

I really love my mini-split. All of the "action" is taking place outside, so you literally cannot hear the thing run (on low/med fan levels) All you ever hear is the air movement when it is running at its highest setting.
I have only ever used that to start from the unit being tuned off. Once cooled down, it is not necessary at all. Mine is not in my living-space, so I don't run it constantly, especially since I am not yet completely insulated.
 
Hope the frigidaire works well.  I just replaced the 24,000BTU LG that was in my wall for the last 15 years (1200sqft shop)...  this summer it showed up with the same issue as yours, cools but not well.  Since I got 15 years of harsh environmental use out of it, it deserved to be replaced by same/similar so I went with the 24,000 LG... even had the same faceplate/buttons so it must be a great seller for them as it hasn't changed in many years.  It weighed 110lbs and had a 17.75" by 26" requirement opening and eats about 6-7amps (230v/208v) when running so pretty good for my use.  It was $699.00, I got 10%off at HomeDepot (military discount making it actually $630.00) and is much quieter than anything in my shop.

I looked at the mini splits a lot over the years and they are quiet (my brother has one and paid stupid kind of money for it including install) but already having the electricity in the wall next to the large 'hole in the wall" made for a 20 minute installation so it was a no-brainer for me.  If you dont already have a 500 square inch hole in your wall (18"x26") that you would have to patch up on the inside and outside and insulate and match 20 year old siding with, definitely go with the mini-split but otherwise, yeah, the one I have is perfect for me.

Cheers
D 
 
I got 24 years out of the current unit, so I can’t really complain.

The new one is sup to be more efficient.

Even at its best, it took at least 2 hours to cool the space, so the added capacity is welcome.  It has a high and a low setting.  If I set it on low once it reaches temperature, I think it will run enough to dehumidify.

My one complaint on the ACs I bought back then, was they dehumidified just enough to prevent condensation.  The older units sucked more humidity from the air, so I needed a lower temperature to feel as comfortable as I had.

The specs say it has some new technology, so I am curious what that will do.

It could arrive this Friday (at the earliest), or next Friday at the latest.  The carpenter is coming tomorrow to scope out the job.

Meanwhile, the old unit is only able to cool by 8 degrees.  So, warm, but not intolerable.
 
The AC arrived yesterday and was installed today.  Surprise! It goes on a 30 amp line (which was already in place) and had a special 30 amp required plug.

About an hour after the unit was installed, the electrician arrived.  A quick fix.  The wiring and circuit breaker were both up to spec.  Only the wall outlet had to be changed.

Advice:  If your new AC has a remote, then order a spare right away and keep it in its original packaging until the old one fails.  Remotes are the first thing that manufacturers discontinue, and when yours fails, you will miss it.

I will order mine tomorrow.
 
Packard said:
Advice:  If your new AC has a remote, then order a spare right away and keep it in its original packaging until the old one fails.  Remotes are the first thing that manufacturers discontinue, and when yours fails, you will miss it.
Click to expand...

That's wisdom talking right there....  [big grin]  Appreciate the advice!

D
 
BigDan said:
Packard said:
Advice:  If your new AC has a remote, then order a spare right away and keep it in its original packaging until the old one fails.  Remotes are the first thing that manufacturers discontinue, and when yours fails, you will miss it.
Click to expand...

That's wisdom talking right there....  [big grin]  Appreciate the advice!
Click to expand...

Wisdom acquired the hard way. 

The through-the-wall air conditioner in my bedroom is ideally located high near the ceiling and facing my bed across the room. 

Cools the space so effectively that late at night it is necessary to adjust the thermostat.  With the remote it was easy.  Without the remote, I have to get out of bed, step up on a low stool and adjust the thermostat. 

By the time the remote failed, replacements were not available. 

The new AC has an option of making the remote control also function as a remote thermostat.  Which sounds interesting.

I understand that some new ACs can be controlled by your phone with an app.  If that is the case, no spare remote may be needed.

 
Packard said:
BigDan said:
Packard said:
Advice:  If your new AC has a remote, then order a spare right away and keep it in its original packaging until the old one fails.  Remotes are the first thing that manufacturers discontinue, and when yours fails, you will miss it.
Click to expand...

That's wisdom talking right there....  [big grin]  Appreciate the advice!
Click to expand...

The new AC has an option of making the remote control also function as a remote thermostat.  Which sounds interesting.

I understand that some new ACs can be controlled by your phone with an app.  If that is the case, no spare remote may be needed.
Click to expand...

The "remote thermostat" is marginally useful, but since most of the remotes with built-in thermostats don't show you the temperature that they're registering, it's difficult to rely on them.  Suffice to say that they can still be more reliable than the on-unit thermostat in many installations.

I would not rely on an app as a long-term backup to a remote.  Companies either go out of business and/or discontinue support for their applications and web APIs on a whim, with no legal consequences to their actions.  Google is notoriously famous for killing off entire product lines on a regular basis, even the popular ones, and Chamberlain Group recently decided that all of its remote APIs that allowed interoperability with other systems were not in its long-term financial interests and cut everyone off from using them.
 
For 45 years I was fine with no remotes at all.  Now when one dies, it is the end of the world. 

Car remote:  Essential
AC remote:  Essential
Electric fan remote:  Essential
Any remote I’ve used for than one week:  Essential
 
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