The Finished Product, originally uploaded by vanRijn. We have beautiful, wonderful double-hung vinyl windows, yay us. They’re very pretty, very functional, operate very smoothly, etc., etc. HOWEVER, they do NOT play nicely with window-unit air conditioners (you can’t screw the air conditioner into the vinyl window parts). So after getting a brilliant idea from a newsgroup post, and not willing to pay $40 for a metal air conditioner brace that I can’t really use anyway (again, vinyl window sill), I set out to make my own air conditioner brace out of a 2×4, some white paint, and a little sweat. Turned out purty nice too, I must say. I was really pleased with the final outcome of this little product. What started out as a crazy idea with me looking (to my bride, at any rate, who pointed it out several times) like I was just trying to not pay $40 for an air conditioner brace turned out to be a really nice solution. First, I didn’t have to drill any holes into the nice vinyl window frames or sill (they wouldn’t have held anyway).

Second, the air conditioner is MUCH more stable by mounting it from above to the window sill than below to the frame. And third, there is no way this air conditioner is going anywhere, unless the entire window frame decides to exit my house. I’ve put up a little pictorial/tutorial on flickr here….Window air conditioners are not meant to be fixed and are most often tossed and replaced. However They are fixable, often only needing a low cost part or a refrigerant recharge to get them working again.proper size of ac unit Most window A/C units do not come with a service port Schrader valve and need one to be installed.why ac unit is ton This is a easy process which only needs a piercing valve kit.gas furnace and ac unit cost You can also solder on a valve but it is not necessary and comes down to personal preference.

Wire brush or emery cloth to clean the area. A Bullet Piercing Valve. Bullet Piercing Valves can be bought at most air conditioning part supply stores or online. Bullet Piercing Valve on Amazon Supco BPV31 Bullet Piercing Valve The first step is to find a spot on the copper refrigerant line that will be easily accessible and clean it with a wire brush or emery cloth. Get the valve and hold one side on. Attach the other side. Tighten down the outer screws evenly. After the outer screws are in place the center can be screwed in which will go into the line piercing it. You can now attach gauges on the the unit and test it or refill as you would any other A/C unit. There are some HVAC technicians who prefer to solder on a valve but in my experience a screw on valve works just as good. This is of course debatable and is simply a preference that changes from tech to tech. If you are very good at soldering and can do it quickly and reliably than soldering a valve on may be best.

If you just need a quick port to add refrigerant or do some test than a screw on piercing valve will work fine. Screw on type valves can become loose over time and 4-5 years may need to be tightened. Window A/C units that are fixed are usually already 3-5 years old, if not older. A screw on valve will more than likley outlast the units working life span.Page 1: Installation InstructionsCheck condition of window - all wood parts of window adding a piece of wood as shown in FIG.2, or by removing must be in good shape and able to firmly hold the needed storm window while room air conditioner is being installed. All models have a 3-prong service plug to provide proper service and safe positive grouding. Do not change plug in Hardware (in plastic bag) any way. Do not use an adapter plug. If your present wall outlet does not match your plug, call a qualified electrician Qty. Hand tighten, but allow for any changes later. 3. Shift cabinet left or right as needed to line up center of 3.

Install support brackets (with sill angle brackets cabinet on center line marked on stool. Loosen screws so filler panels slide easily. DO not push on controls OR finned coils. 3. Be sure chassis is firmly seated towards rear of cabinet. Installation of front is the reverse of removal outlined in Section 1. 5. Nail framd to spacers to spacers with front flush with nails). 2. Cut or knock out a hole on each side of center stud. 3. Measure between inside edges of every other stud as shown NAIL SPACERS TO STUDS in FIG. OVER 81/2" Prepare and Install Cabinet 1. Slide chassis from cabinet. Refer back to Step 1 of Window Mounting. Place cabinet into opening with bottom rail resting firmly on bottom board of wooden frame. You can buy wood from your local lumber or hardware supply. On the outside, caulk openings around top and sides of cabinet, and all sides of wood sleeve to the opening. NOTE: See Step 7, Item 3 of Window Mounting Instructions for bottom rail seal location.Question: A few summers ago, the air conditioner on my 1993 Dodge Caravan went out.

The cost to fix it (from two different sources) is $1,700 to $2,000. The car is not worth that much, so I have not fixed it. Last week, while walking through a Home Depot I saw a portable, stand-alone air conditioner on sale for $595 (you can see where I'm going with this). The unit requires a 115-volt connection to operate it. Can I get an adapter at Radio Shack, buy the rolling air conditioner and plug it into my cigarette lighter? I know other appliances can be plugged into the lighter, but I'm not sure the car can accommodate the demands of an air conditioner. Ignoring the fact that I will look like a hillbilly, what do you think? JohnTom: Well, at least you'd be one cool hillbilly, John.Ray: It can be done, John. But there are a number of conditions. The first is: Forget about the cigarette lighter. That'll give you enough juice to power your cell phone or your glow-in-the-dark Parker Posey dashboard ornament. But you'll melt it if you try to run a major appliance through it.Tom: You need a device called an "inverter," which is a box that converts DC power into AC power.

You'd have to run special wires from the inverter to the car's battery., and he recommends finding a small, efficient, 5,000 BTU air conditioner. Fedders and Daewoo make them, and they cost about $100 at home centers.Tom: And even though those units use only 575 watts of continuous power, they do "surge" when they kick in, demanding nearly twice that much power. So Don recommends that you go with an inverter that provides 2,000 watts continuous/4,000 watts peak power. That'll run you about $250.Ray: I believe the V-6 Caravans came with either a 90- or 120-amp alternator, which should be sufficient. Anything less than 90 amps, though, and you'd have to spend a few hundred bucks to have a heavy-duty alternator installed. Otherwise, you'd be stopping for gas, an oil check and a new alternator every 200 miles.Tom: And then the final question is how to install the AC. If it were me, I'd just pop it in the passenger window. You know, hold it at the top and roll up the window until the unit is good and tight.

It'd provide a good laugh for other drivers on the road!Ray: No, you can't do that, for safety reasons. You'll have to find a way to install it permanently. The hot air and condensation need to escape, and fresh air needs to be drawn in. Plus, it needs to be secure. A crash could turn it into a 50-pound projectile.Tom: So, you might sign up for a course in "Working with Plywood and Lexan." But it can be done. And if you go ahead with it, send us pictures.I'm going back to school, and the stuff I need/want to take won't all fit into my car. My friends say I should rent a trailer. I'm concerned that my car will be ruined by the effort of towing a trailer across, first, the Sierra Nevada, then the Rockies. My car is a 1997 Honda Civic, with 155,000 miles on it. I live in the San Francisco Bay area, and I'm going to Indiana University in Bloomington. What do you suggest? DavidRay: Engines and transmissions have to work hard to get over mountains -- especially small engines. And when you add 1,000 pounds of weight for them to pull, not to mention the additional wind resistance of a big, pizza-box-fronted trailer, you're just asking for the engine or tranny to overheat or fail.