This is the story of how I lost $300 and got this bloody lip. This is the story of every New Yorker’s worst nightmare happening to me. This is the story of dropping my air conditioner out the window of my third-floor apartment. It is hot and it is also humid, and when I leave the windows open to my tiny studio apartment, the putrid smell of garbage seeps in from the outside, so I finally give in and go to P.C. Richard to buy an air conditioner. I want to get one that is less than $150 and I leave with one that costs $300, either because the salesperson, Brian, is super-good at his job or because I am terrible at saying no. I do manage to say no to installation, however, because it costs $50 and I am a feminist who can definitely install a 100-pound air conditioner herself. “Do you think I can carry this five blocks by myself?” He laughs in my face. “Maybe if you stop every block!” “I’m just trying to be an independent woman!” “Fine, but do it right!”

I snag a cab and manage to haul the AC up two flights of stairs to my apartment. It is so hot, and I am already developing a bruise in the well of my arm where the appliance’s weight pressed into me as I dragged it upstairs. I hate this air conditioner but I love it so much! Think of how much I will love it when it has turned my apartment into a comfortable icebox. As it turns out, I will never get to experience love like that. Also, I should’ve taken Brian’s advice. After installing the side panels, I hoist the air conditioner onto the window sill and attempt to get it locked in place. It teeters a little bit, which gives me a scare, but I manage to balance it and close the window. It’s not aligned right. I open the window again and attempt to rebalance it. Suddenly, everything is happening in slow motion. It is sliding, literally at about an inch a minute, out of my grasp and into midair. I blindly grasp at it, helplessly screaming, “No! My cat’s like, “What is wrong with her?”

The air conditioner slides out of my hands and takes a layer of skin with it. It plunks onto my downstairs neighbor’s patio, in a pool of standing water. It takes me about a full minute to realize I am bleeding from several places. I’m coated in sweat and I’ve started crying hysterically without really meaning to. My whole mouth is bleeding and my fingers are bleeding and I’m leaning out the window of my tiny gross studio apartment being like, Why did I decide to live alone? heat pump hvac definitionWhy didn’t I just ask someone to help me? average price of air conditioning unitWhy is everything the worst?window ac unit garage Also, I haven’t eaten dinner yet, so I’m, like, real hangry. /Ecx0lfefMD— Jessica Roy (@JessicaKRoy) May 29, 2015

I run downstairs to the bodega beneath my building, whose owner acts like my surrogate dad. He sees my face and is like, “What’s wrong?” I tell him the saga and burst into tears. “At least it didn’t hit anybody?” he offers. My neighbor is in the bodega, and he asks me where I got the AC from because maybe they’ll take it back. “P.C. Richard,” I say. God, that’s, like, the worst place to get it from.” Tha I call P.C. Richard and ask for Brian. “Hi, it’s Jessica. I’ll give you one guess what just happened to the air conditioner.” “What?” he asks, stifling a laugh. “I dropped it out the window!” I’m “Are you crying?” Brian asks, totally weirded out. , like, upset! I’m guys won’t, like … refund me, right?” his head, I am positive he thinks, What is wrong with this crazy bitch? A lot of things, to be honest, but first and foremost what is wrong is that I dropped the $300 air conditioner out the window an hour after getting it.

“Let me talk to my manager,” Brian says. He puts me on hold for 30 seconds. “There’s nothing we can do,” he informs me. “It’s not our fault you dropped it.” Tough but fair, Bri. Tou Finally, I give in and call my landlord. I’m, get it together, Jess. "Hi, um, I live in 3 and I … dropped the air conditioner out the window," I say to my landlord, whom I’ve only spoken to maybe twice. “Did it fall through the roof of the store?” he asks, immediately making me question the structural integrity of my building. “Uh, no … but it’s in a puddle on the second-floor patio, and I need to get it.” He tells me the person who lives in that apartment, a member of his family, works nights, so we can’t retrieve it until tomorrow. “Everything will be okay,” he says. “We will fix it in the morning.” My beloved AC is still in that puddle. I do not know if it works. Somewhere, my old pal Bri is posting on Facebook about how stupid I am.

Air-conditioner accidents in New York are actually pretty rare. Last year, one fell out of a window on Lexington and hit a woman in the head, but she recovered. It’s been 25 years since anyone has been killed by a falling air conditioner, but alongside falling on the subway tracks or getting bedbugs, it still looms large in New Yorkers’ minds as one of their biggest urban fears. This is my story, and I hope you will read it and decide to just settle for a fucking fan. Installing an Air Conditioner into a Window Window air conditioners are single, self-contained units that exhaust heat and humidity from the room to the outside. They have louvers on the back and sides that bring in fresh air. The air runs through coils, which are cooled by the compressor using refrigerant, and then the fan pushes the cool air back into the room. Shop All Window Air Conditioners How do I choose a window air conditioner? The four most important things to keep in mind are window type, window size, BTUs and plug type.

Window Type There are three different window types � standard windows (single and double hung) that slide up and down, slider windows that slide left and right, and casement windows that swing out. One style of air conditioner will go through a standard window, and taller, thinner models air will go through a slider or casement window. All air conditioners will come with a window installation kit with accordions to block the excess space on one or both sides of the unit. For slider and casement windows, if you have a particularly tall window you may need to purchase additional Plexiglas, wood or another filler to seal the space above the air conditioner. Shop Standard Window Air Conditioners Shop Slider/Casement Window Air Conditioners Window Size You need to measure width, height, and depth. Please measure twice and order once. You have to support a window air conditioner either from the bottom with a bracket to the exterior wall, the sides with a window kit or both.

If you are installing the air conditioner with a window kit, it�s important that you account for at least three to four inches for the accordians to fit into the space between the window and the air conditioner.It is preferred to have the correct size air conditioner run for longer to properly remove humidity from the room � learn more. Plug Type There are two parts to plug type: voltage and amperage. What are the pros and cons of a window air conditioner? Window air conditioners require very little installation and you can normally install them yourself so there is low upfront cost. They are a good choice and are energy efficient if you are cooling one or two rooms and there are many to choose from. Most window air conditioners are quiet but, since the whole system is contained in one unit they can be louder than split type air conditioners where the compressor sits outside. Window air conditioners obstruct at least part of one window and you need to either remove them or winterize them for the colder times of years.

How do I install a window air conditioner? All window air conditioners come with a window installation kit which most people can install without professional help by sliding the unit into their window. Units with larger BTU capacity (usually 10,000 BTUs and up) are too dangerous to install in one piece because they are much heavier � these units will have a slide-out chassis. A chassis is the framework that supports the guts of the air conditioner. The chassis is designed to slide away from the back of the unit, which is called a sleeve. You remove the chassis and install the sleeve into the window. Then, you secure a bracket supporting the sleeve to the exterior wall. After the back of the unit is secure, you slide the chassis back into the sleeve. Shop Fixed Chassis Air Conditioners Can a window air conditioner go through a wall? Depending on the thickness of your wall, air conditioners with a slide-out chassis can go through a wall. You may need to install brackets to support the sleeve within the wall.