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I am considering renting in a building that doesn't have central air and has these dreadful window units instead (landlord provided). I lived in one such building before and said never again at that time. The issue wasn't that the unit couldn't cool the space, it did just fine; the issue was that in the WINTER there was no way to winterize this freaking thing.
The thin white membrane which fills the space on each side of the unit, between the unit and the walls, is just letting everything through. Sometimes I would come home after work and it would be like 55 degrees in the apartment, had to use 2 comforters at night. Now i keep thinking, where I live on the UWS most buildings are old and that's what they have. There are million dollar coops with these stone-age units out there. Surely they found a way not to freeze to death in the winter? Or not? What is the typical way to deal with it?
I looked on amazon and elsewhere and most proposed solutions involve placing the cover over the face of the unit, but what about the paper-thin membrane on the sides?
If it's really important to you and your landlord is ok with it, you could remove the unit every winter and have it stored by a place like this https://www.westonbros.com/repairs-maintenance/
As for me, my apartment is always so hot in the winter that a little air escaping in by the a/c isn't going to make that much difference.
I did notice that my professionally installed a/c window unit in the living room has much less of a draft than the one I put in the window myself. So maybe get a handyman to seal up the cracks for you?
I have central air in my house but when I lived in Brooklyn I put Storm King foam around the window unit, but ultimately ended up using that 3M shrink stuff on the entire window. It worked great and there was another window in the room that I could open if I wanted to air the room out.
It's not that hard to winterize a window AC. You simply need to buy the right materials and put them in. You can place, for example foam with white duct tape along the sides. Then you can purchase an AC cover.
If you can't remove the unit each winter, then do as Roseba suggests.
Go to a Michael's or A C Moore craft store, get a styrofoam sheet, cut 2 pieces to fit between unit and frame, and sill and sash. Seal gaps with tape. Leave in place in summer.
( I tape mine to keep bugs from slipping thru gaps)
Yes, use the plastic , works like it's supposed to.
Although,taking it out every year does give you back some sunlight !
In our last apartment ,we used a whole house fan by lasko. The fan pushes air out like no other. One window blowing out, and another letting the fresh air in. Humidity is the worse during the summer, so moving the air is key.
I remove both my a/c every september, store in the hall closet and remove the supports, takes all but half hour. the following june, I put bracket in, pop the a/c in, done.
the drafts, like another poster had stated wouldnt bother me that much either as its very warm here and the little bit of cool air seeping in, would probably be good.
I just dont like the 2 windows blocked all year long.
while others wouldnt take them in and out, but thats everyones choice.
if remaining in, the sides can be covered in thick styrofoan and the coverd with a decoratice contact paper, be creative....or just cover the whole entire window with plastic...
I remove both my a/c every september, store in the hall closet and remove the supports, takes all but half hour. the following june, I put bracket in, pop the a/c in, done.
the drafts, like another poster had stated wouldnt bother me that much either as its very warm here and the little bit of cool air seeping in, would probably be good.
I just dont like the 2 windows blocked all year long.
while others wouldnt take them in and out, but thats everyones choice.
if remaining in, the sides can be covered in thick styrofoan and the coverd with a decoratice contact paper, be creative....or just cover the whole entire window with plastic...
My place is very warm year round i actually turn the heat down and open the window to prevent getting nose bleeds in the winter of how hot it is. For the Window AC with huge gaps on the side you have to create an air tight seal.
I sealed my AC in using ThermoKing foam and silicone chauk from the hardware store. Its air tight on all sides but air still blows through the AC vents. That can be solved with an AC cover but i like the fresh breeze coming in.
I'm sorry, I don't have anything constructive to add. But whenever I read about installing an air conditioner, my mind goes to this memorable Kramer moment:
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