Window air conditioner FAQs: questions and answers about cleaning, maintaining, & troubleshooting window air conditioners.

This article series helps you choose, install, maintain & troubleshoot window and through-wall air conditioners. We include s to additional details about window and through-wall cooling unit capacity, safety supports, filters, compressor/condenser troubleshooting, dirt and mold cleanup, and other issues.

Window Air Conditioner installation, maintenance, storage, troubleshooting FAQs

These questions and answers about choosing a window air conditioner - getting the right size, or installing, using, or repairing a window A/C unit were posted originally

at WINDOW / WALL AIR CONDITIONERS - please give that information a try.

On 2018-05-13 by Nicole farris - which way should the window air conditioner slope to drain properly?

When installing a window unit does the front have to be slightly facing downward in the back a little bit up or is it the opposite way for correct draining?

On 2018-05-13 by (mod) - slope the window AC unit to drain properly

Nicole

We install the window air conditioner such that the outdoor end of the unit is tipped slightly downwards.

This helps a sure that the condensate that the unit produces will drain out of the unit and to the outside rather than draining into the building interior.

On 2016-07-21 by Anonymous - where to buy a replacement cage for my LG air conditioner

i have a small LG air conditioner in my front window and i need a small cage, where can i fine one?

On 2016-07-22 by (mod) -

Sorry I don't understand what cage you need.

If you mean the squirrel cage blower fan, that is a part you'd want to get from LG directly, or possibliy from your local HVAC repair supplier.

On 2016-05-14 by Andrea - do window air conditioner motors need to be oiled?

Can you oil motors on ac units? and is there a certin type of oil ? Thank you

On 2016-05-14 by (mod) - Most residential A/C equipment does not require oiling

Most residential A/C equipment does not require oiling by the consumer. Some commercial units may include motors that expect oil to be added at bearings using an oil specifically formulated for electric motors and so labelled.

For example, the next time you're in your local hardware store in the oil section take a look at the old standby 3-in-1 oil -you'll see a red-labelled can for the traditional product and a blue labelled can marked "for electric motors"

On 2015-07-22 by Anonymous - when do I need additional support for a window AC unit?

Is additional support necessary when a thru-the-wall a/c unit sleeve is used?

On 2015-07-22 by (mod) - Is additional support necessary when a thru-the-wall a/c unit sleeve is used?

Anon:

Good question. As Tampa Florida Mark Cramer, a home inspector and educator (and my friend) says, "...it depends"

Certainly I have seen thousands of through-wall A/C units with no additional support protruding out through apartment building walls. In those cases the metal sleeve or "box" into which the actual A/C unit slides is fastened to properly-constructed framing in the building wall.

An add-on opening for a through-wall A/C unit sleeve, if properly constructed, would also be secured to the building wall framing and would provide enough support.

But if someone did not properly install and secure the sleeve to the structure or for some large, heavy units, added support in form of an exterior bracket may be needed. Indeed IN inspected such an installation that had sagged enough to cause leaks into the building wall cavity.

On 2015-05-20 by m shows - window air conditioner condensate is draining into the house

My a.c. unit was removed for window replacement. When we began to use the unit the condensation water ran inside the house.

So we turned it off for a few days. When we tried to turn it back on, it would not come on at all.

Does the fact that it was improperly installed cause it to go out?

On 2015-05-20 by (mod) -

M

well darn. I don't know what may have been done to your AC unit - for example if it were removed and stored on its side or upside down that could give you some trouble (refrigerant leaking into a capillary tube).

The fact that water ran inside your house suggests that when the AC unit was reinstalled it was not properly sloped to drain to the outdoors. That alone wouldn't explain the total loss of operation. I'd look first at the circuit to be sure it's on.

On 2014-07-08 by mandy - window air conditioner makes a ticking noise

my 'window air conditioner' makes a kind of ticking, clicking, 'dink'sound. it almost sounds like theres a little pellet in there that is flying around and hitting the sides...idk. its not like a hard thump or clanking. its driving me crazy. itll be quiet for awhile, then it randomly starts with the noise. what could be the problem?

On 2014-07-08 by (mod)

Usually a reglar ticking sound in an air conditioner, if heard when the unit is running, is traced to a loose or failing blower fan - a round rotating "squirrel cage blower fan" assembly, or on occasion I've found that the fan blades were hitting a loose wire or even a small stick that fell into the A/C unit from outdoors.

That's something you might be able to see yourself if you're handy enough to pull the air conditioner forward out of its mounting sleeve - else you'll want help from a repair person.

See details at

• CLICKING SOUNDS from air conditioner or heat pump system

On 2014-07-03 by Leigh Chancey - how do I clean dirty fins on my window AC unit

I have a very old window a/c unit that still works but needed a deep thorough cleaning. I'm not sure how to clean all of the mold & dirt out of the coils because these aren't the fin type.

They look more like fuzzy aluminum pipe cleaners. It's a 230v 18500btu mfg. by JC Penney Corp. In 1979 & have yet to find any material or info about it- aside from random Craigslist ads where people are selling one of these beauties with the faux wood-grain front grill.

I've used 4 cans of coil cleaner & the hose after taping off or disconnecting electrical items & motor.

Any help would be appreciated, since I'm unable to buy a new one & it's already hit 107 in N. Calif this year!

On 2014-07-03 by (mod) - the "dink factor" tells us when to stop fooling around with the A/C unit

Leigh

Details about cleaning the fins on the evaporator coils of an air conditioner can be found at

DIRTY HVAC COIL CLEANING PROCEDURES 

and at

SPLIT SYSTEM AC MOLD CONTAMINATION REMOVAL 

But indeed a salient question in any job is when to quit, arguing you've done the right amount of messing around. My partner in HVAC repair Carol Schnierer, who never said a foul word in her life, used the term "Dink" where I might use a stronger verb.

She referred to "dinking around with ...." stuff and explained a critical concept to me - the DINK FACTOR.

The dink factor is the ratio of improvement (from dinking around with something) to harm (from dinking when you should have quit).

So you're installing a piece of wallpaper and it's almost perfectly placed. You push on it one more time and RIIIIP it tore. You dinked too far. The dink factor went below 1.

Quit dinking around with your air conditioner before you damage it -

DINK FACTOR = IMPROVEMENT / HARM should always be = 1 or greater.

conditioners.

On 2014-06-24 by Anonymous

My boss seems to think through the wall A/C's at out hotel are supposed to evaporate instead of condensate outside , is this true?

On 2014-06-24 by (mod) -

Anon I don't know what you've got installed but if it's a conventional refigerant-operated air conditioning system the condensate that is produced needs to be properly disposed-of.

There are condensate evaporation systems used on some refrigeration equipment but that's not a feature I've found on through-wall air

On 2014-06-16 by mike

I cleaned my A/c wall unit today. Since it doesn't cool anymore I gave it a good cleaning. Once it dried up. I installed it back. Ran it for awhile. But, noticed on top of compressor was making a clicking noise every five seconds.

On 2014-06-16 by (mod) -

Mike that sounds as if there is an electrical problem, possibly a relay trying to start a seized compressor motor. If the compressor motor is shot the unit fan may run but you won't see any cool air.

A simpler problem could be a rotating fan part hitting an obstruction. Watch out: if a moving part cuts a wire the unit becomes unsafe and may risk electrical shock.

On 2014-06-04 by Eileen Hoof

my air conditioner wall unit runs for like 2 minutes then shuts off for 3-4 minutes then goes back on for two minutes...etc.

On 2014-06-04 by (mod)

That sounds like an abnormal short-cycling air conditioner unit; before digging into the controls or into an electric motor failure, I'd check to be sure thsat the unit's filters are clean. A blocked filter could be causing overheating in the unit.

On 2013-01-02 by phil - my a/c motor overheats

my a/c motor overheats why is that?

On 2013-03-23 by (mod) -

Phil

Some reasons an A/C motor may overheat include

- bad or worn bearings

- loss of lubrication

- running on low voltage

- bad start capacitor

On 2013-03-23 by Anon: how often do I need to add refrigerant to my AC unit?

Someone told me that the refrigerant in my air conditioner needs to be replaced? How long does refrigerant gas last? Does it get used up?

On 2013-03-23 by (mod) -

Anon,

An air conditioner does not consume refrigerant; so your question about how many years the refrigerant will last needs to be re-stated. If your system has a leak the leak needs to be found and fixed before the unit is recharged.

On 2012-10-09 by jzee - window AC won't stop until I turn it off

My window AC automatic turn off and on system not working, its running continuously until i manually turned it off. how to fix

On 2012-10-09 by (mod)

When your air conditioner won't stop running it may be that it has lost refrigerant so can't cool the room, so keeps running. Does it produce cool air? If not that may be the problem and it will need repair: find the leak and then recharge the system - not something that a homeowner can do.

On 2012-08-14 by Jody - window AC unit spits water

i have a window AC unit (4 years old) that "spits" when it is running. what can i do to fix this issue? thanks.

On 2012-08-14 6 by (mod)

Often there is so much condensate in an air conditioner that water droplets are picked up by the blower fan and blown out of the unit.

Check fdirst to be sure that the unit's condensate drain is not blocked.

Question: permanent cover for the window A/C unit?

(Aug 1, 2015) stewart said:
i want to put a hard plastic cover ( has vents on side to let air in and a lot of vents on the front to let air out)
onto my window A/C unit and have the plastic painted the color of my house so that it blends in. is there a rule against that?

Reply:

Stewart

I'm not sure whose rule we'd cite; I speculate that IF and I do mean IF IF the cover you plan to install does not change the air inflow nor outflow of the air conditioner then it'd be fine.

If you restrict air flow your AC unit will work harder, cool less, and perhaps have a reduced life.

Use our email found at CONTACT at page bottom to send me a photo of the outside of the window unit and the same unit with your cover installed and I can comment further.

Question: how to ID my window A/C unit

(Aug 12, 2015) Jen said:

Have a window/wall mount A/C unit that needs to be replaced. The only markings I can find (above a bar code) 71EX0880 S/No.701TADR13986
Need to know brand, and specs to replace. When I search either number on Google, nothing comes up.

Reply:

Jen:

Sorry, I couldn't get any further than you. Perhaps a more careful look at and inside the equipment at data tags, labels, markings will help track down the brand and model of your AC unit.

I'm not sure that you need that data in any case if you are simply going to replace a window or wall air conditioner.

You would choose a replacement unit whose cooling capacity was adequate for the space you need to cool in your particular cooling climate.

Search InspectApedia for WINDOW AIR CONDITIONER or AIR CONDITIONER BTU CHART for some suggestions.

(Aug 13, 2015) James said:

This air conditioner & heat pump inspection, installation, diagnosis & repair article series explains in detail the inspection, troubleshooting diagnosis, and repair of all types of residential and light commercial central air conditioning and heat pump systems.

...

Continue reading at WINDOW / WALL AIR CONDITIONERS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• AIR CONDITIONER COVER USE
• AIR CONDITIONER BTU CHART including for window AC units
• PORTABLE AIR CONDITIONER BTU CHART for portable room air conditioner BTU sizing advice.
• WINDOW / WALL A/C SUPPORTS

Suggested citation for this web page

WINDOW / WALL AIR CONDITIONER REPAIR FAQs at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to AIR CONDITIONING & HEAT PUMPS

Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

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