[VAC] Re: While on subject of A/C's.....

[Jim Dunmyer <jdunmyer@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ken,
 It isn't as simple as "fabricating a shroud" for either end of a window
A/C unit. On the Condenser side (the part that is "outside", the air is
usually drawn in through the louvers on the sides of the box and pushed
out the rear. You have to allow that air to be drawn IN besides allowing
for the exhaust.

On the Evaporator side (the part that's "inside"), the air is drawn from
the living space through a large opening and pushed across the
evaporator coils and back into the room. A simple duct will allow
"short-circuiting" of the air flow and you aren't going to get much
cooling.

Restricting the airflow across the condenser is especially bad because
it'll raise the head pressure on the compressor and cause it to fry.
That's in addition to using a lot more power than it should.

This is a good time for a reminder: there was at least one person on
this list last year who was told by an expert that his rooftop A/C was
junk and needed to be replaced. Once he consulted with us and was
advised to clean the condenser coils, he checked and found it totally
plugged with dirt. Cleaning it restored normal operation.

The same advice holds for your home A/C units, either window or central
air type. Check those condenser coils; you'll have to pull the guts out
of the sheetmetal box to do so on a window unit. I've seen more than one
A/C unit that wasn't working at all whose only problem was a plugged
condenser.

                                           <<Jim>>