How do you install an air-conditioner in vertical windows?

Question

I want to buy a window air conditioning unit. The problem is that all of them are made for windows that close downward, so that they block out the air from the outside and hold them in place. Every window in my house opens left to right rather than down and up. Can you install them sideways in that type of window? How do they stay in place? Does anyone know of an airconditioner made for these types of windows?

Answer 1

I had this same problem and already looked into it.

You cannot install a regular window air conditioner sideways.  It either won't run at all or will wreck the a/c unit.

They do however make window air conditioners that fit "casement" windows, which is what you have.  They are generally a fair bit more expensive than the normal kind, but you can get them.  Shop around on the internet for casement window air conditioners or check a dedicated appliance store.  You generally won't find them in places like HomeDepot or Best Buy which have a more limited selection.  Sears used to sell them, but not sure whether they still do.  Before you buy one, make sure you measure the opening of the window (width AND height) and compare the dimensions of the casement unit with your open window to make sure it will fit.  Normally, this won't be an issue, but best to check before you buy.  

Your other option is to get one of those "portable" AC units, which is a thing on wheels where you stick something that looks like a clothes dryer hose out the window.  Those will work with any kind of window and have the advantage that they can be rolled between rooms.  If you go that route, make sure you get one with TWO hoses that go outside - one to exhaust hot air, and one to bring in outside air to cool the coils.  The ones with just a single air vent use the air conditioned air inside the room to cool the coils, which makes those units very energy inefficient and less powerful than normal window units of the same size.  I don't know why they even sell the ones with a single duct hose, but steer clear of them.  

The other disadvantage of these portable units is that they are kind of large and bulky, and they typically have buckets to collect the water pulled out of the air that you have to empty like a dehumidifer.

Either way, you are going to be paying a fair bit more for one of these than a regular A/C of equivalent size.  So you will have to adjust your budget expectations a bit, but you can find something that will fit the bill.

Answer 2

The above suggestion is a good one, and professional. We like to "rig" things, so you can put a horizontal unit in b/c they are more inexpensive and easy to find, but you'll have to find a piece of wood/plexiglass/etc to place above the unit in the space left behind. This however can let heat in, cool air out, bugs in, etc and is only a temporary solution for sure. We have those windows in our '70's era home, and I'm not too fond of them myself.

Answer 3

Sure. You just need a "vertical chassis" air conditioner. They are all over if you look. Here is one for example.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.d...

They make them for various vertical windows.

Good luck!

Answer 4

You definitely can't turn them on their side. Besides wrecking them, if they did work all the water would spill out.  

Since you have the casement windows you will have to fill the open space someway with either unit.

The taller ones were twice as expensive. The 8,000 BTU unit I recently bought was only 8 inches wider than the more vertical one. That only meant I needed a slightly larger piece of  plexiglass to cover the hole.

The only other problem was I needed to install a thin board on the sill before putting on the support mount I bought to keep the a/c from sitting on the rail of the window. I screwed the side bracket for securing it to that.

But for 8 inches difference it sure wasn't worth paying twice as much. Larger BTU units may be slightly wider.

Good Luck.