How To Make A Window Air Conditioner Colder
The research
- Why you should trust us
- Who this is for
- How nosotros picked and tested
- Our pick: Height Shelf TSB-2438
- Budget pick: Frost King ACB80H
- The contest
- Sources
Why you lot should trust us
Between the writers and editors on this guide (Sabrina Imbler, Tim Heffernan, and Harry Sawyers) we have more than 30 years of personal and professional person experience with air conditioners—researching, buying, installing, and running them. Harry has reported on a broad range of domicile repairs and upgrades for This Old House, Pop Mechanics, and Wirecutter. Tim is the former president of his 450-unit co-op in Queens, a role that gave him broad feel with the legal and practical concerns of installing air conditioners safely (and of landlord rules regarding ACs). And nosotros accept all installed and removed window ACs ourselves, in at least a dozen NYC apartments—even before we knew what we were doing.
Who this is for
A window air conditioner bracket is for anyone who wants to make the unwieldy procedure of installing and removing a window AC easier, likewise as making the unit itself safer for the neighbors, and less likely to make the news for falling from the sky. We've all spent summers with our ACs counterbalanced on bricks. This guide is for anyone at the signal in life where they're looking for a amend brick.
Brackets add a measure of security one time the automobile is installed, helping support the motorcar's weight, only where they really come in handy is at the critical moment when you lot're installing or removing the air conditioner as the seasons change. The window is open, the Air conditioning is rocking precariously on the sill, and you're working (hopefully with a partner) to get it into position without dropping information technology onto the street, into your yard, or on your anxiety. This is a hard chore, and if you're doing it lone, it's hard to do safely. If you feel anxious imagining this scene, y'all may appreciate an AC subclass.
How we picked and tested
We began our search past shopping online and looking through the adequately limited options for window air conditioner brackets sold by Amazon, Domicile Depot, and Lowe'southward. We limited our search to models established and popular enough to have more than a handful of positive reviews and chop-chop focused in on a half dozen or then potent contenders. At a minimum, we insisted that they came with clear instructions, included the required hardware, had a broad and strong plenty support arm to secure a large or off-residue air conditioner, and had enough adjustability to fit a broad range of window sizes and sill depths.
Additionally, we were hoping to find a bracket that worked well without requiring the installer to drill holes or install hardware. Many people who want or demand an Air-conditioning bracket are renters, who often take express access to tools and fiddling authority to punch holes in the landlord's building.
The problem is that most Air-conditioning brackets do crave drilling: They are mounted to the windowsill with three large screws that require deep airplane pilot holes. And even if yous skip the subclass entirely, the safest method of AC installation notwithstanding involves putting a few small screws into the window sash to anchor the Air conditioning (as this video from Lowe'southward demonstrates). Given the choice, nosotros'd rather go with a sill-mounted bracket, considering of the benefits of security and ease of installation, and because at to the lowest degree it's on the outside of the building and doesn't commit you to staring at a bunch of ugly (and maybe drafty) holes in your window sash all wintertime once the AC is gone. But we held out hope that there was a decent no-drill bracket out there.
We too looked into whatever legal requirements for window air conditioner support but found that many cities have no such laws. Some exceptions exercise exist, peculiarly with larger buildings (more than than half dozen stories high) or public housing. Many landlords as well have a correct to enforce sure installation rules or policies; yous might desire to check your lease if you lot accept any concerns.
Our search left the states with a last group of five to examination, comprised of two no-drill models and three drilling-required:
- Frost King ACB80H (drilling required)
- Air-conditioning Safe Ac-080 (drilling required)
- Jeacent Universal (drilling required)
- Frost Male monarch ACBNT2 (no drill)
- Top Shelf TSB-2438 (no drill)
Our pick: Elevation Shelf TSB-2438
Our selection
The Top Shelf TSB-2438 bracket makes the annoying task of installing an Ac back up bracket delightfully simple. It's the merely neat bracket we found that requires no drilling (or tools of any kind). Instead, it assembles, adjusts to fit, and locks into identify by hand via a ready of spring-loaded buttons. It tin can arrange unmarried- or double-hung windows (the standard, slide upwards-and-down kind) from 24 to 38 inches in width—which means almost every window that could fit a common window AC. And the horizontal frame the AC sits on tin be adjusted to 40 different positions, allowing the subclass to conform walls of varying thickness, and letting you finely adjust its angle to the proper, slightly downwards tilt (to permit condensation drain out of the AC). No other Air-conditioning bracket we tested offered so much versatility.
Considering it's not permanently screwed to your window frame, y'all can remove and reinstall the Elevation Shelf hands and repeatedly. That'southward a large aid if you plan to shop your AC indoors during the off-season, and/or if y'all expect to motion to a new place (renters take notation). Past contrast, models that crave drilling tin't easily be removed and should not be reinstalled in the existing location because the mounting screws can guarantee a tight grip only the outset time they're used. The ability to safely install and remove this bracket without whatever hardware is a huge convenience—whether you lot're prohibited from driving screws into a rental building, or you simply don't want an eyesore sitting on the side of your house all winter. We experience this distinction alone is enough to justify the added expense, specially for anyone who has sought out a guide to larn more than about these products.
The Elevation Shelf can back up upwardly to 200 pounds—far more than almost residential window ACs, and more than any AC under 12,000 Btu, typically the largest that would be installed in a home or flat. You don't demand that redundant force, only it'south nice to have the actress peace of mind. (Our budget pick, the Frost King ACB80H, is rated to 80 pounds—also more than enough for virtually residential ACs up to 12,000 Btu.)
To assemble and install the Peak Shelf bracket, you slide two legs and 2 "wings" into the H-shaped frame the AC volition eventually sit on. You then drop it into your window frame, in the slot the window nestles in when airtight. Next, you lot slide the wings open until a tap on each one catches behind the vertical frame track (where the frame meets the wall). Finally, yous adjust the legs until the H-frame is tilted very slightly downward, away from the building. (That'due south so condensation that collects in the Ac volition drain away from the wall, rather back into your room.) All of these adjustments are simple and washed by hand, using jump-loaded buttons that lock into holes on the bracket.
And that'south really it (though for added security you can put a pocket-size spiral through the hole in each tab and into the window frame, to eliminate any adventure of accidentally unhooking them). Once you accept the Superlative Shelf installed and adjusted, the wide H-frame makes it like shooting fish in a barrel to set up your Air conditioning in place and slide information technology out the window—a pair of wide-fix rails is much more than stable than a single rail, like our budget choice's bracket, and requires no balancing act. That'southward especially welcome if you live on a high floor: Dangling a heavy air conditioner over a busy sidewalk is 1 of those urban terrors we could all do without.
Flaws simply not dealbreakers
The instructions don't show details of the window frame, and so you're left to guess the proper placement of the subclass. In most cases it'south fairly obvious (it sits in the slot the window rests in when it's closed), but this is a piece of safety equipment—Summit Shelf should brand certain there'due south no question of how to properly install it, including on windows that differ from the normal layout. (The company'south own installation video is equally unhelpful.) The Acme Shelf works on nearly single- and double-hung windows (the kind that slide up and down), merely not on casement (doorlike) and other designs, so check before you buy.
Budget option: Frost King ACB80H
Budget pick
If you don't mind drilling into your windowsill and also having to leave the bracket up during the off-flavour, you can relieve some money by getting the Frost Male monarch ACB80H. It was the clear winner amongst the drilling-required brackets we tested because it had the virtually comprehensive instructions and the highest quality materials. Additionally, its pattern is versatile enough to fit a wider range of windows than many competitors.
Putting in the Frost Rex is a far weep from the intuitive, no-tools-required installation of the Tiptop Shelf TSB-2438. You'll need a drill, a screwdriver, and a pair of wrenches, and you must be willing and able to drill holes in your windowsill. If that doesn't plough you off, the Frost Male monarch is a much more economic choice than the Top Shelf, at less than half its price.
The Frost Male monarch, AC Safety, and Jeacent models we considered all share a basic design that allows them to fit most windows, because the unabridged bracket mounts on the exterior of the home or flat, with a pivoting adjustable leg that helps y'all lock the shelf in a level position. (In fact, the Frost Male monarch'south packaging says the subclass is manufactured by AC Safe, and we saw no differences betwixt them.) Jeacent felt like a flimsier imitation of these two. All three claim to exist able to support an air conditioner up to lxxx pounds (our pick in the best air conditioner guide weighs but less than 60 pounds). Our top option, the Top Shelf TSB-2438, claims to back up upwardly to 200 pounds, simply we don't think virtually people will take advantage of that generous weight limit. With so much in mutual, the conclusion to recommend the Frost Rex ACB80H came down to a few central differences in the details.
The Frost Male monarch's instructions were more straightforward and like shooting fish in a barrel to follow than those of the competitors. They included a useful parts checklist and detailed diagrams accompanying each footstep. And they're offered in Spanish likewise as English language. The Jeacent's instructions are, give-and-take for word, identical to the Frost King's, only are harder to follow because they're formatted as a list rather than pace-by-pace, with the diagrams all bunched together to one side. The Frost Rex'due south diagrams are more than detailed than the Jeacent's, too. The AC Safety didn't come with whatsoever instructions at all, despite assurances on the box that they would be found inside.
The Frost King (and the identical Air conditioning Safety) have college-quality smaller parts than Jeacent. In particular, the blocks and spacers you utilise to mount the subclass to the sill are made of much sturdier, more than resilient material—a dense nylon, if we had to estimate. The Jeacent's cake and spacers are made of a hard, rigid plastic, and seemed more likely to crack subsequently some weathering than the slightly rubbery material of the Frost King. They're besides a third narrower, meaning less contact area with the sill and bracket.
Some Amazon reviews notation that the adjustable leg's rubber foot, used to level the bracket's shelf, can skid down on an outside wall over time. One reviewer solved the problem by driving another spiral nether the foot to hold it in position. We didn't notice that issue on the rough masonry walls we were trying the bracket on, but information technology'southward possible it would be a bigger problem on a smoother fabric, like vinyl siding.
- 2 adjustable wrenches, or two 7/16″ wrenches, or a combination of these
- A drill (if you don't already have a drill, this is a fine time to get one—the pick is peachy!)
- A drill bit prepare that includes a v/32″ multi-purpose bit (if your dwelling is woods-framed) and a five/32″ masonry bit for brick buildings
- A multi-bit screwdriver (or any #2 Phillips driver you already have)
And for ease of reference, here are the printable instructions in English and Spanish (PDF).
The contest
The Frost King ACBNT2 is an intriguing design, beingness no more than a pair of bent tubes that prune together, locking confronting the inner and outer walls. Still, it's limited to walls less than 10 inches thick. That may work on wood- or vinyl-sided homes, but the masonry walls of many apartment buildings are thicker, and the bracket didn't come shut to fitting on either of our exam apartments in New York, in a large modern co-op and an old brownstone townhouse.
The Air conditioning Safety No Tools Needed two subclass is identical to the tubular Frost King ACBNT2 we tested, and has the same problem of plumbing fixtures simply narrow (10 inches or less ) walls.
The EZ-AC Air Conditioner Back up Bracket is a no-drill blueprint similar to the Top Shelf, our superlative choice. However, it's incompatible with the Frigidaire Gallery series ACs, which are some of the most widely sold in the US.
The Universal KT-40S is a bracket much like our Frost King choice. We were turned off past numerous reports of customers receiving used brackets instead of new, and of it coming with metric hardware instead of SAE (the fractions of an inch standard used in the US).
The Smart Option lxxx-pound bracket appears identical to our pick, but with merely a single review at Home Depot, we looked elsewhere for brackets with a lengthier track record.
Most brackets like our pick too come up in heavy-duty versions, normally rated to 160 pounds, including models from Air conditioning Safe and Smart Pick. These are overkill for most residential window ACs (up to 12,000 Btu, at least) so nosotros dismissed them.
Sources
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Install a Window Air Conditioner, Lowe'due south
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Aleksander Chan, You Will Not Exist Killed By Falling Air Conditioners, Gawker , April xi, 2014
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-window-air-conditioner-bracket/
Posted by: lindseysamot1957.blogspot.com
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