Window AC unit for office

[KentState]

Looks like I will be spending more time working from home and with things warming up, my office is starting to get warm during the day. Between my workstation and personal laptop, they tend to dump a bunch of heat into the room, plus the suns beats down on it in the afternoon. The other rooms upstairs are all around 73F and the vents are measureing around 58-62F when the AC runs. I'm thinking of giving the second floor unit a break and just getting a small 6-8K BTU unit. The office is around 140 sq/ft and I would keep the door closed as I'm on calls most of the day. Is this the best way to go and which brands are reliable? Thinking Frigidaire, Whirlpool or GE and having it delivered from Home Depot.

 

[NutBucket]

That's probably overkill for such a small room unless it's really hot and/or you like it really cold. They're all pretty similar so just get the cheapest one. Might want to pay attention to power draw but none of those units should be particularly hungry. For reference a 5000 BTU window unit is rated at 5 amps.

 

[KentState]

Right now the room is getting up to 82F during they day if I shut the door and have something going on the workstation. The power draw at the wall for it and monitors can be 900W. My work laptop is around 60W I believe so that leaves a little overhead in the room which is on a 15AMP circuit. If a 5000 BTU alone can cool the room down, than I will go that route. Just wanted to have enough over head for this summer when it's in the 90s.

 

[mindless1]

I'd do some googling to figure out which modern models are the quietest as that, and the tone of the noise, can vary. You shouldn't need more than 6K BTU and sizing it close to get longer runtimes instead of short cycling, can improve the efficiency.

 

[KentState]

Thanks for pointing out cycle length. I forgot about that concern as we had over sized units in a house we rented and it always caused issues. I will look for a 6k BTU unit.

 

[NutBucket]

Is there only one circuit in that room? Seems unlikely unless it's an old house.

Room Air Conditioners

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Anyway, EPA says 150 sg ft is the break point between 5k and 6k.

 

[mindless1]

^ Yes, but there are more variables involved, like how much the central air is assisting, and that major issue of a 900W heat generation from the electronics. 900W seems sort of high to me, but if true it'll take around 3K BTU to counter that.

If this were a standalone (tiny) building, with no central A/C assistance, or it is desired to shut off the central A/C to that room and have the window unit do ALL the cooling, then I'd recommend an 8K BTU.

 

[herm0016]

we had 2 x 6ks and a 12 of these before we got mitsu mini splits put in our house. i would recommend them. the 6ks were fine for the 2 small bedrooms with kids in them. I was glad we had the 12 in our room. we used them for 1.5 seasons until we could get the splits installed after moving to our current house. these will ramp up and down the fan speed on auto and i find that less annoying than just blasting or off. the remote works well and the temperature is controlled by the sensor on the remote, which you can leave on your desk. sometimes when the temp is on the machine they will cycle more often. I would also get a bracket for anything over the smallest units. the 12 k was quite heavy, and i would not want that weight hanging off my vinyl windows.

Frigidaire 6,000 BTU Window-Mounted Room Air Conditioner in White FFRA062WAE - The Home Depot

Features three different fan speeds, for more cooling flexibility. Multi-Speed Fan Features three different fan speeds, for more cooling flexibility. Programmable 24-Hour On/Off Timer Customize times to fit your schedule for immediate comfort when you get home. Allows you to precisely control...

www.homedepot.com

 

[KentState]

That's the one I've been eyeballing. Looks like Amazon has the Energy Star version of that one.

Amazon.com: Frigidaire Energy Star 6,000 BTU 115V Window-Mounted Compact Air Conditioner with Full-Function Remote Control, White: Home & Kitchen

Buy Frigidaire Energy Star 6, 000 BTU 115V Window-Mounted Compact Air Conditioner with Full-Function Remote Control, White: Window - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

smile.amazon.com

 

[NutBucket]

^ Yes, but there are more variables involved, like how much the central air is assisting, and that major issue of a 900W heat generation from the electronics. 900W seems sort of high to me, but if true it'll take around 3K BTU to counter that.

If this were a standalone (tiny) building, with no central A/C assistance, or it is desired to shut off the central A/C to that room and have the window unit do ALL the cooling, then I'd recommend an 8K BTU.

That is a good point.

 

[herm0016]

strange. it did not occur to me that they would make 2 nearly identical models with without the energy star rating.

 

[KentState]

strange. it did not occur to me that they would make 2 nearly identical models with without the energy star rating.

Looking at the Frigidaire site, they show an entire page of similar looking 6k BTU units with slight variations. The one you linked is one digit off from the one I saw. Odd, but probably based on when are where they make the unit.

 

[NutBucket]

Or what store they sell it in so they you can't price match....just like mattresses.

 

[Micrornd]

A ceiling fan in that room would accomplish what you are after at a lower cost (initial + electricity).

 

[mindless1]

^ So the sweat evaporates faster? A ceiling fan can help keep a small window AC unit running more evenly by spreading out the cold air, but it's not an ideal relief by itself once temps get much past X (depending on humidity, another way that A/C helps a lot).

If the room were barely getting too hot, I could see using a duct fan to pull more air through, especially if it's set to always run so it is pulling cooler air from the rest of the house even when the central A/C isn't running, assuming there is an air return in that room so it is also dumping that heat into the rest of the house so the central A/C takes up much of the load, but there is a limit to how much (vs noise) that can do when there's essentially a 900W space heater in the room.

 

[Micrornd]

^ So the sweat evaporates faster?

FWIW
We run into this situation a lot in FL, especially in older 2 story homes, and especially with older (nee inadequate by modern standards) systems or retro-fitted AC systems in older homes.
A ceiling fan set to blow down can lower the perceived temperature by 8-10F in a room while adding a relatively tiny load to the electrical system.
And with the room door open, they will also help even out temps in the rooms.
Ceiling fans make the humans in the room feel cooler, regardless of whether or not the actual room temperature drops (and at a price much cheaper than AC).
After all he's looking for a 9F drop, so isn't that what this is all about ?
If the room was immensely hotter (15-20f more) then I'd agree a change in the AC was needed.

 

[KentState]

The room, like the others in the house all have ceiling fans. It does help, but like I said, the door stays closed mostly during the work day, the room gets a lot of sun, workstation (AMD 3970X, 2080 Ti and 3 monitors) and laptop going. The room just traps too much heat while the rest of the floor is being cooled trying to compensate for the single room. I could leave my AC at 78F like when I'm not working from home and just cool the single room.

Regardless, the window unit showed up today and that's the route I'm taking.

 

[mindless1]

Ceiling fans make the humans in the room feel cooler, regardless of whether or not the actual room temperature drops (and at a price much cheaper than AC).

I have ceiling fans and there's no way that they'd be adequate at, say 90F and a fair amount of humidity. Been there, tried that, and was miserable for a week of holding out to turn A/C on for the season.

I run A/C at 80F AND a ceiling fan. I turn the A/C down even lower if it is not over 90F outside, because then it wouldn't be running as long and not pull as much humidity out of the air.

 

[Micrornd]

the room gets a lot of sun....................The room just traps too much heat while the rest of the floor is being cooled trying to compensate for the single room.

Solar window film would be a big help then. It now comes in clear as well as tinted or mirrored

 

[NutBucket]

That is a good point. I did that in an apartment with a big southern exposure. It helped a lot.

 

[13Gigatons]

Recommend buying two smaller A/C units. They all seem to stop working at the worse time....when it's 99f out!!!
You can use only one during mild heatwaves and both when it gets really scorching hot. Saves you money and they are easier to install, easier to store during winter.

Still have nightmares of the old 18k unit....

 

[Vomitous]

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