Several types of air conditioners are available in the market such as split air conditioners portable air conditioners and window air conditioners. The last mentioned one is best suited for rooms which have a window in them. Apart from that they take little space in your room and are cheaper than the split model. These gadgets help maintain the temperature inside a room so that it is comfortable. At the same time these machines keep the room free of humidity helping you stay fresh and free of perspiration. The cooling capacity of these machines is rated in tons. Such air conditioners are available in various brands and cooling capacities. If you have a small room then a half ton model is sufficient. However if you want to cool a big room then you should go for a one or one and a half ton model. It is best to call an air-conditioning specialist to judge what type of tonnage is required to cool your roof efficiently.
You might have to change your power meter:
It is a good idea to check the capacity of the meter that measures electricity consumed by electrical equipments in your house and if it can withstand the additional power load. The best way to determine the power load of window air conditioners is to check its tonnage. A half ton machine will consume approximately 500 watts per hour and a one and a half ton model will consume about 1500 watts per hour. You might have to change the power meter of your house to run this gadget.
Contact a qualified and licensed electrician:
Get hold of a licensed electrician and let him calculate the total wattage consumed by all other electrical equipments in your house. This will help him judge whether the meter can withstand the extra power required to run the air conditioner. If required submit an application to your power supply agency to replace the old meter with one that can withstand the extra load. You should also take into consideration the surge load. Each time you turn on the air conditioner it needs more power than its rated wattage. Get a heavy duty power outlet especially one with an inbuilt trip switch installed near the window on which you want to set up the machine.
Various features to check for while shopping:
You should check for various features while shopping for window air conditioners. Good models contain grilles in the front that rotate both horizontally and vertically. This helps to spread the chilled air evenly within the room. Most modern generation models ship with a remote control which is used to change the temperature. If you have selected the correct wattage then the cooling mechanism should stop once the air inside the room has reached the preset temperature. After this the compressor of the machine stops and only the fans and grilles operate. The backside of the machine contains a condenser coil and an exhaust fan. It is the duty of the exhaust fan to suck hot air from the room and expel it outside.
Other parts of the machine:
The primary task of window air conditioners is to suck out hot air from the room and blow air chilled by the evaporator coil inside the room. This coil is located behind the front grille. A filter which lies between the grille and the evaporator coil traps dust that is sucked in along with the air inside the room. For optimum performance you should wash this filter on a regular basis. The compressor is the heart of the machine. It is a hermetically sealed unit and lasts for many years. The machine also contains a thermostat sensor that shuts down the compressor of the machine when the room cools to the set temperature and turns it on when the temperature increases.