Dealing with the cold

[MadMan]

Originally Posted by Jon A.

I just got a vintage Kenmore window A/C unit and chances are I'll be getting a second one. The classifieds were loaded with A/C units fairly recently but very few were worth buying.

We have central air, but I still pick up any window units I come across. 9 times out of 10, if it doesn't work, it's just because the condenser is filled with dirt. Nothing a garden hose can't fix in 5 minutes. I think I've literally seen... like 2 window units with bad compressors. Scores of them with dirty condensers.

[Jon A.]

Originally Posted by MadMan

We have central air, but I still pick up any window units I come across. 9 times out of 10, if it doesn't work, it's just because the condenser is filled with dirt. Nothing a garden hose can't fix in 5 minutes. I think I've literally seen... like 2 window units with bad compressors. Scores of them with dirty condensers.

The compressor in the one I got rid of was fine. I flushed out the condenser and evaporator coils even though they didn't look dirty and straightened the bent condenser fins which made no appreciable difference. At the end of the season I stored it in a closet which caused a weird odor in there. Once it was out of there for a couple of days and the floor mopped the smell was gone. Slow refrigerant leak perhaps? It was Chinese-made and used R410A, nothing to sneeze at anyway.

Now if something goes wrong with the old Kenmore it'll be worth fixing to me.