The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California
First Aid For The Ailing Houses
This will not create a suction in the house, since leaking around doors and windows will readily make up the difference in air flow. In fact, it is this reason which requires a larger exhaust fan than the intake at the air conditioner. If the exhaust were not larger, it would not draw air from the cooled room into the others, since nearby leaks would supply replacement air.
CONSOLS-MODEL AIR CONDITIONERS
Console air conditioners are usually of the window type. That is, they stand on the floor in front of the window, and draw their air from that source. They also exhaust the hot air from the condenser coils through the window into the outside air. Such consoles operate much the same as a window conditioner, and have no special problems that the window units do not have. Some models may be vented through an opening in the wall, however, instead of through an outside window. This does not interfere with illumination, and allows a more advantageous placement of the machine.
STORING A UNIT
If the unit is to be stored in a storage room or basement, it must be removed from the window, and the shipping bolts, if any, replaced and tightened down to keep the compressor from damage in shipping.
The machine, whether it is to be stored in another spot or to spend the winter right in the window, should be thoroughly cleaned at the end of the summer season. This requires removing the unit from the case and, with a brush, thoroughly cleaning all dust and debris from the motors, frame, compressor, and coils. The filter should be removed and cleaned, or replaced if it is the fiber-bound type. Then it should be replaced in the case, the cord removed from the socket and coiled up out of the way, and a plastic or canvas case, available at appliance or hardware stores, placed over the outside part of the conditioner and strapped tight.
Before using the machine again in the summer, it should be thoroughly checked for worn belts, broken or leaking joints, bent fan blades, and loose bolts. The motor for the fan should be oiled according to the directions supplied by the manufacturer. The unit should be started up and run at lowest thermostat setting for an hour before putting a load on the compressor. If it does not have a thermostat, turn the compressor on for a few minutes and then turn it off again at 15-minute intervals for an hour to allow the stiff oil and grease to "break in" again.
