difficulty replacing/identifying an old window/wall AC unit - please help!


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Old 08-09-10, 03:06 PM
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difficulty replacing/identifying an old window/wall AC unit - please help!

Our AC recently broke and we are trying to figure out how to best replace it. It was a Carrier unit which apparently is no longer made and seems to be so old that fixing it would not be worht it.

The unit was installed in a metal box located in the top quarter of a window -- large loft buildling with floor-to-ceiling windows, this was in the top corner of one window. It looks like the glass was cut and fitted to accomodate the box, which is open on the bottom, open on the back but for some wires, and has vents on the side. It is 16.5" tall and 24.5" wide. It looks like this:


We have been given different opinons by everyone else in the building as well as people from various stores... What type of AC is this box meant to hold? We have been told wall, slide-out chassis, and window, and frankly don't even know if any of that even matters. Is there a huge difference between wall + window units?

Also -- is the 220v plug going to cause issues? Seems IMPOSSIBLE to find a new AC that is both 220v, will fit the casing, and is the right type. The outlet looks like this:


What the heck is going on between the weird sleeve/box and the 220V plug and is there anything at this point still out there that will fit both? Would it just make more sense to cover up the old casing and just buy a new ordinary window unit and stick to the ordinary plugs located elsewhere in the room? The 220V plug is about 10 feet off the ground near the ceiling and the space where the unit was (we have around 16+ foot ceilings, loft space.)

thank you so much!!!
 
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Old 08-09-10, 03:38 PM
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Your images don't show up. But anyway, the box is likely for a window air conditioner. If you can't find the right size A/C, you'll have to change the box. Or, if you install a unit smaller than the opening, you can buy or fashion spacers to go around the top and sides.

Many, probably most, window A/Cs are 230V. If the 230-V receptacle and plug don't match, you can change one or the other. But don't replace a 3-wire with a 4-wire, or vice versa.

You say your A/C "broke." What do you mean, specifically? It might be fixable, even very simply. You (or somebody) needs to troubleshoot it with a voltmeter, etc.
 
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Old 08-09-10, 04:06 PM
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The 240 assuming it is on a dedicated circuit which it should be unless somebody did something weird is easily changed to 120 if needed. The important thing is to get a unit of at least as great a BTU rating. The metal box is part of the original AC and must be removed. The new AC of the same BTU rating will almost certainly be smaller. When you install it all side and top vents must be clear of the opening. This may require some ingenuity if the old AC had only back vents.

Tiny pic is blocked. Photobucket or Imageshavck are good alternatives. That is a standard 240v plug.



 

Last edited by ray2047; 08-09-10 at 04:24 PM.
 

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