The management of my older apartment building tells us residents that only a wall a/c can be put into the special, older-model sleeve (GE sleeve model RAB46) that's built into the wall. [We can't use a standard window type a/c since we all have the lousy, left-right sliding windows, and the management surely will not allow the casement type of a/c for our lousy windows.] [Also, I understand that portable a/c's are rather noisy. If I got one, it would have to go into the bedroom because that's where the wall a/c sleeve is. The exhaust heat from a portable would have to go out the wall sleeve.] Also, we're not supposed to get an a/c larger than 10,000 BTUs. [There are 2 special, dedicated electrical outlets for and positioned right by the sleeve opening for a wall a/c: standard outlet plus the special one for higher voltage.] If I can find a wall a/c of say 11,500 BTU, can I just run it at say a moderate setting so that it draws the same amount of amps/juice as a 10,000 BTU machine? I ask this because I live in a small, 1 bedroom apartment that faces due west (I get unblocked sun from 12 Noon to sunset), has no shade at all on the large, lousy, left-right sliding windows and on the large sliding glass door going to the balcony, the building is painted dark brown, and I'm right under a low-slung roof. So my apartment turns into an oven every Summer on those really bad days when it's super hot and super humid. That's why I might want to get an a/c larger than 10,000 BTUs and maybe run it on high if my place won't cool down enough. ............ Wall a/c's are costly. They're much more expensive than window a/c's. Where can one look for savings on a refurbished one, on a floor model being sold for less, or on a scratched/dented one?

if you have a tiny leak, i suspect the freon will completely vacate the system fairly quickly and leaking will continue even if system is not being run