Question:
Has anyone used those insulated indoor covers for window A/C units?
According to one manufacturer (endraft.com), their cover replaces any exterior
covers and by reducing condensation extends the life of your A/C.
Would like to know if using both an exterior cover and interior cover would
result in condensation in the unit. I already have an exterior cover, but
would like to get the interior cover since it sounds like it would insulate
better, but I also need something on the outside to keep leaves and dirt from
blowing into the unit (it gets very windy here in the winter).
Answer:
I haven't used a commercial A/C cover, but I made my own and found it to
be OK but not great.
First, if you can possibly take out your window A/C in the winter, it's
much better. I've tried various covers, and none of them work as well.
My heating bill went down significantly when I just removed the window
a/c in the winter, even compared to various insulated covers. It's hard
to store the a/c in the winter, but it's worth it.
The insulated indoor covers do a fairly good job at preventing cold from
transferring from outside to inside. The metal air conditioner
transmits cold very easily - the metal conducts heat and when it gets
cold outside, the air conditioner is a major source of heat loss, even
if you cover up the vents. The cold doesn't come from the air, it comes
from the metal. One problem is getting the cover to stay in place.
These covers don't seem that expensive, so it would probably be
worthwhile - having an indoor cover does help.
I've never found condensation to be a major problem. I've never had any
rusting problems even when I covered both the inside and outside.
