Window Air Conditioner and Rain drops = Loud banging
paul lesiak
I hope posting about this, in this group, is alright. Today I
installed a small window air conditioner in my girlfriend's apartment,
to keep her cool during the summer time. As luck has it, it has been
raining for about the past week in the NYC area, and tonight is no
different.
During periods of hard rain, the drops hitting the unit are unbearably
loud... it is loud, it is random, it is annoying, and there is no way
to muffle the sound, internally (I tried putting a big piece of foam
in front of it... it is just too loud). After the rain stops, the
pooled up water from ledges above keeps on hitting it throughout the
night, so it really doesn't stop -- it's going as I speak. Because of
this, I'm up at 5:00am, searching for solutions to fix this problem.
I've thought of a couple fixes that I may be able to implement, using
my limited resources (all of my tools, except my dremel, are at home,
and there are no home depots nearby).
My first idea is taking some sort of rubber shower rug, with suction
cups on the bottom, and just plopping that on top. That should absorb
enough of the rain drops impact, to lower the noise a lot. The suction
cups should hopefully keep it from blowing away in the wind. However,
I am worried that it may start to mildew or something underneath it. I
might be able to elevate it somehow, but I'm not sure. Also, would it
cause the AC unit to overheat or something? (I would get a non-black
color, so it wouldnt sit there and absorb sunlight all the time).
My second idea is really difficult to implement, as I wouldn't be able
to install the air conditioner easily, or at all, with this... I was
thinking of putting something (a piece of wood, rubber, etc) on top of
it, at an angle. The drops would hit that, and run down and around the
front of the A/C unit. The problem with this, is she is on the 4th
floor, and there is no room for messing up. If I let go of the unit,
it will fall down 4 floors, and there goes $200. Plus, sticking it out
the window with this thing on top, would be quite difficult.
Has anyone solved similar problems, easily and with items you can
purchase from Target? (closest store that has a lot of things, that I
can think of).
Quick replies would be great, as I plan on going there first thing in
the morning, to finally fix this problem.
The forecast calls for nothing but rain, so I should have no problem
testing the solution.
Joseph Meehan
she will love it.
It has been years, but I do remember seeing an add for a pad that sticks
to the top of the unit to reduce this problem. I doubt if it worked well
nor have I seen it in the last 30 years, but someone might have one.
--
Joseph E. Meehan
26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math
"paul lesiak" <su...@simlab.net> wrote in message
news:992851d9.03060...@posting.google.com...
RamblinOn
>
>Has anyone solved similar problems, easily and with items you can
>purchase from Target? (closest store that has a lot of things, that I
>can think of).
>
>Quick replies would be great, as I plan on going there first thing in
>the morning, to finally fix this problem.
>
Well.......never fixed what you describe, although I've experienced the
noisy drip-drop onto the AC. You don't want anything that will hold
water/moisture because it gets messy or moldy or rusty. Here is what I
would try: get some sheet metal that you can cut and shape to the
approximate size of the top of the AC. Cut so's it is same size with
three sides turned up to channel the water toward the third side
(runoff). Solder or caulk a piece of metal screen across the top.
Fashion some feet for the side toward the wall (picture the bottom of a
paint tray) so's it slants a bit. Duck tape or caulk the thing to the
top of the AC. Screen might break up the rain drops/drips to lessen the
noise. Let me know how it works so's I can apply for a patent if it's
any good :o)
William
>
> I hope posting about this, in this group, is alright. Today I
> installed a small window air conditioner in my girlfriend's apartment,
> to keep her cool during the summer time. As luck has it, it has been
> raining for about the past week in the NYC area, and tonight is no
> different.
>
> During periods of hard rain, the drops hitting the unit are unbearably
> loud... it is loud, it is random, it is annoying, and there is no way
> to muffle the sound, internally (I tried putting a big piece of foam
> in front of it... it is just too loud).
I'm thinking one or two layers of aluminum window screen (sometimes
you can find small rolls for patching at drugstores or other places that
have a small hardware section). It should break up the drops (substituting
something more like a sizzle for the thudding of drops) and it would dry
out quickly. Space it above the metal of the A/C unit by a 1/4" or so
with some pieces of plastic or aluminum. (Don't use another kind of metal
as a spacer since it may corrode.) -Wm
labelj...@gmail.com
micky
>Did you fix it? I'm up at 3 am with the same problem in LA. What worked???
to.
Ed Pawlowski
Personally, I like the sound of the rain hitting when I'm going to
sleep.
Moe DeLoughan
> Did you fix it? I'm up at 3 am with the same problem in LA. What worked???
>
he's around to reply to your question.
Moral: learn to read the posts in Google Groups - including the
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