Replacing and Sizing an Air Conditioner for a Sunroom

First Name:  Chuck

Last Initial:  H

Friedrich 12,000 Through The Wall

Problem:  We have a 21′ x 14′ sunroom addition that sits between our basement and the first floor. A few years ago we had a Unico a/c system installed in our first floor. When they did it, they ran 3 outlets through the garage window into the sunroom. The 3 outlets don’t help much in the intense afternoon sun. The room is poorly insulated with big windows. My wife wants to tear it down completely and re-build, but I don’t think we can do that for another 5-7 years. The room also has an older model Freidrich through the wall air conditioner (12,000 BTUs). Of course more insulation would help, but for the next 5-7 years is it worth getting a split a/c system, replacing the Freidrich wall unit with another, more efficient through-the-wall unit, or just leave it alone until we do the room.

Answer:  Chuck you have a bad case scenario for an air conditioner.  A 300 square foot room with lots of windows and poor insulation will need an air conditioner with approximately 18,000 btu.’s.  I would recommend replacing the Freidrich 12,000 with a Unionaire 20,000 btu. through the wall air conditioner.  You will be able to use approximately the same size hole and reduce your utility cost with a 220 volt air conditioner.  A mini split air conditioner, although very efficient, will cost much more to install and purchase.  Here is a link to view the Unionaire specifications:

http://www.clearanceac.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=16

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