Window air conditioners work on exactly the same principles as a refrigerator or dehumidifier. They have a cooling system that refrigerates the air entering the unit. The moisture in the air condenses on the cold coils and drips into the bottom tray of the air conditioner. The warm air in the room is drawn over the evaporator coil, which collect heat. The heat is conducted into a refrigerant gas. The gas is then circulated to the condensing coils on the back of the unit where it is dissipated to the outside. For more info see the section How things Work.
You can run the air conditioner as long as both the outside and inside temperatures are above 60 degrees. If either temperature is too cold, the unit may not function properly
Yes. They use a considerable amount of electricity. A standard single room air conditioner will cost approximately 7-12 cents per hour to operate. If you run the air conditioner for 8 hours per day it will cost you approximately $24.40 per month at $.10 per kilowatt hour.
Usually no. If your air conditioner is running constantly and the room is not cooling to the set temperature you should check several things. First check the temperature of the air entering the air conditioner. Then check the temperature of the air blowing out of the air conditioner. The difference in temperature should be no less than 15 degrees. If the unit cannot cool the air traveling through it by 15 degrees or more it may have a problem that can be corrected. If the unit has a difference of more than 15 degrees it is probably working properly. If the unit is cooling properly the room might be too big for the unit's capacity (see the section named "What size unit do I need for my room."
The evaporator coils on the front of the air conditioner get very cold during normal operation of the air conditioner. As the warm moist air in the room comes in contact with the cold evaporator the moisture in the air condenses out of the air and attaches to the evaporator coil. As more and more moisture condenses the water begins to drip down into the base of the air conditioner where it is evaporated to the outside of the house.
Prevent any direct sunlight from heating up the room the unit is in. Clean the dust filter every month or as often as it needs it. Limit using any heat generating appliances such as stoves, ovens, microwave ovens, hair dryers, etc.
