So here is my unit rolled up to my dining room window. I chose this room because it is the centre of the downstairs. It is naturally shaded because the back door faces North and does not get direct sunlight and this window is under the front verandah. There is a plug here so the unit can be directly plugged in. It is not recommended that you use an extension cord with air conditioning units. The hose from the back of the unit goes through a plastic wall that expands from the middle and can be locked into place with two screws that you can see to the right of centre where the two walls overlap. You do not have to remove the window screen and the window comes down and rests on top of the expandable wall, so you can still receive most of the daylight that enters. Easy peasy. This is an older model WindChaser, so I think it still uses Freon (which is no longer used in A/C). The dial on the left is a timer that indicates 1 hr to 8 hrs. or continuous use. The dial in the middle has low fan, high fan, low A/C and high A/C. The dial on the right is the thermostat. I only use the fan during the morning. As the house heats up, I turn the A/C on. Elsewhere in the house, I have two ceiling fans on and a table fan that I can move from room to room. Right now it is blowing across me as I type this at the main computer in the front room. Yesterday it was in the kitchen as I stood at the stove frying up the ingredients to make moussaka.
Upstairs I have a bigger table fan that blows across me while I sleep. It is so warm upstairs when I go up at night, I take a cold shower first before lying on top of the bed and the fan is enough to keep me cool until morning. I keep the bedroom windows open all the time during the summer. I get my best sleep in the morning and today I didn't wake until 9 AM. If it were to get much hotter, I have the option of sleeping downstairs. But for now, all is good.
So I mentioned making moussaka yesterday.
I have been making my iced tea at night, so I have a full pitcher every morning to start the day. Also, I have been keeping bottles of tap water in the fridge so I stay well hydrated. I hope that all of you are dealing well with the heat. I am not getting much done around the house but I am okay with that. I know that it will wait for me.
Susan, thank you for posting a picture of your portable a/c. The one I saw at the store was a different model, but, it, too, had that vent hose. My windows are the type that slides to the side; if I buy a portable a/c, I'd have to install the expandable plastic piece vertically, instead of horizontally. I might go and take a look at measurements and see if that works. For now, I have a window unit in my bedroom that my friend M helps to set up (like you, I find it too heavy to lift, especially since my bedroom window is set high in the wall, over my head). We haven't set it up, yet, since it hasn't been hot enough. But, a portable unit in the family room or living room might be nice.
ReplyDeleteYour moussaka looks good. Good idea to bake it in the electric roaster!
That plastic expandable piece would definitely work inside a side sliding window. Some portables have a tray underneath to catch the condensation. I couldn't find one on mine, so I went on-line to see if I could find a manual. It turns out that this particular one does not have a collection tray. The condensed water is supposed to evaporate and leave through the large air hose. But if there is too much moisture in the air, the machine will shut down and you have to pull down a small drainage hose (which I found) and drain out the excess water into a container. So I am liking the fact that I won't need to empty out collection trays on a regular basis. The price of these portable units are going down all the time, so you may be able to buy at a great price.
DeleteAll we did with our AC unit was take it out of the box and, like you, we have the sliding plastic part that will sit under the window. However, our windows in that bedroom are TINY so we're going to need to cut that part down quite a bit. I sure hope we don't damage it. I don't think our unit has a thermostat? I'm not even sure. I think it's just an ON and OFF switch but I could be wrong.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could have an outdoor kitchen on our front porch too! But I need to get an electrician to install an electrical outlet on the porch first. For now, I just set my roaster on the patio table (since we do have an outlet off the patio) and try to cook there before the rain starts. It's not as convenient as your set-up.
I've never had moussaka before. It looks yummy!
One section of my expandable ledge is only 24 inches, so it can accommodate any opening between 24 and 48 inches, I suppose. Perhaps they have different sized ledges that you can buy separately from the unit? By a thermostat, I am basically referring to the fact that you can make the air colder or less cold (like a dial). It doesn't really measure temperature. My mistake.
ReplyDeleteI love this moussaka. It is a favourite recipe of mine and great to serve when I have company for dinner. I don't use ground lamb. I use whatever I have...ground beef, chicken or turkey. I use less tomatoes than the recipe calls for because tomatoes are pretty high in sugars and for the same reason, I only use 1/2 a red onion. In the past, whenever I went to a Greek restaurant, this was my favourite dish, although I really do like most Greek dishes.
I do appreciate being able to cook under a roof in case of inclement weather. Rick put an outlet into the ceiling so it would be really handy to string Xmas lights across the roof line and the railing of the verandah and it would be protected from freezing rain or deep snow. It has worked out well for me to set up a little counter here.