At Long Last ... The A/C Project.

It has been quite some time sine I wrote in here and here is where I left off.



Above, you can see the storm windows that I have are higher at the bottom, than the window sill. This causes the air conditioner unit to slope into the house which is bad for water drainage. (It's also bad for the electronic parts and wood floors.)

Here is a photo that demonstrates this idea.



I am holding a steel ruler with a torpedo level on it. The end furthest from my hand is sitting on the storm window sill. I have lifted the rear of it up until the level reads level (about 1/2") to which I decided to add 1/4" so I have an easy, outward slope.

Because there will be so much open area between the storm window and the window sill, especially on the sides of the A/C unit, I decided to add a scrap of 1/4" plywood 7-1/4" deep and 27" wide. This will create a new "window sill" that is flat and solid across the whole bottom of the opening. Because of the shape of the track and the narrower opening of the storm window, I had to cut several notches to make it fit into the space, but in the end, it will keep more bugs out.

With the plywood cut to size and shape, I nailed a 3/4" thick strip of scrap wood under the back of the plywood and then a 1" strip of pine across the entire back to hide the edge of the plywood and give a finished look.

With this whole piece in place, I don't have to screw the bottom of the A/C into the window sill saving that damage and I have eliminated the bug problem.

Here is a photo of the finished project.



Because this is the south-facing side of the house where the sun beats on it all day long, I covered the side "wings" of the unit with some insulating styrofoam to help reflect the suns heat and keep the cool in. I also put a strip under the entire front of the unit as bugs may still be able to find a way through there. Finally, because it only has to last 3-4 months tops, I sealed all of the edges up with clear packing tape.

Tomorrow I'll be going over my latest addition to the tool cabinet ... my new Birthday Belt Sander!!! I'll also, finally get to the lumber thinmg I was talking about.