[MikeHelen]

Hello any Air Conditioning Experts:

We are trying to figure out the best way to cool off our upstairs bedroom (and only bathroom) area of the house using one or two window a/c unit. We have a medium sized colonial style home. The area upstairs and down is approximately the same, 27’ x 25.

The stairs leading up are on the back side of the house in the livingroom. We cool off the entire downstairs with an 18 BTU a/c, at the bottom of the stairs, in the livingroom. We use a stand up tower fan that draws the air in a letter C direction from the livingroom to the dinningroom and lastly the kitchen.

At the ¾ landing, on the stairs, is a window which is too small to house a large a/c unit. As you turn and go up a few more stairs, you are facing the front of the house, in a common hallway leading to all the rooms upstairs.

The hallway is narrow at first (3 ½‘x3’) then it opens to up to a 6’x6’ area.

Facing the front of the house moving from my left the doorways are as follows:

The first door to the left, in the narrow part of the hallway, is a small computer room (9’x8’) with one window on the back center wall. Moving into the 6’ x 6’ hallway area, to the left is the bathroom (7’x6’) with one window on the left center wall.

At the front left of the hallway is a bedroom (11 ½’x10’) with one window in the left corner of the room and the other in the front center. At the front right of the hallway is a linen closet.

To the right side of the hallway is the master bedroom (13’x15’) with one window in the front left corner, one in the front center and the other in the right center of the room. The other door on the right side of the hallway is a bedroom, slightly L shaped, (13’x7½’and opens from 7 ½’ to 11’ at the back right side of the room). It has one window at the right corner of the room and the other on the back left where the room opens from 7 ½’ to 11’.

My husband and I cannot agree with where to place the two a/c units we have. One is an 18 BTU (like the one downstairs) and a 9 BTU. One of us thinks the 18 BTU should go in the office in the back window with a tower fan at the doorway drawing the air into the hallway to cool off the rooms during the day. And the 9 BTU in the master bedroom for at night. That person feels even though the doorway from the office is in the narrower part of the hallway and opposite a wall, the air should still be able to eventually work its way into the other rooms.

The other thinks the 18 BTU should go in the master bedroom with a tower fan in the doorway drawing the air out into the hallway to cool the other rooms during the day. And the other 9 BTU in one of the other small bedrooms for at night.

We have four teenagers, who would be willing to double up at night in whichever bedroom has the 9 BTU or else would sleep in the 18 BTU in the livingroom.

I am not going to tell you, which of thinks is the better of the two scenarios, you’ll have to guess.

Thanks for any input and help – Helen O

[Doc Harrison]

Easy one! The 9KBTU unit goes in the master bedroom. The master bedroom door will likely be closed at night and once this argument is over, you may want to be selfish with the cold air. Put the maximum A/C in the office and try to move it with the fans; it won't be perfect, but it will likely be a solution everyone can live with. Also remember that the closer one is to the window unit the colder it will be. The master bedroom will be able to use the thermostat to regulate temperature much more closely if it is the only room that we are trying to control. Please note that with all window units, check the outlets that the units are plugged into regularly. Many large window units will overheat a normal outlet. If you notice any signs of overheating, please contact an electrician.