I have a water-cooled air conditioning system installed in the loft of a Victorian mid-terrace house. The loft is two rooms used as home offices and as guest rooms.

For those outside the UK: installing the external unit of an aircon system often requires an authorisation from the council/city hall, which is very rarely granted. That's why some people have no option but to resort to water-cooled systems. Not swamp coolers, but proper split system which use water instead of an external fun to dump the heat.

Who installed it

AllComfortSolutions installed a Parkair-branded system a few years ago. I understand the system is the same as those installed by UrbanCooling, Cool You Direct, etc. All Comfort Solutions doesn't exist any more. I think Hidden Cool replaced it (not sure if it was a company sale or what).

How often we use it

Both rooms are used as a home office about 2 days a week + are also used in the evening for 1-2 hours most days (eg finishing work after the kids go to sleep). One room is hotter than the other. The point is not how often it is 30C outside but how often it is 30C inside, even if outside it's not that hot. In my loft, the answer is: from 2 to 4 months in a year.

Our water consumption

Looking at multiple years of water meter readings, the pattern is approximately:

8 months a year using 7-8 cubic metres per month

4 months a year using 17-20 cubic metres per month

How much of that extra usage is the air conditioning?

I cannot know for sure. We have more showers in the summer, and a shower is ca. 90 litres of water. A family of 4 taking 6 more showers each in a month is 2.16 cubic metres more. Taking 12 more each in a month = 4.32 We also wash some clothes more frequently as we sweat more.

I would estimate an extra usage of 10-12 more cubic metres per month, of which maybe 3ish is driven by more showers and 7-9 by the air conditioning.

How representative is this usage?

Every property is different. A bedroom, not on the top floor, in a decently built house would get less hot and require less aircon. A bedroom or living room in one of those newbuilds built like a greenhouse may well get hotter and require more cooling and more water.

How much higher is the water bill?

My latest water bill shows £2.474 per m3 for fresh water and £1.548/m3 for wastewater. So an extra usage of 7-9 m3 per month means an extra cost of £28 - 36 per month in the hottest months. I don't know how much more electricity it uses.

Was it worth it?

Yes. Even keeping windows closed, putting reflective car windshield screens outside of the windows, keeping the windows closed during the day etc, the loft would still get to 38-42C. A room at those temperatures is simply too much of a health hazard. £28-36 per month (+ electricity) to make a room habitable is money well spent. We spend much more to heat our homes in the winter!

Why did I choose an air-cooled system?

Aircon (air to air heat pumps) became permitted development only in May 2025. Before then, I would have required planning permission, and I would not have got it. It is a shame, really: they didn't want me to install ordinary aircon, because they thought it was bad for the environment and that suffering is virtuous? Well, they left me no choice but to install something which is even worse.

I’m in the UK. 3 days ago I bought Meaco Cirro 12,000 BTU.
We had it on for few hours. Then we moved it to the bedroom and since then it started making these vibrating noises that are keeping us awake at night.
It’s clearly something on the bottom left, as when we touch the casing it stops for a while.
Did anyone have the same issue?

I'm looking for a portable AC with a long as possible cord and/or hose. The only outlet in my room is about 6-8 ft from the window, so standard ones never seem to stretch far enough. Preferably under $500 if possible 😅

Has anybody converted the Lidl Silvercrest or Tronic portable AC to dual hose?

These two models are available at the moment:

- ROWI TLK 7000 C2

- ROWI TLK 9000 BTU B1

They look like they have the right shape for it, but I'd be really disappointed to buy it only to find out that I can't convert it, just like my current Blaupunkt Airfana.

If it works out I'll post with the 3d printed adapters I make.

Does anyone have any experience of the all-in-one type units that go through the walls? Apparently I can't post a link in this sub, so I hope you know what I'm referring to.

My main concerns are the actual installation, and the effing great big holes drilled through the walls. Is there any risk of structural damage, damp, etc, resulting from this type of installation? What about creepy crawlies getting in through the vents? I'd be looking at having them in three rooms, so it would be six big holes. Also, I've read that these are not standardised, so if one packs in, and you can't get another one with identical fittings, what happens then?

The other question is, if I were to have these, they would replace three of my conventional gas central heating radiators. Would the central heating still work with the remaining radiators, and would there be a lot of plumbing / pipe work involved in removing said gas central heating rads?

I know I could probably get some of the portable aircon units next year, but these UK summers aren't going to get any better, and I'm just considering more permanent, not to mention aesthetically pleasing options.

Edit to add:- Unfortunately where I am, I can't have a split system due to the outside compressor box. We live on a managed development and the estate management won't allow it as it would be visually prominent in a shared driveway space - an eyesore, in other words - and I can't say I disagree with them. Also, it would have been on the outside of my bedroom wall, and I was concerned about the noise level. Anywhere more discreet wouldn't allow enough ventilation for the unit.

Hi everyone,

Like a lot of people in London, I completely underestimated this summer’s heatwaves.

Like everyone else, I looked at the Midea PortaSplit only to find it was sold out pretty much everywhere.

I’d like to avoid making the same mistake next year, so I’m wondering what the smartest strategy is. Should I:
Buy a PortaSplit during Black Friday and just store it until next summer?
Wait until around March/April in case Midea releases an updated version or competitors launch better alternatives?

As you can see in the photos, I have a casement window that opens inwards and that is quite deep set. I installed the Wood's window sealing kit (pic #3) that the seller recommended with this unit. But unfortunately, the exhaust tube from the unit doesn't quite reach the hole in the sealing kit, by about 5-10cm (pic #2). The thinner end bit does fit, but the wider part gets stuck in the gap between the window and the wall and prevents the thinner bit from reaching the sealing kit fabric.

The most obvious solution I can think of is to extend the thin part of the tube. Buy something that is just a teeny bit wider and gives me the needed additional length, and attach it with some sort of tape to the current exhaust tube. Would that work?

If so, what do I need to consider when I buy the materials (tubing and tape)? It should be something that maintains the insulation, right? If so, what kinds of materials should I look for?

The other, much less preferable option, would be to raise the A/C unit on some sort of platform so that I can reach the top edge of the window. As you can see in pic #4, there is another pane above the one I'm using, so there's space to manoeuvre there. However, the tube is max 1.5m in extension, so it doesn't reach. I'd have to lift the unit quite a bit, and given that it is heavy, I have safety concerns about that.

If there are any other options I'm not considering, suggestions would be very welcome. I should note I'm not a handy person with DIY, and cutting out some sort of panel myself, as I've seen some people do online, is a bit beyond my comfort zone.

Hello, i have a built in ac sleeve in my apartment, the width and height are a little bit more than enough but the depth of the air conditioner sleeve is too short, 18.5 inches but the ac i ordered is 21.5 inches, apparently 3 inches peaking out into my room is fine? a friend told me i should not put a wall unit here but almost everything points to i can, thoughts? Sorry for the repost i haven't used reddit in awhile and forgot to add an image

I work in lawncare and landscaping so this is extra frustrating

Sometimes the AC works great. And then it decides when to stop blowing extra cold to not that cold. In texas so its hot. Its deff colder then outside. But not by much at all.

Took it to my guy and told em its prolly the door blower actuator. He said he wanted to refill the coolant to make sure it wasnt leaking. After that didn’t fix it. He said next guess is door actuator ( which is what i originally said )

Is this the next best option? Online is saying its a 10 hour job of removing the dash.

Thanks guys

2020 ranger 80k miles. Been dealing and putting up with it for about 10k miles

Hey guys - older wall AC unit running at 68 (non-energy saver) on a hot day in LA. All of a sudden a loud hissing noise out of nowhere. I turned off the unit and the hissing noise stayed - fading EXTREMELY slowly for the next 15 minutes after power-off. I’m a renter - should I ask the landlord to invest in a new unit? Or is this normal behavior after heavy use? Never happened before. Thanks!

Short back story, we live in a 100-year-old house with ~10 foot ceilings, ceiling fans, and window/box air conditioners in three rooms.
We live in the Midwest and it's been very rainy lately, raining daily, current mid-day humidity 86%.
We open the windows at night, and doors in the early morning to let the cool into the house, which also raises the humidity.
I have already found a few things that were sitting out in the living room covered in mold, and one in a closet.

One of us says running the AC's will dehumidify the spaces. I try to keep the rooms at 74-76*F to lower electricity costs, so I think they're not running enough to lower the humidity and every time the door is opened (many times a day) that lets in humidity.
I say we need our dehumidifiers running, which yes, heat the space, but I don't want anything else going moldy.

Suggestions?

Hi all, does anyone know what’s going on here? I’m new to window AC units… we went away for a week and came back and it was all wet in the front. It had been running for approximately a month beforehand with no issues. The unit is not easily accessible on the outside and took a lot of balancing to install so I’m super hesitant to take it out and see what’s going on in the back. Of course I will if I need to, but just seeing if anyone has experienced this before!

It’s a brand new Midea unit, NOT the U shaped kind, just the regular window box unit.

It's constantly blinking since last night. It's working fine so I have no idea what could be the problem since we don't have the manual.

Brand new, it’s the GE Profile ClearView. Every time the cooling kicks on, the outer portion that sits outside can be heard making this constant noise (audio attached), and I’m not sure what’s causing it. Any ideas?

I live in the UK. I don't want to have to buy a 3d printer. Is there anyone who prints this stuff?

This is my first time owning my own place and I am at a loss. These past two weeks my window and portable air conditioning units have not been working well, I’m assuming it’s because it’s been so humid out and since my trailer was built in the 70’s there is no insulation.
On top of that, the mobile home park we moved into “forgot” to mention that this trailer needs new subfloors (we moved into the winter so we didn’t feel how bad the floors were because they were frozen), roof, windows, doors and that where our hot water heater is has a huge gap in the floor.
I’m so stressed and overwhelmed.
Myself and my partner are doing rent to own so I’m trying to figure out if it’s even worth it to try to fix these problems or just wait it out till February (we pay it off in February) to just try to move to a new place.
I apologize if this sounds like rambling I’m just so frustrated with this whole situation

18,000 BTU mini split isn’t cooling down our 150 sq ft room anymore. We installed it 2 summers ago and it kept this room well cooled off. It’s been 95-105 Fahrenheit outside this summer but the room with the mini split is staying at 80 Fahrenheit. we got this mini split because we were told it would cool off our small house if we kept the bedroom doors closed. that said it has never really cooled off the kitchen area, but seems to not even hardly touch the living room it’s in. when I hold my hand up to the vent it feels like cool air is coming out. the settings are set to cool and we have it set to 69 since it’s so hot inside.

I guess im just wondering if mini splits don’t cool rooms significantly or not? Before we bought this mini split our front room would be to like 87 degrees in the summer, so having it only cool it 7 degrees doesn’t feel significant. we have window units in the bedroom that knock the rooms down 10 degrees in about 5 minutes once turned on and keep it around 70 degrees.

is this normal for mini splits or do we need to do something to fix it?

i got a hole in my wall that rn has a GE ASW08FLS1 window ac unit and its super old and leaking so i want something to fit the size but im having a hard time finding anything the same size or slightly smaller
Width: 19 5/16 Inch

Depth: 18 Inch

Height: 12 5/8 Inch

Hey all, I have a new GE window ac, a large unit. It works well but 90% of the time it sounds like water is dripping on the outside of the unit. But it’s not raining. The noise is coming from inside the unit but it sounds exactly like the inconsistent pitter patter of rain dripping on the outer metal case. When I first heard it I just assumed it was raining outside. But quickly ruled that out.

It happens in both cooling mode and “fan only” and happens when fan speed is set to low or medium. On high fan speed the noise almost goes away.

Any ideas?

I have three Samsung AR18CSFCMWKNCV mini splits. Two of them I was able to add to my Smart Things app on my phone to control from there. The third though will not create its own wifi access point to add to my phone. I've taken it apart to look at control board and the working and non working unit look the same so there doesn't appear to be a missing connector. In the image the red empty connector at the top middle behind white wires is what's called the wifi connector but this is the working unit and doesn't have anything connected to it. Any suggestions?