How to Install a Window Air Conditioner

There’s something unmistakably horrible, awful, and in every way excruciating about the particular sticky heat that seeps in through the cracks of your apartment and nearly suffocates you every summer in New York City.

It’s the kind of heat that makes you wonder if they’ve opened an illegal Russian bathhouse in the apartment below yours. The kind of heat that forces you to shower three times a day. It’s that 200% humidity, 99 degree heat that can only be combated by your trusty air conditioner. Veteran Brooklyners, Manhattanites, and the like know that oscillating fans alone just won’t cut it.

To install your air conditioner, you’re going to want some help. It never hurts to bribe a roommie or friend with some ice cold brews, because you definitely don’t want to be that dude who drops an AC on your super’s pick-up truck.

The first step is to check your unit’s instructions and read them thoroughly to be sure that you have any required tools, attachments, or brackets. Then, raise the lower pane of your double-pane window and have your friend place the unit on the sill, and slide the unit’s accordion-like extensions to fill the entire length of the window.

Next, to secure everything in place, drill into the windowsill and screw in your AC unit. If it still feels wobbly, place a block of wood on the outer sill of the window to balance it out.

Finally, close the lower window pane so it sits snugly on top of the AC. In the case that this window is on a fire escape and you want to ensure that no one can open the window, simply measure a piece of wood that can sit between the top sill and the AC to ensure the window can’t be opened.

If you’re still having trouble, check out this helpful video:

Once you’ve got your AC all setup, crank it, toast a cold beer with your friend, and beat the heat while watching the energy bill climb. To prevent drafts of freezing cold air during the winter, make sure you uninstall your AC at the end of the summer. Once it’s out, store your air conditioner in MakeSpace for just $12.50/month if you live in NYC, or $9.99/month if you’re in Chicago or Washington, DC. We’ll pick it up, store it, and deliver it back to you when temperatures spike next summer!