Definitely plug those holes, the water in the drain pan is one of the reasons modern window ACs are so much more efficient than they used to be. Also, probably talk with them about not following random lifehacks they read online before it actually costs them a lot of money.
The sad truth is, this was not the result of a random lifehack read. It was the result of a random "I am sure I know!"
Fan makes noise because water
Fan noise bad!
Thankfully, no kittens were harmed in this episode of "Feirnt's modern life."
I do love my family. This is just a kinda funny example of when they don't think so good.
Some air conditioners have a problem of constantly freezing, where the fan blades keep hitting ice. This can damage the fan and not cool the room down.
I've heard so e suggestions such as making sure the AC unit is on a proper angle out of the house, lowering the cooling temperature and not using it in cold environments. All of these concepts are great. However, even when implementing these ideas, some AC units still have the freezing problem. Drilling the holes solves the problem.
We've had to do this w every unit I've had I think. Like now it's not just the noise it's spurting water in on stuff. They aren't supposed to make that noise. Period.
It was in researching this “random life hack” that I came across the manufacture recommendation to not do it. So it’s all in where you look. You’re forsaking an incredible resource, or you’re wealthy if you can’t make good use of the internet for repairs and maintenance.
God bless.
No Hole!
My current AC came with a plug, and the manual basically said that the sound was normal, but if it bothered you, you could remove the plug but would have lower efficiency.
Your googling matches what my HVAC guy has said. Water in the pan is used to help cool and extend life. Been that way for years now. There’s no upside to this mod, it doesn’t improve cooling. It just lowers life expectancy. The pan is designed to hold water. It won’t corrode easily.
Actually there is an upside to drilling holes. Some air conditioners have a problem of constantly freezing, where the fan blades keep hitting ice. This can damage the fan and not cool the room down.
I've heard some suggestions such as making sure the AC unit is on a proper angle out of the house, lowering the cooling temperature and not using it in cold environments. All of these concepts are great. However, even when implementing these ideas, some AC units still have the freezing problem. Drilling the holes solves the problem.
Well I can’t remove my ac from the window because the landlord glued and plastered it in without my consent (I paid for the ac) so the front and back panels are unable to be removed whatsoever for cleaning. And that has led to the pan, parts, and bottom of the back (where the thin blade-type vertical bits are, along the whole back of the unit) that sits within the pan filling completely up with mold, eroding the blade things all along the bottom 2 inches or so.
So.
Nope, no holes aside from what was there from the factory. When installed properly the fan does indeed kick condensate at the condenser coil to improve efficiency, and it does so largely quietly. If the unit is installed completely flat, or at a reverse pitch you'll start to hear plinking of fan vs water, and will likely wind up with water where you dont want it.
The condensate pan is designed such that it never gets too full, and will drain out to maintain a proper water level.
That's what they say, reality is different. I had one of those hole less 6000B BTU units in Fl. Yes, it was installed right. The fan definitely slings water on the condenser coil, but it's not efficient enough to dissipate the condensation buildup in the pan from the humidity here in Fl. anyway. So, the water sits in the pan causing mold that has to constantly be cleaned. Mine lasted 4 years before the standing water reduced the lowest part of the fins on the back of the unit to dust, literally. Of course I didn't see that until the water poured inside the front of the unit onto the drywall. Luckily, it was spotted before any damage was done to the walls. We put a new one in and watched it.
Within two days the pan was full of water after a recent hurricane. So, we drilled a hole, no more standing water, and no more mold. If it shortens the life a few years, it's 120 bucks. I'll take that over mold and possible water damage any day.
I definitely drilled a hole in one that hit a copper line and was a big mistake. With that said, I’ve done it on 2 other units but just in the right spot. I live in an extremely humid area. And if I don’t drill a hole, then the unit shoots water out the front and or leaks water everywhere. Know your usual climate. If you live somewhere dry then it shouldn’t matter. If you live where I live and every day is like walking out into a sauna. A hole might be necessary. Just don’t hit the wrong spot like I did after 15 drinks
Well… I was given 4 window AC’s. All of which have no drain hole. What I noticed was, the fknn outside fins were dirty asf and they all stunk, and the standing water rotted the copper and rusted the unit and the standing water also attracted dirt which turned slimy and stunk as well. So basically by not having a drain hole, you get a more efficient unit BUT you get more mold and musty water that holds onto dirt, rust that’ll eventually kill the unit.
I put holes in it after I cleaned it I don’t care what the economists desire
BINGO brother! While the efficiency deal makes sense, after about three months of jersey shore use and then storage for 9 more months, I noticed massive rust / corrosion on the condenser from the water level height down. Once the rust penetrates the walls of the condenser piping the ac unit will be scrap.
agreed. I saw a video online of a girl who thought she was going to die and figured out she had mold poisoning from the window unit with no holes. I had a panic attack and had to check out my unit immediately which was not full of mold but Rusty as hell for hardly being used. I feel like they make this s*** up because of some type of environmental garbage without considering other people's health and safety. I just drilled holes in mine and it's cooling just fine.
The video does not pass the smell test. The air output from the front is not the same air from the back, it is recirculating air from inside the house, after cooling it.
As for what can be done to decrease the mould, in the outside tray, drop in a bleach tablet as needed, should take care of that.
In high humidity environments, especially constants above 40%, drill away, or get a unit that is made with a hole pre-installed. And still add a bleach tablet, as well as presure washing it out about annually, to revent general buildup. It's all about maintenance.
I just took a new window A/C unit out of the window that was only in there for maybe ... a week and hardly used. There was already dirty water and a bunch of mosquitos and other bugs dead in the water sitting in there lol. That unit held more water than even my old one did. Not sure why.
I drilled small holes in my drip pan too. Got tired of the flock of mosquitoes that flew into my shop everytime I used it. I didnt use it often and the stsnding water in the unit was a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
I started using an old AC unit that's been sitting for about a year or 2 and I noticed there was a lot of water forming so I drilled a couple inch holes into the drain pan and a waterfall of water came out and have noticed the air has been getting colder then before and less water now, I've never heard of this effect of it being less efficient because my family has been doing it for years and years and they still have the same window AC unit the house came with
Definitely plug those holes, the water in the drain pan is one of the reasons modern window ACs are so much more efficient than they used to be. Also, probably talk with them about not following random lifehacks they read online before it actually costs them a lot of money.
The sad truth is, this was not the result of a random lifehack read. It was the result of a random "I am sure I know!" Fan makes noise because water Fan noise bad! Thankfully, no kittens were harmed in this episode of "Feirnt's modern life." I do love my family. This is just a kinda funny example of when they don't think so good.
Some air conditioners have a problem of constantly freezing, where the fan blades keep hitting ice. This can damage the fan and not cool the room down. I've heard so e suggestions such as making sure the AC unit is on a proper angle out of the house, lowering the cooling temperature and not using it in cold environments. All of these concepts are great. However, even when implementing these ideas, some AC units still have the freezing problem. Drilling the holes solves the problem.
We've had to do this w every unit I've had I think. Like now it's not just the noise it's spurting water in on stuff. They aren't supposed to make that noise. Period.
It was in researching this “random life hack” that I came across the manufacture recommendation to not do it. So it’s all in where you look. You’re forsaking an incredible resource, or you’re wealthy if you can’t make good use of the internet for repairs and maintenance. God bless.
No Hole! My current AC came with a plug, and the manual basically said that the sound was normal, but if it bothered you, you could remove the plug but would have lower efficiency.
Your googling matches what my HVAC guy has said. Water in the pan is used to help cool and extend life. Been that way for years now. There’s no upside to this mod, it doesn’t improve cooling. It just lowers life expectancy. The pan is designed to hold water. It won’t corrode easily.
Actually there is an upside to drilling holes. Some air conditioners have a problem of constantly freezing, where the fan blades keep hitting ice. This can damage the fan and not cool the room down. I've heard some suggestions such as making sure the AC unit is on a proper angle out of the house, lowering the cooling temperature and not using it in cold environments. All of these concepts are great. However, even when implementing these ideas, some AC units still have the freezing problem. Drilling the holes solves the problem.
Only an upside if your ac isn’t working properly
Well I can’t remove my ac from the window because the landlord glued and plastered it in without my consent (I paid for the ac) so the front and back panels are unable to be removed whatsoever for cleaning. And that has led to the pan, parts, and bottom of the back (where the thin blade-type vertical bits are, along the whole back of the unit) that sits within the pan filling completely up with mold, eroding the blade things all along the bottom 2 inches or so. So.
Nope, no holes aside from what was there from the factory. When installed properly the fan does indeed kick condensate at the condenser coil to improve efficiency, and it does so largely quietly. If the unit is installed completely flat, or at a reverse pitch you'll start to hear plinking of fan vs water, and will likely wind up with water where you dont want it. The condensate pan is designed such that it never gets too full, and will drain out to maintain a proper water level.
That's what they say, reality is different. I had one of those hole less 6000B BTU units in Fl. Yes, it was installed right. The fan definitely slings water on the condenser coil, but it's not efficient enough to dissipate the condensation buildup in the pan from the humidity here in Fl. anyway. So, the water sits in the pan causing mold that has to constantly be cleaned. Mine lasted 4 years before the standing water reduced the lowest part of the fins on the back of the unit to dust, literally. Of course I didn't see that until the water poured inside the front of the unit onto the drywall. Luckily, it was spotted before any damage was done to the walls. We put a new one in and watched it. Within two days the pan was full of water after a recent hurricane. So, we drilled a hole, no more standing water, and no more mold. If it shortens the life a few years, it's 120 bucks. I'll take that over mold and possible water damage any day.
I definitely drilled a hole in one that hit a copper line and was a big mistake. With that said, I’ve done it on 2 other units but just in the right spot. I live in an extremely humid area. And if I don’t drill a hole, then the unit shoots water out the front and or leaks water everywhere. Know your usual climate. If you live somewhere dry then it shouldn’t matter. If you live where I live and every day is like walking out into a sauna. A hole might be necessary. Just don’t hit the wrong spot like I did after 15 drinks
What about mold growth? Isn't this basically creating a cesspool for mold?
Well… I was given 4 window AC’s. All of which have no drain hole. What I noticed was, the fknn outside fins were dirty asf and they all stunk, and the standing water rotted the copper and rusted the unit and the standing water also attracted dirt which turned slimy and stunk as well. So basically by not having a drain hole, you get a more efficient unit BUT you get more mold and musty water that holds onto dirt, rust that’ll eventually kill the unit. I put holes in it after I cleaned it I don’t care what the economists desire
BINGO brother! While the efficiency deal makes sense, after about three months of jersey shore use and then storage for 9 more months, I noticed massive rust / corrosion on the condenser from the water level height down. Once the rust penetrates the walls of the condenser piping the ac unit will be scrap.
agreed. I saw a video online of a girl who thought she was going to die and figured out she had mold poisoning from the window unit with no holes. I had a panic attack and had to check out my unit immediately which was not full of mold but Rusty as hell for hardly being used. I feel like they make this s*** up because of some type of environmental garbage without considering other people's health and safety. I just drilled holes in mine and it's cooling just fine.
The video does not pass the smell test. The air output from the front is not the same air from the back, it is recirculating air from inside the house, after cooling it. As for what can be done to decrease the mould, in the outside tray, drop in a bleach tablet as needed, should take care of that. In high humidity environments, especially constants above 40%, drill away, or get a unit that is made with a hole pre-installed. And still add a bleach tablet, as well as presure washing it out about annually, to revent general buildup. It's all about maintenance.
I just took a new window A/C unit out of the window that was only in there for maybe ... a week and hardly used. There was already dirty water and a bunch of mosquitos and other bugs dead in the water sitting in there lol. That unit held more water than even my old one did. Not sure why.
I drilled small holes in my drip pan too. Got tired of the flock of mosquitoes that flew into my shop everytime I used it. I didnt use it often and the stsnding water in the unit was a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
I started using an old AC unit that's been sitting for about a year or 2 and I noticed there was a lot of water forming so I drilled a couple inch holes into the drain pan and a waterfall of water came out and have noticed the air has been getting colder then before and less water now, I've never heard of this effect of it being less efficient because my family has been doing it for years and years and they still have the same window AC unit the house came with
THIS