How many BTUs would be fitting for a small studio apartment?

I'm thinking a 5000 - 5300 BTU unit would suffice for my little pad, but I don't want to cheap myself out of what I need.

On the other hand, I don't want to pay too much for a unit that'll turn my apartment into an ice palace make my power bills soar.

Is there a "can't go wrong" happy medium unit to look for? I'm thinking 9000BTU might be a good middle ground selection. I'd like a small window unit if at all possible, though. Something easily schleppable.

Thoughts? I'm making my purchase this afternoon.

Anx said:

If your pad is rectangular shaped, 5300 would be fine. If you have an L shape alcove or something like that, you might want to go higher. It also depends on how many windows you have, and which way they face..if they get morning sun, or afternoon sun, which is hotter..If afternoon sun, go with more btus. Some of the a/c units are starting to come with timer settings, so you can set it for an hour before you come home..

CHIC0 said:

i don't live under a toadstool!

What's BTU ?

try this Anxiety BTU

hope that helps

Dewrede said:

i think it stands for Big Tub o' Ugly

Dewrede said:

The British thermal unit (BTU or Btu) is a unit of energy used in the United States. It is also still occasionally encountered in the UK, in the context of older heating and cooling systems. In most other areas, it has been replaced by the SI unit of energy, the joule (J).

A Btu is defined as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound avoirdupois of water by one degree Fahrenheit. 143 Btu is required to melt a pound of ice. As is the case with the calorie, several different definitions of the Btu exist, which are based on different water temperatures and therefore vary by about 0.5%:

Not sure on BTU's...but a small one should suffice. I had a small one and my place was a lot bigger than yours and it was just fine.

CHIC0 said:

thanks
[Edited 7/14/06 10:30am]

superspaceboy said:

so you think a 5000-5300 would suffice? the big ol' bertha that just died in my window this summer was well above that, and when it was in top form, it made my apartment uncomfortably cold, even when it was on low. that's why i'm thinkin' about a little unit.

Anx said:

Dewrede said:

you're welcome

Anx said:

and you should be fine then. I was gonna say even with a lil one...with the size and layout of your abode, it still may be an ice palace

The inexpensive basic air conditioners I've used all seemed to freeze up alot inside, and I would have to keep thawing them out for like an hour.

Plus you generally have to run them on high the whole day to keep the place cool since they aren't as powerful.

Tom said:

how big of a place were you using the unit in? just a room? an apartment?

Why don't they call it "air cooling"? What's this "conditioning" business about?

HereToRockYourWorld said:

it teaches the air not to pee on the carpet.

Home Depot is having a sale right now...

5000btu $79

6000btu $99


go with more power...argh argh argh

Saving Energy While Staying Cool

Select a unit that removes an average of 20 BTUs per square foot of living space or higher, depending on how much sunlight the space receives, how many large appliances are located within it, and how many people occupy it.

Buying a larger unit than you need will cool your living space too quickly, resulting in frequent on/off cycles that waste energy and money. Brief running times also fail to properly dehumidify the air, leaving it cool but clammy.


http://www.ucsusa.org/pub...-cool.html


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

purplerein said:

i wish i had a home depot nearby! they have some good deals at sears, and i'm wondering if i should check out best buy also, just to spite kidelrich...

Wanna sleep at my house?...the basement is freezing and the girls could play dress up with you!

Anx said:

I live in a 2 bedroom apartment. I acutally run two air conditioners, one in my living room and one on the other end of the apartment in my bedroom. One air conditioner would be fine I guess, but I put the second unit in because I use my spare bedroom as an office, and my computers heat up the room quite a bit.

I picked up a Samsung 6000 BTU unit they sell at Lowes, it was like $100. It's Okay, it's just that I have to keep an eye on it and turn the knob down if the tempurature drops outside (like at night), otherwise the whole unit freezes up like a solid block of ice inside, and the air won't circulate through it.

I called Samsung about it because it seemed odd to me, but she explained to me that it's normal for them to do that if the knobs up too high. I dunno I guess you get what you pay for.

i got a new A/C unit and i just installed it! 6000BTU and it's already cooling things down. yay!

important lesson, however:

when there's just been a downpour, it's not a good idea to drag your old window unit across the kitchen. oopsies! tra la la!