Difference Between Wall Mount and Window Air Conditioner

Summer temperatures can make a home difficult to live in. An air conditioner, however, can change all this in an instant. This simple change can usher in a soothing tropical temperature that would make a room more habitable.

When it comes to searching for an air conditioner, one may be spoilt of choice. However, if you make a purchase without due diligence, there is a probability that the product may frustrate you through some inconveniencing feature. Therefore, before buying an air conditioner, it’s essential to know about some of the ACs in the market. Some of the most popular AC categories are the window air conditioners and wall mount air conditioners. So what’s the difference between wall mount and window air conditioner? If you need to understand more about them, below are some striking differences that might help you make an appropriate choice:

Definition Differences

A wall mount air conditioner is a temperature regulating device that is placed within a building’s walls.

The window air conditioner is similar to the wall mount AC (mechanism-wise), but the device is placed within the window frame.

Installation Differences

Window air conditioners are easy to install and its installation procedure can be done in three easy steps:

1. Measuring the fitting

1. Placing the window air conditioner unit within the window frame and screwing it in.
2. Caulking the surrounding space of the air conditioner

The wall-mount air conditioner installation process, on the other hand, may require some professional assistance. This is because one may need to drill through a wall and perhaps encounter electrical, insulation, and plumbing structures that may need to be put back in place.

Other Feature Differences

Flexibility

A window air conditioner is a temporary fixture. One can store the window AC for a few months and install it back when need arises. However, wall-mount air conditioners are permanent fixtures. After fitting in a wall AC into a wall, it stays in place even in winter when the system is not needed.

Who installs them

As mentioned earlier, a wall-mounted AC is hard to install and often results in the permanent change of a building’s structure. However, a window AC can be installed temporarily and pulled down anytime. This aspect implies that one would need to be the owner of a house (or have permission from the owner) to install a wall mount AC. On the other hand, people renting a home or apartment can install and remove window ACs without necessarily asking for permission.

Interchangeability

Some window-mounted air conditioners are designed such that they can be fixed into a wall. However, wall ACs are often too heavy to be installed in window spaces. In each case, an installer needs to follow the manufacturer’s instructions since installing the product wrongly can make the product’s warranty null and void. Additionally, installing an AC in the wrong way can leave the buyer in the same position as he or she was in before buying the product. The interchangeability aspect would require one to check out the manufacturer’s instructions first.

Final Thoughts

The major difference between wall-mount ACs and window air conditioners is where the fitting goes. This attribute leads to other functional, weight, flexibility, and interchangeability differences. While the through-wall AC may require some permanent alteration in a building’s design, window ACs do not need alterations to be made on a building’s structure.