Window Air Conditioning Units

My wife and I spent the first several years of our marriage living in a house without any central air conditioning.  We managed to get by the hottest days of summer by going out and getting our hands on second hand casement air conditioners.  We bought two of them and really did all we could to try to maximize their cooling ability.  We would put sheets across the hallway at night to try to cool off our room and the room our two daughters shared at the same time.  The other unit was in our living room where we all gathered to stay cool when we were at home, but not sleeping.

I saw these units on eBay and wished that they had been around when we were using the dinosaur window units we had purchased through a friend of the family.  If you are looking to cool things off and you aren't in a position to drop the money for central air, window units can be a great addition at a fraction of the central air price.  They are also wonderful for cooling off offices and other smaller areas.

The units showing here are a small mix of what is available to eBay shoppers.  I've checked out completed (ended) listings, and some people are picking these things up at very nice prices.  Actually, quite a bit less than I paid for two used units thirteen years ago!

The video below is something I found called the redneck air conditioner.  This person used his imagination and some spare parts to figure out a way to cool his attic room.  I just love that the radiator is balanced on an Elementary Fluid Mechanics book!  It seems to me that the cost of ice here would quickly add up to what a small window air conditioner would cost, but you have to admire this guy's inspired ingenuity.