Has anyone ever used the window heating / AC units recommended in MHU podcasts?
I have a 12X60 mobile home that needs a new furnace! I’m thinking of going with the window units! I’ve never used these before for heating. The weather here can get real cold. It was zero degrees yesterday!
Do these work? Any recommendation in size and how many units to place based on the size of this unit?
I’m far from an expert on this subject, but if you’re in a really cold climate heating off an electric window unit may not be the best fit - after a few years the electricity cost to operate will outpace the thousands of dollars required to install gas furnace.
I’d be curious to hear others chime in though.
@AG , as per your post:
We have 2 MHPs in South Carolina.
Our problem is more supplying air conditioning, but we also need to supply heat.
We have used the Window AC Units with Heat in approximately 3 of our smaller, older, renovated singlewide POHs (square footage=720 & 720 & 780). The rest of our POHs have new or newly installed HVAC units (with Heat Pumps).
Our Window AC Units with Heat have served us very well. We have had to replace 1 Window AC Unit with Heat thus far, but that is all the issues we have had.
We ordered our Window AC Units with Heat online from Home Depot for around $699.
Our Contractor installed a Special 230-Volt electrical outlet (will not work with a standard 115-Volt outlet). Our Contractor also installs a Wooden Stand outside to hold up the Window AC Unit with Heat.
We install ours in the actual window. However, the manufacturer states: “the slide-out chassis is designed for either window or wall installation”.
We have had these units for 4 Plus Years.
As per the manufacturer:
Now that square footage stated is probably for an open room. However, our window units with heat still provide enough heat for our Mobile Homes.
Since we are in a hotter region, we do install another Window Unit with AC only in another part of the Mobile Home (typically bedroom).
For our weather the Window Units with Heat work very well.
However, for colder climates I am not sure if they would provide enough Heat or be cost effective (for Tenant’s Electrical Bill).
Below is an example of the kind of Window Unit with Heat that we have purchased from Home Depot in the past.
We wish you the very best.
I’m in favor of mini-splits. I love them. They don’t take away a window and they are a source for heat, a/c and dehumidifier. I had them installed in one of my park models and the person who purchased it has been very happy with them.
There are several online places that have various A/C units for sale, google is your friend. I just installed an LG LW8016ER wall air conditioner for my home, 15K BTU. Online price was half local installed price. So far plenty of heat with outside temp at 20dF, suppose to be able to provide heat down to 5dF outside.
Instead of window ac/heat unit, I’d recommend a ductless mini split system so you can use it both in summer and winter. They are slightly expensive than window acs, however. If you’re on a budget, I’d recommend Frigidaire FFRH0822R1 Air Conditioner/Heat Pump or check this review for more options The 10 Best Window Air Conditioner With Heat Reviews 2023
I have used the LG window ac and it is very good, but recently I faced some problem with it so I called the ac maintenance in dubai they fix my issue, now the think happened is that my ac some times site water and it did not drain out that water and some times its sound very noisy.
I have heard that mini-splits are the way to go if replacement is needed. However, I can see how in very cold climate it might be cheaper in the long run to replace the furnace.
I might also suggest checking with local community organizations to see if there is a free service for weatherizing/insulating affordable housing. For example, in Asheville the Energy Savers Network (link below) hosts volunteers to work on mobile homes installing weather stripping, sealing air ducts, even building and installing storm windows. This is a win/win/win for the tenant (lower electric bills), landlord (able to heat/cool house with a less expensive unit) and the environment (less CO2 into the air). We had it done on a couple of the mobile homes I help to manage and is great.
I used many but ended up using LG ac. I have been using it for the past three years, never spent a single penny on ac repair.
