Can You Install an Air Conditioner on Its Side?

If you are tempted to install an air conditioner on its side--don't. Air conditioners cannot be installed on their side. Window and wall air conditioners have various components that require the unit to be properly situated to function properly. Turning a unit on its side can be damaging to internal mechanisms, and can even be dangerous, as window air conditioners are designed to remain installed in their windows using gravity and specific internal weight distribution.

Inside the air conditioner is a compressor and condenser, which are essentially small electric motors. These electric motors, containing moving parts, require lubrication. Their cases are filled with oil in such a way so as to ensure the moving parts are protected from unnecessary friction. Turning an air conditioner on its side upsets the level of these lubricants, and can cause damage to the unit.

Window air conditioners, just like their central air conditioning counterparts, improve indoor conditions by dehumidifying as well as cooling the air. The humidity removed from the air, in the form of condensation on the refrigerant coils, drips down in to a condensation pan. She just cut her electricity bill to 60%, click here to read. The water then drains from the pan and exits the air conditioner case through drain holes in the bottom. If an air conditioner is turned on its side, this condensation will not drain properly and can cause internal damage, as well as potentially leaking back in to the home.

Air conditioners have fans or grills on the sides of their case. These allow air to circulate through the unit and heat to be dissipated outside the home, while not allowing rain water in to the case. If an air conditioner is turned on its side, rain will easily drain in to the unit, and cause damage. Water may even leak back in to your home, damaging the window sill and wall.

Air conditioners rely on gravity and properly dispersed weight to remain in place in the window or wall they are installed in. They sit flush against the window sill or bottom floor of their wall opening, and lean slightly outward, spreading their weight on the top and bottom of the opening they are installed in. If an air conditioner is installed sideways, the weight distribution is not ideal, and the air conditioner may fall causing damage to property and anyone standing nearby.

Sideways Air Conditioner Installation DoItYourself.com
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Air conditioner installation is a tricky business, and sometimes it seems that there is just not enough room on the wall to fit all the elements of the air conditioner.
Install Window Air Conditioner - How to Install a Window Air ...
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Video: How to Install a Window Air Conditioner ... The side covers and the foam will keep that cold air from escaping and save on your electric bill.
Can You Install an Air Conditioner on Its Side? eHow
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If you are tempted to install an air conditioner on its side--don't. Air conditioners cannot be installed on their side. Window and wall air conditioners have various ...
Installing window air conditioner in a horizontal
Full questionBest answerOther answersanswers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=...Resolved 6 total answers Published Mar 15, 2008
Mar 15, 2008 Best Answer: Good chance the unit will be damaged on its side. Either by interrupting the designed oil migration to the
Can You Turn an Air Conditioner on Its Side? eHow
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You cannot turn an air conditioner on its side while it is running or turn it on its side and power the unit on. Various components inside an air conditioner require ...
Can you install a window air conditioner on its side - The Q&A wiki
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Answer NO, NO, NO ! The compresser is made to have the freon or oil in it at all times. turning it on its side , the oil (freon) runs out . The compresser burns up ...
Can I install my air conditioner sideways? - JREF Forum
forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=8814515 replies from July 2007
Can I install my air conditioner on its side? ... On its side??? But maybe you can plumb something up to allow it to drain differently. _____ Our greatest ...
Can You Turn an Air Conditioner on Its Side? - Ask.com
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It is extremely important not to install an air conditioner sideways. When an air conditioner unit is turned on while placed on its side, the freon inside the