How to remove air conditioner from window

With 30-degree temperatures and angry winds irreverently slapping us New Yorkers in the face, it’s officially getting cold. Which means now is the perfect time to tell that noisy 50-pound gorilla chilling in your window, “A/C ya later!”

Table of Contents Show

How do you remove a window air conditioner by yourself?
Do you have to take air conditioner out of window?
How does a window air conditioner stay in the window?

What happens if you don’t remove your air conditioner from the window?

Bad things.

First, your A/C can suffer from premature wear and broken components.

Second, heat could escape through your A/C’s accordion extension panels, making room for cold air to turn your home into a fridge.

Naturally, you’ll want to crank up your thermostat from 0 to 100 real quick, unnecessarily increasing your heating bill by about 3% for each Fahrenheit degree that you turn your thermostat up. And who wants to waste all that hard-earned dough?

(Pro tip: Before you leave home for eight hours, turn your thermostat back 10°F to 15°F. You’ll save 5-15% a year on your heating bill.)

But in order to bid your air conditioner adieu, first you have to uninstall the dang thing. Ideally with the help of a friend.

Things you’ll need to get the job done safely:

A long sleeve shirt to protect your arms from scrapes and serve as an extra grip.
Work gloves.
Toe protection. Steel toe boots are a lifesaver if you drop the A/C on your little piggies.
A screw gun or screw driver.

When you’re ready to begin, follow these 11 simple steps to uninstall your A/C in a breeze:

Step 1

Turn off your air conditioner.

Step 2

Unplug the A/C’s power cord from your outlet.

Step 3

Remove the A/C’s front panel and set it aside.

Step 4

Lay a towel on the floor.

Step 5

Look out your window and make sure no one is directly below it. Then, stand on the A/C’s power cord just in case the thing decides to plummet.

IMPORTANT

From here on out, make sure you have at least one hand gripping the A/C at all times. Nobody wants to get injured on their walk home.

Step 6

Remove the screws on one side of the unit.

Step 7

Put the screwdriver and screws to the side. With that same free hand, reach through the window, grip the A/C, and slide it over to the opposite side.

Step 8

Unscrew the remaining screws on the unit and put them aside.

Step 9

Use your free hand to open the top window pane.

Step 10

Carefully balance the A/C on the window sill with both hands, grab it, and lay it on the towel.If you installed any additional hardware to support your A/C in the window, remove that too and lay it on the towel.

If you installed any additional hardware to support your A/C in the window, remove that too and lay it on the towel.

Step 11

Close the window. Clean up. Celebrate like the boss that you are.

If you get stuck on any of the steps, watch Gizmodo’s handy “Removing Your Window A/C” video.

When you’re done, you don’t have to worry about storing the air conditioner in your apartment. Simply schedule a MakeSpace pickup and we’ll store that bad boy for you.

The best part:

When you need your A/C back next summer, we’ll deliver it to you.

Schedule a Pickup

As of Friday, it's officially fall. The box in your window that brought much-needed coolness during the summer is now preventing you from breathing that lovely autumn air (and will soon freeze your face off). Let's take it out.

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This is nothing revolutionary, but every year around this time, I start getting calls from friends who ask me to help them remove their window air-conditioners. I don't know why I became the go-to guy for this (strong like bull?), but it's probably because I've done it a bunch of times and I haven't killed anybody yet. I am by no means a professional HVAC guy, but this is the technique I've used for years to keep me, my A/C unit, and my neighbors safe.

DISCLAIMER: These things are heavy and could very literally kill someone. Many of them weigh well over fifty pounds, and they feel even heavier because they are big and awkward. Whenever possible, ask a friend/spouse/neighbor to help you do this. Don't be macho about this, especially if you have a history of back/knee/shoulder/anything injuries. If you don't have anyone to help you, consider calling in a professional HVAC person. All of the steps I show here work better with two people. If you have absolutely no other choice other than to do it alone and you are physically capable of doing it safely, then this guide shows you how.

Prep: If possible, wait until it hasn't rained for a few days. These suckers can fill up with water, which makes things a lot messier. You'll need a screwgun, or at very least a screwdriver and a strong wrist. You'll also want some gloves, long sleeves, and boots to protect your toes.

Step 1: Turn off the power. Duh.

Step 2: Unplug the unit from the wall.

Step 3: Remove the front panel if you can. It may pop off at a critical moment when you're trying to move the A/C and get in the way. No good. Just set it aside for now.

Step 4: Lay a grungy towel out on the floor where you plan on placing the A/C once removed. Even if it hasn't rained in days it's entirely possible that there is some nasty water in there, just waiting to slosh out. Do yourself and your floors a favor and sacrifice a towel or two.

Step 5: Pull the cord to the floor and step on it firmly to take the slack out. Do not take your foot off that cord. Now, if the A/C falls, standing on the cord is not going to help anything. However, if it starts to teeter, this may help it tip past the point of no return. I can't emphasize enough, though, that this isn't to be depended on. It's just to give a little bit of extra support.

Step 6: Look out the window below you and check that there is nobody down there. If you have downstairs neighbors, warn them ahead of time so nobody walk out. If you have a friend who can stand down there and keep passersby away, all the better. Whatever you do, do not skip this step. If you drop this thing on a kid, it will kill him or her, and you will be convicted of manslaughter. Got it? Okay, moving on.

Step 7: Unscrew the screw(s) on one side of the window frame. Pick a side. Do not do both yet, and do not attempt to raise the window.

Step 8: Shove the unit over toward the side that is still screwed in. If it has an accordioning side (on the unscrewed side), fold that into the unit. There should now be a gap big enough to get your hand through.

Step 9: Reach your hand though the gap on the side and grab onto the A/C in a very stable place. If you can reach all the way to the back of the unit and hold on there, all the better. You need a place you can grab so you can stop it from tipping. Once you have a good grip, hold on for dear life and do not let go. At all. For any reason. Seriously.

Step 10: With that one hand still in place and never moving for any reason, use your other hand to unscrew the screw(s) on the other side. Once you've done that it's just your hand and the window holding this thing up, and the window is no longer reliable.

Step 11: The is the most critical part. Holding on to the back of the A/C with your hand that's on the other side of the window, flex that arm to give it some extra pull/lift. With your free hand, open the window. The A/C will want to drop (as you can see in the video). Don't let it. Use that one arm for all it's worth, and as soon as the window is open grab on with your free hand and move slide the A/C back into your house until it's well balanced on the sill. Still, do not let go with that hand!

Step 12: Readjust your feet (you can stop standing on that cord now), bend from you knees, and move the A/C unit onto the awaiting towel. Remove any additional hardware, and close your window. You're now nice and draft-free for the fall.

We searched the whole of the internet looking for tips and tricks on this, we even called a couple HVAC specialists. After all that, this is still the best system we've seen. Do you have a trick to doing this that makes it easier and safer? We definitely want to hear it, so let us know in the comments.

You can keep up with Brent Rose, the author of this post, on Google+ or Twitter.

How do you remove a window air conditioner by yourself?

How to Remove an Installed AC Window Unit.

Cover the floor underneath. ... .

Unplug the unit and remove the front cover. ... .

Take the insulation out. ... .

Unfasten the unit from its mounting base. ... .

Carefully pull the AC window unit out-of-place..

Do you have to take air conditioner out of window?

We recommend you remove any air conditioner from a window location. During the winter months, heat could escape through the accordion extension panels on the A/C and the chassis; cold air could also infiltrate your home the same way. To avoid injury, move the unit with another person.

How does a window air conditioner stay in the window?

Some window units come with the top and bottom mounting rails—which help hold the air conditioner securely in the window—already in place. If your unit does not, use the included screws to attach the mounting rails, making sure to tighten all screws completely.