Is Your Window Air Conditioner Safely Installed?

As summer officially arrives today with a hot, steamy vengeance, air conditioners throughout the city are going full blast. If you have a window A/C unit in your apartment, here are some reminders to make sure the unit is safely installed:

• The air conditioner should have enough capacity to sufficiently cool the room and have a dedicated outlet with the proper amount of electrical current.
• The window and window frame in which the unit is mounted should be secure and in good condition.
• The air conditioner should be braced from underneath with metal brackets, mounting rails, or similar supports, or firmly fastened from inside with supporting angles. The metal brackets and angles should be attached to the exterior of the building and be strong enough to support the size and weight of the unit.
• Do not use loose objects to support the A/C unit, such as bricks, wooden blocks, plywood, etc. We’ve even seen phone books and videocassette tapes wedged between the air conditioner and the window sill (although the digital age has made those items rare).
• If the position of the air conditioner needs to be adjusted with shims, they should be independently secured to prevent shifting caused by vibration, wind, or ice.
• Do not put items such as flower pots, satellite dishes, bird feeders, etc. on top of the A/C unit.
• The air conditioner should remain in place when the window is opened, or secured so that the window cannot be opened accidentally. It’s OK to tilt the unit for drainage if it’s not at a steep angle.
• An air conditioner should not be installed in a window that opens on to a fire escape.

An improperly secured window-mounted air conditioner is considered an unsafe item in a Local Law 11/98 facade inspection. To ensure compliance, Rand recommends that management establish building-wide installation guidelines for all residents to follow.

One suggested rule is that window air conditioners be installed only by someone deemed "qualified," such as the building superintendent, a maintenance person, an exterior contractor, or a technician from the store where the unit was bought. (Currently there are no licensing requirements for installers.)

To maintain a uniform standard of safety, residents should be discouraged—if not prohibited—from installing window air conditioners on their own, especially on street-facing facades.

For more information on window air conditioner safety tips, see the New York City Department of Buildings guidelines and our Ask the Engineer column on Installing Window Air Conditioners.

Stay cool—and safe!