When it’s hot outdoors, everyone wants to be in a cool room, and most often, we turn to AC to do this. While some homes have AC in every room, a vast number use window-type AC conditioners. If you have a large AC system, you can stop air leakage into rooms that don’t need looking but blocking the AC vent.
However, a window-type AC unit deals with one room. So the question is, how can you direct the cool air to where you need it? In our guide, you can learn how to use a window AC diverter.
It doesn’t matter if you have a store-bought window air conditioner deflector or a window air conditioner deflector DIY; you can use these or other options to get the air flow to go where you want it and increase your home’s cooling efficiency. (Read Lifting A Washing Machine By Yourself)
How Do I Redirect AC Airflow?
You can redirect airflow from your window AC with an air deflector.
To do so, place the air deflector in front of the Window AC outlet. The airflow will be diverted into the room, allowing you to stay cool and comfortable while using your air conditioner.
You can make an air deflector out of wood if you are handy with tools. Attach a round mesh sheet on a board in front of the outlet on your Window AC using thin metal wires.
For the best results, secure them together and to make this air deflector highly effective, wrap foam sheets around the edges.
Next, you can put a plastic cover to the outlet where cold air comes out of your window AC to redirect airflow. To be effective, this needs to sit snug in the outlet, with no gaps or holes allowing air to escape.
if you want something simple to redirect airflow from your window AC, use a cardboard box. Cut an L shape out of one end of the box and insert it into one of the side apertures in front of your Window AC outlet.
After cutting on both ends, you can tape it to prevent it from moving as the cardboard directs it around your room.
You may make this more advanced by using a motorized fan. Turn on the fan to redirect airflow from your window air conditioner so that cold air enters all around your room.
Does Window AC Ventilate Air?
An airflow deflector from your home’s indoor air conditioning unit is used to redirect and change airflow direction.
They’ll fit on any standard-sized Windows air conditioner.
A purchased or DIY window AC deflector concentrates the cooling in one direction, allowing central air to circulate throughout the room.
Instead, window air conditioners cool rooms by forcing hot air held inside the room to escape through vents outside the house and into the outdoors. (Read Water Pooling Next To House)
Precautions Of How to Redirect Airflow From Window AC
When doing this, ensure sure the window AC isn’t set to blow, as this could damage your electronic items.
Always use duct tape and good quality ducting. Poor taping might remove ducts from being damaged as they are removed from the wall.
The individual doing this procedure must seal the duct with extreme caution. If air leakage from the deflector is obstructing, it could cause greater even more damage.
Close or Redirect AC Vents
The majority of air vents in your HVAC system have shutters that open and close. Reduce or obstruct airflow in a chilly room by adjusting these shutters.
This is the simplest method for adjusting airflow, but it should be used with caution. If you close more than 10% of your vents, your vents will become unbalanced, putting additional strain on your air conditioner.
This might lead to maintenance concerns and pricey AC repairs over time.
Cleaning the filter, correcting a refrigerant leak, and examining the compressor and evaporator coils are all common AC repairs.
Because your air conditioner consumes gases that can harm your health and the environment if they leak, repairing an overworked air conditioner isn’t a good idea.
You should not close more than 10% of your vents because this could ensure an overloaded AC unit to lead to force air via a small gap.
Add Vent Covers and Extenders
Using diverting airflow vents is another way to improve the efficiency of your airflow.
These specialized vents can be installed in place of your current ones to help you control the airflow into the room.
Extenders allow you to direct airflow to a different way of the room quickly. Extenders are frequently used below furniture when you have installed vents . Don’t let an air vent get in your furniture placement.
Divert airflow out from under a couch, entertainment center, or side table with an extender. Likewise, with a window AC, you could have something blocking a path into your room.
This is a lot easier approach than relocating your vents. Consider using an extender before sealing a vent fully to ensure the rooms in your house have the ability to receive cool, comfortable air from your air conditioner fan unit.
Controlling Airflow in the Duct System
You can close the vent if you have a room that doesn’t require airflow. This permits the treated air to return to the duct system and be distributed throughout your home. In addition, installing vent deflectors is a simple way to limit or obstruct airflow.
Install a magnetic vent cover over a steel vent grille to create the seal over your vents.
However, make sure that no more than 10% of your cooling air vents are blocked, as this will cause an increase in duct pressure as you block airflow.
According to HVAC repair and maintenance experts, this might cause air leakage and damage to your air conditioning system components. (Learn How To Find Pipes Behind Walls)
Controlling Airflow in Rooms
Standard vent covers prevent drafts and keep dust and debris out of your ducts, but they don’t always guide airflow.
If drafts are a major problem, a vent diffuser can be of great help. In addition, a vent deflector is an excellent alternative for correctly redirecting vents. Place it over the vent, for example, to guide air away from a wall, window treatment, or other surface and toward the center of the room.
A vent extender helps to direct airflow to continue cooling where you want it without ending up installing more air conditioning systems.