Costco has a pretty small 6000 btu AC now
I bought one and am going to see if I can mod it to work just venting from the back for a in-cabinet side wall installation. It is very very tiny and $139. I will let you know how it goes.
Forum Discussion
mkirsch wrote:
I think you'll be disappointed with the performance if you block the sides in.
I believe that window units suck air in through the sides and blow them out the back, or vice versa.
At the very least you need to build in some venting around the sides to allow air in/out.
Ideally for this application, you'd want a sleeve unit, which is designed to have the sides buried in a wall. Unfortunately the public can't purchase small 5000-6000 BTU sleeve units that I've been able to find.
Yup, I have already made a shroud that pulls in air from the front and directs it into the side vents of the AC. I used a 14 inch by 25 inch furnace type vent with louvered holes. The center section of louvers is for the outflow from the back of the AC and the louvers to each side of that pull in air from the sides of the AC. Ah heck, here is a picture, I can't describe it.
This is just a test mockup to see how the air flows. The fan in the Danby seems pretty strong and there is quite a bit of suction pulling air into the side vents.
I also like this unit because it has a actual thermostat and a remote control.
