I have just bought a Lidl portable air conditioner (at £149 it would have
been rude to refuse) and it comes with a window seal kit to allow you to
fit the hot air vent pipe out of a casement window and stop any of the hot
air coming back in.

The included instructions didn't help me much.

I found:
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z0m4NWKFa0>
which seems to cover the process comprehensively, but doesn't show you how
to deal with the excess material if the casement window is small.

The Velcro is also on the outside which means it will get wet and dirty
over time.

Has anyone fitted a similar window kit?
Any tips/gotchas?

Cheers



Dave R

--
AMD FX-6300 in GA-990X-Gaming SLI-CF running Windows 10 x64

--
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. www.avast.com

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 8 Jun 2025 at 15:54:22 BST, David wrote:

I have just bought a Lidl portable air conditioner (at £149 it would have been rude to refuse) and it comes with a window seal kit to allow you to
fit the hot air vent pipe out of a casement window and stop any of the hot air coming back in.

The included instructions didn't help me much.

Can't help I'm afraid . . . what's the unit like? I bought a cheap but effective air conditioner a while back but found it too noisy. Couldn't be in the room while it was running.

For the hose I just dangled it out of a Velux, super lo-tech.
--
Cheers, Rob, Sheffield UK

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Sun, 08 Jun 2025 14:54:22 +0000, David wrote:

I have just bought a Lidl portable air conditioner (at £149 it would
have been rude to refuse) and it comes with a window seal kit to allow
you to fit the hot air vent pipe out of a casement window and stop any
of the hot air coming back in.

The included instructions didn't help me much.

I found:
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z0m4NWKFa0>
which seems to cover the process comprehensively, but doesn't show you
how to deal with the excess material if the casement window is small.

The Velcro is also on the outside which means it will get wet and dirty
over time.

Has anyone fitted a similar window kit?
Any tips/gotchas?

I just trimmed it with scissors.

I am working on a Mark 2 solution, which is wood or plastic attached with Velcro. It needs to be nore substantial because we have a curious cat with sharp claws.

Poking the hose out of the window doesn't really work, because warm air
comes back in.


--
My posts are my copyright and if @diy_forums or Home Owners' Hub
wish to copy them they can pay me £1 a message.
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 08/06/2025 18:40, Bob Eager wrote:

On Sun, 08 Jun 2025 14:54:22 +0000, David wrote:

I have just bought a Lidl portable air conditioner (at £149 it would
have been rude to refuse) and it comes with a window seal kit to allow
you to fit the hot air vent pipe out of a casement window and stop any
of the hot air coming back in.

The included instructions didn't help me much.

I found:
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z0m4NWKFa0>
which seems to cover the process comprehensively, but doesn't show you
how to deal with the excess material if the casement window is small.

The Velcro is also on the outside which means it will get wet and dirty
over time.

Has anyone fitted a similar window kit?
Any tips/gotchas?

I just trimmed it with scissors.

I am working on a Mark 2 solution, which is wood or plastic attached with Velcro. It needs to be nore substantial because we have a curious cat with sharp claws.

For my Honeywell a/c, I made my own out of a piece of 4mm twin-walled polycarbonate sheet, 1225 x 525 mm, with a hole near the bottom of one
side* to take a 150mm vent. To take that a 150 mm spigot was used which
was fixed to the sheet with four small nuts and bolts. It is a bit like
this one, but has a cover: <https://www.amazon.co.uk/Diameter-Plastic-Ventilation-Ducting-Spigot/dp/B08461ZH3F?
(* the vent pipes are always rather short!)

It is held onto the window frame with around a dozen pieces of white
Velcro.

Poking the hose out of the window doesn't really work, because warm air
comes back in.

Indeed, which is why I made a full size cover for the window.

--
Jeff

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Sun, 08 Jun 2025 19:31:41 +0100, Jeff Layman wrote:

For my Honeywell a/c, I made my own out of a piece of 4mm twin-walled polycarbonate sheet, 1225 x 525 mm, with a hole near the bottom of one
side* to take a 150mm vent. To take that a 150 mm spigot was used which
was fixed to the sheet with four small nuts and bolts. It is a bit like
this one, but has a cover: <https://www.amazon.co.uk/Diameter-Plastic-Ventilation-Ducting-Spigot/

dp/B08461ZH3F?

(* the vent pipes are always rather short!)

It is held onto the window frame with around a dozen pieces of white
Velcro.

The AC came with a spigot and hole suitable for an up-and-down window.
That works nicely for most of the side of the casement. The top is a
triangular gap, and that (plus the remaining part of the side) is a
trimmed part of the usual thing you can buy. The bottom is a substantial
piece of wood that seals the gap as well as holding the casement at the
right angle (it's clamped to the window sill). I am just going to replace
the fabric part, and again use white Velcro with either wood or
polycarbonate.




--
My posts are my copyright and if @diy_forums or Home Owners' Hub
wish to copy them they can pay me £1 a message.
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

David <wibble@btinternet.com> wrote:

I have just bought a Lidl portable air conditioner (at £149 it would have been rude to refuse) and it comes with a window seal kit to allow you to
fit the hot air vent pipe out of a casement window and stop any of the hot air coming back in.

The included instructions didn't help me much.

I found:
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z0m4NWKFa0>
which seems to cover the process comprehensively, but doesn't show you how
to deal with the excess material if the casement window is small.

The Velcro is also on the outside which means it will get wet and dirty
over time.

Has anyone fitted a similar window kit?
Any tips/gotchas?

Cheers

Dave R

Not an exact solution but could be adapted. We have a number of fly screens that we install during the summer they consist of aluminium frames with
plastic corner joiners that have steel plates inside.Neodium magnets are screwed to the inside window frame coinciding with the corners. These hold
the frames very firmly flat against the window frame. If instead of the fly mesh if plywood or better still plexiglass was attached to the frame I am
sure the arrangement would work equally as well for a AC vent hose.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid> wrote:

For my Honeywell a/c, I made my own out of a piece of 4mm twin-walled polycarbonate sheet, 1225 x 525 mm, with a hole near the bottom of one
side* to take a 150mm vent. To take that a 150 mm spigot was used which
was fixed to the sheet with four small nuts and bolts. It is a bit like
this one, but has a cover: <https://www.amazon.co.uk/Diameter-Plastic-Ventilation-Ducting-Spigot/dp/B08461ZH3F?
(* the vent pipes are always rather short!)

It is held onto the window frame with around a dozen pieces of white
Velcro.

I made something similar (2mm acrylic sheet). Problem was that the window
was high up so I had to extend the pipes. I found there was so much heat leaking back into the room via the hot exhaust pipe walls that the AC unit
was unable to keep the room cool. And it made such a racket but had to run continuously because it couldn't keep the temperature down.

Theo

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 09/06/2025 14:37, Theo wrote:

Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid> wrote:

For my Honeywell a/c, I made my own out of a piece of 4mm twin-walled
polycarbonate sheet, 1225 x 525 mm, with a hole near the bottom of one
side* to take a 150mm vent. To take that a 150 mm spigot was used which
was fixed to the sheet with four small nuts and bolts. It is a bit like
this one, but has a cover:
<https://www.amazon.co.uk/Diameter-Plastic-Ventilation-Ducting-Spigot/dp/B08461ZH3F?
(* the vent pipes are always rather short!)

It is held onto the window frame with around a dozen pieces of white
Velcro.

I made something similar (2mm acrylic sheet). Problem was that the window was high up so I had to extend the pipes. I found there was so much heat leaking back into the room via the hot exhaust pipe walls that the AC unit was unable to keep the room cool. And it made such a racket but had to run continuously because it couldn't keep the temperature down.

These things can't be that efficient. The hot air you expel from the
room has to be replaced my air from somewhere else. Won't this still be
hotter than the desired temperature? Or is this a dual-hose design which
avoids this...

Theo

Dave

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 09/06/2025 14:37, Theo wrote:

Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid> wrote:

For my Honeywell a/c, I made my own out of a piece of 4mm twin-walled
polycarbonate sheet, 1225 x 525 mm, with a hole near the bottom of one
side* to take a 150mm vent. To take that a 150 mm spigot was used which
was fixed to the sheet with four small nuts and bolts. It is a bit like
this one, but has a cover:
<https://www.amazon.co.uk/Diameter-Plastic-Ventilation-Ducting-Spigot/dp/B08461ZH3F?
(* the vent pipes are always rather short!)

It is held onto the window frame with around a dozen pieces of white
Velcro.

I made something similar (2mm acrylic sheet). Problem was that the window was high up so I had to extend the pipes. I found there was so much heat leaking back into the room via the hot exhaust pipe walls that the AC unit was unable to keep the room cool. And it made such a racket but had to run continuously because it couldn't keep the temperature down.

I had an old a/c unit which made a racket and just produced hot air. I eventually replaced it and couldn't believe how efficient and quiet the replacement was, particularly at low fan speed. It also expels any water condensed through the hot air vent and so doesn't need regular emptying
like the old one. It's the one here: <https://www.airconcentre.co.uk/products/honeywell-9000btu-3-in-1-portable-air-conditioner-white-hc09cesawk>
Note that the running costs are for continuous operation. I put a power
meter in circuit and found that once the room had been cooled to the set temperature, it actually only used around 400W an hour to keep the
temperature steady.

The corrugated vent hose is of much better quality than the one used
with the malfunctioning original and although it gets warm, it's nowhere
near as hot as the original. I had to wrap that with bubble polythene to
stop it leaking heat back into the room!

--
Jeff

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

David Wade <g4ugm@dave.invalid> wrote:

On 09/06/2025 14:37, Theo wrote:

Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid> wrote:

For my Honeywell a/c, I made my own out of a piece of 4mm twin-walled
polycarbonate sheet, 1225 x 525 mm, with a hole near the bottom of one
side* to take a 150mm vent. To take that a 150 mm spigot was used which
was fixed to the sheet with four small nuts and bolts. It is a bit like
this one, but has a cover:
<https://www.amazon.co.uk/Diameter-Plastic-Ventilation-Ducting-Spigot/dp/B08461ZH3F?
(* the vent pipes are always rather short!)

It is held onto the window frame with around a dozen pieces of white
Velcro.

I made something similar (2mm acrylic sheet). Problem was that the window was high up so I had to extend the pipes. I found there was so much heat leaking back into the room via the hot exhaust pipe walls that the AC unit was unable to keep the room cool. And it made such a racket but had to run continuously because it couldn't keep the temperature down.

These things can't be that efficient. The hot air you expel from the
room has to be replaced my air from somewhere else. Won't this still be hotter than the desired temperature? Or is this a dual-hose design which avoids this...

Yes, by pumping air out of the room it's replaced by air leaks. In theory
you pump out 'hot' air and pull in 'warm' air so maybe you win (even after dumping the A/C power into the 'hot' output), but it's a constant battle. Having even more of your 'hot' leak through the duct walls into the room
just makes the battle harder.

I did 3d print a dual hose adapter for my machine I found on t'internet, but
it turned out it didn't fit. But with the hot hose problem I'm not sure it would have helped that much - and it was just way too loud to have running
full stop.

Theo

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Mon, 09 Jun 2025 14:37:06 +0100, Theo wrote:

I made something similar (2mm acrylic sheet). Problem was that the
window was high up so I had to extend the pipes. I found there was so
much heat leaking back into the room via the hot exhaust pipe walls that
the AC unit was unable to keep the room cool. And it made such a racket
but had to run continuously because it couldn't keep the temperature
down.

I bought a lagging sleeve for the pipe, and that works pressty well.

It's an awkward setup because it's a tilt swivel window that can operate
as a large casement (like about 1.5 metres square). By using it as a
casement, I can get a decent gap at the bottom which the hose (with
adaptor) will go through.

That enables me to put the unit very near it. I made a platform from
Dexion and timber so the the hose is almost horizontal, and reasonably
short. This all helps to minimise losses.

On a very hot day it takes about 90 minutes to reduce temperatire to a comfortable level.



--
My posts are my copyright and if @diy_forums or Home Owners' Hub
wish to copy them they can pay me £1 a message.
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)