Air Conditioning - In-Window Air Conditioners in Vinyl Windows

Hi everyone,

I just purchased a home that has vinyl windows. This is a small two-story home, and the upstairs is quite a bit warmer than the downstairs, so we wanted to get a [relatively] cheap cooling solution for the upstairs and ended up buying in-window air conditioners.

My father and I went to install them yesterday, and in the process realized that the window casings (sorry if that's the wrong term) are vinyl and not wooden. The in-window air conditioner needs to screw into the window casing.

We ended up not installing the units, since I wasn't sure about drilling into vinyl window casings.

Has anyone successfully installed in-window air conditioners into vinyl windows? Is it safe to drill into vinyl window casings? is the vinyl strong enough to support a 60lb air conditioner?

We'd really like to avoid the cost of central air conditioning, especially since our only thermostat is on the main level.

Depends on the window. The better vinyls are actually vinyl wrapped aluminum, so once you got through the plastic, you're in metal, which would hold the a/c.

That being said, you are going to want to support the a/c from the bottom in any case, and they make brackets for just such a purpose. These screw into the side of the home, and then adjust to let the a/c 'set' on the bracket, letting the the bottom of the window and the bracket support the weight, not the frame.

Are you talking about the screw area on the front top of the unit itself? I never used those screws hole in the past. If you are worried about a child opening the window, just take 1 x 2 into the upper part of the window.

It is just fien to install the air conditioner in the vinyl window it is actually better than wood so you do not get the wet wood rot. But, you will only want to screw into the sill to hold the air conditioners casing and then support the air conditoner with a hook and chain support by the outside casing. hope it make since and helps