The air conditioner is one of the most useful electrical appliances in our day to day life. Air conditioners are great at controlling the temperature of a room with their functions. However, transporting an air conditioner can raise questions in people’s mind. Today, we are going to discuss and find out whether one can lay an air conditioner on its side or not.
Lay air conditioner on its side
One should refrain from putting an air conditioner on its side. Both portable air conditioners and window air conditioners face damages when they are laid on their side during transport or during installation. The compressor unit might require replacing because of the sidewise positioning.
Let’s take a look at different kinds of air conditioner and see if you can lay them on their side.
Portable air conditioner:
Portable air conditioner is one of the most popular varieties of air conditioner. There are a lot of reasons behind this. First of all, portable air conditioners do not have to be installed like other types of air conditioners. So it saves you a decent amount of money and time in this regard.
But the biggest advantage of a portable air conditioner is its mobility. You can shift a portable air conditioner from one room to another without breaking a sweat. On top of that, a portable air conditioner costs less than a window air conditioner or a central air conditioner.
The important thing to remember here is that a portable air conditioner consumes less electricity than a window air conditioner and a central air conditioner. So it is no surprise that portable air conditioners are becoming more popular day by day among the users.
However, it is recommended by experts that you should never lay your portable air conditioner on its side. There are many valid reasons behind this recommendation. First of all, laying a portable air conditioner on its side can possibly cause damage to the compressor unit.
The compressor unit is the most important part of the portable air conditioner. So laying the portable air conditioner on its side can make it difficult for the air conditioner to perform its functions ever again.
The portable air conditioner was not designed in a way to be laid on its side. The flow of lubrication also gets interrupted when you lay the portable air conditioner on its side.
So most of the HVAC experts believe that you should always keep your portable air conditioner in the vertical position and avoid experimenting with the air conditioner by putting it on its side. You do not want to end up repairing or replacing several parts of your portable air conditioner due to laying it on its side.
Window air conditioner:
Window air conditioner is one of the most widely used air conditioners throughout the world. A window air conditioner brings many benefits to the table. First of all, it will not cost you much to buy a window air conditioner compared to a central air conditioner.
Additionally, the installation process of a window air conditioner is straight forward and does not cost a lot of money.
Another great thing about a window air conditioner is its tendency to save energy. Window air conditioners do not consume too much electricity to control the temperature of your room. Moreover, window air conditioners are popular among the users due to the fact that it does not eat up any space inside your room.
It has also been noticed by experts that it is easy to move a window air conditioner from one place to another because of its size. However, transporting a window air conditioner can raise a few questions. Many people wonder if they can transport a window air conditioner by laying it on its side.
Most of the HVAC experts have warned against laying a window air conditioner on its side. Because the compressor unit of a window air conditioner will face damages if you lay the window air conditioner on its side.
The important thing to remember here is that the lubricant will not be able to reach all the parts of the compressor if the window air conditioner is not in its vertical position.
The condensation process of your window air conditioner will also face difficulties when you lay the air conditioner on its side. So it is not a healthy practice to put the window air conditioner on its side under any circumstances.
Laying the window air conditioner on its side does not bring any benefits to the table. Instead it can possible cause irreparable damage to several parts of the window air conditioner. It can even create fire related accidents if the window air conditioner is laid on its side.
Can you lay an air conditioner on its side during transport?
An air conditioner should not be laid on its side under any circumstances. Because there are many consequences of laying an air conditioner on its side during transport or any other situation. It might seem okay to put your air conditioner on its side when you are transporting it from one place to another. But it is not healthy for the overall condition of your air conditioner at all.
The first thing we need to remember here is that even if the air conditioner is not operating during transportation, its parts can still become damaged due to lack of lubrication when you lay the air conditioner on its side.
The air conditioner should always be laid in its prescribed vertical position. Laying the air conditioner on its side during transportation does not do any good.
What happens if you lay an air conditioner on its side?
There are a lot of things that can happen if you lay an air conditioner on its side. Let’s discuss in detail about some of them.
Will hamper the compressor:
The compressor unit will be the most effected part of your air conditioner when you lay it on its side. The compressor unit is made up of many different parts. All these parts will go through lack of lubrication once the air conditioner is laid on its side. The compressor unit is not easily repairable and it will cost you a lot to replace the compressor unit once it goes bad.
Lack of lubrication:
The air conditioner operates at its best when it is laid in a vertical position. But many parts of the air conditioner face scarcity of lubricant when the air conditioner is put on its side. Lack of lubrication can decrease the life time of these parts.
Can cause accidents:
Additionally, an air conditioner can even cause fire related accidents if it is laid on its side for too long. The reason behind this is that lack of lubrication can make certain parts overheated and it can lead to a fire originating from the air conditioner itself.
Inaccurate condensation process:
The condensation process of the air conditioner will also be affected when it is laid on its side. The condensed water will fail to reach the condensation pan and instead it will damage several parts of the air conditioner by drifting away due to the inaccurate positioning of the air conditioner.
How do you transport an air conditioner properly?
Transporting an air conditioner properly might seem like a difficult task if you have no prior experience. There are some steps and methods you can take to accomplish the task. Let’s discuss in detail about some of them.
Remove it with caution:
If you are transporting a portable air condition, then you will not have to go through the trouble of removing it. However, you will have to remove a window air conditioner from its installed place carefully for transportation. The help of a HVAC professional can be sought regarding this.
Pack it carefully:
Next, you will need to pack your air conditioner carefully and avoid damaging it. It is always better to pack the air conditioner with the package provided by the manufacturer. Extra protective barriers can be put around the air conditioner to save it from any unfortunate accidents and bumps on the road.
Get a transporting vehicle:
Then, you will need to get a transporting vehicle to transport your air conditioner. Getting the air conditioner onto the transporting vehicle is a crucial step and needs to be done with caution. You will need to avoid laying your air conditioner on its side.
Unpack and install:
After the air conditioner has been transported to its destination, you will need to unpack it and install it after twenty four hours. A HVAC professional might come in handy during this process.
Final Thoughts
It is not recommended to lay an air conditioner on its side. The compressor unit and several other parts will be damaged if the air conditioner is laid on its side for a long time. This can even cause inaccurate condensation process and lack of lubrication inside the air conditioner.