solution for air conditioning problem?

Question

i run a summer day camp program for 3-7 year olds, and in the past few years the summer temps have run from 101 - 105 on an average day. and i'd like to take one of our playrooms and air condition it.

the problem is, i'm on a TIGHT budget (less than 150$ to spend) and am looking at used window-mounted AC units. but our windows are old victorian style ones, that open from the bottom, outward at about a 45 degree angle, and go no further.
so there's no way i could put a window-mounted AC unit in them.

is there any way i can put a window mounted unit on a table that's the same height as the open window, and let it drain that way? or.. are there any solutions?

this is a very outdoors-ey summer camp program, and it's okay if there is some water pooling on the other side of the window/on the cement. and we're a very eco-conscious program as wel, so if there any more eco-friendly AC units, please let me know what they are.

the room is about 800 sq. ft

Answer 1

You can put a window a/c unit in for less than $150. But with the windows being what they are you, indeed, have a problem.

With a window unit, the back must be outside. Otherwise you'll be recirculating hot air from the cooling coils inside the room.

I would suggest one of the roll-around a/c units but they are terribly expensive when you compare them to regular window units.

You might be able to rest the rear of the a/c unit on the window sill, with the front resting on a table of the same height as the sill. Box the back of the unit in so that the hot air exhausts to the outside. Put a pan under the drain in order to catch the condensation and you should be in business!

Answer 2

Look for a wall mount AC, or a window/wall mount one. Then can mount it right in a wall. My parents did that in the living room in a house they had because all the room had was large picture windows. The AC has to be framed and braced properly of course, but the manufacturer instructions tell you how. Inside the house, Dad put a large ornate picture frame around the unit and it looked like a piece of funky art.

Answer 3

My family actually has a floor air conditioner that we found online for cheap- that way the windows aren't blocked, and at a camp, you'll want a view- and it cools the whole first floor on its own....it feels like central air, but its not.

Ours is from Sharp Electronics.
Maybe check Ebay or something for used ones...

Answer 4

buy a used ac off of ebay or at like salvation army.
then remove the window off of one of the frames, and used scrap wood to seal the rest