I have this air conditioner that is designed to be used with vertical sliding windows. The problem is that I have a horizontal sliding window. I understand that the air conditioner I have is designed to be held in place by the window sash holding the top of the unit. I have seen solutions such as this answer where a support frame is installed in lieu of the sash to hold the air conditioner in place. I am very inexperienced with carpentry so I was hoping there is another way to do this for my first project. My HOA requires that I install a air conditioner support bracket under the air conditioner. My question is: Can I install my air conditioner using ONLY the support bracket to hold it in place and keep it from falling?
The answer to this question seems to indicate that I can use only the support bracket to keep it in place. But it only has one up-vote and is not accepted so I wanted to make sure and get more concrete answers.
One of my concerns is that the support bracket that I bought seems to be too narrow compared to the air conditioner. The bracket is 5 inches wide and the air conditioner is 19 inches wide. It seems like the air conditioner could just tip over one side or the other. Also, the product summary for the bracket says that it transfers weight from the window sash for safety. But I'm not sure if that means that it works without a sash, or that it is supposed to complement the sash.
Best Answer
NO. the bracket is designed to complement the strength and stability of the upper sash. You must cut a length of lumber to span the opening and stabilize the unit at the top, like the upper sash on a hung window would. Thin Plexiglass alone is not strong enough either.