My window AC fell of out of the window, again, but magically it still works

I had central air, and I didn't like it.
First floor gets too cold, second is always too hot. Ducts are filthy and I don't want legionnaires disease. Also I wanted shitter on second floor, and I ended up routing shit drain pipe in fucking air duct.
It is not a closed system if I will install it, because I will probably over-tighten flares, and it will leak.
But why? I can do it myself.
Fuck portable ACs, they consume twice as much as window AC, and they are noisy as fuck.
Yes, but I think venting some freon to remove air and moisture from indoor unit will work too.
I own that shithole, so I can do whatever fuck I want.
Unit size - 9k-12k BTU, since I have 9k BTU window AC, and it works fine.
Electricity doesn't scare me.

>Electricity doesn't scare me.
it's not about the electricity it's about the money. if cash is disposable then do whatever you want to.
to illustrate, imagine you've got two window units, 1000 watts each, running 12 hours a day. say you're paying 15 cents per kWh. .15*2*12*30 is roughly 110$ a month in power alone.
at that point, the cost of the unit is basically nothing compared to the yearly running cost. you can save money up front by buying smaller weaker units, but you're eating that cost multiple times over as a consequence of a smaller evaporator surface, ambient losses, and efficiency scaling.

>to illustrate, imagine you've got two window units, 1000 watts each
My 9k window AC says that its compressor is 750W, and it cycles with less than 40% duty cycle, so it is less than 300W.
9k mini split should do even better, since it won't have massive leak in the window.
Also, I can use mini split as heat pump (I think 9k BTU of heat would be sufficient for outside temps above 30F), which would save some money, because I would not heat entire house, but only room I sleep.
I don't think that central air is more efficient, than mini-split.

>9k mini split should do even better, since it won't have massive leak in the window.
Also, I can use mini split as heat pump (I think 9k BTU of heat would be sufficient for outside temps above 30F)
these questions really depend on the place you live. if you're in south texas with ambients of 90-100F in the summer, your needs are nothing like someone in seattle looking at 60-70F. i really can't comment on those specifics it is something you'd have to research and come up with your own answer. depending on the heating you need in the winter though, a heat pump is almost always more efficient than resistance heating. how much more efficient is going to depend on the SEER rating of the unit.

>I don't think that central air is more efficient, than mini-split.
the transit losses of an equally powerful central unit are small (i'd say like 10% or so to ductwork, etc). as a result though, a ductless (split system) is going to always be cheaper to run than a ducted system, all else being equal.
however, you're going to be cooling a specific room or set of rooms, rather than a whole building.

like i said, there are a ton of factors at play. what is the "right choice" depends on what you want the system to do, how much you want to spend right now (and over the years). it's a question of priorities. hopefully i've given enough information to at least point you in a direction so you can answer those questions yourself. you just really want to avoid shooting yourself in the foot now and regretting it 6 months down the line when you know more.

>i really can't comment on those specifics it is something you'd have to research and come up with your own answer
Rule of thumb, if it can drop 35 degrees during hottest day, it can heat up 35 degrees.
>a heat pump is almost always more efficient than resistance heating. how much more efficient is going to depend on the SEER rating of the unit.
True. I think even cheapest AC would be 3 times more efficient than resistive heater.
>you just really want to avoid shooting yourself in the foot now and regretting it 6 months down the line when you know more.
Well, if windows AC works for me, similar capacity mini split should work, plus I don't really need an AC, since it rarely gets above 85 here.

LMAO dude I'm laughing so hard at "vent Freon to remove moisture" that's not how it fucking works, just put in another window unit you are not qualified to install a minisplit moron.

it sounds like in your case a mini split would meet your needs. it's not rocket science to install one, but moving into muti-splits and VRFs is legitimately a complicated system to install (read: install properly).
since you mentioned heating in the winter and how central air wasn't cooling evenly, it might also be worth your time to investigate passive heat control. i'm talking weatherstripping, double glazed windows (and potentially tinting windows), insulation, etc.

>"vent Freon to remove moisture"
yeah that stood out to me that the guy might know just enough to get himself in trouble. however, operating a 3 CFM pump doesn't need a college degree. i'm a bit worried he'll half ass it and need somebody to come out and fix it later.

R410A at room temperature is like 15 bars. It would blow out everything from evaporator no problem. You open Schrader valve (connect gauge to low side and open it), and then open gas line port. 1 second and it is done (if it doesn't leak.)
Sure it would be a little bit low on charge, but who cares, it will work.
Idk, AC in my shitbox uses same POE oil (which is hygroscopic) as R410a, and I replaced condenser, and I didn't use any vacuum pump, I didn't even remove air. Compressor is still working and shit is blowing cold.
>i'm talking weatherstripping, double glazed windows (and potentially tinting windows), insulation, etc.
Windows are double glazed PVC, and insulation vise everything is good, since it gets pretty cold here (so AC won't be primary heat source).
>i'm a bit worried he'll half ass it and need somebody to come out and fix it later.
Only thing I might do is call someone to add charge, or fix flares in case I fuck up really badly and shit will leak like in month.

Also, why another window unit? Sure it is bent, but it still works.

>R410A at room temperature is like 15 bars. It would blow out everything from evaporator no problem.
that's not how mixing gasses works. you'd have to flush a system multiple times with pure refrigerant to actually dry it, and as soon as you expose the lines to wet air, they'd be saturated again. this is just henry's law and the law of partial pressures. any time you're dealing with a mixture of volatile liquids (as in water + refrigerant), you're going to have substantially different molecular interactions compared to a pure substance (as in dry refrigerant).

a pressurized system does not act the same as an evacuated system. plus you're not able to check if the system is actually sealed without pressurizing and evacuating. even small amounts of water will fuck the system with corrosion and decreased efficiency.

i'm not trying to "talk down to you" or speak a bunch of jargon. however, there is a big difference in a system that looks like it's working fine, and one that you are positive that it will work fine. working blind will fuck you in the long run.

> even small amounts of water will fuck the system with corrosion and decreased efficiency
How long it would take? 5 years? Months?
Car AC is still working, and I did it like 3 years ago.

it's a matter of probability, tolerances, and quantity of water. the POE oils used with R-410A absorb a significant amount of water, more than mineral oils. there's a filter drier in-line to remove some of this, but fundamentally any water in the system will lead to acid production. this acid degrades the refrigerant and corrodes all the inner lines it touches. it's not an instant thing. you could even pull the filter out and run it wet, maybe for months, and it would still "work". the problem is that you'll reach a point where the entire system has to be ripped out and replaced. this is an unavoidable consequence.
the oil is designed to compensate for a small amount of moisture from the air when left open for small periods of time, but that's it.

all this is assuming a clean new system. an old system is going to have some small amount of condensates and corrosives, which would be removed with a purge and charge. just "airing it out and topping it off" is only leaving these in the system to keep doing damage.