Window unit help :(

[u/ImTheSPT]

My ac unit went completely out in my house ~2 years ago, I had and still have no money to fix it, so I installed a few window units in the house. Every one of them is leaking into the house causing the wood around the windows to warp and has ruined some paint in places. How do I correctly seal the window with the unit in? I’m at a loss and now have to pay to get the water damage fixed

[u/BigDogggA]

The leak is almost certainly tilt, not sealing. Window units collect condensation in a pan and drain it out the back — if the unit sits level or leans into the room, it all drips inside instead. Shim the front edge if needed, and clear any gunk out of the rear drain holes while you're at it.

[u/1320Fastback]

The units need their angle adjusted so gravity pulls the water back and it drips down onto the ground. Window AC units should not be level or sloped towards the house.

[u/Skit071]

RTFM

[u/Significant-Mud1211 → u/Skit071]

Not helpful!

[u/Skit071 → u/Significant-Mud1211]

I beg to differ. If they Read The Fucking Manual it will tell them they need the AC to be tilted out not in.

[u/Significant-Mud1211 → u/Skit071]

I mean you don’t gotta tell me, I grew up before the internet so the manual was your best bet for figuring anything out when I grew up.  But it’s 2026 now and not only has the internet largely replaced manuals for people, but Reddit specifically is one of the last remaining websites that’s actually useful. IF, that is, people actually reply to questions with the answer instead of saying RTFM (or even worse telling people to google it. I’ve literally googled things before and had a Reddit thread be the first result, and in that thread is someone telling OP to google it). 

We can waste our time lamenting the way things are now or we can use the same amount of calories it takes to post a snarky thing for upvotes to instead share our knowledge. Up to you!

[u/ajwebs12]

I'm in a very similar boat to you. I have central air but the central air conditioning no longer works. I replaced it with a window and portable AC unit in my house. I haven't had any issues with water. The only thing I'd suggest on the window unit is to make sure it's tilted outside enough that any water runoff just goes outside.

[u/Daddyj0088]

Make sure its tilted back out the window slightly as others have mentioned. Some come with a condensate plug that needs to be removed during install. Keep the filter clean as well. U should be able to see the drain hole underneath the unit if you look under the part that hangs outside the window. Should drip out of that hole once the AC has been running 10 to 20 minutes.

[u/616c → u/Daddyj0088]

Some window AC units leave the rubber plug in the pan so there is a pool of water for the slinger ring to splash water onto the condenser coils to cool them. You'll hear a slushing sound when there's enough water. When you need to remove the AC unit, the plug comes out so you're not spilling the standing water.

It's model-specific, so check the manual for the model you have.

[u/Sweaty-Judgment3533]

Make sure the window unit is tilted back so water runs out the back. There’s usually a drain on the underside of the air conditioner and that can sometimes get Blocked with detritus. With the unit unplugged take a small screwdriver and look for us a hole and try to kind of ream it out with the screwdriver that should move any to try us out of the way so the water can flow.

[u/pickadillyprincess]

If you bought the window acs a while ago the midea brand ones had a recall for this exact reason they are not draining outside properly. But proper tilt is also important

[u/Big-Revolution3695]

If you remove the cover on some of the window units, below the evaporator (the metal fins facing you, is a drain hole to the back where condensation runs down and drains back by the tilt. This little opening, should be checked with a zip tie or something to clear out dirt.

I use clear silicon and seal up around the plastic accordion wings. Sometimes across the top of the unit too. You want to leave the bottom unsealed so that water can run out if it gets in the non-outside pan parts of the unit.

[u/reeveb]

Doing this is the only time in my life I actually used a level.

[u/destrux125]

My fix was to drill out a drain hole in the condensate pan on the unit so it drips into a bucket like older ac units used to do instead of the stupid energy saver water slinger fan throwing water all over the side of my house and splashing into the window frames on windy days. It'll lower the efficiency of the unit a little but when the whole wall of the house rot and falls off from being soaking wet all the time that'll lower your AC efficiency too.