markm75 wrote:
I'm lookin to get an AC window unit in my 9x12 office.. not sure on
the btu i would need, but i have a lot of computer equipment forcing
the ambient temp in the room from about 78 to as high as 85 at times
(at mid height in the room)..

I've had window units years ago and i remember having trouble when it
got colder.. the unit would freeze up.. do they all do this these
days.. as i'd need to run this unit in the winter time too..

I'm hoping to find one with thermostat control, so when the room
reaches a temp it shuts off too.

We have whole house ac, but this room gets hot, despite this.

Thanks for any advice..

I do a lot of commercial HVAC and refrigeration
work and when I have to run a piece of equipment
under low ambient conditions like the AC at a
restaurant which often has to run in the winter,
I install whats called a "head pressure" or "low
ambient" control. For the large AC unit that you
would find at a restaurant, it's a simple matter
of controlling the condenser fan. When the fan
is turned off by the electric controller, the head
pressure rises until reaching a preset limit then
the condenser fan comes back on. This keeps things
from freezing up and protects the compressor from
flooding with liquid freon. The problem with a
window unit is that there is only one motor turning
both condenser and evaporator fans. To control the
head pressure in that situation you need to modify
the plumbing and add a head pressure control that
controls the flow of freon. This type of control
throttles the head pressure by opening and closing
a valve to keep the head pressure within a certain
range. What I've written here is a bit simplistic
in explaining the process but a good refrigeration
guy could modify your window unit. Most AC techs
don't get into plumbed in controls which is what
refrigeration techs tackle all the time. Here are
some links to information that may help you grasp
the process and explain in more detail than I can
here.

http://tinyurl.com/52houb

http://tinyurl.com/4f8xr3

I hope this helps you out.

[8~{} Uncle Monster