"MargieKay" wrote in message
...
I need to install a window air conditioner in a ground-level (actually
basement) window in a funky neighborhood. It's an old, beat, building so
I
don't need anything fancy or expensive. Cheap, functional, and something
I
could do or easily get someone to do would be great.

My question is: Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions about what
might
work for this and be relatively easy to do?

I know that anything I do can be defeated, but I'm looking for something
that might just make it not worth the effort for someone to try to steal
the
air conditioner, or break into the building by taking out the a/c. We do
have an alarm system, so the break-in part is not that big of a deal.
But,
I'd like to make it more difficult for anyone to rip off the air
conditioner. I've thought about some kind of chain link fence cage
around
the a/c but that seems like it wouldn't be that easy to do. I've seen
wrought iron bars around a/c units in some places, but I have no idea who
I
would ask to fashion something like that, or what it would cost. I'm
guessing that a welder would want a lot of money to custom-weld something.
I know there are places that do sheet metal fabricating, but sheet metal
isn't what I need. Is there a profession such as metal fabricators that
does work like this? I've also wandered around Home Depot and Lowes
looking
for some kind of strong security-type wire mesh I could use, but haven't
seen anything yet.

I know, I'm beginning to ramble.... Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

Fasten it on the inside of the window with a few "L" brackets? That's what
I'd do.