seal – Stuff!

written 6/27/25, updated 6/27/25

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What

A do-it-yourself single or dual hose window mounting thing

Why

Had a portable AC unit and wanted to mount it to the window

Time and Effort

Time: ~1.5 hours

Effort: Easy-moderate

Materials and Cost

Material

Foamular XR 1″x2’x2′ Rigid Foam Board

HVAC Aluminum Foil Tape

Double Reflective Insulation 24″x10′

Cost

$9.97 (x2 for dual hose setup)

$9.88

$11.97

TOTAL: $41.79

Optional: Removeable Window Sealing Tape (~$10-12)

Note: as of this writing, a dual hose window kit on Amazon will cost you about $33.99; from Home Depot is $37.18. However, you can also buy foam inserts that fit into them for $35.99 because, apparently, the kits don’t keep out heat as well as you’d think.

Owned Supplies

Masking Tape

Painter’s Tape

Tape Measure

Sharpie

Scissors

Foam Knife

Utility Knife

Square

Vent Template

Process

Measurements

Orient the AC unit and figure out how hoses should be placed to figure out how much of the opening you’ll need to fill will the vent mount. Take your measurements which will tell you how much material is needed.

My window is 31″ x 58″ (W x H), with each opening about 28″. I’m working with an Ecoflow Wave 3 for which the hoses have 2 slightly different opening sizes. After orienting the machine and hoses for the space available, I knew that I needed the window to be open about as much as it can be.

NOTE: For a dual hose unit, try to place the exhaust hose higher than the intake hose since heat rises, and air under the hotter expelling air should be cooler. For a single hose unit, you won’t need to open the window as much

Materials

Gather any owned equipment, then procure necessary tools and materials (I ran out to Home Depot)

Note: My window has a screen, so I left it down and placed the vent hoses on the other side. If yours does not have a screen, it would probably be a good idea to factor in a mesh screen to prevent bugs entering the hoses when not in use. Products like Fiberglass Mesh Rolls, or Vent Mesh Rodent/Bird Screens are options.

Fitting

With supplies in hand, test the Rigid Foam Board on the window. Mine was best sitting inside the lip of the window jamb. If more material is needed, measure and mark with the Sharpie. Secure the foam board in place (either lower the window onto it, or use masking tape), then place each vent hose in its desired spot and trace with the Sharpie

Cutting

Time to make cuts! Depending on cutting location, make sure to put down a drop cloth, newspaper, or other covering for easy cleanup. The foam pieces will get everywhere

First off, I put together the main window panel by cutting the piece to make it whole using measurements (in my case about 8in). I used a Square and a Utility Knife to score both sides, then all that’s needed is a little bit of force to snap the piece off (I just used the edge of a chair for leverage)

Next are the holes! My Ecoflow happened to come with a Vent Hole Template, so I used Masking Tape to adhere that to each traced hole

I’m sure a jigsaw would be the easiest and cleanest way to accomplish this, but I wasn’t about to shell out another $200 for that (maybe at some point in the future).

So, I used a Utility Knife to cut the circular shape. Because the foam board was too thick for just the utility knife, I poked holes with a random tool (can be a screwdriver) and connected the lines with a Sharpie.

Then with the utility knife, I cut the round pattern and a cross pattern on either side to facilitate removal

At this point you can use any variety of methods to chip away at the foam (e.g. mallet, screwdriver, knife). I ended up using a Craft Knife to deepen the utility knife cuts all the way around, and it was excellent for smoothing out the holes

Mallet

Craft Knife

Super easy to trim any excess pieces this way

Assembly

Back upstairs! First up: making sure the main panel pieces fit into the window. Next, dry fit the hoses. Used the craft knife to make some adjustments.

Another dry fit of all pieces. Looks good!

Had the hoses oriented the wrong way at first

Now to connect the two pieces of the main panel with the HVAC Aluminum Foil Tape. I’ve never used that kind of tape before. It’s like putting on a vinyl where you have to peel away the backing. When attached, the hold feels extra strong, so be careful not to rush and mess it up.

After another dry fit

Moving on: now to adhere the Double Reflective Insulation. This really is an optional thing, but I wanted to do this because manufacturer wording on the rigid foam boards notes that its only rated to 75F. Given the beating sun and 100F heat, I wanted something else to both block heat and afford a little more weather resistance to the panel.

Fun Note: The material is just like sunshades for a car. One of the favorite things I’ve ever bought are custom driver and passenger window shades for my car, and it literally uses the exact same material except with an edge liner to look pretty

To attach the insulator, use Masking or Painters’ Tape (painter’s is easier to remove) to adhere the material to the foam board, then cut to size. Then, use the HVAC Tape to secure it to the foam board.

Make sure you’re applying it to the proper side!

NOTE: This will add some width to the foam board, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but if it’s too tight, you may have to trim some off the foam. I left mine the way it was and just jammed it in there. It was a tight fit, but that works for sealing out weather and bugs. It is foam after all and will compress a little.

Cut the vent holes out with scissors. I left a little bit of excess material around the opening for a little more bug/weather barrier.

Later, I ended up securing each hole with 4 pieces of HVAC Tape because I realized that air movement might balloon out the space between the insulation and the foam board.

That little space between the foam and the insulator is just asking for air to flow into it, billowing things out

Finishing Up

We’re pretty much done at this point! Go ahead and place it all into the window, place all the hoses, and check out your handiwork!

You can see the window screen I left in place to help with bugs

The only thing left to do is to seal the cracks around the foam board and the vent hoses.

I used Masking Tape for easy removal, but if you want something better, buy some Removable Window Sealing Tape (XFasten brand on Amazon is $11.99, appears to be based in Florida).

DONE!

When you want to remove it quickly, just pull the masking tape

Notes

The whole system works well, and removal is as easy as removing tape
Sound is a problem, though. I can hear everything outside. Like birds in the morning. When you’re getting your best sleep. I considered some soundproof paneling to put in front of it but then realized that I don’t use the unit too much unless there’s a heat wave. Not only that, but the panels are pretty expensive.
It also makes my room smell like an attic with all the outdoor smells. Perhaps it would be different if I’d used the Window Sealing Tape?

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updated 8/7/2022

What: Kohler Highline Classic K-11499-0 (bought and installed May 2017) toilet fill valve (Fluidmaster Universal 400A OE part – came with toilet) issues

Problem: Months of slow-filling toilet along with a loud squeal noise when float raises with water level. It finally quit filling altogether.

When: August 2022

Supplies: 242 Toilet Replacement Seal, a cup

Cost: Around $4 and gas

Time: 10 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Process

1. Turn off the water supply (bathroom got a nice cleaning after this)

2. Grab the fill valve cap and twist left to unseat it (you might have to grab the stem of the whole valve to prevent the entire valve from spinning. Here’s a video)

3. Now to unhook the cap from the float. Give it a nice, careful tug, being aware that it is plastic.

4. Examine the fill valve seal for debris. Remove it carefully and inspect underneath for debris. Clean it out. In my case, there was debris underneath that was causing a blockage and therefore no water. It must have been there for a while and then finally occluded the opening.

5. Similarly, inspect the cap-less top of the fill valve for debris.

6. Now that everything is off, let’s go ahead and flush the fill valve itself. Apparently, over the years pieces of Teflon tape, or minerals or other debris can accumulate in the valve. Fluidmaster sets the lifespan of a fill valve at around 7 years (mine is about 5 years old). SO, grab a cup and place it upside-down over the fill valve.

7. Turn on the water supply and flush for about 10-15 seconds (according to Fluidmaster)

8. At this point, you would replace everything and test it out. It was no longer filling slowly after the debris was removed, so BOOM, solved. BUT…the float mechanism no longer worked…as in, the fill valve kept filling without stopping. Oh, great. I busted it somehow. Removed everything again and found that the original seal looked kind of chewed up around the float pin.

9. Turned the water supply back off, and ran out to the store to grab a 242 Toilet Fill Valve Seal (and other stuff just in case, so I wouldn’t have to run out again, but didn’t need them in the end)

10. Had remove it all again and here is an image of the old seal. If you look at the center, you can see how rough it looks where I tried to push it in with my fingernails and probably from general wear and tear

11. Here’s a side by side of the old seal and the new one

12. Slide the seal onto the cap

13. Now to reassemble it all. Line up the cap assembly with the float assembly stem groove and snap it in

14. Place the now-attached cap back on the valve. Remember that you have to turn right to replace it, so place the cap accordingly so that none of the parts interfere with each other

*Let’s twist again! Like we did last summer!*

15. Twist it to the right and, YAY, it’s back on!

16. MOMENT OF TRUTH. Turn on the water supply. You should immediately hear the water filling up. Now lift up on the float mechanism. If the tank quits filling, you are DONE, and it is REPAIRED! GREAT JOB!

Tag: seal

DIY: Portable AC Dual Hose Window Vent Mount