Window & thru-wall installation
Through-the-wall AC replacement, same sleeve, new chassis
The sleeve in your wall is usually fine — it is the chassis inside it that has given up. We measure the sleeve, pull the old unit, fit the new one and re-trim the opening. $399 per unit, sleeve in usable condition.
Send a photo of the opening with a tape across it — sleeve size decides everything.
per unit, flat
old out, new in
to take the old one away
of the sleeve is the whole survey
A new unit in an opening that already exists
Through-the-wall units are the ones nobody wants to touch, because the opening looks permanent and the sleeve looks like part of the building. In practice the sleeve outlives three chassis, and swapping one is an hour of work.
Sleeve sizes are not standard. The measurement before the visit is what decides which chassis fits — and it is why we ask for a tape in the photo.
The gap between chassis and sleeve is where winter comes in. It gets sealed and trimmed instead of stuffed with foam and forgotten.
Keeping the existing sleeve is the whole point: no cutting, no patching, no painter afterwards.
The chassis that came out leaves with us at no charge, and the opening is left trimmed rather than taped.
What people ask about the sleeve in the wall
Almost every hesitation about this job is about the hole, not the unit.
“Will you have to cut the wall?”
Not if the sleeve is sound and a current chassis fits it — which is the normal case. That is exactly what the photo and the tape measurement tell us before anyone is booked.
“My sleeve is rusted through.”
Then it is a sleeve job, not a swap, and it needs a carpenter or a mason alongside. We tell you that from the photo rather than discovering it with your wall open.
“Can I just put a window unit in it instead?”
No. A window unit vents from its sides and back; in a sleeve it recirculates its own hot air and cooks itself. The chassis has to be a through-the-wall type.
“Do you supply the new unit?”
You buy it, we fit it. We will tell you which sizes fit your sleeve, but we do not sell hardware — which is why the advice is worth something.
How the hour goes
Four steps, and the sleeve stays in the wall through all of them.
Old chassis out
Power off, trim off, chassis drawn forward onto a padded board with the floor covered. The old unit leaves with us.
Sleeve checked and cleaned
The empty sleeve is cleaned out, checked for rust and pitch, and its outer rim resealed. Anything wrong is photographed before the new unit goes near it.
New chassis in
The new chassis slides in square to the opening, seated on its rails and secured — never packed level with shims and hope.
Trimmed and tested
Gap sealed, trim fitted, unit run and the discharge temperature checked before we leave the room.
One number for the swap
The price assumes what is usually true: the sleeve is sound and a standard chassis fits it. Both are settled from your photo before the visit, not at the wall.
$399
per unit replaced
Sleeve in usable condition; you supply the chassis
$399
window installation
Same price where the unit sits in a sash window instead
What the number covers
- Old chassis removed, carried down and taken away — no disposal charge
- Sleeve cleaned, checked for rust and pitch, and resealed at the rim
- New chassis seated square, secured and trimmed at the opening
- Unit run and the discharge temperature checked before we leave
A rusted or wrongly pitched sleeve is a different job with a carpenter in it. You get told from the photograph, with the reason, rather than mid-visit.
What a through-the-wall unit looks like in place
The chassis sits in a metal sleeve built into the wall. Everything on this page is about swapping the first without touching the second.
In the wall ~1 hr
old out, new in
Same sleeve
no masonry, no patching
$0
to take the old unit away
One photograph from our own work, cropped and scaled and nothing else. More frames go up as replacements are logged this season.
Through-the-wall replacement — FAQ
Short answers about sleeves, sizes and what can go wrong.
How do I know what size fits my sleeve?
Measure the opening — width, height and depth — and send the photo with a tape in it. Sleeve sizes vary by manufacturer and by decade, and the measurement is what decides which chassis is a candidate.
Can a window unit go in a wall sleeve?
No. Window units vent from the sides and back and need free air around them. In a sleeve they recirculate their own heat, run hot and fail early. It has to be a through-the-wall chassis.
What if the sleeve is rusty?
Light surface rust is normal and gets cleaned and sealed. A sleeve rusted through, or pitched back into the room, needs replacing — that is a carpentry job and we say so before booking.
Do you take the old unit away?
Yes, at no charge, on the same visit — including down the stairs if the lift is not an option.
How long does it take?
About an hour when the sleeve is sound. Most of the risk in this job is in the survey, which is why the photo matters more than the day.
Goes well with
The neighbouring jobs on the same wall.
The sleeve stays. The unit changes. One hour.
Send a photo of the opening with a tape across it and we will tell you what fits before you buy anything.
Book a replacement