As summer officially arrives today with a hot, steamy vengeance, air conditioners throughout the city are going full blast. If you have a window A/C unit in your apartment, here are some reminders to make sure the unit is safely installed:The air conditioner should have enough capacity to sufficiently cool the room and have a dedicated outlet with the proper amount of electrical current.The window and window frame in which the unit is mounted should be secure and in good condition.The air conditioner should be braced from underneath with metal brackets, mounting rails, or similar supports, or firmly fastened from inside with supporting angles. The metal brackets and angles should be attached to the exterior of the building and be strong enough to support the size and weight of the unit.Do not use loose objects to support the A/C unit, such as bricks, wooden blocks, plywood, etc. We’ve even seen phone books and videocassette tapes wedged between the air conditioner and the window sill (although the digital age has made those items rare).

If the position of the air conditioner needs to be adjusted with shims, they should be independently secured to prevent shifting caused by vibration, wind, or ice.Do not put items such as flower pots, satellite dishes, bird feeders, etc. on top of the A/C unit.The air conditioner should remain in place when the window is opened, or secured so that the window cannot be opened accidentally. It’s OK to tilt the unit for drainage if it’s not at a steep angle.An air conditioner should not be installed in a window that opens on to a fire escape.An improperly secured window-mounted air conditioner is considered an unsafe item in a Local Law 11/98 facade inspection. To ensure compliance, Rand recommends that management establish building-wide installation guidelines for all residents to follow.One suggested rule is that window air conditioners be installed only by someone deemed "qualified," such as the building superintendent, a maintenance person, an exterior contractor, or a technician from the store where the unit was bought.

(Currently there are no licensing requirements for installers.)To maintain a uniform standard of safety, residents should be discouraged—if not prohibited—from installing window air conditioners on their own, especially on street-facing facades.For more information on window air conditioner safety tips, see the New York City Department of Buildings guidelines and our Ask the Engineer column on Installing Window Air Conditioners.Stay cool—and safe!Will the superintendent help install air-conditioning units? No, unless there is a pre-installed air-conditioning sleeve in your apartment. Superior Management is not responsible for the maintenance or weatherproofing of window air-conditioning units. Our superintendents are not trained to install window air-conditioning units and we therefore cannot assume the liability risk. The Department of Buildings has issued an ac_tips guide on how to install an A/C unit. Remember, proper installation always requires window brackets and should be professionally installed.

In addition all leases have the following clause: Window Air Conditioning Units Tenant shall not install an air conditioner in the window unless the unit is professionally installed by an insured contractor who uses the proper metal brackets to support protruding individual air conditioning units on windows to prevent any falling hazard. Property For Sale On Lake Shirley MaAny loose objects on the outside of the window such as wood blocking, bricks etc. are expressly forbidden. Basement Bathroom Plumbing CostThe installers insurance shall list the building owner and management company as additional insured and proof of such shall be delivered to the management office before work commences. Cats For Sale In AlbertaAll work must be comply with New York City, New York State building code.

Air conditioners may not be installed on windows used for egress such as fire escapes. Permission must be obtained before an air conditioner can be installed. © 2016 Superior Management inc.1.  Carefully Review Your Building’s Life Safety Evaluation (LSE) ReportThe report contains upgrades to your life safety systems that are required pass the final LSE inspection. These upgrades will be different for every building, depending on the report your building submitted to the City. They may include but are not limited to: installing a one-way/two way voice communication system, providing one hour fire doors for stair openings, fire-stopping and sealing of holes, penetrations or missing areas in stair enclosures, adding smoke detectors to corridors and units, repairing emergency lighting.PLEASE NOTE: A building will not pass the final LSE Inspection unless all of the required upgrades contained in a building’s LSE report are completed at the time of the inspection. The Department of Buildings recommends buildings review their LSE reports with a design professional as well as have a design professional pre-inspect in order to verify the completion of the required upgrades.

Buildings should only schedule a final LSE Inspection when certain that all of the required Life Safety Upgrades are in place and functioning properly.2.    Carefully Review Key Life Safety Areas and Components In Your Building City Inspectors will inspect and spot test key life safety areas and components of your building. These components must be installed and functioning properly in order to pass the LSE inspection. These areas and components include: Rated fire doors and door frames for stair enclosures, fire escapes, and doors between “mixed use” separations (ie: entrances from a building into a parking garage or adjacent commercial space) must be in place, undamaged and without holes or ventilation grills (“louvers”). Rated fire doors and rated door frames must have their fire rating labels visible and free of paint or other coverings, have their self-closing devices intact and functional, be readily operable, and fully close and latch. Additionally, any vision panels/windows must be compliant with the Chicago Fire Code.PLEASE NOTE: Laundry-room doors must also have an automatic door closure and be closed at all times.

Door-locking hardware in stairwells must meet the requirements of The Stairwell Door Re-entry Ordinance (Code Section 13-196-084). Occupants using the enclosed fire /exit stairs must be able to leave the stair and re-enter a public corridor For stairwells that are connected to dwelling unit doors open into an exit stair.  The door hardware for an individual unit shall require that the door opening into a stair may only be locked from the stair side (which would allow the occupant to re-enter the unit with their key in an emergency). Required exit doors must be operable in the direction of egress without the use of keys, tools, unusual strength or special knowledge. Security devices or locks that are not approved by the Chicago Building Code and/or ones that make exiting difficult or impossible must be permanently removed. Individual dwelling unit doors that lead into building corridors must be equipped with door self-closing devices. City inspectors will spot-check these corridor doors to verify that the corridor doors self-close and latch when released from an open position.

Battery type smoke detectors Battery-operated smoke detectors located in public spaces, such as corridors, lobbies, or stairs, will be spot tested. They must be operable and should sound a tone when the “test” button is pushed. PLEASE NOTE: Smoke detectors that are hardwired and part of a fire alarm or elevator re-call system will not be spot tested by the Department of Buildings. Holes that lead into a building’s exit stair enclosures or trash chutes, as well as penetration holes made by piping or conduit into stair enclosures, must be sealed and fire-stopped.  Proper fire-stopping materials, such as fire-rated caulk with mineral wool back-up, must be used.For exit stairs that are in a “scissor” formation, the standpipe and holes around the standpipe must be fire-stopped on each stair landing.PLEASE NOTE: Holes and penetrations made through walls or floors that separate mixed-use spaces must also be sealed and fire-stopped with proper fire-stopping materials. Fire-ratings for various separation between mixed-used spaces are as follows:

Any obstructions or potential obstacles to exiting, such as furniture, stored items, storage racks, shelving or other built-in obstructions, must be permanently removed from enclosed exit stairs. Any obstructions or potential obstacles to exiting, such as air-conditioning units, furniture, grills, or flowerpots, must be permanently removed from the fire escape egress path. Additionally, the moveable portion of a fire escape, usually the bottom ladder, must be functional and able to land; it must not be obstructed by items such as parked cars or trash containers. Fire-escape stairs must be maintained in good structural repair and condition. Emergency battery pack lights will be tested by City inspectors to ensure that the lights come on when the test button is pushed. Illuminated “exit” and “stair” signs in corridors must be intact and functional. Additionally, the lettering must be readable. Garbage chute doors must fully close and latch. Every trash chute, as well as the trash room for a building, must be equipped with fire sprinklers.