By Tony Marino — “Airflow doesn’t care where your bed is, but your comfort will.”
When people talk about PTAC installation, the conversation usually stops at:
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Sleeve size
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Electrical
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Height
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Drainage
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Weather sealing
But there’s one question almost nobody asks — and it’s the reason so many rooms have cold spots, dead zones, noisy airflow, and customers complaining about “drafty AC.”
That question is:
“Where in the wall should the PTAC actually go?”
Left?
Right?
Dead center?
Ask 10 installers and you’ll hear the same answer:
“Just put it under the window.”
That answer is lazy, outdated, and wrong.
Because the truth is:
The PTAC doesn’t heat or cool the window.
It heats and cools the room.
If you put the PTAC in the wrong spot, your furniture layout, airflow patterns, thermostat performance, and heat distribution will all fight the system.
Amana Distinctions Model 12,000 BTU PTAC Unit with 3.5 kW Electric Heat
So here’s Tony’s complete placement guide — the one based on 35 years of actual installs, not manufacturer drawings.
🧭 1. Why PTAC Placement Matters More Than People Think
A PTAC throws 350–420 CFM of conditioned air into a room.
Where that air starts determines where it ends up.
Put the PTAC too far left?
The right side of the room stays cold.
Too far right?
Left side overheats.
Dead center but blocked by a dresser?
Airflow rebounds and drops straight into the carpet.
Put it in the wrong place and you create:
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Hot spots
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Cold spots
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Draft tunnels
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Uneven heating
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Dead air pockets
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Bouncing airflow
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Higher energy usage
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Overworked blower motors
PTACs aren’t magic — they obey airflow physics.
And airflow physics start with placement.
❄️ 2. Tony’s Cardinal Rule: “Air Needs a Path — Not a Wall.”
Here’s the big mistake most installers make:
They install the PTAC based on the WALL…
Instead of the ROOM.
A wall is simple.
A room is complicated.
Rooms have:
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Beds
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Dressers
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Tables
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Sofas
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TV stands
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Curtains
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Carpets
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Return-air dead zones
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High-traffic zones
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Low-ceiling pockets
The PTAC must serve the people using the room, not the wall that the manufacturer drawing came with.
And that’s why Tony uses a 3-question test:
Q1 — Where do people sit or sleep?
That area must get consistent, gentle airflow.
Q2 — What furniture will block the discharge?
Anything taller than knee height is a potential airflow wall.
Q3 — What direction do you want air to move through the room?
Forward airflow?
Lateral airflow?
Across the bed?
Between furniture zones?
Placement changes everything.
🛋️ 3. The Furniture Problem: Why Most Rooms Fight the PTAC
You wouldn’t aim a showerhead at the curtain.
So why do installers aim PTAC discharge vents at:
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Dresser backs?
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Bed frames?
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Curtain hems?
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Nightstands?
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Couch arms?
I’ve lost count of the rooms where I walk in and see:
PTAC → 8 inches → heavy furniture → blocked airflow → miserable room.
Furniture is the enemy of air movement.
Let’s break this down.
🪑 Furniture Creates Airflow Shadows
Every object taller than 18 inches creates a dead-air zone behind it.
If the PTAC’s discharge hits that object, you lose:
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Throw distance
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Velocity
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Directional control
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Tempered air mixing
It’s like throwing a pitch into a catcher’s mitt 6 inches from the mound.
Useless.
🛏️ Beds Create Thermal Barriers
Beds are heat sponges.
Warm air hits them, rises prematurely, and ruins circulation.
If the PTAC is installed too close to the bed, the room develops:
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Hot ceilings
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Cold floors
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Uneven heat zones
And customers feel drafty even if the thermostat reads 72°F.
🪟 Curtains Are Airflow Vampires
Curtains that hang over a PTAC (especially blackout curtains) absorb 60–90% of the airflow.
This forces air downward and backward into the sleeve, creating:
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Back-pressure
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Noise
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Reduced throw
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Higher energy usage
A misplaced PTAC can turn a curtain into a heat-trapping tent.
📐 4. Ideal Placement Height (Tony’s Rule: 6–10 Inches Off the Floor)
A PTAC is designed to condition the lower half of the room first.
Why?
Because:
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Heat rises
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Cold air sinks
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Human comfort is mostly felt below the waist
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Floors get cold first
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Temperature stratification starts low
PTACs work best when installed:
6 to 10 inches above finished floor height.
Too low → airflow hits the carpet
Too high → airflow floats at chest level and never mixes properly
Most manufacturers suggest “under window,” but Tony says:
Put it low enough to heat the floor
but high enough to avoid restriction.
↔️ 5. Left, Right, or Center? Tony’s Placement Matrix
Here’s what professionals actually need:
A placement guide based on room type.
I’ve installed thousands of PTACs — in hotels, apartments, senior living, rental properties, high-end condos, and offices.
This is what works.
🛏️ 6. Bedroom Placement: Never Put the PTAC by the Headboard
Best Placement: Slightly Right or Left of Center (40–60% line)
Why?
Because bedroom air patterns work like this:
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Condition the foot of the bed
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Push air across the comforter
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Let air rise naturally
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Mix gently to avoid drafts
If the PTAC is beside the headboard:
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People complain of “air blowing on my face.”
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Noise is perceived louder at night.
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Heat never reaches the foot of the bed.
Tony rule:
Aim at the middle of the room, not at the sleeper.
What to avoid:
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PTAC directly under a curtain
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PTAC aimed at a tall dresser
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PTAC aimed at a closet door
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PTAC 1–3 feet from a bedpost
🛋️ 7. Living Room Placement: Always Opposite the Seating Zone
PTAC airflow should drift toward the seating area, not blast directly into it.
Best placement:
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Install on the wall opposite the main seating area
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Or on a side wall angled slightly toward the seating zone
Avoid:
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Aiming directly at couch cushions
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Installing behind a recliner
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Putting PTAC 1 ft. away from an entertainment center
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Mounting too close to a side table (creates turbulence)
Tony’s airflow goal:
“Let the conditioned air reach the occupants without making them feel attacked by it.”
🧑⚕️ 8. Senior Living Placement: Avoid Trip Hazards and Drafts at Leg Level
Seniors are sensitive to:
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Rapid temperature changes
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Drafts at ankle height
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Noise
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Air blowing directly at chairs or beds
For these installs:
Best placement:
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Center-of-wall, angled across the room
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7–12 feet away from primary seating
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At least 12 inches from any medical equipment
Avoid:
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PTAC installed near walker paths
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Airflow aimed directly at recliners
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PTAC installed too low (cold-floor effect worsens)
Tony rule:
Comfort first. Airflow second.
🏨 9. Hotel Room Placement: Don’t Aim at the Desk or the Drapes
Hotels love to shove PTACs under windows.
That’s fine — IF the curtains don’t cover the unit.
Tony’s hotel rules:
✔ Curtains must stop above the PTAC
Otherwise 80% of the airflow feeds the drapery cavity.
✔ Place slightly off-center if bed is too close
Never blow air at pillows.
✔ Avoid desk path
Laptop vents + PTAC air = temp swings + noise.
✔ Use baffle fins to redirect airflow
Turn airflow toward the open room, not the curtain wall.
🧱 10. Studio Apartment Placement: Maximize Throw Distance
Small rooms need maximum airflow reach.
Best placement:
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Centered OR
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Slightly offset from the main living zone
Avoid:
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Tight corner installs (air curls and stalls)
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PTAC behind shelves or tall lamps
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PTAC aimed at a kitchenette (heat load increases)
Goal:
Mix air throughout the entire volume, not just in one corner.
🔍 11. How to Evaluate Placement BEFORE Cutting the Hole
This is the step that separates pros from hacks.
Tony walks the room and evaluates:
✔ Floorplan Geometry
Identify:
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Dead-air corners
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Cold walls
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High-traffic zones
✔ Furniture Layout
Where will:
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Couch
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Bed
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Desk
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Nightstand
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TV stand
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Dresser
Actually go?
Not “may go.”
WILL go.
✔ Airflow Path
Visualize exactly how the 350+ CFM will move around:
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Obstacles
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Corners
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Fabric surfaces
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Open pathways
✔ Thermostat Position
If the thermostat senses rebounded air, it will short-cycle.
✔ Customer Use Behavior
People don’t move furniture to accommodate the PTAC.
The PTAC must accommodate the furniture.
📏 12. Tony’s 30-Second “Is This Placement Wrong?” Test
Stand where the customer will spend most of their time.
Now ask yourself:
1. Does the PTAC blow directly on me?
Bad placement.
2. Can I see at least 70% of the room from the PTAC?
If not, air won’t mix properly.
3. Is furniture blocking the discharge path?
Move the PTAC.
4. Will curtains interfere?
Fix the placement or resize the drapes.
5. Is the PTAC closer to one major furniture zone than the other?
Shift it left or right.
This test catches almost every bad placement mistake.
🛠️ 13. Tools Tony Uses to Confirm Placement
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Laser level
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Airflow directional tool
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Tape measure (for furniture clearance)
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Thermal camera
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Painter’s tape (to mark discharge zones)
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Laser distance meter
Setup takes 3 minutes.
Saves hundreds in callbacks.
🎯 14. The BIG Mistake: Installing the PTAC First and Moving Furniture Later
This is the #1 reason placement fails.
Installers cut the opening, shove the PTAC in, and THEN furniture gets placed — usually directly in front of the discharge.
Tony rule:
“Placement planning comes BEFORE cutting the wall.
Not after the unit is running.”
Reverse the order and everything makes sense.
⚡ 15. Bad Placement Raises Energy Bills (Yes, Really)
A poorly placed PTAC:
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Runs longer
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Cycles harder
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Overheats the blower
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Reduces mixing
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Fails to maintain setpoint
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Creates drafts
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Forces heat strips to activate more often
All of this increases cost.
Hotels see this more than anyone:
A bad PTAC install adds $150–$300 per room per year in wasted energy.
Multiply by 100 rooms…
That’s a $30,000 mistake.
📚 16. External Verified Sources Supporting These Concepts
Here are reliable resources that align with best practices mentioned in this guide:
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Energy.gov – Air Sealing Guidelines
https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/air-sealing-your-home -
OSHA – Construction Saw Safety (for proper wall cuts)
https://www.osha.gov -
International Building Code (Wall Framing Requirements)
https://codes.iccsafe.org/ -
UL Guidelines for Electric Heat Components
https://ul.com/ -
ASHRAE Handbook – HVAC Fundamentals (Airflow & Pressure)
https://www.ashrae.org/technical-resources/ashrae-handbook
All align with Tony’s field-tested best practices.
🏁 Final Word From Tony
Most installers think PTAC placement is just:
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“Put it under the window.”
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“Center it.”
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“That’s where the last guy had it.”
But comfort doesn’t come from copy-paste installs.
Comfort comes from airflow.
And airflow comes from placement.
“If the PTAC fights the furniture, the customer fights the PTAC.”
And nobody wins except the electric company.
Place it right.
Airflow flows correctly.
The thermostat behaves.
The heat kit works efficiently.
Customers stop complaining.
That’s why Tony cares about placement more than any manufacturer manual does.
