Parts of a Window AC – Labeled Outside and Inside

All 17 parts on the diagram

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In the window 7

Front grille Room air is drawn in through its slats.
Air filter A mesh screen that sits just behind the front grille.
Control panel Its buttons set the mode, the fan speed and the temperature.
Air louvers Blades that aim the cooled air up, down, left or right.
Cabinet The metal case. The louvers in its sides stay outdoors.
Side curtains (accordion panels) Folding panels that fill the window opening on each side.
Power cord Its plug case carries a test button and a reset button.

Cabinet off, from above 10

Compressor It pumps the refrigerant round the sealed system.
Evaporator coil The cold coil. Room air is blown across it.
Condenser coil The hot coil. The heat leaves the unit here.
Condenser fan A propeller that blows outdoor air through the condenser coil.
Blower wheel A drum of small blades that moves the room air.
Fan motor One motor turns both the blower wheel and the condenser fan.
Partition (bulkhead) It walls off the room side from the outdoor side.
Base pan The tray under the unit. Water from the cold coil collects in it.
Capacitor A small can wired to the compressor and the fan motor.
Thermistor (sensor) A sensor that reads the temperature of the room air.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-10-01 and kept only where two unrelated sources use it of a window or room air conditioner. Makers' manuals read as page text on archive.org; two manuals from one company count once. (1) One maker's owner's manual and its service manual for a wall unit: https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-6206990 and https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-5646714 : features figure (horizontal and vertical louvers, cabinet, front grille, air intake, air filter, evaporator, compressor, condenser, base pan, power cord), frame curtain, the plug's test and reset buttons, the fan whose outer ring runs in the water in the base pan, indoor air thermistor, sheet metal partition, capacitor, fan blade. (2) A second company's use and care guide and the repair parts list of a unit it built: https://archive.org/details/manualsbase-id-3812 and https://archive.org/details/Kenmore-Window-Air-Conditioner-Repair-Parts-List-253.71055010 : air filter, 4-way air directional louvers, control panel, cabinet, power cord with two buttons on the plug head; parts list: cabinet, louvers, filter, bulkhead, capacitor, fan blade, fan motor, blower wheel, compressor, evaporator, condenser, thermistor clip. (3) A third maker's service manual: https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-6030011 : front grille, cabinet, base pan, evaporator, blower wheel, condenser, propeller fan, fan motor, motor capacitor, control panel. (4) Three more makers' user manuals for the folding panels and the front: https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-6314097 (curtain, window filler), https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-6030014 (side curtains, air filter behind the front grille), https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-5961817 (accordion panels, side panels, fan blade, front grille). (5) Wikipedia, text only, Air conditioning, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_conditioning : a window unit usually has a partition inside, between its indoor and outdoor sides; evaporator coil and condenser coil. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-01 from plain geometry; nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

Parts of a window AC, in two drawings. The first is the unit in a window, seen from the room. The second takes it out of its cabinet and looks down from above, with the room side at the bottom.

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What you see from the room

The front grille covers the room side, with the air filter just behind it. Cooled air comes out through the air louvers, and the control panel sits beside them. The metal cabinet runs back through the window, and folding side curtains fill the opening on each side.

Inside, one box with two sides

A partition splits the unit. On the room side are the evaporator coil and the blower wheel. On the outdoor side are the compressor, the condenser coil and the condenser fan. One fan motor sits between them and turns both fans. Everything stands in the base pan.

The quiz takes accordion panels for side curtains and bulkhead for partition.

Questions and answers

What are the main parts of a window air conditioner?

Outside the case: the front grille, air filter, control panel, air louvers, cabinet, side curtains and power cord. Inside: the compressor, the evaporator coil, the condenser coil, the blower wheel, the condenser fan, the fan motor, a partition and the base pan.

Which side of a window AC is the evaporator on?

The room side. The evaporator coil is the cold coil, just behind the front grille and the air filter. The condenser coil is the hot one, at the back of the unit, outdoors.

What are the accordion panels on a window AC called?

Makers call them side curtains, side panels, accordion panels or window filler panels. They are the folding panels that fill the gap between the cabinet and the window frame on each side.

Does a window air conditioner have two fans?

Yes, on one motor. A blower wheel moves the room air on the indoor side and a propeller, the condenser fan, moves outdoor air through the condenser coil. A shaft from each end of the fan motor turns them.