We don't often need A/C in our climate, but the front upstairs room we use as an office sometimes gets too hot and we have a portable A/C to keep it comfortable. It came with a patio door insert but it was made of flimsy plastic, didn't seal well, was very ugly from both inside and out, and every time we opened the door it would fall out of place.

So I came up with this idea for how to convert a pet patio door insert sold in many places. I chose a size that would fit my hose (medium - the small was justa 1/4" too narrow unfortunately), and one that had a soft plastic flap which could be "locked" by inserting a sliding rigid panel - that's what I used for my A/C.

Here's my photo tutorial for anyone interested :)

Draw the outline of the hose bracket, drill holes and cut out the large hole with a jigsaw
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Insert the hose bracket into the hole int he rigid panel
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Attach hose to bracket and slide panel into place pulling gently inwards to ease of edge of pet door
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Caulk any gaps around the hose bracket, install the weatherstripping and lock that comes with the insert, and enjoy a better looking more secure and weathertight A/C insert!

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This post was edited by tinan on Sat, Apr 27, 13 at 19:03