air conditioner anyone use a portable? (cost, Internet, house)
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The mobile ones that can be rolled around? I had one and to me, I wouldn't get another one. You still have to be near a window to put the exhaust pipe through and you have to constantly dump the condensation tray and if you forget, your floor will be soaked. They don't seem to cool as well as the window units either. Even though they might be the same BTUs, the window units still seem to cool better.
The only good thing I found with these is, the set up is easier. Instead of picking up a heavy unit and possibly needing someone to help you, you just place the exhaust pipe out the window.
I went back to using window units. They might looks trashier, but I don't have to worry with dumping a condensation tray and imo they cool better.
I have no choice but use the portable ones so it's better than nothing.
If I had a choice, I wouldn't use them because they're so inefficient.
If you're going to get one, just get the highest BTU output you can get for your budget, regardless of the size of your room.
I have no choice but use the portable ones so it's better than nothing.
If I had a choice, I wouldn't use them because they're so inefficient.
If you're going to get one, just get the highest BTU output you can get for your budget, regardless of the size of your room.
jaypee is right. Don't believe how many sq/ft it says it will cool on the box. It will only cool about half of that at most.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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The window versions are easy to set up. We have 3 of them. One stays up all year on the master (2nd floor) but the other two go up in late June. With slider windows I have a shelf that I screw onto the window sill and then a piece of clear polycarbonate that fits into the air space above it with foam rubber insulation around it. Takes about 10 minutes each to install in summer, 5 to take down in September.
There are portable AC units that have 2 hoses - one to pull air from the outside - this air is used to cool the condenser. The second hose sends the now hot air outside. If a portable AC unit just has 1 hose, it has to pull air from the room to cool the condenser (the hot radiator thing) and then dump that air outside. I think this is the reason portable ACs don't seem to cool so well - strictly speaking the unit is generating the spec'd "coolith" but it's taking back some of it and dumping it outside.
I only see single hose units at the brick/mortar stores. I've only seen the dual hose units on the internet.
Costco had the best deals for these that I've seen.
If you are handy and want a project, consider fabricating your own intake air hose and attachment shroud. How easy this is will depend on the design/layout of the cooling air vent on the single hose unit.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,563 posts, read 81,131,933 times
Reputation: 57767
Consumer Reports did a piece on them, and found none to deliver enough cooling for the square footage indicated on the box, not even close. Despite the exhaust duct going out the window there is heat generated into the room, and the fans are not as powerful in order to keep the motor heat down. They recommend the window models as being both more effective and less expensive. We have 3 of them with slider windows, and it's simple to add a shelf on the window sill, and piece of clear acrylic or polycarbonate to fill the space above the unit.
Consumer Reports did a piece on them, and found none to deliver enough cooling for the square footage indicated on the box, not even close.
I see this in the heating industry all the time, the keywords are "up to". They will list a 40KBTU pellet stove as "up to 3200 sq. ft." Perhaps if you have a very well insulated house and the temperature outside is 50 or 60 degrees.
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