Air Conditioning - Portable Air Conditioner
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slowmoe
07-25-06, 05:09 PM
I need to buy a Portable Air Conditioner.
As far as the BTU size goes, I can follow the chart:
http://forum.doityourself.com/showthread.php?t=261486
Are there any sites that have done product comparisons that
I can read before I make the purchase?
Thanks.
As far as the BTU size goes, I can follow the chart:
http://forum.doityourself.com/showthread.php?t=261486
Are there any sites that have done product comparisons that
I can read before I make the purchase?
Thanks.
Jay11J
07-25-06, 07:13 PM
There been already a couple of post about portable room A/C, and I honestly don't like these units. They are a big waste of money.
Why are you looking at these units vs Window?
Why are you looking at these units vs Window?
slowmoe
07-26-06, 12:42 AM
Can you tell me why you don't like these units?
Soon we will be renovating about 3 rooms around the house.
These rooms will become bigger, will have more windows
and more shading from direct sunlight.
In the meantime, this summer's heat in California is just too much.
While the remodelling work is going on we thought
a portable AC would give us some relief as we migrate
from room to room moving the A/C with us.
At the moment with the windows open, the hot air from the outside just flows right in.
Soon we will be renovating about 3 rooms around the house.
These rooms will become bigger, will have more windows
and more shading from direct sunlight.
In the meantime, this summer's heat in California is just too much.
While the remodelling work is going on we thought
a portable AC would give us some relief as we migrate
from room to room moving the A/C with us.
At the moment with the windows open, the hot air from the outside just flows right in.
Jay11J
07-26-06, 05:23 AM
I don't know if you have done search on this or not.
These portable units uses a hose to get rid of the heat to the outdoors. Lot of thse units has just a single hose. So the unit takes the cooled room air (that you already paid to cool off) over the condensor coil, and sends it outside though the hose to the outdoors. Now the room is under negative pressure. The air had to be made up some how. so it leaks back in the somewhat sealed window, and other small opening. Now you bring back the heat and humidity into the room to made the unit work harder.
I've just seen one too many of these units get returned at the store cuz they don't cool well. And with your cost of power, and also with the high deamand of power in CA. you are much better off with a small window unit and move it windows to window in room as needed.
These portable units uses a hose to get rid of the heat to the outdoors. Lot of thse units has just a single hose. So the unit takes the cooled room air (that you already paid to cool off) over the condensor coil, and sends it outside though the hose to the outdoors. Now the room is under negative pressure. The air had to be made up some how. so it leaks back in the somewhat sealed window, and other small opening. Now you bring back the heat and humidity into the room to made the unit work harder.
I've just seen one too many of these units get returned at the store cuz they don't cool well. And with your cost of power, and also with the high deamand of power in CA. you are much better off with a small window unit and move it windows to window in room as needed.
furd
07-26-06, 01:05 PM
The only type of portable A/C I would have (and I do have one) is the dual-duct type. The single-duct type are a farce in my opinion.
Even with a dual-duct system the performance of a portable A/C will be less than a similarly rated window unit. The reason is that most of the heat-producing components are outside in a window unit whereas the entire package is inside on a portable.
Those flexible ducts connecting the portable unit to the window also release a fair amount of heat into the room. If you de-rate the BTU size of the dual-duct portable by about 10% you would get about the same performance of a window unit of the (derated) size. Deduct at least 20% for a single-duct portable.
Even with a dual-duct system the performance of a portable A/C will be less than a similarly rated window unit. The reason is that most of the heat-producing components are outside in a window unit whereas the entire package is inside on a portable.
Those flexible ducts connecting the portable unit to the window also release a fair amount of heat into the room. If you de-rate the BTU size of the dual-duct portable by about 10% you would get about the same performance of a window unit of the (derated) size. Deduct at least 20% for a single-duct portable.