Portable air conditioner

[Buckman]

Our elderly neighbour is thinking fo buying one as finds the heat uncomfortable plus she thinks her little dog does not like the heat. The dog is no spring chicken. She asked our advice as she knew we had air conditioners previously. However ours were proper mounted air cons in various rooms in the house so no idea if these portable ones are much good.

Her lounge faces west so gets a full blast of sun in the afternoons. In the morning it is the bedroom and kitchen areas. We are happy with our Maeco fan which gives a pleasant breeze even though it is hot air it is shifting around. Has anyone tried one of these portable air conditioners as never knew they even existed until she asked us.

 

[RogerL]

One of the "problems" with some portable air conditioning is that it works by evaporating water which will increase the humidity in the room, so long-term use can be detrimental - I've not experienced it myself but I understand that dry heat is much easier to tolerate than humid hot climates.

Some portable air conditioning uses a flexible hose to get rid of damp air through a window but that allows hot ambient air into the room!

 

[Jcloughie]

Personally I do not think the evaporative appliances should be called air conditionairs. Respectable companies call them air coolers. But as said above, the can cause excess moisture build up.

Portable air conditionairs should work fine. But need planning. The either need a 100mm duct doing outside, and sealed. Or. Be a split unit with an umbilical cord leading to the exteriour unit.

Examples:

Cooler


Portable unit.




Split




John

 

[Buckman]

One of the "problems" with some portable air conditioning is that it works by evaporating water which will increase the humidity in the room, so long-term use can be detrimental - I've not experienced it myself but I understand that dry heat is much easier to tolerate than humid hot climates.

Some portable air conditioning uses a flexible hose to get rid of damp air through a window but that allows hot ambient air into the room!

I have been looking them up for her and the ones with the hose through an open window may be better for her, but the issue for her may be a concern about someone entering the home? I doubt if she could manage to remove the hose every night to close the window and then install it again the next day. Also like ours, her window opens outwards. Hose is probably not long enough to reach up to the top vent type window.

She is a nice old lady and looks after out cat if we go away for a short break. She wants to buy from Currys as she can go into the shop as she does not have Internet. She does have a very ancient mobile phone.

 

[ProfJohnL]

It obviously depends on the model your lady is considering, but I agree with the previous comments concerning the evaporative coolers, They can also become breeding ground for bacteria unless they are carefully managed.

 

[Mr Plodd]

If, and it's a big IF these evaporative air coolers were any use they would be much better known, and very popular because of their lower price. Just ask yourself why they are neither!
Any portable air conditioner needs a means of getting rid of the hot air they produce, so some form of exhaust mechanism to the "outside" is not a desirable feature, it's an utterly essential one.

 

[Buckman]

The ones I have been looking at for her plus a bit of interest myself can all be vented outside and price for a reasonable one seems to start at about £400. The Maeco models are reasonably priced, seem to get good reviews and come with a 3 year warranty.

My concern is if I give her advice on a specific model to buy and it isn't great, we don't want to fall out, but we would like to help her. Catch 22!

 

[GUMPY]

I have two portable Aircon units, one for upstairs that vents through a thin slot that fits in the window effectively meaning the window is closed. The downstairs one vents through the cat flap😉
Both are over 10 years old and worked last time I needed them and hopefully next time as well.
Not been hot enough yet this year for me to get them out of the garage.

 

[ProfJohnL]

The ones I have been looking at for her plus a bit of interest myself can all be vented outside and price for a reasonable one seems to start at about £400. The Maeco models are reasonably priced, seem to get good reviews and come with a 3 year warranty.

My concern is if I give her advice on a specific model to buy and it isn't great, we don't want to fall out, but we would like to help her. Catch 22!

Tell her why you could not recommend an evaporative cooler, and why its not true Air Conditioning. What remains will be the compressor driven air conditioners. Which? have just reported on several portable models in their July 25 edition, (Page 49)

They also explain a fairly simple calculation to determine how powerful the unit should be, based on the square footage of the room in question. i.e. Length x width x height of the room in Feet, all multiplied by 5 gives a general estimate of the number of BTU's (British Thermal Units ) needed to make enough temperature difference in the room.

That allows you to exclude any models that would not be up to the job. Show her your copy of Which? for the best buys information. That puts the choice of unit into her hands and not yours.

 

[Jcloughie]

9I have been looking them up for her and the ones with the hose through an open window may be better for her, but the issue for her may be a concern about someone entering the home? I doubt if she could manage to remove the hose every night to close the window and then install it again the next day. Also like ours, her window opens outwards. Hose is probably not long enough to reach up to the top vent type window.

She is a nice old lady and looks after out cat if we go away for a short break. She wants to buy from Currys as she can go into the shop as she does not have Internet. She does have a very ancient mobile phone.

If putting through an open window, to be effective, it needs to be sealed.

Options are available.

They can also be ducted through a wall. But every circumstance is different. Going through a wall is better for security.

Example.

John

 

[Buckman]

Tell her why you could not recommend an evaporative cooler, and why its not true Air Conditioning. What remains will be the compressor driven air conditioners. Which? have just reported on several portable models in their July 25 edition, (Page 49)

They also explain a fairly simple calculation to determine how powerful the unit should be, based on the square footage of the room in question. i.e. Length x width x height of the room in Feet, all multiplied by 5 gives a general estimate of the number of BTU's (British Thermal Units ) needed to make enough temperature difference in the room.

That allows you to exclude any models that would not be up to the job. Show her your copy of Which? for the best buys information. That puts the choice of unit into her hands and not yours.

Thanks. I have the Which magazine, but as we have been away I have not had a chance to read it. Her front room is about 16sq ft. I know it is her money, but not something we woudl buy after having proper air conditioning.

I have two portable Aircon units, one for upstairs that vents through a thin slot that fits in the window effectively meaning the window is closed. The downstairs one vents through the cat flap😉
Both are over 10 years old and worked last time I needed them and hopefully next time as well.
Not been hot enough yet this year for me to get them out of the garage.

It seems elderly people suffer more in the heat than us. Both of us are quite enjoying this blitz of heat and makes us feel like we are back in my former home country. We are all hoping it will continue for the next couple of months. The only thing we do not like with high temperatures is humidity. LOL!

 

[ProfJohnL]

Thanks. I have the Which magazine, but as we have been away I have not had a chance to read it. Her front room is about 16sq ft. I know it is her money, but not something we woudl buy after having proper air conditioning.


It seems elderly people suffer more in the heat than us. Both of us are quite enjoying this blitz of heat and makes us feel like we are back in my former home country. We are all hoping it will continue for the next couple of months. The only thing we do not like with high temperatures is humidity. LOL!

Only 16 sq ft! 2' x8' or 4' x'4 ? I think you mean 16 ft sq .= 256sq ft These portable units have all the necessary parts which makes them proper AC units. They're just not as powerful as most permanently installed units and there may be a compromise in performance becasue of the way condenser air is managed.

 

[Mel]

We have a proper air conditioning machine ( not an evaporative cooler) that has a hose through the window. It does a good job of cooling a medium size room. However:
The hose is short and unwieldy and does not reach an upper fan light window. If choosing check the length and flexibility of the hose.
To empty the condensate you have to move the whole machine and tip it up after removing the bung which is at floor level. I struggle to do this; anyone less able than me will find it impossible. It is vital to get one with a removable condensate tank that can be emptied into the sink.
It is noisy and running it at night would be a pain. Check noise level.

To be fair ours was a cheap one and undoubtedly there are better ones out there but just raising three design features to watch for.
Mel

 

[Buckman]

Only 16 sq ft! 2' x8' or 4' x'4 ? I think you mean 16 ft sq .= 256sq ft These portable units have all the necessary parts which makes them proper AC units. They're just not as powerful as most permanently installed units and there may be a compromise in performance becasue of the way condenser air is managed.

Oops that should be metres. Not sure why I posted feet? LOL

 

[Buckman]

Just to add to John's post as I have now read the Which article on air cons. I never took into consideration the running costs of a portable air conditioner. Their best buy is rather expensive at nearly £800. Strangely Delonghi do not have it as available on their website, but it is supposed to be a recently review?

However a lot cooler today, so maybe she will change her mind again?

 

[Hutch]

I had a portable, evaporation type of air cooler about 15 yes ago, it worked very well, we had it at the top of the stairs and the cool air would fall to the down.
You could put water into the supply bowl and a rotating towel would pick the water up and a fan would draw damp / cool air through it.
We also found you could put the freezer blocks into the unit, and then the air would be colder but dryer. We gave it too my brother as his house got unbearably hot and we could make do with just fans.