Portable air conditioners

1st_streeter

Thinking of getting one. Any owners here? Is the window vent easy to install?

Opinions on brands, local stores, noise level etc. welcome.

Thx!

carnivore

Is there anyone here capable of designing me an air-conditioned suit? I'm talking about a self-contained climate-controlled suit that I could actually wear around on a hot day. Power would preferably be rechargeable battery.

I'm serious. I'd totally be willing to pay for this.

armchair_warrior

not practical carni alot of weight you'll be carrying around is for batteries.

my friend is getting a unit on saturday. i'll let you know how that unit goes. since i'm buying it.

carnivore

The battery could be in backpack form.

shishkab

biggest problem with the portable ACs is that you have to continually empty the water catch basin. i'm not a huge fan of them (no pun intended).

alafairnadia

whenever they reconfigure my floor it affects my office. so sometimes, when the temp is unbearable, they roll in a portable a/c. it ineffectually coughs up some cold air that can only be felt 10 cm from the vent. so then I just pitch a big fit about how bad my work environment is and demand that they bring they bring the a/c guy in and then they divert someone else's air my way. um. hurrah.

so my vote is don't fucking bother. window units work. portable doodads don't.

veets

I have never owned one of the portables but know a little bit about them. They were developed in Europe and the Italian Brand ( I am having a middle aged moment getting the name Longhi perhaps or something like that) works well. These units are more expensive that window units.

I am so warm this evening I see we will put in the a/c units this weekend. I can tolerate heat but not when it comes to falling asleep.

idlewild

I had two portables. One was 9,500 btu's the other 12,000. They both sucked. Hogs on electric, skimpy on cold air and noisy as hell. And extremely pricey. How come you can't go window?

apollonia666

I had a portable AC for a couple of years -- had to have one for the bedroom at my old apartment because there was this ancient window grate that made installing a regular window unit impossible.

Honestly, if there's any way you can find a way to get a regular window unit in and avoid getting a portable, do so. My portable didn't work very well, used a LOT of electricity, and the term "portable" is kind of a stretch with these things -- yes, they can be rolled around, but they're humongous.

1st_streeter

Idlewild wrote: How come you can't go window?

I can but I like the idea of having the window clear of a view-obstructing unit and the portablility thing seems attractive too.

vanilla

ours is 2 years old now, it's good b/c you can't really notice it on the electric bill --- but for the force of air being blown out, there isn't much cold. and after 2-3 hours (less on a really humid night) you already have to empty the water pan, so you really can't even make it through the night!

brooklynjack

1st_Streeter wrote: [quote=Idlewild] How come you can't go window?

I can but I like the idea of having the window clear of a view-obstructing unit and the portablility thing seems attractive too.

Then get one of these:

http://us.lge.com/products/model/detail/home appliances_air conditioners_window_LP6000ER.jhtml

PC Richard shows it on their website for $250 with free shipping. that's probably 1/2 to 1/3 the price of a portable

I had a Penquino portable and it couldn't cool anything to save its life.

1st_streeter

BrooklynJack wrote: Then get one of these:

http://us.lge.com/products/model/detail/home appliances_air conditioners_window_LP6000ER.jhtml

Sleek! I wonder if the local PC Richards has them. I'll check it out--thanks.

idlewild

You need to measure the space you want to cool and figure out how many btu's you need. Room Area BTU = Length (m) x Width (m) x 337

wtgirl

yikes I am glad I came across this thread...I was thinking of buying a portable this weekend but they sound useless. I thought they had solved the emptying the water continually with the newer models.

armchair_warrior

some model you can run hoses towards the window.

1st_streeter

WTGirl wrote: I thought they had solved the emptying the water continually with the newer models.

Some new models have a "self evaporating system" which I suppose means you don't have to empty the water.

shishkab

1st_Streeter wrote: Some new models have a "self evaporating system" which I suppose means you don't have to empty the water.

yeah, but the water's got to go somewhere so it goes right back into the air, making the room feel more humid. bleh!

brooklynpotter

i need to find a way to install my a/c at the top of my window, i know there are kits to do so but i am clueless and don't want it to fall out the window. i hate using my one window for the a/c when there are plenty of nights i will want fresh air.

anyone know how to do this and want to barter?

brooklynjack

brooklynpotter wrote: i need to find a way to install my a/c at the top of my window,

We used a company called Copperline 917 531 4054 to install our AC units. Recommended by our management company.

doctorj

Carnivore wrote: Is there anyone here capable of designing me an air-conditioned suit? I'm talking about a self-contained climate-controlled suit that I could actually wear around on a hot day. Power would preferably be rechargeable battery.

I'm serious. I'd totally be willing to pay for this.

I have an idea for a wearable evaporative cooling unit powered by body heat, no batteries needed, derived from the Coolgardie Safe. And it looks great too, especially on the ladies. It's called a wet T-shirt. 5c please.