Portable Air Conditioner Guide Category:
by Morgan on May 17, 2010
The best portable air conditioner units are easy to maintain and are not much of a fuss. Some of the common things that you should take importance of are the initial venting, water drainage, air filters, body housing and storage.
Initial Venting
The exhaust hose of your portable ac unit must be vented out with a venting kit. This kit should come with the unit that you purchase and it should slide easily into your window. The initial venting route should be set up right after purchase. Do remember that your exhaust hose must be fitted into the correct space in the window kit before you can start using your unit. Opt for a drop ceiling or wall if you can’t set up the initial venting into a window.
Water Drainage
Moisture is removed when air is cooled. This water is usually used by the system to cool itself down. However, if you live in a high humidity area like I do, you will find that there will be some water collected. There are various ways for the best portable ac units to drain the water, depending on its make.
The simplest units have buckets that you need to empty regularly while more sophisticated models evaporates the water through the hot air exhaust. Regardless of its complexity, every portable air conditioner units are able to drain water continuously through a gravity drain hose.
Air Filters
To ensure that you have clean and allergy free air in your room, make sure that your air filters are regularly cleaned and/ or replaced. For someone that uses a portable ac unit on a daily basis, I make sure that the air filters are cleaned every two weeks. You can do this weekly or monthly depending on how often you use your unit.
For washable filters, slide them off, immerse them in a warm mild detergent solution, rinse and dry them out before replacing them back in. However, if your unit use carbon filters, replace them accordingly based on the manufacturer’s instructions.
Body Housing
To keep your best portable ac unit clean, wipe the housing surface down with a soft, damp cloth every few weeks or so. Avoid harsh detergents and keep your portable air conditioner unit away from direct sunlight to avoid any damages or discoloring of the unit’s body. Remember to switch it off before you start cleaning.
Storage
The place you store your best portable ac units is important too. When summer ends or when you find that you no longer frequently need your portable ac unit, it is important that you store them correctly. Drain all the water out and put your unit to fan mode to dry the interior. Once it’s dry, clean the filter, wrap the cord on the cord hooks, pack it up in its carton and store it in a dry location.
There you go – easy steps to maintain your best portable air conditioners so that they will maintain their usability life. Taking proper care of your portable ac unit will ensure that you are able to use it for a longer time.
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by Morgan on May 12, 2010
Within the recent years, more and more people are keen on getting the best portable air conditioners for either their home and/ or offices. As a party planner, I’ve used mine not only in my home but sometimes I bring it along to work. I can’t tell you how much portable ac units have saved me from hot messes.
Before you commit yourself to any particular model, I suggest you read the pros and cons of portable air conditioners to see if they really suit you.
PRO: It’s a space saving device
Almost all portable ac units are small; that’s what makes them portable in the first place. This means that you don’t need to buy or mount extra units for other rooms.
During my college days, my small dorm room was cramped and can get hot stuffy when there is a hot spell in Toronto. That is, until during my sophomore year that my mother bought me my first portable ac. God bless her. Now that I’m working, I know that summer parties can leave guests hot and cranky. That’s where my own or rented portable ac units come to play. The best portable air conditioners are small enough to discreetly hide in a corner of a room while keeping party guests cool and happy.
CON: It has a slightly expensive price tag than window units
Yes, it’s small but it definitely doesn’t come with a smallish price tag. Starting from around $300 for a standard unit, prices increases as its cooling capability increases.
However, paying a slightly higher purchase cost compromises the big save a portable air conditioner can make. Let’s go to the next point.
PRO: It saves a lot on utility bills
Instead of cooling the whole house, portable air conditioners allows you to cool only the room that you are in. It eats up lesser kilowatt usage of electricity so your bills won’t be as high.
Look for the best portable ac units by looking at their EER – the higher the better. Or, when in doubt, get a unit with an Energy Star, which means that it meets energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy.
CON: It’s noisy
The fact that unlike a window unit, portable ac units’ compressors are with you in the room instead of somewhere outside. The compressors on some units can be very loud so select one that makes the least noise. You can achieve that by reading reviews like this one.
PRO: Straight-Out-Of-Box use
The good thing about the best portable ac units are that as soon as you arrive home from the store, you can use your newly purchased merchandise right away after you unpack. There’s no need for you to punch a hole in your wall of call an electrician to set it up.
To wrap things up, if you plan to get a cooling system, try to find the best portable air conditioner FOR YOU. It’s affordable, doesn’t cost much to operate and easy to install. All you need to do is search for one that will serve you well.
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by Morgan on May 11, 2010
As I mentioned in another post, choosing the right portable ac unit size is the most important when you want to purchase the best portable air conditioner for your own use. However, there are many other features of the portable air conditioner that are available in the market.
Here are some other things that you may want to look out for when you’re scoping for a unit:
a) Mobility
The best portable ac units are the ones that have caster wheels on them so that it is easy for you to cart them around if needed. This will make it easier for you to roll them around the house/ office when needed or in/ out of storage. I do however, do not recommend that you move your unit much once you set them up as they are rather heavy for a relatively small appliance.
b) Oscillating Louvers/ Multi directional Airflow
After my morning/ afternoon jog, I would be all sweaty and heated up. Having to come home to a cooled house wouldn’t be enough that only a direct blast of cool air on me would do the trick; all I have to do is direct the cooling air on me.
This shows that having oscillating louvers is an added advantage to have. So, I do think that having the option to have multi-directional airflow is a plus to not only for a quick cool off but also to allow better air circulation and faster cooling.
c) Remote Controls
I’m the classic couch potato especially when I’m at home. That is why I always go for appliances that comes with a remote control; I get the benefit of not getting up from the daybed change/ set the temperature, speed of the fan or mode of operation. I’m too lazy, aren’t I?
Sadly, these remote controls tend to malfunction more, which will then make even the best portable air conditioner useless as most that comes with remote controls don’t have manual ones on the body. Thankfully, most manufacturers provide warranties.
d) Efficiency
As with any other appliances, you would want your portable air conditioner to perform at its best with the most efficient usage of energy. Not only is it kinder to your pocket (the more energy efficient an appliance is, the less energy cost you will need to pay), it is also kinder to the Earth. So, get a model that has high energy efficiency ratio (EER), preferably something that is higher than a 10.
These are general guidelines that I’ve put together based on my experience using among the best portable air conditioners. I would recommend that you look what is available to you, then read reviews before buying anything so that you can make a more informed decision.
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If you’re overwhelmed by all the BTU numbers and can’t seem to decide between a 5,000 BTUs portable ac unit to another that has 16,000 BTUs. don’t worry. I’m coming to the rescue in your quest to get the best portable ac unit!
When it comes to portable ac, size matters and bigger does not always means better. There is no advantage in buying anything that is much too big than what you need; it may actually waste energy when the cycle turns on/ off too frequently (a smaller portable ac would cool down a room for a longer period) and performs less than what you would expect it to.
To choose the right best portable air conditioner size, I would recommend that you know these two things:
The size of the room in square feet
For a square/ rectangular room, get the size of the room by multiplying the length of the room by its width. If it’s triangular, multiply the length by the width of the room and divide that by 2. If you have an irregular shaped room, ask your developer or sales representative’s help to determine the room’s size.
Any other additional heating factors i.e. additional person that occupy the room, poor insulation. skylight etc.
Here are some tricks to determine the exact amount of BTU that you need:
- Heavily shaded room: -10% BTU
- Sunny Room: +10% BTU
- Additional persons occupying the same room: +600 BTU for each person (for more than two persons)
- Kitchen: +4000 BTU
- If you’ll be using the unit in multiple rooms, buy a unit accordingly to the largest sized room.
After determining the size of your room, consult the table below to determine the actual number of BTUs that your best portable ac unit would actually need. This is what is recommended by EnergyStar, a program that was initiated by the government to help businesses and individuals to protect the environment through superior energy efficiency.
| Area To Be Cooled (square feet) |
Capacity Needed (BTUs per hour) |
| 100 to 150 |
5,000 |
| 150 to 250 |
6,000 |
| 250 to 300 |
7,000 |
| 300 to 350 |
8,000 |
| 350 to 400 |
9,000 |
| 400 to 450 |
10,000 |
| 450 to 550 |
12,000 |
| 550 to 700 |
14,000 |
| 700 to 1,000 |
18,000 |
| 1,000 to 1,200 |
21,000 |
| 1,200 to 1,400 |
23,000 |
| 1,400 to 1,500 |
24,000 |
| 1,500 to 2,000 |
30,000 |
| 2,000 to 2,500 |
34,000 |
After knowing what you need, you can safely get what you need. Do take note that the recommended cooling capacity needed will vary between the manufacturers and it can be rather frustrating. However, to make things easier, get the best portable ac unit that has 20% more BTU units so that you wouldn’t caught short on hot days.
Of course, there are more to a best portable air conditioner than its cooling capacity. Read more about the other features that is available according to manufactured models here.
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