Stand alone air conditioners..
 

Just wondering as it has been so hot lately if you know anything about a stand alone airconditioner for a house?

Does an air conditioner have to be vented outside?

Is a stand alone not vented air conditioner any good? If so what makes are recommended?

Cheers, Guy

All AC units make heat. That heat has to be rejected somewhere.
For an AC retrofit, or even new installation, the ductless mini splits are the shidizzle now.

I used 3 of them in my commercial kitchen until I upgraded the RTU. They definitely make a difference but I don't believe the stated BTU outputs. I'd estimate you'll get about 50% of that. They will have to be vented outside. Most come with a kit to install the vent at an exterior window. Ugly, but it works. If you live in a humid climate, you'll need to dump the condensate bucket regularly or rig a drain.

I have one I keep for post hurricane comfort. We can lose power here for up to a week and my generator handles the load nicely.

Only cools one room but works like a champ.

They come with the window-based exhaust ducts.

I keep it wrapped up in the barn. I run it once a year for an hour or so and it still runs great 20 years in.

Not my unit, but very similar: $250 scooters

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1529938650.jpg

The ones you see on TV where you add water are swamp coolers, they sort of work, but raise the humidity, and only really work OK in dry climates.

The exhaust duct is very hot and returns a lot of the extracted heat back to the room. One, use as short of length as possible and insulate if you can. Second, I have installed one with 2 ducts, one in and one out and I think this is a better system because it doesn't rob the room of already cool air.

Guy,

Do you not have central air and heat already?

What is your situation/application and why are you asking?

Some context would help us give better replies, I think.

Thanks!

We used one in a bonus room over a garage. It worked fine in Alabama summer heat. Yes, you have to duct it outside and yes you have to drain the condensate. Draining the condensate was the largest operational constraint to ours.

No we do not have central air conditioning. We have a relatively short summer so most folks here do not have it. It is for my wife's upstair room which gets most of the heat. I am in the basement so it is considerably cooler. A stand alone a/c would not work in an upstairs room because the windows are windout and open at an angle. If they were slider windows installing an exhaust would be easier.

Just to be clear....this is the type of window you have in the upstair room that you are trying to cool?

http://www.classicwindowsandroofing....ing-window.jpg

Close baz but swings out sideways rather than up and down

Like one of these?:

http://www.lonestarsiding.com/wp-con...g-1024x312.png

Yes bottom left.

Hinged along one side or more like this one?

http://fenetresbm.com/wp-content/upl...01/06/fen3.jpg

If you have a casement window (above) then your only options are to install a window AC in the wall or vent a standalone AC through the wall. Venting is easier. It is exactly the same vent as a dryer vent so a 4.25" hole saw and an exterior dryer vent and you're done. It'd take an hour at the very most to do. But both options are permanent which may or may not be what you want.

I like window units myself more than any other type of 'portable' AC devices.

Guy....for your window......here's one type of window unit made just for casement windows - because it is only 14" wide.

If indeed your window is like the one in my last post, then see what the width is when the window is opened. If it is less than 14", then this model (or others like it) might be an option:

10,000 BTU Casement Window Air Conditioner with Remote

You would of course have to do a little fabrication work to create a 'plate' to cover any openings. Plexiglass is a good material to use but there are other options.

Thanks Baz!

You're very welcome, Guy. Just did a little Googling based on your input.

The other thing I will add, I have central heat and AC but I also added a small window unit in the living room for emergencies. It stays there year round. Plugs into a 110v outlet and I fabricated a couple spacers for each side and even gorilla taped the edges to seal everything up properly.

This little window unit helps with any or all of these scenarios:

1. power goes out - can run with my generator
2. my central AC goes out - can run to keep inside 'livable'
3. can run anytime to add cool air to living room, thus taking load off main system

It took a little bit of work up front to get her mounted and sealed properly but dividends well worth it.

I also keep another medium sized window unit in it's original box that I can set up in a different window if I need even more AC, which happens when a hurricane knocks out our power for multiple days.

Good, luck with your project. It's pretty brutal out right now here and will only get more intense. I'm trying to only work outside 4 hours or less per day until we cool off again in the fall. It's called survival mode! SmileWavy

Zeke has a very good point.
Sucks to throw out air that you have paid to cool. Most of them do use indoor air to condense the refrigerant then throw it outside. The air to replace that has to come from somewhere and it is an expense to condition that "new" air that comes into the house.