What do we know about portable window air conditioners?

[A930Rocket]

After a couple of years of using a window air conditioner on the back of our house, the HOA/ARB Nazis caught on to me and told me I had to remove it. It was located in the owners bedroom and only used at night to cool that one room, instead of using the whole house AC system.

So, that brings me to the portable window air conditioner. I understand from reading, they’re not as good as a window air conditioner, but is it doable? From what I’ve seen, you raise the window about 6 inches and install the panel with either one or two ducts, depending on the system. I’m thinking I can leave the window screen in place to help hide it.

The room is about 16‘ x 30‘.

Anybody use one and have recommendations for brand, size, etc.?

[JackDidley]

My buddies use them in their 28' race car trailers and they work well. I dont know the brands or specs.

[gtc]

I think they are all pretty similar in function. Look for a quiet one if you are using it in a bedroom. We had one that was a little too loud for me to sleep with. We've switched to a quiet window unit (one of these) and it is much more tolerable.

[stevej37]

I have an LG...it's about hip high and on rollers. It is loud...but it works well.
Screens would be ok.
It has a pan attached to the underside to catch any water....it has never overflowed.

I use it sometimes in the garage and sometimes when visitors stay over for the upstairs bedrooms. The central air only does the lower floor.
It's a job toting it from the garage to the upper house floor.

[Seahawk]

I have one for emergencies. 20 years old and works like a champ. We used it for two weeks last summer when the 2nd floor HVAC went sneakers up.

It will be more than adequate if sized right.

[nota]

24k btu if you can find one for that size
18k minimum

all china these days
pick a better brand you have heard of
then see if they sold out

or buy seahawks old one they likely do not make them like that any more

btw they run on gas flameable iso gas

[flatbutt]

I have a GE. It is OK but not as good as the window unit it replaced. It cools the house enough to be juuuust comfortable enough but can't cool the house as much as the window unit of the same BTU.

[ErVikingo]

Have a GE which I use in the garage as an add on to a split. I think its 8Kbtu way too small for the space you are looking to condition

[carambola]

Would a de-humidifier help boost the performance?

[id10t]

Our AC had an issue about a month ago, wife was having hot flashes and Was Not Having Any Of That.

The $350 unit Lowes sells works fine and cooled a large room like that well enough for her to sleep and me to live to see the next morning, for several days/nights in a row.

The key is to check label and be sure you aren't getting an "evaporative cooler", or something water needs to be added to ,etc. This means it is basically a swamp cooler and will only work in a dry environment (ie, not the South East)

[A930Rocket]

Originally Posted by id10t

Our AC had an issue about a month ago, wife was having hot flashes and Was Not Having Any Of That.

The $350 unit Lowes sells works fine and cooled a large room like that well enough for her to sleep and me to live to see the next morning, for several days/nights in a row.

The key is to check label and be sure you aren't getting an "evaporative cooler", or something water needs to be added to ,etc. This means it is basically a swamp cooler and will only work in a dry environment (ie, not the South East)

Definitely don’t want a swamp cooler.

Originally Posted by stevej37

I have an LG...it's about hip high and on rollers. It is loud...but it works well.
Screens would be ok.
It has a pan attached to the underside to catch any water....it has never overflowed.

I use it sometimes in the garage and sometimes when visitors stay over for the upstairs bedrooms. The central air only does the lower floor.
It's a job toting it from the garage to the upper house floor.

I’ve read where some discharge the water out the window that others have pans you have to empty. I’d rather have one that discharges out the window. I’m lazy.

Originally Posted by gtc

I think they are all pretty similar in function. Look for a quiet one if you are using it in a bedroom. We had one that was a little too loud for me to sleep with. We've switched to a quiet window unit (one of these) and it is much more tolerable.

They won’t allow something like that.

I’m changing jobs next Tuesday and will be back in Charleston SC full-time. The one thing (and only thing!!!) I’m going to miss about my work apartment, is I would turn it down to 60° every night! I know I won’t get that with a portable AC in my bedroom, but the colder the better.

[908/930]

I have a Haier 14k BTU portable that has been in used a couple months a year for about 8 years while I wait to get the main central unit installed, still running well. I would recommend making sure the one you purchase has two tubes a supply air in tube and air out, they do require a lot of airflow. I usually have wrapped the hot air out tube in a towel to insulate. It does a pretty good job of lowering the humidity also. 16x30 should be no problem unless there are lots of windows and little insulation. It is pretty noisy though.

[A930Rocket]

Thanks, 908. I’m OK with noise. it helps me sleep.

Looking on the Lowe’s website, I don’t think I saw one over 10,000 BTU. Amazon has a lot more to choose from, but it’s a crapshoot on what model/brand to get. Reviews are always all over the board. I’m looking at Whynter right now. I’d like to get something for delivery by Friday, when I get home.

Whynter ARC-131GD 13,000 BTU Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner, Dehumidifier, Fan with Activated Carbon Filter in Gray Plus Storage Bag for Rooms up to 420 sq ft https://a.co/d/cBJYFow

Whynter ARC-14S 14,000 BTU (9,500 BTU SACC) Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner, Dehumidifier, Fan with Activated Carbon Filter plus Storage bag for Rooms up to 500 sq ft, Platinum And Black https://a.co/d/3TodCq1

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by nota

or buy seahawks old one they likely do not make them like that any more

btw they run on gas flameable iso gas

I don't think I understand. I have the older version of this, which plugs into a wall socket.



Hard to go wrong.

[A930Rocket]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

I don't think I understand. I have the older version of this, which plugs into a wall socket.



Hard to go wrong.

I don’t understand that either. Unless he’s talking about the coolant?

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

I don’t understand that either. Unless he’s talking about the coolant?

All good. I'd take a picture but it is wrapped in plastic for the next storm

They are sub optimum due to the length of the exhaust tube but I have moved it between rooms on rollers after power outages and plugged it in to nothing more than small generators.

The best.

[A930Rocket]

No worries. Thanks, Paul

I ordered the Whynter ARC-14S unit. It’ll be delivered Friday and I’ll see how it goes.

[zakthor]

I just went through this. I have a weird loft office at tge apex of the roof and its uninhabitable most summer afternoons. The office has an open wall that looks doen on a big bedroom 35x20. Idea was get the biggest portable and let it cool the whole deal and keep my computers from overheating. Being seattle we never had ac before. Hard to believe its a new normal.

Got the biggest lg, ‘dual inverter’. And its working great. No more sleeping in the basement. Bonus it keeps the humidity way down and we cant hear it. It runs at exactly the rate needed to maintain equilibrium so no cycling on and off.

They changed the ac rating system this year, from ashrae to doe and no more portables can score 14000. My lg now scores 10k and has very high efficiency (8.3?) Learn about the scores. The bigger splits require a real install but are far far more efficient. If we use this a few more years we might do something real. This unit seems more than fine in our poorly insulated house on 90 degree days.

I was worried about emptying the tank but: The condensate tank is always empty, moisture is blown outside.

[Chocaholic]

Don’t you have to empty the condensate tank routinely? That water has to go somewhere.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

I don't think I understand. I have the older version of this, which plugs into a wall socket.



Hard to go wrong.

We lived in an apt for almost 7 years. The AC in the apt died. The guys had it fixed in 3-4 hours, but in the mean time, they wheeled one of those in. It cooled the apt down quickly and then kept it plenty cool. It was a 850-900sqft apt, and was cooling the "main room" which was kitchen/dining/living area so probably ~700sqft