Portable Air Conditioners Usage Tips & Tricks

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Portable Air Conditioners

Portable air conditioners are console units that can be moved from one room to another or to a different location such a storage shed or a pool house. The problems with portable air conditioners are that they are a bit more expensive than regular window units A\C’s and they consume more energy to keep a place cool during the cooling seasons.

Portable Air Conditioner Maintenance

As with all regular air conditioning systems, portable air conditioning systems also require repairs and/or maintenance from time to time. To keep your portable A\C running as smooth and efficient as possible, I recommend you check out Air-Conditioning Maintenance and Efficiency.

Windowless Air Conditioners

A small portable air conditioner also called a "windowless" air conditioner because basically you don't need to have windows in a space to use the portable air conditioner. You can turn them on in any type of space and they will produce a flow of cool air. Although this will produce some cooled air to stream into the room, it will also output the generated heat into the same space so the temperature in the room will not drop much.

Place where this can be efficient are rooms with high "internal heat gain". Meaning that most of warmth in that room comes from equipment or activities taking place in that room. For example in a home kitchen, offices with copiers and other heat-generating equipment, and computer centers or labs. In these cases the exhausting of room air actually helps rather than hinders the cooling process.

Water Condensation

Some portable ac units come with a built-in bucket or water removal tray to collect condensed water from the a/c. Others use a continuous drain hose or a small pump that circulates the condensed water over the air conditioners condenser to evaporate it so the hot air exits through the vent hose. This is a major advantage both in terms of convenience and the efficiency of the unit.

Venting the Portable Air Conditioner

The hot air that is generated inside the air conditioner gets released from the air conditioner into the room. This problem with the portable air conditioner can be easily fixed by connecting an exhaust hose to the portable air conditioner outlet and by directing the exhaust hose out of the window or into another space.

Most portable ac models come with special fittings that make connecting a hose to the air conditioning vent hook-up very easy. When it comes to venting your portable air conditioner, be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions as venting standards will vary from ac unit to unit. You'll often receive a venting kit or the option to purchase one as part of your portable air conditioner.

When a portable air conditioner venting kit must be installed in order for the unit to work correctly in air conditioning mode. The venting steps are generally the same across the board even though portable air conditioners come in a range of different styles and sizes. Here are the steps to take to vent a portable AC:

  • Find a place where you want to vent your Air Conditioner.

Common locations are out of a sliding window or out of a drop ceiling or wall. 

  • Slip the vent connector over the exhaust opening.
  • Connect the vent hose to the vent connector.
  • Fit the opening by adjusting the length of the window kit.

If required, also mark the kit and cut it down to fit the opening properly.

  • Connect the venting window kit adapter to the window kit.
  • Fit the window venting kit into the window. 
  • Fit the vent hose onto the window kit adapter and shut the window.

Your portable air conditioner is now ready for use!

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