Air coolers or portable Air conditioners?

[Popinski]

I'm temporarily moving and sharing a house during the summer. Problem is, there's no A/C. I shut the door to my room and recorded the temperature; it was 80 degrees! I only got 2 hours of sleep because I was burning up. I was looking at this portable Air conditioner and found out that it's not even an Air conditioner but an "Air cooler". Does anyone know how cool this will cool a room? Can anyone recommend anything that will cool my room (not a fan) and under 200$?

http://www.build.com/whynter-hac-100s-ec...rce=amz_1032195

 

[sciphi]

I got a little Kenmore 5200 BTU window A/C unit for $150. It weighs about 45 lbs, and sets up in about an hour. I put it into the master bedroom. It does a great job of cooling the bedroom. It's not the quietest, however.

 

[spackard]

In dry air it drops the temperature about 10F, but then your body cannot really use perspiration to cool itself much because the air is moist now.
You'll sleep better with air conditioning that removes moisture.

 

[river_rat]

Don't bother with an air cooler in the midwest. Too humid here to work all that good.

 

[Spazdog]

That's an evaporative cooler. aka the swamp cooler.

They really only work well in dry climates.

We have a Port-a-cool for the garage at work. It works okay on dry days but on humid days it just moves the humidity around. And they do evil things to hardwood floors.

A 5000 btu window unit is less than $100 at WalMart here.

I saw an LG portable unit at Home Depot for $249 The portable units are a lot easier to insall and move back out when you are ready to leave. But they are more expensive.

We've had an Amcor portable in the office at work for about 4 years now. We had an old window unit but copper thieves cut through the steel security cage to steal it.

 

[doitmyself]

I use evaporative coolers effectively in my workplace greenhouses.

Read this site to confirm what everyone above says:

http://www.naturalsolutions1.com/aircooler1.htm

In a commercial greenhouse setting, they DO work at moderate humidity levels because of the details of their setup (i.e., cold water supply).

 

[Popinski]

Rats. I guess i need to install a window A/c because they're cheap. But it's so much worse to get the best insulation.

 

[Steve S]

If the humidity is low and you can get air flow swamp coolers work pretty good . I have a whole house size swamp cooler to cool my house. There has to be air flow " open window or vents "

 

[Steve S]

Window and portable A/C units are the way to go ,very efficient as there is no loss in the ducting. When the break you can buy a new unit for less than the price of the service call.

 

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: Steve S
If the humidity is low and you can get air flow swamp coolers work pretty good . I have a whole house size swamp cooler to cool my house. There has to be air flow " open window or vents "


I don't know where in Ohio the OP is, but having been stationed at Ft Knox, KY and being married to a Cincinnati girl, if he's near the Ohio River, the humidity is high.

 

[65cuda]

I've lived with swamp coolers in the midwest and generally they aren't all that great especially when it is humid. A window unit is simple and easy to install and in a room can be a good option.

 

[cbear]

It doesn't matter if you are near the river, Ohio is just humid.

Be wary of the lack of security a window unit may offer. They can be removed to gain access, or just to steal the unit.

 

[Popinski]

Well guys, thanks for the help. I just bought a Chinese Haier portable Air conditioner (7,000 btu) from a college student for $170. I don't know if it's poorly designed or if it takes a while but it took 2 hours for my room to reach 85 degrees to 70 degrees and the motor is pretty noisy. The filter was good and all. Oh well, it works. Thanks for the help