Portable Air Conditioner - Worth it?

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Hey all, my A/C unit died at the end of last summer. I don't plan on replacing it this year, as I rarely use the A/C anyways. I've had a few estimates done, one at $3k and another at $8k. If I get it done, I'm going to have everything redone. The house is 70 years old, no point in keeping the old equipment. I may be knocking the house down in a few years and rebuilding it which is why I'm holding off on having the A/C fixed.

I was wondering if a portable air conditioner is worth it? I have 2 window units which I'm using currently. But, I can't use that in the living room as the windows are not big enough.

I need to buy an additional A/C unit anyways but I was wondering if I was better off getting the portable unit so that I can use it in the living room as well as the other room.

I'm thinking about getting either an 8k BTU window unit or a 10k BTU portable unit.

Preferably one of these two, as I have a 10% discount code for Lowes'.

1. http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?lang...&cId=detail

2. http://www.lowes.com/pd_317016-48789-LRA087AT7_4294749561__?productId=3200237&Ns=p_product_price|0

Thanks in advance!!
 
I have a portable air conditioner in my living room, same problem, the windows are to small for a window unit. It works fine. Mine is a Maytag. My house is about 1100 square feet but it does about 500 square feet between the living room/kitchen/hallway.

I only need it a few days out of the year and have FHW heat so putting in central just isn't going to happen.
 
Ok, sounds like it works well for you. How many BTU is your portable unit?

My living room is about 240 sq ft, although it is connected to the kitchen and the hallway (which is pretty small).

The other room is only 204 sq ft, but it has 4 windows, and 4 doors. One leading to the kitchen. Two doors going outside, one for the front and one for the rear. And, one more door leading to the garage. So a lot of potential for hot air to enter.

Because of all of the windows I was planning on getting an 8k unit, currently there is a 5k unit there but it doesn't cool well at all. It takes about an hour for a change in temp, and if the suns out the room won't cool. The only reason I have a 5k unit there is because that's the only one that was in stock last summer when the A/C broke. LOL

I don't plan on using it frequently, at most 2 times a week. Unless a guest is over in which case it will stay on for the duration of their stay.

The other unit in the bedroom will probably only be used on the weekends if my son comes home.

I generally like to stay in the basement (man cave), where it's nice and cool.
 
Do these units need the water bucket drained every day? I had a first generation one of these and required dumping water every day. Continuous draining was not an option given its location.
 
They do not work that well. Beyond emptying the condensate the compressor is inside generating heat. So they are quite wasteful in terms of energy. Read the reviews I got turned off fast.
 
Originally Posted By: rjundi
They do not work that well. Beyond emptying the condensate the compressor is inside generating heat. So they are quite wasteful in terms of energy. Read the reviews I got turned off fast.

I wonder how they work at all, on the face of it, if its generating as much heat as it is cooling, would there be a net temperature drop, or is there added temperature loss from the water condensation?
 
its a heat pump and it has outside air..

they work well but are much less efficient than a modern window ac.

like the 6400btu 10.7 eer GE I got last year for 160$

I ran it almost every night for 4 months and average cost was about 8-10$ a month. For my 12x14 bedroom.
 
Here's a really crazy idea, but if you're going to knock the house down and build new in a few years, why not cut a hole in the wall and put a window unit in the hole - quite common in these parts with older homes and trailer houses.
 
Originally Posted By: mikered30
Do these units need the water bucket drained every day? I had a first generation one of these and required dumping water every day. Continuous draining was not an option given its location.


I've never had to empty mine but it does have a bucket "in case." It uses the condensate to help cool the condenser so the exhaust is very humid.

It may not be as efficient as other styles but if you have no other options what are you going to do?
 
When I lived in Mississippi many homes had window A/C units installed in a hole in the wall. They make kits specifically for this type of installation. I'm referring to what another member posted above.

I would never buy one of those portable units.
 
Originally Posted By: stephen9666
When I lived in Mississippi many homes had window A/C units installed in a hole in the wall. They make kits specifically for this type of installation. I'm referring to what another member posted above.

I would never buy one of those portable units.


Yep - when I lived in Alabama, that was very common, especially with trailer homes from the 60's & 70's that had the "louver" windows. In these parts with so many homes constructed with concrete block construction, they simply cut a hole through the blocks, frame it with 2 x 6's and slide the unit in.
 
BTW - I like a window unit much better than central air. In my opinion, it's much cheaper in both the short term and the long run. Though I have central air in our current house, when it bites the big one, it's gonna be window unit city - my wife is gonna love that ;
 
No, don't bother with portable AC units. You won't be happy with them.

I got one for a basement in a house I owned and it didn't work well, had to be drained, and was awkward to install in one of the windows.

Then there was a big hose duct that ran up the wall which was ugly.

I think portable AC units appeal to people that are nervous about properly installing a window unit with plexiglass.

I dried it out very well and packaged it up and thankfully the store took it back.
 
Thanks for all of the advice!

I won't be buying a portable AC unit! Thanks for saving me money.

I'll go ahead and buy a 8000 BTU window unit.

I don't think it's worth the effort for me to install a a/c unit in the wall. The likelihood of me using it in the living room is very slim. I'd probably only use it maybe 3 or 4 times in the entire season when there's a party.
 
While I can appreciate that there is a very slight aesthetic benefit to central air, given the system cost, it just doesn't make sense. And if you have a well designed home with lots of natural light, a window unit is very unobtrusive. We install ours on rear or side windows so they can't even be seen from the street.

The ROI on central vs window units does not exist, IMO.
 
I purchased a portable unit (Danby Premier) , that had one very neat feature. It has 2 tubes for window (condenser) airflow, one in, one out. That way, it does not evacuate the cold air out of the room.

Bottom line: Doesn't work.

Yes, there is mild airflow in the "intake tube". BUT, the "outflow tube" has much more airflow. If I use it in the bedroom, the rest of the house gets hot, as the unit is still creating a negative pressure inside the house.

Utter junk.

The idea was good. The execution was not. I took it apart to see if there was an easy fix. Nope! Poor design.
 
I don't understand one iota that a central A/C system doesn't make sense?

To who? Just because you personally find the fact all rooms in the house are temperature/humidity controlled doesn't mean the rest of us don't.

High heat/humidity in the kitchen causes your fridge to work harder. It is not a place I want to be if the dishwasher & oven are going even with venting.

I lived for many years in hot temps with no a/c especially in the bathroom. Who wants to take a shower only start sweating the instant you step out?

Cost my be a issue but a well maintained system cost nothing except electric in the long run. Just like home heating systems if they are maintained they run practically forever.

We looked at a house that had it's original unit from the 60's still intact and running great. Now the rest of the house was a different story. The decor was...dated. The only reason I knew it worked was the fact the house was 70F on a 95F day we looked at it.

If ours ever went I'd replace it with a heat pump so on the milder days I wouldn't have to run the gas furnace. Heat pumps are efficient down to 10F now so their usefulness has been proven.
 
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