Does anybody know anything about portable air conditioning units?

P

Phoenix

Senior Member
Location
Oregon, U S
The news is out...it's going to be a scorcher all over the place this summer. We are thinking about a portable unit, but know nothing about them. We plan to check with Consumer Reports, but were hoping to find someone who has experience with this kind of thing and can make a recommendation.

Thanks.
 

I've had central air for years. Now I'm getting an attic fan to help the AC and give it a break once in awhile.

Never had a "portable" one. Better than none at all.

Google it. There's a lot of info there.
 
Thanks. We have two large fans. Until the last few years that was enough. Excessive heat used to happen for only a week in August. We get a coastal influence, and it cools the house off. But the last couple of years it's been getting worse, sooner and sooner in the season. At this point it would be an over reaction to get central heat. But we need to do something.
 

Phoenix - tried one last summer here on the Big Island. Plugged it in, ran the vent out the window, let it crank for 24 hours. Cooled the bedroom (approx. 200 sqft) a whole 2 degrees. Took it back the same day.

Mahalo
 
Shalimar said:
Phoenix, I have a large floor model which I vent out my patio door. It kept my 900 sq ft condo cool last summer during temperatures of 90 degrees.
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Could you tell me the brand and some specifics about it? I'm not sure what all I need to know.
 
Phoenix, I am not very knowledgeable about appliances. This unit is a Kenmore Elite, purchased from Sears. 115 volts, it is a combination air conditioner, dehumidifier, fan. It comes with a remote control, and can be programmed to shut off after a certain amount of time.
 
Shalimar said:
Phoenix, I am not very knowledgeable about appliances. This unit is a Kenmore Elite, purchased from Sears. 115 volts, it is a combination air conditioner, dehumidifier, fan. It comes with a remote control, and can be programmed to shut off after a certain amount of time.
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Thanks. I'll see if I can find it on the Sears Website. We no longer have a Sears around here. Do you know how many btu? It probably would say on a plate on the unit.
 
Phoenix said:
The news is out...it's going to be a scorcher all over the place this summer. We are thinking about a portable unit, but know nothing about them. We plan to check with Consumer Reports, but were hoping to find someone who has experience with this kind of thing and can make a recommendation.Thanks.
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Go Online and search on "portable Air conditioner reviews"...that is probably the best place to start. You should find quite a bit of info on the pro's and con's, and the better brands. We have central air, so i have no experience with a "portable" unit. However, I would suspect the con's outweigh the pro's on a "portable"...as you have to somehow vent it to the outside, or you will just be circulating the warm air around, and accomplish little. All AC units remove humidity, and I don't know how a Portable unit would handle the water it pulls out of the air. A better solution might be a couple of small/medium capacity Window Units...one in the main kitchen/living area, and another in the bedroom area.

At any rate, I would not wait too long to decide. The weather service is saying that the entire West Coast is going to have a substantially hotter Summer than normal, so you can bet that the stores will be seeing a lot of business, and the bargains will be few and far between.
 
Consumer Reports is the source I recommend for any kind of appliance information. That being said their isn't a huge difference between brands usually. The important thing is getting the right size for the space you want to cool. Measure the area before you go shopping. It's also better to get it somewhere where you have at least a two or three year repair warranty just in case. Look up air conditioners at Sears. One more thing...even the smaller models are heavy as heck. If you know someone beefy it's a big help to have them help you install it. If you don't have a good grip the unit can tip out the window:eek:.
 
Hum, I had to look that up. I've seen heaters like that but didn't know they had air conditioners. Learn something new every day. Well at least you don't have to worry about it falling out the window...
 
Phoenix said:
The news is out...it's going to be a scorcher all over the place this summer. We are thinking about a portable unit, but know nothing about them. We plan to check with Consumer Reports, but were hoping to find someone who has experience with this kind of thing and can make a recommendation.

Thanks.
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My husband and I were just discussing this same issue (we live in Seattle). We've researched the floor a/c units and a small window unit but we also have an alarm system in our home, so have to figure that one in the mix too. Keep us posted on what you find.
 
fureverywhere said:
Consumer Reports is the source I recommend for any kind of appliance information. That being said their isn't a huge difference between brands usually. The important thing is getting the right size for the space you want to cool. Measure the area before you go shopping. It's also better to get it somewhere where you have at least a two or three year repair warranty just in case. Look up air conditioners at Sears. One more thing...even the smaller models are heavy as heck. If you know someone beefy it's a big help to have them help you install it. If you don't have a good grip the unit can tip out the window:eek:.
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Thanks for the suggestions. It will not be a wall unit. There's an old dead one in the wall now. It was dead when we bought the house 25 years ago. I don't like it there. I don't want another one. We are concerned about carrying it upstairs where the main living area is. We live in a 70s version of a split entry ranch. We're in the boonies, and it's hard to find people willing to work around here. So, we'll have to think about how we are going to handle this. Since my husband's surgery, he can no longer do it, and I'm a bit puny. A way will present itself.
 
I would call or go online to Sears, Home Depot, Lowe's, other similar places in your area. Oregon's climate is as different from mine, as, say, Scotland's is from Texas or California. Local AC people will be best able to tell you what your need for your climate, your house style, etc. Many places now have live chat with a rep on their web sites.
 
Here in NM most of us use evaporative coolers, which actually put humidity back into the air. It's very dry here usually -- right in the middle of the desert. I've been thinking of looking for a portable one, also. I have a large unit on the roof. This type of cooling works great when it is dry, and when heat isn't much past the mid-90s. I need something to boost the cooling when it gets hotter than that. I HATE being uncomfortably hot; it makes me feel rather ill, and VERY cranky.
 
Thanks. I never thought about needing a different one for a different kind of climate. It makes sense. Here we don't want humidity put back in the house. It makes it feel awful. Being hot makes me cranky too.
 

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