Best portable Air Conditioner

Phew - i'm sweating here and I need a solution. Unfortunately my computer's based in my bedroom which is in the attic so it's always ( this time of year ) about 10 - 15c above the rest of the house. I think installing a split air conditioner could be awkward because of the nature of the room. So i'm thinking of getting a portable air conditioner because of this and because it's only really gonna be neccessary for the short summer weather we get. But is there a particular model that excels over its' rivals? My room is about 16ft x 14ft so I figure I need at least a 10-12,000 BTU model. No doubt my computer, that's busy spewing out more heat, will also appreciate a lower ambient temperature.

Hula.

You could always wear less clothing. It's cheaper and easier, but your family may wonder about you... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif


Since I know nothing about airconditioners...have you looked into one of those evaporators to wear around your neck? I hear they do a good job of sucking the heat out of your core.


-Jason

is there such a thing as a portable Air COnditioner??

Wheres the hot air from the air con gonna go?

They have a flexible duct/hose that`s either hung out of a small open window, or you can cut a hole in the wall and install it semi-permanently. The hot air goes through that. Usually there`s an internal tank to collect the condensed moisture from the air, but in the case of semi permanent installations you can connect a hose that sends it rignt outside and drips on whoever happens to be on the floor below you /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

I`d love to get one of those right now but can`t afford it. 82 degrees (28C) might not be much for some folks but it`s too much for me. It`s been consistantly at least that hot all week, refusing to cool down much overnight, and the end is still not in sight. Anything over about 22 is too hot in here....

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

Mmm those evaporators that you wear round your neck look interesting but I'd be the only one to benefit so I'll probably go for a good make portable. Interesting to note that alot of places are suddenly out of stock over here ( UK ) because of the weather.
It's currently reading 39c in this room with an outside temperature of 34c so the three fans I've got going are working to an extent. I can only begin to imagine how bad it really is for those CPF-ers who are in the 'hot' states of the US where 40+c is commonplace.

Hula.

At work, we have two Toyotomi portable AC units on wheels (back up for the regular AC). Cost was about US$700-$800 each. They have a venting duct (much like that for a clothes dryer) that needs to be attached to a window. I don't recall if the adjustable "adapter" for sliding glass windows was included or had to be purchased separately. The units have a moisture collector that periodically needs to be emptied.

I don't remember the BTU of the units (one is higher than the other), but there are temperature and fan controls. If you're sitting right in front of one of these units, the emitted air is very nice and cool, although it probably would become too cold over an extended period of time. Another factor to consider is fan speed, for on high settings, there is considerable noise.

Just my limited experience...for whatever that's worth.

Haha...theres no such thing as too cold... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

DrAgOn - I can understand you saying that living in Singapore. I've been there and found myself jumping from one air conditioned building to another when walking around.
I particularly remember watching a thunderstorm so compact it seemed confined to a few blocks in size and was so low it hovered around the tops of some of the taller buildings. All around this was bright sunshine.
Back to the air conditioner. I'll have to exhaust this into the attic storage space of which there are two either side of the room. Fitting an exhaust vent in the window would be expensive as there are double glazed (ply) glass units fitted - these are common in the UK. Surely exhausting the unit through an open window would defeat the object - you don't open a window in air conditioned car after all. Thanks for all the advice etc everyone has offered.

Hula.

i agree...i have to take a shower after each and every time i step out of the house.

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hula said:
Surely exhausting the unit through an open window would defeat the object - you don't open a window in air conditioned car after all.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's not so much the inside air that needs exhausted. It's the heat from the compressor. When the refrigerant is compressed it gives up heat (the heat it absorbs during expansion). That heat needs to be either outside to begin with or exhausted. Otherwise you'd be heating the inside to the same extend you'd be cooling it. In a car, the compressor is outside the interior. You'll also see the compressor units outside of houses with central air.

A portable air conditioner both heats and cools. It heats as it compresses the refrigerant, and cools as the refrigerant expands. Exhausting simply separates the activity by sending the heat outside, and the cool inside.

[ QUOTE ]
hula said: Surely exhausting the unit through an open window would defeat the object ...

[/ QUOTE ] Hula, the one time I was involved with a portable like the ones being discussed, one of the windows in the room was selected for the exhaust (it was designed to slide-to-the-side to open).

A piece of plywood about 6 inches wide and the height of the window was cut, and a hole to fit a sleeve for the exhaust was cut through it. After painting it to look nice ithe window was opened, the plywod put in the gap and the window closed so it met the edge of the plywood. It was sealed with one strip of tape.

SO, if your double glazed windows open you could probably rig up something there for the exhaust. That really would be better than exhausting into an unused space of the building.

Good luck!

The "adapter" I mentioned above works like the plywood mentioned by Tomas. What's nice about the adapter, is that it is portable, and can be moved from window to window. It is also adjustable to fit different window sizes, however there are some limitations, so you need to check that your type/size of window will work with the unit.

I think these units really make sense in a large home or office. Cool down just the one room being used, rather than the whole house or suite of offices.

What I have in this room by design is the perfect place to be in on a sunny winters day. The sun will shine through the windows early morning to wake you and then slowly heat the room up. Unfortunately in the summer this heating goes to extremes. The roof of the room is half felt and half tiles and these tiles are retaining their heat well into the night. Couple this with the heat from the rest of the house and you've got the perfect sweat box.
Tomas - unfortunately my windows (2) that open are hinged so I might see how practical it is to go through the only available wall to exhaust the heat from a unit. But thanks for your suggestion.
At least it's cooled down a little after a storm this afternoon. Well I'm off now to flick my Space Needle 2 at the neighbours and nake em think another one's coming.

Hula.

Hula, hinged windows do make it more difficult (or less pretty, depending).

Might I suggest taking some plastic sheeting (such as used in toss-away paint tarps or even very large plastic shopping bags, etc.) and after putting the exhaust pipe through the window opening, placing the plastic over the opened portion of the window (tape it in place) and tape it around the exhaust pipe to seal things up.

Even though it may be ugly, it still might be better that hacking a hole in a wall or exhaustinf to another portion of the structure.

Just a thought!

I had one of those portable units back in Phoenix I forgot the brand name (Japanese made though,and it had a picture of either an Eskimo or a polar bear on it).

It was 8,000 BTU and cooled the bedroom (which was about the same size as your room) enough to be comfortable on the hottest days, although it wouldn't make it really cold.

I had the same window problem.... I solved it by buying a semi-rigid rubber/plastic flashing for a roof top vent that was the same size as the exhaust tubing, and filled the rest of the window with some 1/2 inch styrofoam insulating sheet, then duct taped it all in place. Not really a pretty setup, but it worked, and cost about 10.00 total.

One additional thing I found necessary... I had to insulate the exhaust tube or it would heat up the room almost as much as the thing cooled it. Wrapped an old blanket around it and wired it in place.

I wonder, if technology permits, would there ever be an air con in the future where no heat is given off...

Liquid Nitrogen?? LOL...

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DrAg0n said:
I wonder, if technology permits, would there ever be an air con in the future where no heat is given off...


[/ QUOTE ]

Not unless the first law of thermodynamics (conservation of energy) somehow disappears.

Well, there will always be a trensfer of the heat from one place to another, but that transfer can be done with enough separation (distance, visibility) to make it SEEM that it is just 'cool' being brought in and no heat transferred out.

Example: When one of my clients in my old job had to cool their bays of electronics using dry ice and fans for a few days. It seemed as though they had just brought 'cool' into the room with no heat exhaust. Just sucked it up, made it vanish.

But several miles away the plant that produced the dry ice exhausted the heat.

The dry ice was a way to 'store' that energy exchange and transport it over time and distance.

Sort of like charging a battery. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif It was simply a delayed transfer of energy using a storage medium.