topic Re: Help deciding on portable air conditioner in Community Chat

Help deciding on portable air conditioner

gillsburg — Sun, 29 Jun 2014 23:31:02 GMT

My parents are on a very limited income. My father has COPD and needs almost cold air to breath. They have central air which we will have to continue to use as we live in mississippi , but we were thinking about putting a portable AC in his room. Can anyone tell me how they work , how much they cost to run , I'm wondering if we would not be better off just running the AC. thanks for your replies.

Re: Help deciding on portable air conditioner

raven-blackbird — Sun, 29 Jun 2014 23:43:09 GMT

it might be better and more financially efficient for you to look into zone cooling/heating since you live in Mississippi.........look into LG's system.....................................raven

Re: Help deciding on portable air conditioner

Marp2 — Sun, 29 Jun 2014 23:48:10 GMT

One of the things I liked least about the unit I had was remembering to empty the water container although I believe some of the newer units handle this through evaporation or discharge out the window through the tubing. Another thing to consider is how well the tubes will fit the window casing and what any drainage will drip onto.

Would I get another portable unit? Only for occasional use. If I were in your father's position I would get an energy star rated small window unit (with thermostat and even a remote if possible).

Re: Help deciding on portable air conditioner

kdgn — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 00:02:33 GMT

I have a portable a/c unit that would have to vent out a window. It is not as efficient as a window a/c unit.

Re: Help deciding on portable air conditioner

MaggieToo — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 00:08:47 GMT

I have a window a/c that I used until I got my regular a/c. I was trying to use it in the LR and it was really to small for the size of my LR. In a bedroom or other smaller room, a window a/c would probably do a good job.

Re: Help deciding on portable air conditioner

circles — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 00:13:25 GMT

On 6/29/2014 Marp2 said:
One of the things I liked least about the unit I had was remembering to empty the water container although I believe some of the newer units handle this through evaporation or discharge out the window through the tubing. Another thing to consider is how well the tubes will fit the window casing and what any drainage will drip onto.

Would I get another portable unit? Only for occasional use. If I were in your father's position I would get an energy star rated small window unit (with thermostat and even a remote if possible).

Funny you should mention this...I just got two of the portables that vent out the window...I was getting a E2 message and didn't know what that meant....got out the dreaded manual and sure enough....it needed to be emptied....unfortunately I had to get someone to help me....but once it was done....it was working fine again...

Re: Help deciding on portable air conditioner

dmod nj — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 00:25:23 GMT

I had one for several years and LOVED it. It had a double exhaust hose system. I didn't have to empty the unit. It got me through one of the hottest and most HUMID Jersey summers. It was set for 70 and held that temp easily. The room was about 12x14. The ac was 10,000 btu. I could have bought one smaller, but opted for this one for many reasons.

It was easy to install and uninstall.

Good luck whatever you decide.

This wasn't the one I had, but it shows the double hose.

Re: Help deciding on portable air conditioner

Nuttmeg — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 00:30:50 GMT

On 6/29/2014 raven-blackbird said:
it might be better and more financially efficient for you to look into zone cooling/heating since you live in Mississippi.........look into LG's system.....................................raven

You need to contact your local electric company for cooling suggestions in your area.

Re: Help deciding on portable air conditioner

kdgn — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 00:35:17 GMT

If your parents are on a limited income, check with their local electric company. Many of them offer reduced costs to seniors with low incomes. It won't be much but it does help.

Re: Help deciding on portable air conditioner

GCR18 — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 01:06:01 GMT

If the rest of the house doesn't need to be as cool, a portable unit is probably the cheapest option. You can get a 8,000 BTU for $250. I'd go to an appliance store and ask tons of questions, then buy it in one of the big box stores.

My father passed from COPD. He kept the air conditioner on full blast, had an oxygen tank, and kept the ceiling fan going. He wanted central air. Best wishes on keeping your father comfortable.

Re: Help deciding on portable air conditioner

reiki604 — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 02:22:21 GMT

Costco has one on sale. 11000 buts. $319 delivered. It's on the website

Re: Help deciding on portable air conditioner

PAX — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 02:35:12 GMT

On 6/29/2014 reiki604 said: Costco has one on sale. 11000 buts. $319 delivered. It's on the website

We have a De'Longhi Pinguino in our bedroom. One tube vents out the window. We have a two story home and to get the bedroom cool enough we practically have to set the house a/c temp at 65 degrees. With the Pinquino, when we go to bed, we have the unit set at 70 or 71 and the house a/c at 76 and everything is perfect.

Only complaint, the Pinquino is somewhat noisy but I've gotten used to it.

Re: Help deciding on portable air conditioner

stilltamn8r — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 02:40:42 GMT

The big plus is that it IS portable...he could take it to any room, as long as you can vent it out... I think mine is a "haier".....

Re: Help deciding on portable air conditioner

pitdakota — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 03:25:02 GMT

One of our news stations just carried a story comparing the efficiency and ratings of a portable unit to the typical window a/c units conducted by Consumer Reports. According to their coverage, the portable units were not nearly as effective as the window a/c units. The window air conditioners performed better, cooled better, and also cooled a larger space than the portable units. I remember thinking that the portable ones might be a good thing for people if they are trying to cool an area where a window unit isn't a good option, otherwise it didn't seem like a very good deal. You might google and see what you can find. Or maybe someone else has more specific information on the Consumer Reports piece? Good luck.

Re: Help deciding on portable air conditioner

hckynut — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 04:31:58 GMT

There are many good brands and some are double vented with 2 hoses going outside the home. One for the hot air and the other for the extracted moisture in the room. Most will hook up easily to any window that slides up and down or left to right. If his room has casement(crank out windows)? You may have to improvise as we did. Ours for all intents and purposes is not really a "portable unit" now, but who knows they may come out with a gadget to fit these down the road.

We have crank out windows so I had a friend of mine that owns an electric company put one in our master bedroom because there is no adapter than I've seen for casement type of windows yet. Cut a hole in the side of the house and use that to remove the moisture and the hot air from the room.

The bedroom is about 292 sq.ft and the portable AC is a 12,500BTU. It will cool the room down into the low 60's even on the hottest of days. If he needs it colder than that temperature? Might look at bigger BTU units and also see if you can find one at least 14,000BTU with a higher AMP rating. The higher the amps the more it will cool. I found that out when my patio room AC/Heat Pump needed to be replaced.

They originally put in the same BTU sized unit but it did not heat our home. I told them about this and they discovered they put in one with lest amperage. When they put in the right one it made all the difference in the world with both cooling and heating.

Re: Help deciding on portable air conditioner

Suzy Snowflake — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 06:27:56 GMT

We just purchased a 5000 BTU window unit for a bedroom in our home that has east and south facing windows. No matter what my central is set on, that room is warm. This unit has a thermostat, three cooling settings and also has fan only setting high and low. Total cost for running all year is 46.00. Now our daughter is comfortable and cool and we can keep our AC set at 77. The cost of the unit was $119 at Walmart online. Bestbuy gave us the same deal with free to the door shipping! Got it in three days! Good luck!

Re: Help deciding on portable air conditioner

hckynut — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 17:57:17 GMT

On 6/29/2014 Peaches4you said: We just purchased a 5000 BTU window unit for a bedroom in our home that has east and south facing windows. No matter what my central is set on, that room is warm. This unit has a thermostat, three cooling settings and also has fan only setting high and low. Total cost for running all year is 46.00. Now our daughter is comfortable and cool and we can keep our AC set at 77. The cost of the unit was $119 at Walmart online. Bestbuy gave us the same deal with free to the door shipping! Got it in three days! Good luck!

Can you lift this out of the window and move it to another room easily? Just wondering since you didn't say, if this is the old hang out the window type of AC. From what you listed as the cost doesn't sound like the kind that is easily portable, but maybe I just haven't heard of a "wheeled portable" that is only 5000 BTU. Most of them I see are 9000 and above.