Among Friends

[Mom2Dogs]

We have a portable air conditioner...the hose goes out the window...it is definitely big enough for the room but does not cool that well.

 I did read that the refrigerant can be replaced...I am wondering if anyone has had this issue with their portable air conditioner (not cooling properly) and replaced the coolant?

thanks

[snipsnapsnur]

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@Mom2Dogs wrote:

We have a portable air conditioner...the hose goes out the window...it is definitely big enough for the room but does not cool that well.

 I did read that the refrigerant can be replaced...I am wondering if anyone has had this issue with their portable air conditioner (not cooling properly) and replaced the coolant?

thanks

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We tried one of them once, for about 3 days.  They are very loud and there is no place for the moisture in the room to go, hence, they don't cool much.  The hose going out the window doesn't get rid of the moisture in the room, which is how the air cools.  Regular window units drip the water outside from the moisture in the room, therefore, they cool 100% better than portable units.

[occasionalrain]

My portable ac unit has two hoses that fit into the window. One brings air in and the other sends moisture out. I can set the temperature I want so it isn't constantly running. Cools perfectly.

[Mom2Dogs]

@snipsnapsnur   A friend gave us this unit..knowing that at this stage in our life, we could no longer lift a window unit in and out at the end/beginning a the season.  We do not find ours to be to loud, but the cooling portion,  not the best.  

[Mom2Dogs]

@occasionalrain   Interesting, I have only seen units with 1 hose...would you mind sharing the brand that you have?

[occasionalrain]

Mine is a Gasbye 14,000 BTU, Ashrae 128 test standard, whatever that means and sold on Amazon. 

[SilleeMee]

I also have a double-hose unit. It's a 14,000 BTU Wyntner and I've had it for many years w/o any problems. The thing has a self-evaporating part inside of it so moisture is exhausted outside through one of the hoses plus it also has a moisture receptacle built in just in case there is an overload of humidity but I've never had any water in that receptacle at all.  

Double-hose units are more efficient at cooling and they don't use as much electricity to cool. If your unit isn't cooling then it needs servicing. Portable ACs are made with a sealed system where refrigerant cannot be added. There could be a leak somewhere and that would require repair and refill.

[conlt]

I do not think that portable units can be fixed. I recently purchased a Midea Duo portable air conditioner from Sams Club. I love it. The 2 hoses really helps the unit cool. I like that this unit has the hoses attached. 

[Venezia]

@conlt - I had never heard of the Midea brand until I saw it at Sam's and Costco.

I have 3 DeLonghi (one hose) which we love, but I was thinking of replacing an older Amana (two hoses) that we have in the main bedroom.  Only because it's old and I suspect newer ones are more energy-efficient.

Do you mean that, with the Midea, the hoses are permanently attached?  How does that affect storage in the off-season?

[Venezia]

@Mom2Dogs - I don't think replacing the refrigerant is a job for an untrained person.  (Google the question to find out what's involved!)  It's not like topping up the coolant on a car.  If you think the unit is not cooling as it should, it may be possible there's a leak.  Normally, the refrigerant in a portable unit is sealed.

I have 3 portable units (DeLonghi) and we love them.  They do extract moisture from the air and it's expelled to the outside with the hot air through the hose.  Every once in a blue moon there's a small plug at the back of the unit, to see if there's any water that needs to be drained.  Very rarely necessary.  (Ours have 3 options:  A/C, dehumidier or fan.)

You don't say what brand or BTU your unit is.  That may make a difference.