Among Friends

[Mom2Dogs]

The southern channel has a portable air conditioner for their TSV....does anyone have any experience with these units?

Our window unit upstairs seems to get heavier every year, so we are looking for an easier solution. I have heard they leak!! Yikes not interested in that option...advise appreciated.

[missy1]

Yes. They are good for one smaller room with the door closed. It  depends on how hot you weather gets. Here its triple digits, at times. You want to get one with the highest BTU's IMO.

They are easy to set up IMO.

I like that they can be moved around.

Mine is from the shopping channels. (American Comfort) 

@Mom2Dogs

[SilleeMee]

I've been using mine for about 4 years. The hottest days here run close to 100 and we get those heat waves a few times per season. My house is very-well insulated with high-thermal resistant windows. My cooling area is about 500 sq ft, standard 8-ft ceiling (non-vaulted, no high-ceilings). I run one ceiling fan and two floor fans to move the air-conditoned air around. 

My advice to you is to buy the largest BTU unit you can find...I believe the largest portable units are 14,000 BTU. Portable units above this do not exist...you would have to go central. Important to note with the hose(s) coming off the portables...they get hot and I have insulated mine with a pair of fleece-backed x-long sweat pants...that's right, sweat pants slid over the exhaust hose. I also put weather stripping around the edge of the window panel that holds the hose to the window. 

What else do you need to know? I'll try to help.

[brewhaha]

They take up a lot of space. They have to be placed near a window. You have to empty the water tank regularly. They are not as effective as a window unit. But they are portable.

[SilleeMee]

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@brewhaha wrote:

They take up a lot of space. They have to be placed near a window. You have to empty the water tank regularly. They are not as effective as a window unit. But they are portable.

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The amount of room they take is relative. The smaller the room, the greater the percentage of space it will take. I have never emptied the tank on mine. When I first got it I was worried about that so I checked it frequently and much to my surprise it was always empty!

[pieman]

Lets not forget the noise factor,, terrible................

[SilleeMee]

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@pieman wrote:

Lets not forget the noise factor,, terrible................

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That is very true! But when it's hot I put up with it and really, you can't do any thing about that. It's just they way they are made...unfortunately.

[missy1]

IMO they don't take up much space. They are not that loud. Yes, the hose gets hot.

I didn't have to change the water. The vents do get dusty. They are good for  a small room and shutting the door. 

[Mom2Dogs]

@SilleeMee....ha....sweat pants on the hose, is that because when it gets warm it sweats?   Has yours ever leaked?  I am leary of ordering on line then having to pay to return it.  They say this TSV unit is quiet, not sure what they mean by quiet!

[Kachina624]

Don't some of the large window units take 220 wiring?  When watching House Hunters when they're in the tropics especially, I often see these units mounted permanently high on the wall.  I think they heat and cool.  Seems like they're made by Mitsubishi.   I'd check them out.