# Portable Air Con



## donz

I have a question on these.....for the last 2 summers I have sais to myself 'no, I am not buying an air con unit for what amounts to max 6 weeks of really intense heat where I am uncomfortable' ..... I am fine with the heat the rest of the time 

But this year, I thought I'd look into a portable one as they are cheaper to run and more energy efficient in general. 

One thing that is putting me off though is the hose - I don't want to have to put it out the door/window as this means having the door/window open (I live in a finca and so it is cooler for me to keep everything closed in the summer) 

In Bauhaus today I noticed they have all their mobile air con units that are on display have a pipe run out the back into a 5l bottle rather than hoses attached. Is this an option does anybody know? It's a better option for me is it is!! :fingerscrossed:


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## VFR

Bear in mind that an installed system will also give heat when needed (unlike a portable unit)

On a portable unit the pipe that exits carries the hot air & this of course needs to be vented outside or you will just start warming the area again.
Not to mention that a good quality portable (normally italian) will cost a tidy bit more than a lot of installed units nowadays.


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## snikpoh

donz said:


> I have a question on these.....for the last 2 summers I have sais to myself 'no, I am not buying an air con unit for what amounts to max 6 weeks of really intense heat where I am uncomfortable' ..... I am fine with the heat the rest of the time
> 
> But this year, I thought I'd look into a portable one as they are cheaper to run and more energy efficient in general.
> 
> One thing that is putting me off though is the hose - I don't want to have to put it out the door/window as this means having the door/window open (I live in a finca and so it is cooler for me to keep everything closed in the summer)
> 
> In Bauhaus today I noticed they have all their mobile air con units that are on display have a pipe run out the back into a 5l bottle rather than hoses attached. Is this an option does anybody know? It's a better option for me is it is!! :fingerscrossed:



Firstly, I don't agree that they are more economical to run than a 'proper' unit.

Ours has a tube for the water (this can be fed into a container) but also has a large tube to expel all hot air - we have the same issue and don't know how to put this through a window. Our windows swing open so even with the plate that comes with the unit, there are gaps top and bottom.


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## donz

Hi thanks, no problem with heating as the chimenea gives plenty of heat for the whole house when it's cold and yes I understand cost

I just don't understand what the pipe is for going into the 5l container and if this is usable instead of the hose that goes outside as they have on display


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## donz

snikpoh said:


> Firstly, I don't agree that they are more economical to run than a 'proper' unit.
> 
> .


I simply meant in the current times, i.e. a few years ago they were quite energy consuming and electrical bills would have been huge using them whereas their consumption has got better recently if you choose wisely - I did not mean in comparison to a fixed unit


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## snikpoh

The hose that you mention is for the water that condenses when the unit is working. Ours (just taken a look) has a bucket to catch this water.

The main 'hose' is 6inches in diameter and expels the hot air.


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## baldilocks

Our one has a built in tank to catch the water that condenses from the cooled air and this has to be drained off (but it like fridge defrostings, it is distilled water and suitable for a steam iron, etc.) It also has the big tube to vent the heat taken from the cooled air and, as others have said, the problem is getting the hot air outside without it, plus the original hot air from outside, getting in. 

Our built-in units (Daewoo) cost about €350 each installed and also provide some heating during the winter. They are inverter types so that the fan speed varies according to demand rather than stay on until it is too cold, then switch off until it is too warm, then switch on, etc. - they are supposed to be more efficient with regard to running costs.


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## tonyinspain

As snikpoh says you can place the condenser pipe in a container to catch the water but keep an eye on it as it fills quite quickly
Also usually theres a small tap on the bottom or a bung take the unit outside and remove the tap or bung and empty the water out by tilting the unit to the back until water stops coming out
One other thing they are very costly to run mine in my house cost approximately € 50 a week extra on my monthly leccy bill so your warned they are not cheap to run


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## baldilocks

Donz
You live in a finca - How many floors?

Do you have an attic with any windows? If so why not use the Moorish system and bring air in from a cool part (usually a shaded patio with water fountains or you can draw it through damp muslin which cools it and traps any dust) pass it up through the entire house to exit from the uppermost level. That was the purpose of those towers you see on many Moorish buildings and one I used to use in a block of flats where we lived in UK.

Apart from changing/topping up the water and rinsing out the muslin, the running costs are nil!


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## BGD

The fixed units are not any more economical than the portable units, or vice versa. 
Their efficiency has nothing to do with whether fixed or portable. 
Their power consumption is fixed at whatever is designed in to the unit. 

A (say) 1kw unit will use one kilowatt of electricity per hour of use, whether it's stuck on the wall or stood on the floor. A 2 kw will use 2kw of electricity per hour, etc.

The way to make them APPEAR more efficient is to close all windows and doors, to stop warm air getting in, and shade all windows exposed to direct sun, so stop heat absorption through the glass. Thus the unit will not have to run for as long before it gets the internal room temperature down to the level that you've set. 
That doesn't make the unit more efficient. (You physically cannot get more than 1 kw of energy from 1 kw of electricity). It just means it's not running for as long.

If using a portable unit, just make some sort of board/plate out of wood/ply/cardboard that blocks all the gap around the exhaust pipe where it exits through a window...to stop warm air getting back in again.


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## snikpoh

BGD said:


> The fixed units are not any more economical than the portable units, or vice versa.
> Their efficiency has nothing to do with whether fixed or portable.
> Their power consumption is fixed at whatever is designed in to the unit.
> 
> A (say) 1kw unit will use one kilowatt of electricity per hour of use, whether it's stuck on the wall or stood on the floor. A 2 kw will use 2kw of electricity per hour, etc.
> 
> The way to make them APPEAR more efficient is to close all windows and doors, to stop warm air getting in, and shade all windows exposed to direct sun, so stop heat absorption through the glass. Thus the unit will not have to run for as long before it gets the internal room temperature down to the level that you've set.
> That doesn't make the unit more efficient. (You physically cannot get more than 1 kw of energy from 1 kw of electricity). It just means it's not running for as long.
> 
> If using a portable unit, just make some sort of board/plate out of wood/ply/cardboard that blocks all the gap around the exhaust pipe where it exits through a window...to stop warm air getting back in again.


Which is almost impossible with a swing window - not so bad for sash-window style.


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## donz

thanks for all your replies peeps. I have decided against air con for the mo which I really own yearn for about 6 weeks of the year at the moment.

I was hoping not to have get a hose outside tbh. I live in a single storey finca and keep all the windows and shutters shut through summer to keep it cooler. Installing permanent air con would make more sense rather than attempting to keep hot air out while venting a portable unit, but I can't justify that for such a short space of time (really don't need the extra heat in the winter as my chimenea does a fab job)

Back to air cooler/fan by the looks lol!


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## baldilocks

donz said:


> thanks for all your replies peeps. I have decided against air con for the mo which I really own yearn for about 6 weeks of the year at the moment.
> 
> I was hoping not to have get a hose outside tbh. I live in a single storey finca and keep all the windows and shutters shut through summer to keep it cooler. Installing permanent air con would make more sense rather than attempting to keep hot air out while venting a portable unit, but I can't justify that for such a short space of time (really don't need the extra heat in the winter as my chimenea does a fab job)
> 
> Back to air cooler/fan by the looks lol!


donz - Sorry we haven't been able to help you more, but maybe others who have a similar question will find something to help them on this thread


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## BGD

I have seen people who made a a small hole literally through the exterior wall of their building to poke the exhaust pipe of a portable air-con unit through - the hole had external and internal covers that could be slid on/off, and was lined with some of that grey, wide diameter waste water pipe.
Sounds silly, but actually looked very neat.


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## Madliz

I used to have a Pinguino portable air conditioning unit, similar to these:

Pinguino WATER-TO-AIR | De'Longhi air conditioners

I used a nozzle on the end from a tumble dryer hose to reduce the size of the outlet, then lowered the persiana on top of it to secure it in place (hope you follow that!) with the windows shut as far as possible. There was some space for outside air to enter but the machine cools so effectively that it made a big difference.


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## VFR

Here is how I fitted my unit to cut the heat from the exhaust pipe to minimum & works very well, but of course it can hardly be called portable if left in the same position.


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## snikpoh

playamonte said:


> Here is how I fitted my unit to cut the heat from the exhaust pipe to minimum & works very well, but of course it can hardly be called portable if left in the same position.


Rather defeats the point of it being portable though doesn't it?!


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## VFR

snikpoh said:


> Rather defeats the point of it being portable though doesn't it?!


Indeed it does, but when you buy one of these in ignorance when first coming to Spain thinking what a great bit of kit that we can move from room to room & then discover that they also produce a lot of heat, then you could install the unit like this to overcome the heat issue.

Hence I recommended to the OP to get an installed unit.


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## Madliz

Also, one soon finds out that there is one place where it is indispensable, so there is no need to move it until the end of the summer!


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## baldilocks

We got our portable in the UK because we had an attic flat in an old Victorian house (the former servants' quarters) and they get rather warm in summer especially with a white south facing wall opposite our bedroom window. It was useful in that it could be in the lounge during afternoon/early evening then be moved to the bedroom nearer bedtime to cool it down before retiring. Totally inadequate here so need fixed units. However, the way the weather is going so far this year we'll need them on 'heat' rather than 'cool'


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## Madliz

> Totally inadequate here


Well, it depends. We have wall-mounted split units in our bedrooms but found the mobile one useful in the lounge, or it could be lugged upstairs to chill guest bedrooms at a pinch. I find that once it goes over 26º-ish in the house it gets quite uncomfortable and an additional chiller can make life much nicer. We do everything possible to keep the place cool in the summer - persianas down once the sun approaches them, windows thrown open when the temperature outside is lower than in, etc., but all it takes is for some idiot to leave the door open (visitors!) and you've gained a few degrees that will stay there unless action is taken!


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## BGD

Also much easier and cheaper to install, clean and repair than a fixed-up-on-the-wall unit. 

And you can take it with you if you move.


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## MikeLow

Hi there,

I am looking to buy a portable air conditioner for my room on the first floor. Around 450 square feet. Any recommendation? Thanks!


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## baldilocks

MikeLow said:


> Hi there,
> 
> I am looking to buy a portable air conditioner for my room on the first floor. Around 450 square feet. Any recommendation? Thanks!


To be effective, you will need to set up something to conduct the exhaust out to the outside world.


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## Alcalaina

MikeLow said:


> Hi there,
> 
> I am looking to buy a portable air conditioner for my room on the first floor. Around 450 square feet. Any recommendation? Thanks!


You have to have an outlet for the hot air, usually a hose going out of the window. This means having the window open, which reduces the effectiveness as hot air just comes back in.

We used to have one in the bedroom and put it on half an hour before going to bed. It cooled the room down by a few degrees but within 15 minutes the temperature was up again. It was too noisy to leave on.

There are some innovative new designs, small boxes with ice-packs that you keep in the freezer. I've no idea how effective they are though.


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## MikeLow

Thanks for quick response. I was thinking about Honeywell MN12CES. The price is ok and reviews as well.


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## Alcalaina

jeanjean12 said:


> There are many things you need to consider when purchasing a portable air conditioner. For example, Size and Price, Single/Double Hose, Features, Noise Level, Energy Efficiency Ratio. As far as I know, air conditioners require a hose to exhaust the hot air from the room. You have to extend the hose from your window. Believe me, when you turn on the portable air conditioner, open the window a little too hot.


That's true. We used to have heavy thermal curtains and drape them round the hose so the hot air couldn't get back in.


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