  Portable Air Conditioner Facts
Portable air conditioners cool and dehumidify a
room, and installation is not permanent. Because these types of air conditioners
are on casters or wheels, they can easily be moved from room to room. They're
also energy efficient, helping the owner save money on energy costs. Most units
are equipped with digital thermostats and automatic timers.
Learn Where They Are Used
Portable air conditioners are ideal for cooling residences, small offices,
computer rooms, computer servers, classrooms, hospital rooms, retail stores and
practically any enclosed space that needs to be cooled. Today's units offer
quiet operation, an LCD screen, and remote control operation. Other features
include an oscillating function which helps to direct air evenly throughout the
room. Some models have an automatic restart capability after a power outage.
Most units are lightweight, which makes it easy to wheel. However, models that
contain a heat pump can be heavier.
How A Portable Air Conditioner Works
Portable air conditioners operate similar to a typical window unit, with the
condenser, evaporator and internal compressor functioning in the same way. The
biggest difference between a portable and window air conditioner is that a
portable units rests on the floor versus in the window. Similar to your dryer
ducts, round air ducts connect the portable unit to a window adapter. You simply
open a window and place the window adapter in the opening. You then close the
window against the adapter to exhaust the heat outside when cooling.
There are two main types of portable units. One design uses a single duct to
connect to the window adapter, while the other uses two ducts. The one design
duct is the simplest system, but the two-duct design is more efficient. With two
ducts, all of the hot air is drawn and exhausted back outdoors, which means no
cooled air-conditioned air is being exhausted outside. Some two-duct heat pump
design models can be configured with only one duct for quicker setup.
Another distinguishing feature of portable air conditioners is how the unit
handles condensed water. Some models have an evaporator feature that mixes air
exhausted outdoors, so there is no water to empty. Other model types collect the
water in a tank, which you must empty periodically.
Properly Sizing a Portable Air Conditioner
Portable air conditioners are available in several different sizes to correspond
with their intended use (i.e. home, office, computer equipment, garage, etc.).
BTU or British Thermal Units, is the term used for capacity rating. Basically,
BTU corresponds to the amount of heat needed to increase the temperature of one
pound of water one degree Fahrenheit.
The most popular sized unit are rated at 11,000 and 12,000 BTU and cool rooms up
or 400 square feet, which corresponds to a 20 foot by 20 foot area. Large rooms
(up to 500 square feet) are best served by portable air conditioners rated
13,000 to 16,000 BTU, while 7,000 to 9,000 BTU are appropriate for smaller sized
rooms of up to 250 feet.
View our entire
line-up of Portable Room Air
Conditioners
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