Posts
5748
Joined
12/7/2009
Location
Long Beach, CA
US
Edited Date/Time
8/4/2017 7:58pm
Don't get one if you can get a window unit instead. I didn't research it before I bought one last year and now I am paying for it. I kept wondering why it didn't seem to work very well and then did the research. Consumer Reports tested several models and none of them were worth a shit in their view. They all had the same problem mine has, they wont cool a room down much below about 80f no matter what. Don't get me wrong, it does help, but had I known I would have figured out a way to put a window unit in.
Hisense 8,000-BTU 200-sq ft 115-Volt Portable Air Conditioner
I am looking to put a mini split system in for my upstairs as I currently have the largest non-commercial unit you can have and it still doesn't cool the upstairs enough (3600 sq. ft. total up/down) in the middle of summer.
My living room is about 400 sq/ft and I have the LG 12000 btu. 93 outside and 83 inside right now and it's been running for 2 hours. There are 2 problems with these portables that make them less efficient, 1. You cant just circulate the room air, you have to bring hot air from outside to displace the air going out the hose. 2. The hose is pretty hot. It acts like a little heater behind the unit. Window units don't have either one of those problems.
Anyway, just a PSA for anybody thinking about getting a room AC. Go with the window unit if you can. Cheaper to buy, cheaper to run and does a better job.
This is the article from consumer reports. : Portable ac
The Shop
This year we are back over in Eastern Washington and have great working central AC, so I just had the portable unit stored in the garage. When our bookkeeper asked about getting an air conditioner for her office, I remembered the little portable and took it up. Had to drill a hole for a 4" exhaust (she doesn't have a window!) but after that she's able to get her and my foreman's offices (each about 12x15, connected by a doorway) to below 70. We've been pretty warm recently, so I'm pretty satisfied with that so far!
Biggest downfall is the amount of water it will produce in the high humidity. If you can't run a hose out side, you would have to drain the water out often. In a crunch I set mine on table with a 5 gallon bucket to catch the water.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/LG-Electronics-14-000-BTU-Portable-Air-Condi…
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