There are some alternative choices to cool your home more efficiently. As well we know, air conditioners are available in several types and models. And if you are looking one that can be used to complement your existing permanent central air conditioning system then portable air conditioners are one of great ideas that so recommended. They are practically cooling units that only require practically installation (more practically than window ac models) and more affordable. We don’t have to concern about window frame to install them. Like the name implies, we can reinstall them or roll them easily from one room to other rooms of our home. Therefore, it is reasonable if we call them as the best recommendation for temporary building use and small apartments where usually these places don’t have adequate window size to install window air conditioning models. But, how does portable air conditioner work?
The working principle of portable air conditioners
Like the title of this article, so how do portable air conditioners work? Basically they use the cooling principle like in regular air conditioners but all components of the unit are assembles or housed in one unit. Sometimes, we can say they are similar like a small refrigerator, why? Because many functions that can be completed by small refrigerator are also can be finished by a portable ac unit, including the refrigerant cycle system! The big different is; in portable ac’s, this cooling system is functioned to cool the air inside of the room. And on the other hand, in the refrigerators, the cooling system is functioned to maintain and keep foods (or drinks) from getting bad.
And like other regular air conditioners, these units also require to expel warm or hot air to outside and intake fresh air (at the ambient temperature) from outside of the house. The temperature inside of the room should be friendly and cool when the unit is running. Since it is portable device, the unit itself is already designed to be able to expel the hot temperature air to outside and avoid it entering back into the room without requiring a part that is installed in the outside like in window ac units (the back of these models is usually directed to outside) or stationery central ac units (there are some parts that are installed outdoors, such as compressor and condenser)!
Refrigerant
Mostly, they also still use Freon-mechanism to work and cool the air, but there are now available some of them that are built up with eco-friendly R410a technology (non-Freon system). The compressor has the crucial function to compress Freon gas and finally will be used to cool the air. And like other regular air cooling appliances, they have byproduct from the cooling process that is an amount of water condensation. Most of it must be removed and the rest is used to cool the unit itself (especially to cool the condenser coils).
Important parts or components of portable air conditioning
Basically there are three major components; condenser, compressor and evaporator. And like mentioned before, all components are housed into one unit. That’s why they can be moved easier and therefore they are called as portable unit. They also have air filter that must be cleaned periodically in order to make the air output keep clean and safe for human respiratory.
Moreover, there is also warm air that must be exhausted or removed away from the room. Therefore, they are usually also equipped with the flexible exhaust tube (which one end of it is connected to the unit and other is installed trough opening-media like window or mail slot). The exhaust hose is usually made from high quality of plastic material with usually has 5-7 ft for the length. It has important function to maintain the air exposure. This is one of the reasons why they don’t require complicated procedures for the installation like central or window ac units. The tube itself is also portably designed and can be moved easily with the unit. But although they can be installed easily in any room of our house, we should prioritize to choose the location that nearby from outdoor venting access for the installation. In addition, we may find them come with dual hose or single hose.
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Read also: Tax credit for central AC units!
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