Today we can find several choices when it comes to cooling the air during summer, and if your selection is air conditioners that consume less energy and more efficient then there are two popular selections; portable air conditioners and ductless mini split units. The second model is the most common model of air cooling unit in the east (Asia) and then some countries in Europe and eventually is also increasing more & more familiar in North America. However, each type has pros and cons so the best selection of them is closely dependent on your requirements. Therefore, take a few minutes to read pieces of helpful information about the advantages and disadvantages of them below before buying or purchasing your own.
Portable Air Conditioners
As the name suggests, they are real portable cooling units. They are common applications for deed restricted areas, bedrooms, server rooms, apartments, etc! The portable feature of them will allow the users to move the unit more practically and easily. We can use them as one of the best ideas to complement our existing central air conditioning systems so that we will get more affordable air conditioner costs that we must pay for each month during summer. Their size is usually rated in BTUs. They are offered in a lot of different sizes in order to accommodate and respond different large sizes of the rooms. Moreover, they require practically installation procedures so that the user can install and reinstall the unit easily without needing to hire & pay a professional technician. Overall, if you are looking for a real portable cooling unit then they are the best answer. Just connect their vent & hose out wall or window then they can be installed easily. Furthermore, they are usually equipped with smart window kits that take a small part of window so that the users still can enjoy nice view through their window.
Cons: Unfortunately portable air conditioners cannot work as noiseless as central air conditioning systems! They run as noisy as window units that have similar SEER of 9. Therefore, it is so important to check and consider the decibel level of the unit that you are purchasing.
Furthermore, generally there are three important and crucial issues to look for when you want to buy and purchase a portable air conditioner:
- Check and measure the large size of the room in feet square that will be cooled by the unit. This data is important and closely associated to determine the right BTU size capacity of the unit that you should choose and buy! And it’s also so recommended to also check the performance or capacity of the compressor, because there are some units that are claimed powerful (with high value of BTUs size) to cool large area but they are not equipped with the correct capacity of compressor (or smaller compressor). And avoid having perception that bigger size is better! So always choose the correct size (not over size or lower size)!
- Consider the mechanism of water drainage! All air conditioning appliances will result water condensation as the byproduct of the air cooling process. Similar to a dehumidifier, portable AC also collect condensation. Some of water condensation will be used to cool several parts of the unit and the rest must be removed. There are available two popular models to empty and remove the collected water. The first popular model is units with a water tray or tank to collect the water condensation and the user must keep it ‘not overflow’ otherwise the unit will shut down automatically. The second popular model is with the smart automatically evaporation technology that will make the unit can remove the water condensation automatically and continuously so that the unit will run continuously without needing manual assistance.
- Don’t miss to take a look at the mechanism of the exhaust venting! It is closely associated on how to exhaust the hot air to another area (outside of the room). Mostly, you will get a flexible exhaust hose (made with plastic material) that typically 5 feet for the length and 5 inches for the diameter. With helpful & practical window kits, the user can install the exhaust venting of the unit not too difficultly, either horizontally or vertically sliding window. Each type has a specific window kit! And window kits are not purposed for a casement window (that opens out). The other option if you don’t want to use your window for the exhaust venting is by venting through a wall (similar to a dryer vent) or the hose exhaust is designed through into another room that is supported for the warm exhaust air.
In addition, three helpful simple tips to use and make a portable air conditioner at its maximum efficiency performance:
- Avoid making the exhaust hose to be not-straight, and make it as short as possible.
- It is better to avoid running the unit on the high fan speed otherwise the unit will not cool the air effectively.
- And consider also on insulating the exhaust hose that eventually will be helpful to minimize the heat emitted from the hose!
Ductless mini split units
Although they cannot be installed as practical as portable air conditioners but they are relatively easier for the installation than central air conditioners! They can work at so high energy efficiency ratings (SEER of 13 or more (higher)). As the name implies, ductless mini split air conditioners are ductless and have two major units (indoor unit and outdoor unit). The compressor is housed in the outdoor unit and this is the key why they can work as quiet as central AC. They are less expensive than if you choose to install a central air conditioning system. The installation will not take up the floor space! You also don’t have to consider first about the size of the window for the installation because the ductless mini split unit is not installed on the window like window AC, but will use wall since the indoor unit is usually wall mounted!
Cons: However once again like mentioned before, ductless mini split units are too difficult to install for DIY option. Therefore, you need to pay extra cost on hiring a certified HVAC service to get the proper installation that usually will take around 1 to 2 hours for the duration of the installation! So the initial cost and the installation cost is more expensive than portable units, even you may need to purchase other additional parts, like; a dedicated electrical circuit, pad to place the outdoor unit, line sets for the refrigerant, etc.
Image source: Amazon.Com
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