Obo mentioned that his is post. Either way would require the same concept so whichever I ended up with would make little difference.MidLife said:Some units have concentric hoses (hose in hose) and would require one opening only.
Obo mentioned that his is post. Either way would require the same concept so whichever I ended up with would make little difference.MidLife said:Some units have concentric hoses (hose in hose) and would require one opening only.
I bought one of these last year, really love itIn case it was covered earlier, just skip over...
There's a few types of portable AC units.
Basically there's a single hose and a double hose unit. The double hose can be 2 hoses or a hose within a hose.
A single hose draws air from the room in order to discharge the heat outside. A dual hose brings in outside air to take the rooms extracted heat heat outside.
A dual hose has the advantage that it doesn't create a negative pressure in the room you are cooling. A negatively pressurized room will ultimately draw in the hot air from outside, which is the opposite of what you want.
A portable unit also has all the compressor & hot bits inside your room, unlike a window mount or mini split. This too adds heat into your room.
This is why most portable AC's have 2 thermal ratings, a higher BTU rating and an adjusted lower BTU SACC rating. Effectively it's the unit's capacity and it's adjusted effective cooling capacity allowing for the drawbacks mentioned above.
Don't get me wrong, portable units will certainly cool a space if adequately sized. It's just a matter of efficiency. There are also places where no other type of AC unit will really fit in the space. Other AC types are also not portable.
If you can, get the "dual hose" style over the single as it will be cheaper to run in the long haul.
For those of you who can use a window mount style, Midea makes a very neat unit that's also really quiet. It's designed in a bit of a U shape so the cooler section is inside and the noisy & hot compressor section is outside. It minimized how much your window is open and how much sound transfers in. It does it by having the window close INTO that U gap. Here's a video of one installed etc. It's almost designed like an all in one mini-split.
I'd buy one of these over a portable unit if I had single or double hung windows. All my windows though are casement (side swings) so these are out and it makes it challenging to even vent portable AC units out them. A mini split isn't really an option due to the lack of electrical breaker capacity in the current panels & no space to add additional sub panels. (I have 2 entrances, 2 full main panels and 3 sub panels already....)
I have a heavy suggestion toward the Whynter ARC-14S.
Dual hose (which is more effective than single hose), insanely quiet, has a dehumidifier option in the menu, and is 14,000 BTU.
This is a weird spot: I don't think the SACC ratings are as effective as they intend to be. The measure of how heat pumps work is a direct physical phenomenon that's reliant on the compressor and evaporator, and essentially nothing else. That said, I'll answer your question before the rabbit hole...Good to know. Thanks,
What size room are you cooling with it?
Was looking at it, but see the SACC rating is 9500 BTU.
With our high wet bulb temp here, their ARC-1230WN , also a 14000 BTU unit, but 12500 SACC, may be better suited....but more expensive......
The compressor and evaporator size in both the Whynter units are identical. They have the same power consumption, the same heat pump capability of ASHRAE 14,000 BTU.
And a tube cutter, a flaring tool, torque wrench kit (recommended), leak detection spray (recommended)... and last but not least: know how to use it all...The only special tools you need are a vacuum pump and a gauge set.
If you are looking for a permanent solution, I highly recommend mini splits. You can buy them on Amazon and they are actually not hard to install if you are handy with tools (which most of this forum surely are). The only special tools you need are a vacuum pump and a gauge set. I have installed about 10 of these now for friends and relatives. A single room system can be fully installed in less than six hours by a single person - as long as electricity is available via a disconnect box near the outside unit.
Typical cost: 1 room: $700, 2 rooms: $1000
The Mr Cool units are actually fantastic.You can also buy DIY kits that don't require a vacuum pump or gauge for the 1st install. No idea on how well those work though or the models. Just know they are out there. I assume they work as good as any but you pay extra for the simple DIY convenience.
Just want to point out that a deburring tool is magical and resolves the swarf issue while preventing copper tubing seam splits from stress.And a tube cutter, a flaring tool, torque wrench kit (recommended), leak detection spray (recommended)... and last but not least: know how to use it all...
PS: you don't cut refrigeration copper pipes, you "break" them (only cut them slightly till you can snap them off by hand, prevent swarf inside the pipes/on the flares by all means)
Probably so. The whole issue is that it can't possibly have an effect other than to game the test.Excellent info to have.
Baffling that the same exact set up can have two different SACC ratings, but I think I can see the trick now.
--- It looks like the 1230 has an "inverter" to modulate the compressor speed once the temperature has been lowered and stabilized, which could be what is allowing them to claim higher efficiency out of a unit that is otherwise the same as the 145.
In the worst of the Summer heat here, the AC runs nonstop and hardly ever reaches the set temp, so there would be no gain at all from this "Inverter".
Money saved. Thanks!
Unless mentioned abomination throws the swarfs right into the pipe, raising all kinds of havoc within the refrigeration circle... hence are deburring tools frowned upon...Just want to point out that a deburring tool is magical and resolves the swarf issue while preventing copper tubing seam splits from stress.
Although I do have a cutter, a flaring tool, a torque wrench, and a sensor to detect leaks, I rarely use them. I often go with the factory provided line sets and found that I can gauge torque pretty good after many years of wrenching on my MCsAnd a tube cutter, a flaring tool, torque wrench kit (recommended), leak detection spray (recommended)... and last but not least: know how to use it all...
PS: you don't cut refrigeration copper pipes, you "break" them (only cut them slightly till you can snap them off by hand, prevent swarf inside the pipes/on the flares by all means)
It also isn't compatible with walls that are outside a very fine bound of thickness.Thats way over priced