portable a/c question

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oxchincerelyxo

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Joined
Jan 31, 2009
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santa barbara
I was looking into getting a free standing a/c for my apt. My a/c is on it's way out, and I want to be prepared for summer!

Anyone have any suggestions?!

thanks!
 
I like my Sharp portable AC. Library quiet, all the bells and whistles...remote control, thermostat, moving louvers, speed settings, etc. Though by "portable" I think they really only mean "can be rolled around" as its quite a task to move it up and down stairs.... Now, this was quite spendy...I think I just saw it at Costco today for $469ish? I have had mine for 3 years and still working great! Get them before it gets hot, they always sell out... ;)
 
I have a Haier 7000 BTU portable in my chin room right now. It is the biggest piece of crap EVER. I had to drill holes into the side of my house for the water tube and for the vent. The water leaks out into the floor as well as leaks outside. It's in a room less than 100 sq ft, and it doesn't cool it at all. I have to take it apart every 2 days to clean the fur out of it. It freezes up from the fur and dust and just pours water off the coils. Worst decision ever.
 
I tried one once, it clogged up all the time, and hardly cooled enough. If you only have a few chins... it might be alright.
 
If you can, get a window mounted unit. They're more efficient and a lot cheaper. Any air conditioning unit that you do end up with is going to need maintenance every day or two to clean out the filter and keep it running well. Once dust and fur get into the evaporator coils/fins the unit will freeze up because the coils/fins are insulated with the fuzz and dirt.
 
Get a window unit like Susan suggested. You are in a dry climate so a portable one may work for you.

The reason they do not work in the south is because in order to blow the hot air out it must suck air from somewhere - that means extremely moist, hotter air in through your cracks than what went out through the exhaust.

They are completely and utterly useless for people in this climate.

I have one for sale.... only used twice. Waiting for it to get hot so I can pawn it off on someone else... :))
 
i have a free standing unit in one of my offices.......it is a very small office in the back of our shop and has a lot of electrical devices like security system and phone wires so it gets quite warm for me. the free standing unit requires a hole be drilled in the wall (there is not a window in this office) and the water line turns into mist so there is no drip. it works for the very small space that i am in which honestly is comparable to a walk in closet. BUT it is very loud and on super hot & humid days that puppy has to run the whole time I am there.
if the chin room has a window I suggest a higher btu unit in the window, versus a portable unit, that way you get the cooling power you need without have to cut a hole in the wall.

oh and just to add........the exhaust area where the air comes out is ridiculously hot. it goes into our shop so it doesnt affect me, but if you have it going into another room, it will be like an oven!!!
 
We looked into one a few years ago to replace a window unit that was in for repair. The repairman said they are crap and not worth spending the money on.
 
my windows now are just too bid for a normal one. We had to make due with the one we have, and luckily aside form a few days we haven't needed it in the new place.

I was thinking about trying to find a better way to get a "normal" a/c and magically making it work better in my windows. right now we jam a piece of wood in the window with the a/c to make it stay.:hilarious:
 
You could always box it in the window with a piece of plyboard. In our kitchen, we had to take out our entire window and build a box to house the air conditioner. It's not the difficult at all, just take a 2 x 4 and stick it up underneath the a/c on the outside to hold it up if there isn't much but a piece of plywood holding it in.
 
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