Summer brings hot weather, but if you are not rigged for dealing with extremely high temperatures, it can quickly become surprisingly miserable. The solution is easier than you may think, and could take less of an investment than it might appear at first.
The portable air conditioner is a unit which cools the room it is in by blowing hot and moist air over a unit comprising a metal coil and a fan, to convert it to cool and dry air.
One of the great benefits of such a unit is its portability. While a permanently fixed air conditioner can provide a strong and reliable solution, this little appliance can be moved to anywhere you need it to work its magic, without any major change being made to the building.
A versatile all-rounder
Portable air cons are extremely useful in rooms that are greatly affected by the weather, such as lots of sunlight or lots of shade, both of which can affect the ambient temperature in the room greatly.
Going for a reverse-cycle portable air conditioner will also give you the option to warm up air in cold rooms, widening your options even further.
A portable air conditioner is essentially a pump that blows cold air. Hot and humid air travels over a metal coil that is cooled by refrigerant inside it. As the air moves over the coil, it is cooled and dehumidified before being blown into the room.
What to consider when buying a portable air conditioner
The size of the room in which the unit will be operating affects its performance. The smaller the space, the more efficiently the unit can cool the area. Although the portable version is not quite as efficient as a spilt system air con unit, it still offers a decent performance under the right conditions.
When you install a portable air con in a particular room, you will need to ensure that you have access to an electrical outlet and a place where the venting tubes can be positioned to get rid of the hot air that is generated by operating the unit. Installation of these units is generally fairly simple and can be done by following basic instructions in a manual.
Many models also come with useful additional features, like remote control operation, a running timer with automatic switch-off functionality, and even Wi-Fi compatibility.
What types are there?
Portable air conditioners are chiefly available in two variants – the one-hosed kind and the two-hosed kind. The type with one hose works by taking hot air in from the room environment, and after completing the cooling process, releasing the hot, processed by-product air through the hose to the outdoors.
The two-hosed variety is a slightly more complicated design, as it uses one hose to take in air, which is processed and cooled, while the hot air which occurs as a by-product of the process, is let out through the other hose and released to the outside.
