Question:
I'm in an apartment building that doesn't allow window air conditioners
to be installed. I have no intention of baking this summer and I'm on the
top floor of the building.
I'm left with the need to buy a portable air conditioner.
_These models are generally expensive for my budget. I'm looking at models
that don't evaporate the condensation, but rather collect it in one or two
reservoirs as these tend to be less costly.
How much water accumulates from condensation with the humidity that we have
in Winnipeg when using a portable air conditioner? Perhaps a better question
to ask is how often is it required to empty the buckets of water (and how
large are the tanks on your unit)?
Answer:
As 'portable' as these devices seem, you still need to factor in a few
things.
#1) The water. Yes, they produce it, and I think dumping the tub once a
day seems about right, just to be safe.
#2) You'll need a full circuit for it. These tend to take a fair amount
of power. Don't expect to plug it into the power bar with the computer
and the 50" Plasma screen.
#3) They exhaust hot air. A unit I have out at the lake, it's got a 4"
dryer-vent type hose on the back end, and that needs to be vented
outside in some way. Simple enough to make a small jig and place it in
an open window, but you can't have a screen there, because of the heat.
There may be others that don't have this exit pipe, mine does, and it's
a pain in the ass to move from room to room, because I have different
windows in the rooms, so there's a few different jigs.
And they are loud when running.
You might want to put a fan near them to really get the air going around
the apartment, as these stand alone units are designed to cool a room,
not rooms.
