Question:
we have all casement windows, so standard window units are
not too practical. We could, however, probably just have a hole cut in
the wall for a permanent wall unit in maybe 2 rooms. Anyone have
experience with the "portable" units (about $500-900) that apparently
work off a 110 plug and are claimed to cool a typical room (perhaps
200-250 ft bedroom)?
Answer:
I use a single 14,000 BTU window air conditioner to cool my 950SF house.
It runs off a single 120V parallel-blade outlet. My criteria was "the
biggest that runs off a standard outlet". It has a Maytag name on it,
but I think it's made by Fedders. It's on a dedicated circuit, which I
highly recommend.
One thing--do _not_ get the electronic controls with the remote. Get the
regular old mechanical switch/knob type; in the event of a power glitch,
the electronic control model does _not_ come back on when power does--it
stays shut off. (In this day and age, that's an incredibly stupid design,
but I was in a bit of a hurry and didn't have the luxury of pulling it
back out and trying to swap it.)
If you do a through-wall installation, mount it up high; you want the
cool air to blow out close to the ceiling and settle down.
