Question:
Are there any decent portable air conditioners on the market? I would
just use it in one room, and then close the doors to prevent the hot air
from the rest of the house from diluting the cool air. Window mounted air
conditioners would be difficult for us because all of our windows are
sliders. Any brands people find to be more rliable than others? I am
concerned about cost as well, so I would be particularly interested in any
portable air conditioners that work which cost less than $500 (if such a
think exists).
Answer:
Are you absolutely sure you don't want a window unit? You may have to get
some wood (and a handsaw) and some plexiglass (and a knife) in order to
install the window unit and make it blend in, but in my opinion it is well
worth it. Cheap and energy efficient. I think I saw one for less than $100
at Walmart or Home Depot. I can't remember. The trick is to get one that
has less BTU's than or equal to what you really need, rather than more
BTU's, so the compressor runs continuously rather than cycling on and off
(and consuming much electricity while cycling).
The best portable units I found were the ones where 1/2 of the unit is outside
and 1/2 inside, connected together with only about a garden hose size tube of
wires and refrigerant lines. That took care of items 2 & 3 above and are
quieter inside the house, but doubled the cost.
