Portable A/C?

B

Brookstone

Active member
Sep 11, 2004
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Is there such as a thing as a portable Air Conditioner? Like just a little simple 1?
My same friend who i posted yesterday about speakers also need a little A/C, shes stuck in a little room with no A/C, got couple small windows but they dont do nothing, the fan also dont make any diff in this weather.

Looking for just a small 1, portable meaning no window 1s, need to be able to easily move it to different place, as shes only at this place for her last year of school.
Is it out there, and where would be the best place to get it?
thanx
 
Those portable units that vent through a hole or a window are the size of a small fridge are they not. They do not look very nice.

But when you're warm, doesn't matter what happen estetically.
 
The portable units work quite well,they are more expensive than a regular window unit.Just be sure to get one large enough(BTUs) for the area to be cooled.
 
ya,at the moment, it seems like the $ is wayyy out of range for her. I had no idea they were this expensive.
Shes just in a very time room, literally you walk in and theres a table and a bed, couple stands, not much room to put anything else or even walk around

Japan apparantly has them really cheap but unfortunately they do not ship to Canada, that really suxx, or else she would just get it from there.
Thanx for all the input though
 
Here is a page about staying cool for not much money in a hot climate:

http://heartkeepercommonroom.blogspot.com/2006/07/keeping-cool.html

One thing they kind of hint at here but do not really mention is to place a pan pf iced water in front of the fan. The cool air that accumulates on the surface of the water is blown into the room. This works but it also raised the humidity a bit and works best in a dry climate.

On an side note-if you need cool water but do not have a fridge, put a wet cloth around a water bottle and let the cloth dry. As it dries it actually cools off the water in the bottle. This works. I have used it to cool water off in the desert (I was in Egypt near the Red Sea so we had plenty of water but much of it was sea water.
 
Look around for used a/c units...they are out there...also check out sears warehouse outlets for returned units. I remember seeing the portable R2D2 units there for $500.00.

If she has access to a faucet and some tubing, have her hook up some thin neoprene or plastic tubing, run the cold water through the tube and wind it around the front of the fan......this will also condense the humid air onto the tube to drip into the sink.

I know I know, this uses up our fresh water but hey, there are companies out there that consume 1,000 times as much fresh water in an hour as this system will use in a week...

If she doesn't want to go to that trouble, a dehumidifier will also help immensely. This will remove the humidity out of the air allowing her sweat to evaporate, in effect, cooling her....

BTW: is she hot???(looking, we know she's hot temp wise lol).

Hey I just read through more carefully, why NOT use a window unit? The new types take about 10 minutes to install and remove and they are a lot cheaper than portable ones. Measure the window size and from what you say, she won't need much in the way of btu's to cool such a small space...
 
Strongbeau said:
What about keeping cool in cars without airconditioning?
Click to expand...

Roll down the windows?
Drive Naked?
Sit on an ice pack?
Stick a frozen bottle of water down your shorts?
 
hammertm said:
I grabbed my portable A/C from futureshop a couple months ago and it was a great choice. Sure they are a bit bigger then a small beer fridge.... but having the convenience to wheel it to any room at any time is just great, plus it is a 3 in 1 with a heater and dehumidifier. I have only had to empty the water bin twice since purchase and i run it 24/7.
Click to expand...

OK. But how portable are they ? I bought one and put it in my bedroom thinking I could move it around easily. You know " portable ". But it meant having to remove the plastic exhaust unit from one window and move it to the next. Not particularly portable. But it works freakin great in the one room. Even cools down the whole floor and you can feel a noticeable difference in the overall house temperature when you walk in. But not particularly " portable ".

BS
 
Bought one for $450 on sale at Target in Buffalo. Kinda snuck it across the border. Same one at The Brick in Mississauga was going for $699. Pain in the ass with the exhaust - but it works for the whole house (+ some fans for direction) at 12000btu. Good buy and waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than the two window ac's we had going.
 
hammertm said:
How hard is it to remove the plastic exhaust from the window? It is held there by shutting the window against it and takes a mere 2-3 seconds to remove and then wheel the unit to any other part of the house.
Click to expand...

My house is over 100 years old. Non standard windows. You have to unscrew the unit, bend it, and yank it out. Pain in the ass. They should have put a second exhaust unit in the kit. At least then you could move it around. Problem solved. I just bought two units and put one in the bedroom and one in the office. Saved $200.00 after taking the "portable" unit back.

BS
 
It would be much cheaper than getting air conditioning as an option on your car which runs about $2000.
Just get an additional AC/DC power inverter, plug it in and vent it out through the floor or window. You could carry it with you wherever you go as well.
 
Ok...as an aside...

...what is it about Canada / Canadians that Central air conditioning is (relatively) rare?

I've met perfectly middle class people - people who own homes, cars, etc...who do not have air conditioning.

Just a copule days ago I'm outisde...and I see a house with ALL the windows open. It is on the corner, so I can see 3 of the 4 sides...no AC unit, no AC compressor, no central air. In the driveway are three run of the mill North American cars...nothing fancy, but they are each 2000+ vintage. Decent cars...fairly big house...decent nieghborhood.

Clearly these peopel can AFFORD to put in central air....so why dont' they?

And why is it when I ask people if they have air conditioning at their cottage they look at me like I am crazy? You have a satellite dishes..but no A/C? Big screen TV...but no A/C?
 
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Good quesiton MLAM.

I think in some cases if you're used to not having AC you just deal with it. My parents didn't get central AC till I was well into high school.

Definitely a lot of older houses still don't have them. A lot of rental units have been made from converting old houses so every corner has been cut to make it cheaper.
 
MLAM said:
And why is it when I ask people if they have air conditioning at their cottage they look at me like I am crazy? You have a satellite dishes...but no A/C? Big screen TV...but no A/C?
Click to expand...

If you can stand the few days (I cannot) that it's +30 every summer or so there really isn't a need for ac. Think about it - of all 365 days in southern Ontario how many do we really need the ac on for? Maybe 14-20 days a year. As opposed to heat where we need it for over 80-90 days a year.
 
I think DJ nailed it...we just don't have that many days where you absolutely need a/c..... but with that being said I do find it getting worse and worse every summer (I can't even remember when we last hit 45 deg C).

As for people not having it, I find it really strange in this day and age. New a/c units are so energy efficient compared to older units and central a/c is now relatively easy and affordable to install. I say if you can afford it (and who can't??) why not have it for those days, like today, when you need it?
 
This...

tboy said:
As for people not having it, I find it really strange in this day and age. New a/c units are so energy efficient compared to older units and central a/c is now relatively easy and affordable to install. I say if you can afford it (and who can't??) why not have it for those days, like today, when you need it?
Click to expand...

...is exactly my thinking.

I would live NOWHERE without a/c...why be uncomfortable if you don't have to be.

My buddy with the cottage talks endless about how he sweats his balls off at night while up there....I ask "why not get a/c"? His reaply - "nobody has a/c in their cottage...people will think it is weird"

I've noticed that too...Canadians (wife included) OBSESS about what other people will think. Is that what grates you all the most about Americans...that we don't have the same cultural tendency? I freely admit that Americans can be a bit too inwardly focused and unconcerned, but I honestly rather be that way than paralyzed with fear about what others will think. If I want something (like a/c), I don't take a poll to see how it will play with the neighbors...
 
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