Some points to consider when choosing a portable/mobile air conditioner
Cooling Capacity
It is important that you choose a mobile air conditioner
that is powerful enough for your room size. All units come with a BTU
(British Thermal Unit) rating which is a measure of the units cooling
capacity. The VERY ROUGH ESTIMATE is
that you need around 30 BTU’s per square foot.
Building size Example
|
Square Feet Approximate
|
BTU's Needed
|
Flat
|
100-150
|
5,000 |
150-250
|
6,000 |
250-300
|
7,000 |
Gym
|
300-350
|
8,000 |
350-450
|
10,000 |
450-650
|
12,000 |
650-850
|
13,000 |
Warehouse
|
850-1,100
|
18,000 |
1,100-1,400
|
24,000 |
| 1,400-1,800 |
25,000 |
| 1,800-2,500 |
29,000 |
Please note-
- Add BTU by 10% for sunny areas
- Add BTU by 10% for second story (or higher) rooms
- Add 4,000 BTU if area to be cooled is in the kitchen
- Add 600 BTU for each additional person (using room) over 2 persons
What's The Big Deal About BTU Sizing?
BTU Size Too Large
An air conditioner that has a higher BTU rating than the room size requires
will tend to cycle off too quickly. The unit will not properly remove
the moisture from the air.
BTU Size Too Small
An air conditioner that has a lower BTU rating than the room size requires
will run continuously. The unit will not adequately cool the room.
Air Conditioner Types
Window Air Conditioners- Are for windows that slide up and down.
Casement Air Conditioners- Are for windows that swing out to the left
or right (usually with a hand crank).
Wall Air Conditioners- Goes through the wall of a building and requires
a sleeve. Sleeves are sold separately and can be found in the air conditioner
accessories category
Portable Air Conditioners- Great for a no window office or room, these
are relatively new to the market. They are portable so they can be taken
anywhere.
These units must be ventilated.... the exhaust must go somewhere outside
of the room.
For a better estimate go to
http://www.consumerreports.org/
and click on appliances, there is a super chart that helps you work out
what cooling capacity you will need.
Cooling capacity is reflected very much in price. A small
7500 BTU unit can cost as little as £300
but a 12000 BTU unit will rarely come in under £650.
Venting/exhaust
The truly portable or monoblock air conditioner has to get rid of the condensation created
by cooling humid air and also has to vent out the heat. Some units have
a drip tray or tank/bucket that the condensate runs in to and this has
to be emptied fairly regularly, but
many vent out the hot air and evaporate
the condensed water through an exhaust hose.
Alternatively, other units have
a drain pipe which can be drained through a nearby window or hole in the
wall. If you don’t want to be emptying a bucket, check the specifications
of the aircon unit that you are interested in before purchasing.
Size/gadgetry
Most people like portable air conditioning units because
of their small size. Do check the dimensions and be sure that it is going
to fit in to the space that you have planned for it!!
Many modern portable air conditioners now come as a multi-functional
air conditioner, heater, multi-speed cooler fan and dehumidifier,
with remote control, timers, sleep function
Check specifications; because if you don’t want all of these functions,
there is no point in paying for them.
For a more detailed account of what to look for when
buying an air conditioning unit, go to: http://www.consumerreports.org
and look under appliances
For a super account of how air conditioners work visit
the following website:
http://www.howstuffworks.com/ac.htm
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