Portable AC Units?

Tdog · Jul 15, 2006

Does anyone have any experience with portable air conditioners? I've run across some at Home Depot in the 8k BTU range. I've since looked them up on the web & found a few more brands.
I would like to use one in my shop. It is not insulated, and I know I cannot cool the entire shop, about 1200 square ft. However, if I could just blow some cooler, dryer air where I am working it would be worth it.
Just curious if anyone has 1st hand experience with these.

Thanks,

Jack

goodoleboy · Jul 16, 2006

We have one at work and its terribly loud and takes hours to cool a room that is already primarly cooled with a regular central a/c unit.

It has wheels and it moves around. When I get to work tommorow I ll let you know the brand name so you can stay away from it.
It works great if you sit right next to it, otherwise its a noisemaker.

MotorSeven · Jul 16, 2006

Had one for the 23' boat with a cuddy cabin(75sq ft?). I think it was a 2,500. It couldn't keep up during the day, but we used it mostly at night and it got the job done. The cost is way more for the portables and you will have to dump the water collection container frequently & vent it outside for max efficientcy. I would not by another one, but i would get a cheap window unit for under a hundered bucks(5,000), or a 9,000 for under $200.
Just my .02............
RD

George2615 · Jul 16, 2006

I have a portable A/C unit at work. (about 8-9000 btu) I use it only as a backup unit to assist in cooling an area where I've had a heat pump go bad. I have several Heat pumps above a dropped ceiling and when one goes bad I bring down the portable to assist. The water bucket on it has to be dumped at least once every 8 hrs. The exhaust must be vented via flexible ductwork. (I exhaust mine through a suspended ceiling tile into the void area) If you can't exhaust the heat out of your garage don't get a portable. If I did a lot more work in my own garage where a box fan wouldn't do the trick I'd put a couple of Wally World A/C units through the wall.
George

gordon21 · Jul 16, 2006

There are three kinds of portable AC that I know about. The first one is a conventional "window type" unit that cools and REMOVES water from the air. This would be tradional air conditioning like your home system (cooling and removing water).

A second type is an evaporative type unit where you hook up a hose to a machine where the water runs over a fibrous material that looks like a paper air filter. These cool huge amounts of air and typically have a large fan blowing through them. You typically see these at outdoor events and in large tents. They need 120v and a water hose. It appears that they merely cool, but certianly don't remove any water from the air. I am guessing they add to it. These start cooling very quickly.

The third is a variation of #2 where water is misted out of tiny nozzles and multiple small (18-24") fans blow the air around causing evaporation and thus cooling. Similar to #2 as they require water under pressure constantly, but no electricity needed except for the fans themself. These take a while to get going well.

I am sure some one on TBN can direct you to a source for type #2. If I remember right, they were not that expensive for the amount of air they generated. A huge model about 4' across was under $2000. One drawback may be the cost of water depending upon where you are.

Jagmandave · Jul 26, 2006

My next door neighbor has about a 1000 sq ft shop, he insulated the ceiling and put in two 5k BTU window units he bought used for $50 each, keeps that shop at a nice 70* all day if he leaves them on at night and doesn't have to open the garage door to often.

Chuck52 · Jul 27, 2006

There are water-cooled systems available, too. These dump the heat to water, which is dumped down the drain. The condensate is just dumped to the same drain as the water. We have these in the nmr lab in the Chemistry department as backup for the central air because if that lab gets too hot it can cause some VERY expensive damage. I don't know the cost of the things, but I bet they are expensive since they are usually used in critical applications. Of course, they also use a lot of water to dump the heat to. I suppose they might make sense if you had something to use the waste water for. If you had a well, for instance, and maybe a pond that you wanted to dump the water in, then one of them might be practical. They don't require venting because the heat goes to the water.

Chuck