The Season is Here! Time to install or fire up those window air conditioners. Most newer homes nowadays are built with air conditioning pre-installed, of one type or another. Older homes, however, were seldom built with air conditioning. I have often wondered if the oldtimers were just tougher than this new generation. Often it has been explained to me that air conditioning was simply a luxury that many people felt they could do without - especially because of the operating expenses. It is very true that the central air conditioners of old were very inefficient (and noisy). Seer ratings as low as 6-seer or 8-seer are still found beingBut one by one they are being replaced by savvy homeowners that have tired of ridiculous power bills. Air conditioners with seer ratings above 21 are now available from most manufacturers. Window air conditioners are following the same trend. They are getting much more efficient and quieter. The window air conditioner certainly has a place in homes today.

Especially in the older homes where installation of a full central unit stretches the budget of the homeowner, or installation cannot be easily accomplished without major remodeling (this can also be good argument for a window unit in a newer home). Another issue to consider is the property line. older homes were built close together. Now building codes are in place prohibiting how close an outdoor condensing unit may be placed to your neighbor's property. We are all familiar with window air conditioners from the sight of them protruding out the side of many a home. These units come in all sizes, efficiencies,Some shake the windows of the house next door upon start-up. Others run very quietly. It is sad, but true, the newer the unit the easier it is And we can't forget about those homebuilt air conditioning systems where someone has suspended a commercial-size swamp cooler on an unpainted homebuilt 2x4 stand and ducted it through a window. I am sure that somewhere in America, a broken down rusted Camaro is being used instead of the 2x4 stand.

(if this is your town, please take a pic and send it to me, I will post it here) Window units can come as swamp, orThese units can range from very small to quite large, requiring suspension cables on the outside of the home to carry the weight. Some have a water tray in the front of the unit that needs filling as water levels drop. These usually have some method to check the water level.3 ton r22 ac condenser unit Most have at least 2 blower speeds. lennox solar powered ac unitAs with the common roof mount swamper, most can be fitted with an exterior water line that feedstrane ac unit specs a float level controlled water reservoir. Slightly opening a window on the other end of the house helps the cool air to circulate through the house.

The other type of window air conditioner is similar to the whole house air conditioner in it's operation. Hot air is removed from the home and disbursed toThe cooled air which is circulated back into the home is air which the heat has been removed from. As with any central air conditioner, many factors determine the size needed for the space it will be called upon to cool - windows, insulation, weather attributes, side of home where the unit will be located (is it in the shade, or in full sun all day long?) Manufacturers make recommendations as to the square feet a particular unit can cool. Use this recommendation loosely. This guesstimation does not take into account any attributes of your home, or the region where you live. can provide a room-by-room manual J calculation which will determine the cooling needs of each room in your home. wants your whole house to be conditioned. Each non-conditioned room in the home will have some effect on the other adjacent conditioned rooms.

for cooling should be completely isolated from the other non-conditioned rooms. Your designer should be made aware of all factors. A human body puts off heat! This is another factor which affects the performance of your window air conditioner. Phhd does not endorse or support "rule of thumb" design methods. We present this only as a loose guideline. If you are not going to take advantage of a manual J calculation, the following should be considered only a starting point for your sizing decisions. "Rule of Thumb" sizing for room air conditioners Capacity is measured in btus, or To figure the size unit you need, find the square footage of the space you intend to cool. Square footage is width of the space X length of the space. Add 600 btu for each person regularly occupying the space, in excess of 2 occupants. Add 10% capacity if the space is heavily in the sun. Add 4,000 btu if the unit covers a kitchen. The best window air conditioner will plug directly into a 110 volt receptacle.

Most window AC units below 14,000 btus will run on 110 volt power. than this will usually require 240 volt power, which is usually not available near the windows where you will want your AC unit, if available at all. Common windows sizes will accept a good sized air conditioner. In some of the older homes, it was quite common to have 2' wide x 4' tall windows. produce AC units specifically sized for these thinner windows. The most important point is that the AC unit must fit in the opening with some space to spare. Window AC units have an accordian style spacer, which slides out to meet the window frame for a good seal. The window itself slides down to seal against the top Depart Window Air Conditioning and Return to Air Conditioning main pageWritten Portable  air conditioners are all of relatively similar design and  unfortunately, all "true" (eg with a compressor and pressurized coolant)  portable air conditioners require venting out of a window through a  vent hose of some sort to expel the heat pulled from the air.

To my  knowledge all portable AC's are designed with casters and sit on the  floor with a hose that extends to the nearest window.Window AC's are a different category all together and are usually  slightly more efficient but require more effort to mount and take up a  large amount of space in your window.One  difference between portable air conditioners is their BTU or "British  Thermal Unit" rating with is a rating of how much the air conditioner  will be able to cool. On household portable units this usually ranges  from 8,000 to 14,000 BTU's. In contrast, whole home air conditioners are  rated in "tons", one ton of cooling is 12,000 BTU's.The  efficiency of a portable air conditioner is another big difference you  should be aware of. Portable AC units are rated in EER or energy  efficiency ratio that is a rating of how much cooling the unit does with  the amount of power it uses. EER is easily computed by dividing the BTU  by the wattage used. As an example, a 10,000 BTU portable AC that uses  1,000 watts would have an EER of 10 (10,000 / 1,000 = 10).

The higher  the EER the more efficient the unit is.Most  portable AC's automatically evaporate the condensation that builds up  and only require draining when operating in very humid environments.The  only major fundamental design difference between portable air  conditioners is if they are a single hose or double hose unit. Both of  these require venting out of a window using a sliding plastic spacer  that is closed in the window frame and has a hole cut in it (or two) to  connect the vent hose(s) to.A  two hose portable AC draws in outside air to cool and push it into the  room while a single hose draws air from inside the room to cool. A  single hose is typically less efficient because part of the air drawn in  the unit is pushed out the vent and causes hot air to enter the room  from other parts of the house or the outside through leaks in the  insulation. Below is a picture of a single hose Soleus KY-34 (left) and a  two hose Soleus LX-140 (right).There are also evaporative coolers (sometimes called swamp coolers) that work by adding moisture to the air but those typically only work in dry climates.

They typically are not as effective as AC's either. However, they do not require venting and use far less power.If you have any further questions about portable AC's or evaporative coolers feel free to comment and I'll do my best to answer right away.Written Portable Air Conditioner:Portable air conditioners are independent, movable units with exhaust hoses that are easy to install and vent out of a variety of window types.Difference in types of portable Air Conditioners:Design,Portable air conditioners are different in terms of their designs. Some have movable units with exhaust hoses that are easy to install and others might have a vent out like other variety of window types.Pricing,Such Air conditioners are available in many different price range. They are usually around $100 more expensive than window air conditioners of the same cooling capacity. Bigger ton portable AC costs more than the others.Noise level,The noise levels of portable air conditioners vary, with some models being as quiet as a fan and others being as noisy, if not noisier.

Efficiency, Different portable AC's have different efficiency but there is not very great fluctuations. In the U.S., there are no federal regulations to define the energy efficiency of portable air conditioners, and so no portable air conditioner is given Energy Star ratings.If you live in San Diego and want to get your AC installed or repaired and want to avail HVAC services form an expert of 15 years then give me a call at (858)530-1822 or visit me at Heating and Air Conditioning San Diego HVAC Contractor | Airmakers Difference between Portable AC and Window ACI hope this helps.Written The "self-contained" label usually applies to portable air conditioners that, through special design, are able to send out water condensate through the exhaust hose. So, not entirely self contained but there will be little or no need to drain the water from the unit. /2012...Written The most notable differences in portable ac's would definitely be the price. The weight of the AC also play's a huge factor.