Greetings and welcome to this detailed review of the Best Portable Air Conditioners which are available to order online as present and get delivered to your door hassle free. The lack of air circulation or improper ventilation inside rooms, garages, offices and server rooms make them warmer as the temperature tends to increase. To overcome this problem portable air conditioners are the best solution to improve and cool the warm conditions of your living rooms or offices.
These are small, portable, easy to place where do you want, can turn the side towards your sofa, bed, dining table. Usually portable air conditioners are used to cool for specific needs and areas either in homes or business places, as the unit's ease mobility, it's very easy to move anywhere in the home. They don't need permanent installation.
Normally they work same as built-in air conditioners, takes in the warm and humid air, cool the air and de-humidify it and blowing it back to the room. It comes with a window kit for exhaust to remove the heat of the air coming from the room. Basically, an air conditioner utilize chemicals called refrigerants, this substance soak up the heat from the air as it passes over a the coils and works to cool indoor air.
As the refrigerant chemical take in the heat, it transform from a liquid to a gas, a compressor subsequently pressurizes the gas that produce heat that is displaced elsewhere, generally outside the room. A portable air conditioner utilizes an exhaust pipe that directs the air out of window. A window unit is already placed outside and simply removes the hot air to that direction.
Points to Consider before you buy a Portable Air Conditioner:
The following tips might be very useful while you are going to buy a new portable air conditioner or using it already in your house or office.
- Exhaust hose: For the proper operation and maintenance, it is the key thing to keep the exhaust hose very much straight, that is used to vent out the hot air outside the window. There should be no twists or kinks in the hose. Make sure the hose should not be very much extended, try to keep it short.
- Remote Control: For the ease of people, all the portable air conditioners come with remote control. You can set the temperature of your choice, how much cooling you need in your room? There are many options of different operational modes, set timers for on/off at the night.
- Close the door: Portable air conditioners work excellent in the closed places, when you are going to use it for cooling, make sure that all the doors and windows are closed. Place the portable air conditioner in such a place or corner where it gets minimum or no sun light.
- Turn on the AC before the need: Turn on the portable air conditioner before the actual need, as they take a little time to cool the room by reducing the room temperature to your desired set temperature. These are more effective and energy saving in the mornings or evenings when the temperature is low.
- Turnoff Unnecessary Heat Appliances: For proper cooling inside the room, you need to be turned off the unnecessary bulbs, lights, computers, TV and other heat producer sources. Once all the things turned off, the AC will cool your room very quickly.
- Cleaning/Maintenance: To keep your portable air conditioner in proper working condition, you have to clean it in regular manner. The filters inside the unit need to be cleaned regularly.
- Certifications: For safety certifications, you have to look for a UL listing and RoHS compliance. The UL listing means that a unit is meeting industry safety standards, whereas RoHS certification confirms that it doesn't contain any hazardous materials.
Some Less Frequent and More Frequently Asked Questions…
Q: Is there need portable air conditioners to be vented?
A: Yes, it's similar to the other air conditioners that portable air conditioners needs to be vented in some form
Q: Is there possible to have different operating modes in portable air conditioners?
A: Yes, there are different operating modes available in most of the air conditioners from cooling, dry for heating, dehumidifying or just fan. Depending on the need of time you can select and run the relevant operating mode.
Q: Is it possible to set the on/off timer to portable air conditioners?
A: Yes, you can set turn on/off timers at certain times as these are very useful at night. Its best solution to adjust the temperature of your room at a comfortable level and minimize the extra load on air conditioners as well.
Q: How much noise portable air conditioners produce?
A: Well, it depends on the personal choices of the models you are using. Normally they are same as window air conditioners. The typical sound level is mentioned on the description of each model but normally the range is between 48 dBA to 60 dBA.
Q: Is it possible to use portable air conditioner for cooling server room or garage?
A: Well, generally it's not recommended but there is no restriction as well. So, you can use portable air conditioners for cooling your server rooms or garage.
Q: What are British Thermal Units (BTUs)?
A: Portable air conditioners are generally distinguished on the basis of BTUs, where as BTU is energy measurement unit. Its defined as the amount to energy required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one-degree Fahrenheit. It's also play important role in the pricings of the portable air conditioners. The more BTU's of an air conditioner the more it cools the room.
Best Portable Air Conditioners Reviewed:
1, The Frigidaire Cool Connect Smart Portable Air Conditioner 12,000 Btu
Main features:
- One of the smartest and latest technology equipped Frigidaire model which cools area up to 550 square feet of your room.
- This air conditioner model is Wi-Fi Connected with Frigidaire smart app for mobile operation, so you can control your A/C unit through your mobile application, speed can be easily controlled, mode operations, set your desired temperature, turn on/off, everything possible from your smart phone application.
- It will inform you when there is need to clean/change the filter inside of the unit. For Android smart devices, app can be downloaded at Google play. Its 12,000 BTU's power air conditioner with 3 pints per hour dehumidification.
- It has excellent features like 360 degree airflow that circulates the cool air in your room, continuous spiral make sure it reaches all parts of your room faster. It has 3 cooling and 2 fan speed options and 24 hours on/off timer, sleep mode for cooling flexibility, LED lighting, a modern mesh grill, energy saver mode, a sleek novel shape, this unique unit blends impeccably into any room and auto cool utility function.
- It weighs 85 pounds with production dimensions 12.6 by 12.6 by 36.8 inches.
- Currently, product is available for use in the contiguous United States only
2, The Haier Portable Air Conditioner HPC12XCR 12000 Btu
Main features:
- The Haier HPC12XCR is a small sized portable air conditioner, very easy to move within the house or offices.
- It is rated to cool the area up to 450 square feet. It's an efficient A/C unit with solid cooling capabilities and light weight design.
- It's ideal for small rooms as it produces 12,000 BTU's with maximum air flow of 188CFM.
- This model has 3 fan setting for the user. This Haier model removes 4 pints of water per hour from the air, if you are living in a humid environment this is best for you, it can help to dehumidify your room.
- It's a less noisy model as compared to other A/C units with 50 dBA.
- The other specifications are as follows: Energy Efficiency Ratio is 9.5 with estimated annual cost energy around $90.72.
- It weighs 56 pounds and the A/C appliance warranty is one year however its compressor comes with warranty of 5 years.
- The exhaust vent hose can be extended up to 5 feet, that allow you to install it away from the window.
- The Haier AC units has convenient functions and operation modes, it comes with remote control so you can easily program the timer for on/off purposes.
3, The Whynter 14,000 BTU Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner -ARC-14S
Main Features
- The Whynter dual hose portable air conditioner is 3 in 1, excellent home appliances work as air conditioner, fan and dehumidifier.
- Whynter is going to green as their products are eco-friendly, CFC free, lead free and high energy efficiency home HVAC appliances.
- This A/C unit can cool up to a 500 square feet space, This dual hose unit features superior self-evaporating technology, which uses and recycles moisture collected through the cooling process to produce cool air and reduce condensate build-up.
- It has also restart function which makes it automatically restarts on the earlier settings after power outage, exclusively designed to be powerful and mobile, the Whynter double hose ARC-14S portable air conditioner has easy setup.
- This is the perfect solution for the hot areas in your home, server room, office & other high-cooling required settings.
- It weighs 80 pounds with product dimensions 16 by 19 by 35.5 inches.
4, The LG 115V Portable Air Conditioner (number LP1215GXR)
Main features:
- A LG's portable air conditioner perfectly designed for smaller areas or rooms. It comes with LCD remote control which makes ideal climate control solution.
- The installation of this model very easy and quick. It cools rooms up to 300 square feet area with 12,000 BTU's (ASHRAE-128 Standard) / 7000 BTU (DOE 2017 Standard).
- It uses the latest technology of dehumidification function that mixes cool dry air with hot air to keep comfortable and avoid over cooling.
- The special air vent equipment circulates the dispersed air more powerfully, so no hot spot will be left unscathed.
- You can control the temperature of your room even you are not present there by programmable on/off timer. It weighs 61.7 pounds with product dimensions 16.9 by 13.8 by 32.7 inches. This portable A/C unit uses standard 115 V electrical outlet, the dehumidification rate is about 1.2 pints per hour.
- This unit is quiet, less noisy and powerful A/C model with no vibrations or rattles. In October 2017, the Department of Energy executed a novel test practice to establish the BTU rating of portable air conditioners.
- The technical transform has adjusted the number of BTUs authorized to be claimed downward by as much as 50%. However, there are no internal changes to these portable A/C units, and the working efficiency and functionality remains the same.
5, The Honeywell Portable Air Conditioner (number MN10CESBB)
Main Features:
- Honeywell MN10CESBB portable air conditioner is a high-quality portable AC unit for a humid climate and a moderately sized room. It is a 10,000 Btu portable air conditioner unit with adequate power to cool a 450-square-foot of your room. Although, this is not sufficient power to blow you away but fine fit for a midsize living room.This is a strong, well-built self-supporting AC unit, although with a little design issues.
- Honeywell A/C model has a dehumidifier mode, however it continues to eliminate moisture whether the mode is on or off. This portable unit removes 2.8 per hour from the air, It can do more even when it is set to dehumidifier mode operation.
- It has three-speed fan circulates air at low, medium and high speeds to give cooling against all levels of temperature. Airflow speeds of this unit is about 174 cubic feet per minute, although its little low as compared to others units but it is adequate airflow that you need for your room. The estimated annual operating cost of Honeywell A/C unit is $90.79 which is low than many other larger air conditioners however the EER is 9.7 which is fine but little below average.
- The noise level of this model is 50 dBA. It comes with remote control with 24 programmable timers and auto evaporation system.
- It weighs 63.9 pounds, with warranty of 1 year although compressors warranty is 4 years. Price is not bad also as I have seen on sale for less than $400.
6, The LG 10,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner with Remote
Main features:
- This model is very easily moved around from office to office or room to room and is perfect if you are always on the go. It looks quite attractive and has a nice design that can slot into various surroundings quite easily.
- It has the 24 hour programmable on/off timer so the temperature can be adjusted and programmed when you are not actually there with it.
- In addition, this model also offers the dry mode to remove excess humidity from rooms without having to use extra cooling – it can perform with removing up to 2.6 pints if moisture per hour
- This is ideal for a room that is up to 250 sq ft and has the easy to install window exhaust kit and also side handles for easy handling.
- It has wheels, a remote control, a cord length of 6 foot, it weighs 55 Ibs and the dimensions are 31.28'' H by 17.03'' W by 11.81'' D in inches
- It has a noise level of 55 decibel and there is also a one year warranty available to you.
7, The LG 8,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner with Remote
Main Features:
- Similar details to the model above, this portable air conditioner has 8,000 BTU.
- There is the auto evaporation system and the 24 hour programmable capability.
- The room size that this model is suitable for is smaller and is really only suitable for rooms that are up to 150 sq ft.
- The dehumidification level is up to 1.8 pints per hour
- The window exhaust kit is included and is very easy to install
- It has 115 voltage, a noise level of 53 decibel and the weight is 69 Ibs
- There is the remote control included and the dimensions are 27.4'' H by 16.9'' W by 12.8'' D in inches
- The cord length for this model is 6 foot long and again there is a 1 year warranty.
Thanks for this really good article on Portable AC units. I am not in a position to get a wall or a window air conditioner due to personal circumstances so I must go down the portable route. I have an LG 8000 for some time now and I have received satisfactory results but I’m looking to get a second one set up for another part of the house before the temperatures sore, I like both the Haier and the Whynter so will most likely take either one of them, thanks for compiling this useful list
You are very welcome and many thanks also for sharing your experiences and thoughts with the community!
This is a great list, certainly a portable air conditioner is becoming a must especially during summer time. Selecting a good one may require a detailed search, but once you find it you will be good to go.There are many LGs that I spot. I’ve used an LG air conditioner before and they seem to put out a great job. BTU units is the main parameter to look after when choosing one and this review has certainly helped us in getting a portable version, cheers!
Many thanks for the feedback and sharing your opinion and thoughts – it is greatly appreciated by the community!