The Problem With Most Portable Air Conditioning Units

Most people think of air conditioners as fixed appliances or systems (as either central air or mounted in a windows) but the whole idea of a portable air conditioner makes a lot of sense. Much like portable space heaters portable air conditioning units let you create the temperature you want, where you want it, without wasting energy or money cooling the rest of your home or property. So why don't more people own these units?

The Problem With Most Portable Units

While these sound very sensible in theory, in practice they tend to fall short of their expectations.

To begin, portables are often more expensive than you think they are. You can get a great, effective and safe space heater for less than $30 dollars but you won't find a portable for less than $100.

They also don't provide the same cold air which mounted air conditioning units provide. Instead of receiving a cold blast of air these units oftentimes will instead make your room cooler and will simply take the edge off the heat.

Most aren't very portable the same way small space heaters are. The mechanisms required to make an ac unit work still can only be produced so small. Most portables are relatively bulky and need to be wheeled around. In appearance they look more like large air dehumidifiers than small, sleek heaters or fans.

Finally they are known to be loud compared to their mounted counterparts.

Are There Any Worth Buying?

That being said there are some very good units which don't suffer from the common problems mentioned above. There are a few points you need to keep in mind when looking for these high quality units.

• They are going to be relatively expensive. No super cheap one is going to avoid the market's most common problems, so expect to spend a couple hundred dollars on a good one.


• No will provide the same level of cold air as a mounted air conditioner.


• The best portables are going to be slimmer than most, which means they'll be able to fit into tighter spots, they'll be easier to hide and they'll be easier to cart around and they tend to run comparatively quieter.

So while they aren't perfect, the best units will minimize the majority of problems people have with the lower quality units, making them worth checking out. If you can, turn the unit on and see for yourself how the units works before making a purchase.