Things you should know before buying a spot cooler
Portable air conditioning units are a wonderful option for any home or commercial business that doesn’t have access to a central AC system. They are simple to operate, easy to install, and provide instant cooling. This makes them popular among many homeowners and business owners. When choosing one for your own needs, consider the following carefully before making a final decision.
Size
The key to selecting the perfect portable spot cooler is to know what size unit you need to keep your building cool. All AC systems are rated with British Thermal Units (BTU) per hour. This rating allows you to find an AC that can easily handle the space you are trying to cool. The higher the BTU rating, the more cooling power the unit will have. Portable ACs with a high BTU rating will cool large spaces better than those with lower ratings.
Selecting a portable AC unit that suits your space will save energy and money as you won’t be wasting either. You don’t want your portable AC unit struggling to cool an area, and you don’t want it to have more power than is necessary. For reference, 8,000 BTUs can easily cool up to 1,600 cubic feet, while a 14,000 BTU unit will cool 4,000 cubic feet. This is just a guideline that will help direct you toward the right unit. Environmental factors such as poor insulation or appliances and machinery that produce heat can affect the unit’s performance. Take all of this into consideration.
Maintenance
While your professional AC service company can provide you with routine maintenance that keeps your system functioning at its best, you need to consider how much maintenance is required from you between these visits. Some portable AC units need a little more attention than others. The biggest concern is how the unit drains moisture. All of these AC units pull moisture from the air while cooling. Depending on the system, there are a few different ways to get rid of the moisture the unit collects.
There may be a pan that fills with water as the AC functions. This pan has to be manually removed and emptied as needed. If this doesn’t sound like a good option for your situation, you can get ones that use a hose to drain moisture away from the AC with the help of gravity. In some systems, a pump can be used to force the collected water up and away from the AC and deposit it in a designated location. Hassle-free designs are fully self-evaporative. They evaporate all or most of the collected water. They eliminate the need to drain them yourself.
Loudness and Efficiency
In addition to how the machine operates, you may have concerns over the noise it will produce and how it can affect the environment. Ask yourself whether the nose level will affect your comfort in a home or the level of concentration within the workspace. All AC systems produce some level of noise. Think about how with a portable AC unit, the entire machine is inside. A central air system has the main unit located outdoors, and window ACs alleviate much of the noise through the outside portion of the unit. If you notice the noise, keep in mind that any device that creates airflow will produce some level of sound. If the noise level is a serious concern, compare each unit’s decibel level before purchasing one. This number gives you a good indication of what to expect. Energy efficiency is another feature to look at closely.
Not only does the energy efficiency of an AC unit affect the environment, but it also makes a difference in how much you can expect to pay each month in utility bills. Note down the energy efficiency ratio (EER). This number indicates how many BTUs are needed for each watt of power. Higher EER numbers let you know that the unit is more energy-efficient than systems with lower numbers.
By keeping these factors in mind, you will be able to pick out a portable air conditioning unit that will keep your building cool and your budget under control. These easy-to-install, simple-to-use units will solve all of your cooling needs.
