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Very interesting video from Technology Connections <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-mBeYC2KGc> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-mBeYC2KGc> "Portable Air Cond
by slig 6y ago
Very interesting video from Technology Connections <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-mBeYC2KGc> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-mBeYC2KGc> "Portable Air Conditioners - Why you shouldn't like them".
- starpilot 6y agoUgh, clickbait title. TL;DW get a dual hose model. Mine was $260 from Craigslist. In the video he even says he uses two portable AC's. He backpedals further in his description: > Seriously, either we need to get more awareness of how dumb single-hose portable A/C units are, or we need to just use window units whenever possible. While I know that there are times a portable unit is the only option (remember, I’m in that boat), it seems that only very high capacity, premium machines have the facility to use two hoses. Which is frankly stupid but then again that’s what I’m trying to tell you now. Yes, you "shouldn't like them," unless it's you're only option, like in his case.
- hinkley 6y agoTL;DW: get a window mount unit. The two hose models are still extremely inefficient.
- starpilot 6y agoPortable AC's exist because window units don't fit in sliding windows and you can't move them from room to room. That's the point of being portable! Believe me I'd love to be able to buy a $50 used window AC like I did in college if it fit my window. In the video, the guy says he owns two portable AC's. So there's that.
- crooked-v 6y ago> because window units don't fit in sliding windows Also, don't forget the ever-popular "apartment building doesn't allow anything protruding from the windows" rule.
- adrianmonk 6y agoSomeone ought to make a reverse window unit. It would be like a regular one but hanging inward instead so it doesn't protrude. Supporting the weight might be a challenge but solvable with some legs or maybe angle brackets. Of course it would take up more space and be louder than a regular window unit, but at least it wouldn't require hoses. Plus it could drip condensation out the window through a short tube.
- sharkmerry 6y agothe compressor makes heat in addition to being loud. Thats the other strike against portable AC units. The compressor is heating up in the room you want to cool
- dahfizz 6y agoThe whole point of a window unit is that the very hot compressor is outside the room you're heating. Without that, you may as well get a portable unit.
- gregshap 6y agoThese exist, usually an off the shelf through-wall AC unit with custom built sleeve and legs. You can see them (or not see them) in some of the landmark pre-war buildings with strict facade rules.
- neilk 6y agoSame here. My apartment windows only tilt upwards, so there was no way to use a window mount. A portable unit was the only way to go. But I created a wedge-shaped mount for the hose ports that fits in the triangular window gap exactly, so the room is still relatively sealed. When summer is over, the mount is disassembled and stored flat. I've never seen anyone else do this. I've always hated the look of hoses dangling out of open apartment windows and of course that's terribly inefficient. Every time I see our windows from the outside I'm rather jazzed at how great-looking the solution is.
- jaggederest 6y agoI wish it was just code to have mini splits installed in every apartment. They're straight better than other options at both heating and cooling, and very affordable these days.
- chrisweekly 6y agoCan't say enough good things about my Mitsubishi split unit, installed a couple weeks aho during kitchen reno. It's quiet, efficient, powerful, and highly configurable / programmable.
- jdechko 6y agoI recently scored major points with the in-laws by convincing them to get a mini split for $800 instead of a window a/c-heater combo. Their place stays much cooler, and their electric bill went down by $125 last month.
- JCharante 6y agoMini splits are fantastic. My experience from them has been from every home / small store I've ever lived in or visited while in south east asia. Window units can be annoying because of the wind they produce while I've never had issues with former.
- xattt 6y agoCan you please take a picture of your setup? I’ve considered this before myself, but I’d say the barrier is people’s “imagination” around the design.
- odysseus 6y agoYou can fit it in a sliding window. Go to the hardware store and buy a sheet of 1-inch thick foil backed insulating styrofoam. Cut it to fit perfectly above the AC unit.
- hinkley 6y agoI don’t understand why we don’t have a vertical AC unit. I think they are just too used to making them square. Might have something to do with constructing the radiator. Or habit.
- Dylan16807 6y agoIf I go and look up some numbers, I see things like EER of 12 for window units, 9 for a single hose, and 11 for dual hose. Close enough.
- rhexs 6y agoAnecdotally having used both a window unit and a dual hose unit with technically the same BTU (using the new adjusted measurements), the window unit is still night and day better. Not having massive heat radiating tubes and a large electric heater in the same room as you is still a big win.
- hinkley 6y agoWidely reported and occasionally video recorded anecdote.
- nwienert 6y agoIf you live somewhere temperate the single hose will cool from low 70s to 62 in a bedroom for less money/eyesore.
- maxerickson 6y agoIt's 75 °F at 67% humidity in the house right now and I can't imagine running an air conditioner to sleep. It will continue to cool off and I'm sure I'll run a fan. Typically we get just a few days where it stays over 80 °F with high humidity, so I guess it isn't particularly adaptation.
- rblatz 6y agoI have central air and I keep my place at 77-80. I would have to wear a sweater if the temp was below 70.
- BeetleB 6y agoPerception of temperature depends on more than just the temperature - there are other factors. For me, in winter 74 is hot. In summer, 74 is just right - sometimes a bit cool. The level of clothing is the same in both cases. Even within summer I've found quite a bit of variation in perception for the same temperature. A sunny day and a cloudy day feel very different at the same temperature. I once went hiking. I checked the forecast and the maximum was 72. Great! I almost had a heat stroke - very bad day. I confirmed later that the temperature was not higher. And I've hiked at warmer temperatures just fine. This is why when I buy a car, I want to make sure it's trivial for me to adjust both the flow of air and the level of cool/heat independent of each other, and not rely on the temperature setting. Almost all cars let you do that these days, but there was a period where some cars did not let you do that. Having a thermostat and letting you maintain a temperature is really not much of a feature if the variance in the "right" temperature is too large.
- macNchz 6y agoBMWs have long had a feature that takes these temperature concerns one step further–a knob that controls the vents blowing towards your face, which works independently of the main climate control. So you can set the overall temperature you want for the car, but fine tune the air that you feel most directly. It’s a small detail but something I really appreciate.
- gruez 6y ago>Very interesting video The content might be interesting, but it's way too long. The guy goes on way too many tangents and adds way too much filler. You probably can boil the whole video down to a few bullet points, yet it's 16 minutes long.
- tdeck 6y agoThese TC videos are meant as a kind of entertainment. I enjoy them a lot but they're definitely not meant as a quick reference.
- hombre_fatal 6y agoOn the other hand, I like his long-form video entertainment. I'll eat lunch while watching one maybe. Not everything needs to be optimized into bulletpoints.
- copperx 6y agoI had a deja-vu, I thought I had read this exact comment before in HN. Have you used the same words before?
- gruez 6y agohttps://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&query=Not%20everything%20needs%20to%20be%20optimized%20into%20bulletpoints&sort=byPopularity&type=comment https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&qu... Seems to be unique
- hhh 6y agoThey're intended as entertainment and not condensed informational videos. They're meant to be an exploration into the topic.
- rootsudo 6y agoYoutube prefers long videos and it returns higher monetization rates because it's "user engagement."
- johntfella 6y agoLiving in a hoa that is loaded with some weird rules... I'm stuck with a portable as traditionals are not allowed. As per noise this was a happy find overtime. A dog of mine developed thunder and fireworks issues. The noise of the ac running helped filter out the thunder/fireworks. Eventually I gravitated towards something more powerful and a bit more expensive and did some self adjusting to the machine bypassing the temperature min so to have the a/c just run continously when I needed it to. This means a room that is typically 51-52ish.
- 7thaccount 6y agoCelsius? My perfect temp is ~70 farenheit
- ObsoleteNerd 6y ago51-52 Celsius would be heat-stroke territory.
- lucb1e 6y agoNot sure where you're from, but 41-42°C would be heat stroke territory to me. (I hide in cooled buildings if it's >30°C outside.)
- masklinn 6y agoThey're pointing out that 50C is not really a liveable temperature so by definition "a room that is typically 51-52ish" can not be celsius, especially not as this is with AC given the context.
- lucb1e 6y agoThat much was clear, but 50C is well beyond where heat strokes start to be a thing, so it sounded weird. Perhaps they're from a place like saudi arabia where there are populated places and it can actually ever get close to 50°C? Hence my remark.
- c3534l 6y agoI watched that immediately after buying a portable air conditioner. Thankfully, too, because I think he oversells the inefficiency and effectiveness of portable air conditioners. It's very easy to leave that video thinking you shouldn't bother with one, but the reality is that they're actually pretty damned good machines. Window-mounted units are marginally better, sure, but if that's not an option or you live a place that doesn't stay hot for very long, then they're fine, your electric bill is just a little higher. Which is fine for me because there's two months out of the year I need A/C and the alternative is a fan.
- Retric 6y agoI think you’re talking about a different device. Portable swamp coolers provide zero value in high humidity areas.
- shawnz 6y agoThe linked video isn't the swamp cooler video (which is something TC also talked about recently).
- amelius 6y ago> but the reality is that they're actually pretty damned good machines ... if you ignore the energy consumption, which is the whole point of the video.
- arkanciscan 6y agoMarginal energy consumption is ignorable
- chiph 6y agoThe A/C in an apartment I was living in in Texas failed one summer, and the management firm put one like that in my bedroom temporarily. Noisy and inefficient is a good description. Granted, it had to run off a regular 15A outlet so it was never going to be as powerful as the one in the attic. But it made sleeping possible by getting the temperature below 85F (30C).
- simonebrunozzi 6y agoIt's a fantastic video, and the guy explaining it all has a natural talent for teaching and dissecting things. Thanks for sharing it!
- karimmaassen 6y agoAfter watching that video, I decided to relocate my portable air conditioner. The exhaust tube is now super short, directly mounted to a hole in the wall, and insulated to compensate for the inefficiency of these type of devices. It made all the difference.