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I bet renting has something to do with it too. I can't just start attaching awnings to the outside of this place I don't own. The landlord doesn't care if I'm

I bet renting has something to do with it too. I can't just start attaching awnings to the outside of this place I don't own. The landlord doesn't care if I'm hot in the summer and cold in the winter. He doesn't pay the AC bill.

SoftTalker 2y ago
He might be paying the AC bill. In large buildings the heat and AC is central, and typically is included in the rent. The downside of this is that the decision to run AC or heat is made by the building engineer, and during the change of seasons there might be a warm (or cold) day and the AC (or heat) isn't running.
- philwelch 2y ago
  You can buy portable heaters and air conditioners, plug them in inside your own apartment, and pay the power bill. The AC needs a way to exchange air with the outside but that can be accommodated with a window.
  - malfist 2y ago
    Portable AC units are highly inefficient (also a TC video) because they exhaust the air conditioned air to the outside as part of the exchange.
    - shagie 2y ago
      There are different models. The classic one is the single hose. There are dual hose models. https://www.menards.com/main/heating-cooling/air-conditioners-accessories/newair-12-000-btu-dual-hose-portable-air-conditioner/nac12kwhd3/p-1642874313961598-c-1497103338431.htm?exp=false https://www.menards.com/main/heating-cooling/air-conditioner... With the installation instructions https://cdn.menardc.com/main/items/media/LUMAC001/Install_Instruct/2032203_Product_Manual_v1.0_FINAL.pdf https://cdn.menardc.com/main/items/media/LUMAC001/Install_In... on page 11 you can see two sets of air inlets - one for the air exchange with outside, and one for the air exchange inside.
      - malfist 2y ago
        Both should go outside. One should take in outside air to blow over the coils and the other to return that air back outside with the extra heat from inside. All movement of inside air should be over the other side of the condenser and not go outside or come from outside
        philwelch 2y ago
        Yes this is how it is installed. You can see a drawing on page 13 of the PDF. A dual hose model is still less efficient than a window unit, but it’s an improvement over a single hose design.
      - xnyan 2y ago
        Two hose is better but not perfect. The problem is the compressor body is still inside and shedding some of it's heat inside the cooling area. If your need is temporary, the inefficiency is acceptable - otherwise go with a mini split.
        philwelch 2y ago
        Mini split is better if you can install it and don’t want to install a central AC for whatever reason. I don’t think you can usually install a mini split in a rental though. Window AC units are preferable to two hose because the compressor side hangs outside the window (and can drip the condensed water) but sometimes you don’t have double hung windows or your landlord doesn’t allow window AC units.
    - philwelch 2y ago
      I’m aware of this. But I lived in apartments without central AC for years, and for various reasons was unable to install a window unit. A portable AC is still significantly better than no AC at all.

SoftTalker 2y ago

He might be paying the AC bill. In large buildings the heat and AC is central, and typically is included in the rent. The downside of this is that the decision to run AC or heat is made by the building engineer, and during the change of seasons there might be a warm (or cold) day and the AC (or heat) isn't running.

philwelch 2y ago
You can buy portable heaters and air conditioners, plug them in inside your own apartment, and pay the power bill. The AC needs a way to exchange air with the outside but that can be accommodated with a window.
- malfist 2y ago
  Portable AC units are highly inefficient (also a TC video) because they exhaust the air conditioned air to the outside as part of the exchange.
  - shagie 2y ago
    There are different models. The classic one is the single hose. There are dual hose models. https://www.menards.com/main/heating-cooling/air-conditioners-accessories/newair-12-000-btu-dual-hose-portable-air-conditioner/nac12kwhd3/p-1642874313961598-c-1497103338431.htm?exp=false https://www.menards.com/main/heating-cooling/air-conditioner... With the installation instructions https://cdn.menardc.com/main/items/media/LUMAC001/Install_Instruct/2032203_Product_Manual_v1.0_FINAL.pdf https://cdn.menardc.com/main/items/media/LUMAC001/Install_In... on page 11 you can see two sets of air inlets - one for the air exchange with outside, and one for the air exchange inside.
    - malfist 2y ago
      Both should go outside. One should take in outside air to blow over the coils and the other to return that air back outside with the extra heat from inside. All movement of inside air should be over the other side of the condenser and not go outside or come from outside
      - philwelch 2y ago
        Yes this is how it is installed. You can see a drawing on page 13 of the PDF. A dual hose model is still less efficient than a window unit, but it’s an improvement over a single hose design.
    - xnyan 2y ago
      Two hose is better but not perfect. The problem is the compressor body is still inside and shedding some of it's heat inside the cooling area. If your need is temporary, the inefficiency is acceptable - otherwise go with a mini split.
      - philwelch 2y ago
        Mini split is better if you can install it and don’t want to install a central AC for whatever reason. I don’t think you can usually install a mini split in a rental though. Window AC units are preferable to two hose because the compressor side hangs outside the window (and can drip the condensed water) but sometimes you don’t have double hung windows or your landlord doesn’t allow window AC units.
  - philwelch 2y ago
    I’m aware of this. But I lived in apartments without central AC for years, and for various reasons was unable to install a window unit. A portable AC is still significantly better than no AC at all.