Cheap portable a/c for the home
 

Ok
Just looking to move it room to room as required.
room sizes 20',13' approx (lounge and bedroom)
What size do i need?
which make(s)?
How much should i expect to pay?
Where to get it from?

Many thanks

Paul

Argos do them and AFAIK Homebase might

Price range at Argoose is 179-249 top price covers a room 30m2 delivery only though 7 days :(

Homebase were selling them for £150 yesterday, dunno what size of room they would do though.

Hi Paul,
B&Q have some on their website.

If you are looking to get a portable unit, then the single unit ones need a vent to the outside.

With the dual units, the evaporative part is outside with a smaller hole in the wall for the pipes.

I haven't worked out everything about them yet, but was just doing a bit or research and they don't seem as practical...

H

i have one in the shop aint that good as the proper a/c got it from b&q

Have you got the all-in-one-box one or the split one? I believe the split ones are more effective.

Although I notice from the B&Q website that the "professional" aircon systems that need fitting properly are actually cheaper than the mobile units.

www.bigpockets.co.uk have them for about £230 delivered look really god

sledgehammer....:)

The one in the link....http://www.bigpockets.co.uk/product....f3ea0851b8cbfb

does it need a hose out of the window or anything?

Loads on ebay - not sure which are any good though?

I bought one a couple of years ago after doing all the calculations, how many BTUs needed for m3 etc. Cost me almost 700 euros, pukka Honeywell. Absolute crap - I knew it would be slightly too small for our living room (about 15x15'), but it didn't even cool our bedroom (14x8') and frankly only worked effectively in our son's bedroom (8x8')! Took it back and got a refund the next day. Split units are not only much better, but also much quieter as the fan and motor are outside - mine made ar right racket - problem is you have to put a hole in the wall or window, and I was renting at the time.

Try a dehumidifier, half the price and gets rid of the oppressive feeling, so I'm told.

TBH the BTU ratings on most cheap A/c units are complete tripe - especially portables.

Best is to look at the power INPUT rating (NOT the power output) Most portables barely pull 1Kw. An average lounge would need around 2Kw

A very rough rule of thumb I used to work by is to work out how many kilowatts you need on a heater to heat the same room adequately with a convector heater and add 50% and that is roughly compressor power rating you need to go for. Unfortunately most portable or DIY shop brands show the Kw OUtPUT or BTU ratings, which don't always truely relect the units performance (i.e fiddled figures). Look at what current or watts the compressor or the unit as a whole draws, anything less that 1.5 kw (6.5ish amps) for an average lounge will be useless - especially single unit type portables.

Bought a £40 evaporator fan from B&Q at the weekend. Cools nicely (compared to a straight fan) but it is rather noisey.

Thanks for the replies chaps! :)

Evaporator coolers are all well and good but you might end up buying a dehumidifier to reduce the humidity they chuck out.

It's fine in most applications but I wouldn't want one in a small room with a lot of electrical equipment or metal parts etc.