It’s hot! The last thing I want to do when it’s hot is…. Well, anything. I want to be cool, comfortable, especially in my own house. Thankfully I work at 3Gorillas.com, where I get to sell things like Air Conditioners for a living. I get a lot of questions about air conditioners, specifically the portable units, so I thought I would create a blog to help answer these questions. From basic questions to the more complex, here is what you need to know before buying a portable air conditioner!
What is a portable air conditioner?
A portable air conditioner stands in your home on casters for easy portability. They come with an exhaust hose to vent the hot output of air out your window.
How does it vent out the window?
All of our units come with a full window kit - exhaust hose, adapters and window slider. Simply place the slider in the window, attach the exhaust hose and you're done! All of our units come with user manuals as well for more specific instructions.
What size do I need?
Capacity / BTU
Area in Sq Ft
7500 BTUs
150 sq ft
9000 BTUs
200 sq ft
10000 BTUs
300 sq ft
12000 BTUs
400 sq ft
13000 BTUs
450 sq ft
14000 BTUs
500 sq ft
Why do some air conditioners have two different BTUs listed?
In October 2017, the Department of Energy implemented a new test procedure called Seasonally Adjusted Cooling Capacity (DOE-2017) which takes different factors into account and has a different BTU rating vs the ASHRAE-128 standard. However, the actual capacity has not changed and the measured difference is primarily related to these different testing standards, while the functionality remains the same. Please refer to room size guidelines to find the portable air conditioner that best meets your needs.
What is the difference between dual hose and single hose?
This can be up for debate on which is better. Here is the easiest way to distinguish the differences:
Single Hose:
1 hose to exhaust the hot air. Because it pulls air from inside your room, it can create negative air pressure, resulting in hot air coming in through any cracks around doors or windows into the room IF the air conditioner is too small for the room. If the room isn’t too big for the unit, a 1 hose system is efficient and practical.
Dual hose:
2 Hoses – 1 to exhaust hot air and the other for intake. The dual hose machine eliminates the negative air pressure problem, but also costs a bit more. This air conditioner operates more quickly than the other and also requires more electricity.
What about all the water it collects?
Auto Evaporation is a cool thing! So the air conditioner recycles the air’s residual moisture, using it to cool the coils of the machine, and evaporates it out the exhaust hose. Cool, right?
Now if you are in areas of high humidity, you may have to attach a drain hose to the unit to drain the excess moisture until the humidity level of the room is brought down.
Can I use this as just a dehumidifier?
Short answer, yes! But you will have to attach a drain to the unit and have it go into a continuous drainage area to prevent overflows.
Do you have any more questions? Please feel free to email us at sales@3gorillas.com, or call at 877-903-3257. We are always here to help.
Don’t forget to shop for the best deals with free shipping at www.3gorillas.com
Thanks for reading!
Tracy