Portable Air Conditioners Buying Guide

Portable air conditioners employ the same operating principles and basic components as the window air conditioner units. The key difference is portable room air conditioners come with an exhaust hose that directs the hot air from the back of the portable air conditioner unit through a window or a cut out in a wall where as window air conditioner units don't have this feature.

Some portable air conditioning units also have a water reservoir that collects the condensation from the air which needs to be emptied once or twice a week.

We recommend purchasing air conditioning units that have a built in water pump or a self evaporation feature which minimizes the need to empty the reservoir.

Sizing Portable Air Conditioners


Portable room air conditioners are rated by the number of British Thermal Units (Btu) of heat they can remove per hour. Another common rating term for air conditioning size is the "ton," which is 12,000 Btu per hour. How big should your portable room air conditioner be? Generally, at least 12,000 BTUs for a room size of 300 to 400 square feet.

The size of your air conditioning unit also depends on many factors such as how much shade you receive, how much insulation is in your home's ceiling and walls and size of the room to be cooled.

What to look for when selecting a portable air conditioner

  1. Always purchase an air conditioner that has a larger room capacity than the room you need.  The main reason is you will have adequate cooling if there is an extremely hot summer day - which is why you get an air conditioner.
  2. Look for a unit that offers a self evaporating or a built in water pump to eliminate the need for messy water buckets that you need to empty every day.
  3. Look for units that have at least 4 stars per our editor's ratings.
  4. Look for unit tha offer great warranty.

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How to Select a Portable Air Conditioner

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What factors do I need to consider before making a purchase? Area to be cooled Two factors to consider when sizing the cooling power of a portable air conditioner are the room size (sq. feet) and presence of a heat source, such as direct sunlight or heat from something in the room like a server. It is recommended to go with a portable air conditioner that is rated at cooling a larger room area than the size of your room, especially when there is a heat source. Note:  Don't compare just BTU capacity.  Some manufacturers may call their units 12,000 BTUs but have smaller compressors that cannot meet that requirement.  Here is a link that shows a room coverage comparison for each model. Water Drainage As part of the cooling process, a portable air conditioner will collect condensation similar to a dehumidifier.  A key decision in selecting a portable AC is how to empty the collected water.  Most units can be connected to a tube (not included) for continuous drainage via
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Portable Air Conditioner Usage Tips

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For optimal cooling of your portable air conditioner we recommend the following steps: Keep the exhaust hose as short as possible.  This will make the AC unit more efficient. Run the unit on the low fan speed as many units are not able to effectively cool the air when it is blowing too hard on high speed. Insulate the exhaust hose if it is extended to reduce heat emitted from the hose. Select an air conditioner that has a higher capacity for the rated room size.  You don't want to be without cooling capacity during a hotter than normal day. Always select a higher BTU unit if there is a heat source such as direct sunlight or computer servers in a computer room. Assuming there is no additional heat source here are the size of rooms each BTU range can cool: 14,000 BTU: up to 475 sq ft 12,000 BTU: up to 350 sq ft 10,000 BTU: up to 250 sq ft 9,000 BTU: up to 200 sq ft 7,500 BTU: up to 150 sq ft
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