Three thumbs up for portable AC
I have three of them and they are ideal for my situation, an 1895 brick cottage with a second floor built in the peaked roof attic space. A house this old was not built with hermetic sealing in mind although I have over the years thoroughly replaced and caulked all window frame members that have pulled away from the brick and sealed up every reasonable crack & crevice. None-the-less a house like this is not an economical candidate for central air.
For the first 14 years I used two 6000 btu window units but besides being unsightly from the outside they also dripped down the brick walls and rotted some sills.
My first portable in 2000 was a 6000 btu black Danby that has a built in water tank but can be drained by hose. This unit, still in service, sits about 3 feet above the floor on a stand beside an inside archway and directs it's oscillating breeze into the main floor living-room. Being elevated it's influence can be felt throughout the entire main floor except for the back laundry-room/pantry. Running 24/7 June through late September on Humidify setting it keeps the house dry and a cool 69 F. I rarely use the AC setting except under dire conditions such as the 5 day humid heatwave we had that saw outside temps approaching 100 F. Then all it could maintain was 72 F inside.
The inside wall against which it sits has a hot air register & duct pipe for the furnace, which is easily disconnected in the basement. For summer I have in place a 15 foot long dedicated 5" duct pipe that runs across the basement to a screened cellar window, sealed with a Styrofoam form though which the hot exhaust exits.
I also have in place a dedicated 3/4" vinyl drain hose that passes through the register plate where it is clamped to the floor beams & joists at a slow angle that takes the water by gravity alone 30 feet across the basement to the floor drain. It never clogs or develops air bubbles - it just constantly drains.
Being under an insulated roof, Upstairs in the bedroom lounge a second 10,000 btu blue Sunbeam unit sits high on a table beside a window where it exhausts, again through a styrofoam screen block.
This unit is self-evaporating and does not require a drain hose. collected Water is pumped over the hot condenser radiator where it is expelled as vapour. Again, no problems maintaining a dry 70 F all summer season long.
Key to efficiency is vacuuming the house dust off the lift-out foam filter screens weekly and taping an open cell foam filter sheet over the compressor radiator vents if it doesn't have a second filter there.
The most important thing with these units is proper end-of-season draining and cleaning. In fact I take the cases off and detail every nook and cranny cleaning out every vane & water well that invariably collects mineral sediment, storing it away over winter in the basement ready for another hot summer. The downstairs Danby unit is 10 years old! the Sunbeam is 7 years old and both still running strong.
Running them on dehumidify seems more economical than AC, according to my electric bill. This summer I would turn off the upstairs unit for the day when I was at work, only turning it on about 10 PM or when I get home at 11:30. It did a fine job of dropping the room's temperature from the high 80s down to 70F within an hour, making for a cool night's sleep.
Both units have infinitely variable temp settings for AC or humidify.
I like the tall slim robotic droid profile of these two units.
A third unit, a newer 2007 Sears Kenmore 12,000 btu drainless unit stands by for emergency, should one of the other units fail. (I really don't like it's bulk and style) Eventually though it will be the unit for the 30 x 30 foot front part of the peaked attic that comprises the Vacuum Lounge. But its humidify setting is anonymously automatic - it works but I prefer to monitor and dial in my own temp settings. (I think they do this to protect the less-than-robust components) I've been looking at the better looking portable units that appear on the market every year...I mean, I like a flat top that can serve as a plant stand or Cat Roost and so do the cats. A front facing oscillating stream is smart, too
I am completely at peace - even oblivious - over the hum & fan noise they make, in exchange for calm & comfortable hot weather living.
Okay, I'm a heat & humidity sissy.
In the picture it is the white one being tested by the window.
All three units are single hose exhaust, drawing their air from the room they are in. I'm sure the two hose units are more economical as they draw their air from outside and exhaust outside; but I have a basic engineering concern about the intake and exhaust streams so close together...
Dave
