apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Air-conditioners that do not sit in the window (save for central ac systems) are NOTORIOUSLY inefficient and poor at cooling -- even the dealers are never very encouraging. And my own instincts on multi-purpose appliances is that they are to be avoided -- they never do one or even both tasks well. I would get a window ac and a small space heater you can stow away when not in use. BTW -- do you need supplemental heat? Most NY apts are overheated!

... just clicked through link to product info -- ouch -- is that expensive or what? Another strike against portable ac units!

I agree with Frank. Heat pumps (appliances) are essentially A/C's flipped around, cycle reversed. So why not have one unit and flip it around with the seasons? Because an efficient A/C is generally an inefficient Heat Pump and vice-versa. According to an engineering professor of mine a few years ago anyway.

I bought a portable heater and air-conditioner 2 years ago for about $900. I ended up selling it on Craigslist the following summer. It was too loud and wasn't that great in cooling my bedroom. Also, it was a pain in the ass to constantly have to drain out the pan everyday. I agree with Frank... get a window AC and a portable heater instead.

Good luck!

There are a few chilly apartments left in NYC. I shivered through two winters in a top floor studio before making a compelling series of complaints to the management. Almost by accident, one of the handy men went and took a clamp off the pipe in the kitchen it was suddenly so hot I couldn't sleep at night. And don't get me start on that heater leaking boiling hot water all over...

Anecdotal evidence, but a friend of mine dumped his portable AC because of the annoyance of emptying the water it generated.

does anyone here know anything about minisplit air conditioners? Anyone install one of those?
thanks,
all info appreciated.

I have written about ductless mini splits a few times before:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/good-questions/good-questions-ac-or-the-highway-008412
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/good-questions/good-questions-my-super-wont-let-me-have-an-ac-in-the-bedroom-003560

Thay are as expensive to install as ducted central AC systems because they are not as prevalent here as they are in continental Europe so locak expertise tends to be for ducted stuff. Hence, higher price for less familiar equipment even though they are less invasive to install.

It looks like I may have been looking through the same list of options for my studio last summer. Weary about cleaning out the water, I ended up purchasing a portable air *cooler* and heater in one. the brand is fujitronic. the amazing thing is everyone was trying to purchase the same one at the same time - the evidence was when the first few sites I went to (including ebay) were sold out unexpectantly. It works like a fan with the optional ion emitter but it also comes with cooling packs where you can freeze and put into the system so the air is even cooler. for my studio, it works just fine, but may a bit a little noisier than the fans you can get at say brookstone.

Do these portable units even work? I mean, the heat from the room has to go somewhere. In window units, the air in the room is drawn into the AC, and the heat exchanger dissipates the heat outside, leaving much cooler air to be recirculated back into the room. In refrigerators, it takes the heat from inside the fridge and dissipates it into the kitchen air, leaving you with a cold box and a slightly warmer kitchen. These portable units blow cool air out the front I'm sure, but what happens to the heat? It gets released back into the room behind the unit.

I suppose it works best when you set it up in a room by the doorway so that it keeps that room cool, and dumps the heat into the hallway outside.

WBGuy, I think you have to run a hose out the window or out a door to get rid of the heat.

Re the minisplit: thanks, jamie, except your main complaint seems to be about the price. If you go to the Mitsubishi or fujitsu websites, and type in your zip, you get a list of contractors in your area. I got one estimate already for about $3000, which is within the range of what I want to spend. (I'm getting more).

Aside from price, however, do you have any thoughts? --is one model better than another? - is there any particular feature worth having, such as the dehumidifier option, that kind of thing. Let me know what your experience has been.

I had a Supentown portable AC. Used it for one summer. It "helped" but by no means was it the solution to the problem. Only buy one if you can't put a window AC in your house. I had very small and verticle sliding windows so this was my only option (yes, you do run a hose out the window).
My 12,000 btu portable was about as worthwile as a 3000 window unit.

The window ACs you can buy now are so cheap. And I know for me and most of my friends we have too much heat in the winter so no need for space heaters.

My Stitch n Bitch group met last summer at the T Spot in the Village and it was that damned portable AC that drove us out. It was a sweltering summer and we were in the basement in a space that we were assured was air-conditioned. But the AC was overwhelmed by the space and the weather and sometimes smoke would come billowing out or even hot air but even when it was "working" it could only cool maybe, *maybe* the person sitting directly in front of the unit. Feh.

Having once lived in a sweatbox for a summer, I can tell you from experience that portable AC units are overpriced and inefficient at cooling down rooms. Plus they are generally very big and quite ugly. I ended up selling my $500 model to a neighbor for $100 when I moved out of the sweatbox apartment.

Forget it. I have one in my living room and it is so incredibly loud and if your floors are even slightly uneven ('charming' in my W. Village apartment) then it will be even louder...

Thank you so much for sharing your thought. Guys, some of postings were so hilarious and It makes me laugh hard. LOL

It seems like... when it comes down to appliances, there are too many choices and I felt overwhelmed. and Also, everything sounds too good to be true. you know.

I am giving up getting portable AC+heater (anyway it's way too big for my small studio) and I think I will get GE window AC and delonghi radiator. (GE AC is supposely most quiet according to consumer report).

Thank you all!!! again

Hi Diana, I don't have hands on experience with the mini split ductless systems. I just did a lot of research on them when I thought we were going to have to install one in our home plus my sister had the Fujitsu ones in her place in Greece when she lived there.

They really are a great solution if you have a place for that compressor. We would had to have built an external metal walkway on the back of our apt building to allow for servicing. Our apt was on the fourth floor and you typically can extend the lines from the compressor to fan/evaporator units no more than about 100 feet.

If you can do that then you get the efficiency of a single compressor for multiple rooms and also the quietness of a central ac unit.

You can't go wrong with Mr Slim and the Fujitsu units that my sister had had been going strong for a few years. Can't tell you anything about the Korean manufactureres (LG, Samsung) but their electronics and appliances seem very good.

Oops, forgot about the dehumidifying option.
By design, AC units dehumidify as they cool so you should not need this unless you want to dehumidify and not cool.

thanks -- I do, in fact, have a place for the compressor -- so Mr. Slim it seems it will be.
I'm guessing all the fancy options aren't worth it but they appear to be unavoidable for those of us in search of the highest possible SERE.

As a owner of 7 mini splits I can tell you that they can be accomodated almost anywhere. The best compressor is Trane by far the quietest is daikin. The inside console the best being fujitsu since they are futuristic and their louvers moved up and down plus side to side. They maintenace is a hassle though. The humidity feature is nice since you do not need the unit to be cooling to dehumidify a room. You can instal more than 100 feet since I have two just use a wider tube and more refrigerant. They are quiet and cost more than window AC but let you use your space better, since the console is high on a wall. Be careful with what you have below the console, water leakage sometimes.