YES I love them ... Well only the Sharp lineup because they are the only ones under 38db... I keep the house around 80 degrees but 3 of my rooms are regulated by portable a/c units 3 Sharp units like this CV10NH or CV-P10MX.. It's great because at night it can get "really" cold around 68... Pros: 1. You don't have to cool the whole house (and with these 100+ degree days it makes a difference on your electricity bill) 2. Run it in conjunction with your current a/c and it will put less stress on your compressor and cool your house faster with more time in between a/c start ups. 3. Set your sleeping temperature quarters they way you like it cold or hot. (Think of it like a personal hotel room) 4. There are more but just read around Cons: 1. Cost because these are not cheap around 250-500 depending where you buy it and if your willing to buy used. 2. If you like total silence then this probably will not work for you.. My family likes the white noise when you sleep.. Think of a refrigerator hum or a fan. 3. Exhausting the Hot gasses will use a window so that might be unsightly for some of you folks. 4. I wrap my exhaust hose with towels and use extra insulation on the window panel. I'm planning on getting a Ductless system to perform the same task but those guys are EXPENSIVE around 4-5K for 4 units. (Mitsubishi Mr. Slim Brand). Have to save up money. If you really think about it though it makes sense only to cool the areas your going to use.. Especially at night - 8 hours in 1 room? Why cool the whole house?
I have 1 in my room. It works great and cools the room extremely fast. The only con, to me, is mine makes the same noise a regular ac unit makes when it turns on and shuts off. It took some getting used to, as that noise would wake me up when it turned on and off.
We used one of these when we visit relatives in Hawaii (most homes in Hawaii do not have a/c). Due to the humid environment, we would have to wake up in the middle of the night (due to the unit shutting off) and empty the condensation tank. The unit would accumulate about half a gallon of water each night. So if you're using it in a humid environment with no other air conditioning going on, you'll probably need to do the same.
Actually the more recent portable a/c units do not do that anymore.. The Sharp lineup actually removes the condensations through some evaporation method which then leaves through the exhaust system.... But you should check before you buy if the unit has that capability.
I was looking into buying one, but they were pretty expensive. I bought a small window unit at Conn's instead for 100$. It works great.
I wanted to buy a window unit but I have burglar bars on my window and I don’t really feel sate if I unlock the bars. any tips for this?
I have horizontal sliding windows which posed a little problem in installing, but I used a piece of plywood and insulated the hell out of it. As far as burglars go, I screwed the ac unit to the plywood and the plywood to the window frame, so if burglars want take the ac unit or kick it in, they're gonna have to knock the whole window frame out. The ac unit is not going anywhere. LOL
Whoops, just noticed you were asking about portable units. I had one at my last place and it worked pretty well, It was made by haier and I bought it walmart online for about 350.
My wife and I purchased the DeLonghi that Sam's carries ($280) for our visits to the parents-in-law. It is the evaporative kind, that you run the tube to the window. If it is really humid, it'll still catch condensation in the trap that might have to be emptied every few weeks, but for the most part the evaporation process works well. You have to be careful on the DeLonghis though. Earlier models reportedly are terrible and leak. The current model they sell at Sam's is great, however. As for the unit's performance, it made our room like an ice box.
I bought one for our bedroom when my wife was 6 months pregnant during a Seattle heat wave. It's not as hot in Seattle as it is in Houston obviously, but without A\C, it can get pretty damn hot inside, especially with the sun out until 10 at night. It was great to have a super cool room that we can take refuge in. After our daughter was born, we bought a second unit the following summer for the kids' room. They work great, but you do have to clean them and drain the water out of the periodically.
Outside Spoiler inside Spoiler I have a piece of pink insulation foam board behind the plywood for extra protection.
Several people have mentioned AC Window Units, which I believe are different than what the OP is asking about, which are Portable AC units. Like this: http://www.amazon.com/DeLonghi-PAC-..._4?s=appliances&ie=UTF8&qid=1314384875&sr=1-4
