A portable air conditioner is an air conditioner that is designed to cool a dedicated area as opposed to an entire building (like central ACs do). They are ideal for cooling a single room such as a bedroom, living room, office, or studio apartment. Portable ACs sit on wheels for easy portability. Honeywell Portable Air Conditioners come with a convenient window kit and exhaust hose that can be quickly installed in your window or door (door may need extra door extension kit).

The most important consideration is the unit’s BTU (British Therma Unit) rating. The larger the room, the higher the BTU requirement. Below are some general guidelines: Square Footage BTU Rating (ASHRAE) 250-350 -> 8,000 350-450 -> 10,000 450-550 ->12,000  550-700 -> 14,000 Remember to consider factors that can affect the number of BTUs required to cool your space, including number of windows, level of insulation, presence of heat-producing appliances, ceiling height, and number of people occupying the space.

The main difference is the way the exhaust hoses operate on a single- versus dual-hose configuration. In a single-hose portable AC, warm air is pulled from the room, runs through the AC compressor and refrigerant system to cool down, and the heated air and moisture is exhausted through the hose outside. Dual-hose portable air conditioners have two separate exhaust hoses. One draws air in from the outside while the second hose expels the heated air and moisture outside. This dual hose system prevents cool air produced by the AC from being exhausted out of the room, a situation that can occur with single-hose portable ACs, making single-hose ACs less efficient at cooling a room. Single-hose portable air conditioners are lower cost to purchase and still an effective option for smaller rooms with good insulation and fewer warm appliances. For larger rooms and more demanding cooling situations, a dual-hose portable air conditioner may be the preferred choice as they generally cool faster and more efficiently than their single-hose counterparts. Please note that when you buy a dual-hose portable AC, it can easily be modified to be a single-hose unit (by removing one of the hoses) for less-demanding room environments.

The basic difference between a portable air conditioner and other types of air conditioners is that portable ACs do not require permanent installation and can be moved from one room to the other. Portable ACs can be a less costly investment compared with window ACs as you can purchase one instead of needing multiple units for each room. Window ACs are also fixed and cannot be moved, so there is no flexibility in using them to cool different rooms. Compared to central air conditioning, portable ACs help save energy as you can cool only the rooms you need, whereas central air conditioning is set up to cool an entire home or building. Central AC is also a much more costly investment to purchase and install compared to portable ACs.

While some units produce over 60 decibels—the sound level of a busy office—many models produce as little as 52 decibels, the same amount as a normal conversation. If you would like to decrease the sound coming from your portable AC, first try placing the unit on a level floor. If you have made sure the floor beneath the unit is flat but you would still like to make it quieter, you can put a small, low-pile rug underneath.

Air conditioners, including portable air conditioners, are complex machines and heavy power users. However, energy savings can lie in your usage of the technology. Choosing to cool down a single room with a portable air conditioner rather than switching on whole-house central air could result in significant cost savings.

The EER rating is the ratio of the unit’s cooling capacity to its power consumption. The higher a portable AC’s EER rating, the lower your electricity costs will be for the same amount of cooling. The CEER rating is the ratio of the unit’s cooling capacity to its power consumption while in use combined with its standby/off-mode power consumption. It combines a portable AC’s power output during performance with the energy it uses when it is not operating. As with EER ratings, the higher the number, the more efficient the air conditioner is.

Air conditioning units demand a lot of energy, so they should not be paired on the same electrical outlet with other similar high-consumption devices. Always plug the unit into an available electrical outlet. Never use an extension cord to power your portable air conditioner.

It is possible that mold or mildew has started to grow in your portable AC’s water tank. Drain the water from the tank, then clean it out with warm water and a mild detergent. Rinse the tank with clean water, drain it again, and refill.

Make sure electricity is flowing to your portable AC. Check that the power cord is not damaged and that it is plugged in correctly.  If there does not appear to be a problem with the cord, try plugging into a different outlet or resetting the circuit breaker.  If you are trying to turn on your portable AC with a remote control, change the remote batteries.

Before using the dehumidifier, place it upright for a minimum of 1 hour to allow the refrigerant to stabilize.

The TP Series Dehumidifiers (TP30WKN/TP50WKN/TP70WKN/TP30AWKN/TP50AWKN/TP70AWKN) do come packaged with a drain tube for continuous drainage. You can attach a standard garden hose for continuous drainage, but because the continuous drainage feature relies on gravity to pull the water condensation through the hose, it cannot be too long, or the water may collect inside the hose or return to the unit. This is standard for most gravity drain dehumidifiers. Therefore, if the hose is longer than about 1 meter, it must be positioned vertically downward below the height of the dehumidifier. You can also buy the Honeywell TP70PWK with Built-in Drain Pump, which would allow for another 5 meters as the pump helps to push the water out.