Are This Portable Airconditioners Any Good ?

[nullx8]

well the brandname is the worst already?

but does anyone have any experience with the use of this mobile Airconditioners like this one

http://shoppingonline.bigc.co.th/it-electronics/air-conditioner-aj-pa-001-9000-btu.html?___store=default&___from_store=mainstore_thai

some peoples do say they dont really work, but the risc is quite high that this assumption was made because the hot air was not bring out of the room properly

any insights would be great.

[bankruatsteve]

Looks like a "heat pump" - which will be marginally effective as an air-con and same for heat. Give it a try and let us know how it works out.

[IMHO]

It says it's 9000 BTU - and the 970 watt power draw, and expensive price tag would suggest that's right, so this is an actual airconditioner not a basic air cooler.

The problems with these portable units are:

1. Exhaust hose supplied normally offers no way to expel hot air generated without it leaking back in.

2. The unit itself gets hot, so works against itself

3. The condensate needs to be manually emptied every few hours, or you get puddles on the floor.

4. They're noisy

5. They're expensive to run

I would expect this to compare to 4500 - 6000 BTU split system on performance, so only effective for a room somewhere between 5m2 to 10m2 max.

11,500 Baht would get you a 5-star rated 9000 BTU split-system (10m2 - 14m2) fully installed....

[nullx8]

i tested it in the big-C

the sales staff was not any help at all ...

you are right about the heat issue, its suplied with a Hose for the hot air to get out (somehow) .. so this has been taken care of.

i guess the most peoples just put it in the home and turn it o .. and than it would generate (of course) more hot as cool air.

i was hoping someone had it run != thai style and could give some experience value.

well considering i have to punch a hole in the wall to get rid of the hot air, makes it just as complex to run as a split system i guess. as there have to be made holes as well.

well i dont "own" the house .. so this was something i had in mind.

the noise its generates was not that bad actually.

[meatboy]

b.i.l.has one,eats electric,advised us against buying one.not very often i take advice from a thai but i did this time.

[citizen33]

I have split system units in my house in Thailand, but have two portables in the UK. They are both 9000 btu and work okay in the less demanding UK climate. One requires topping up with water (no it is not a cooler)L the other is more conventional and requires no topping up. Getting the hose to take hot air outside is probably the biggest problem. One of mine came with an adapter that can be built into a wall, but I have used a window adapter instead (just a block of foam with a hole cut out). I have not had any problems with overheating with either unit. It is possible that the running costs are high but I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary with occasional use. So I'd say get a split unit as a first choice, but if you have a portable already it will do an okay job.

[Kwasaki]

I wanted a portable for many reasons so we bought what they say was a portable, it run OK but noisey so blocked out any outside noise .

It cooled the room quickly and wasn't that expensive to run but expensive to buy you could buy two fitted units for the price of it, I was very disapointed with the result.

To get it going properly :-

It was best to have it off the ground and drill a hole through the wall to let water out.

You would then have to have 2 large pipes going out of windows with adapters.

It stayed in the room I fix it up in so it wasn't really portable at all, to prepare every room I would of wanted in was just going to be silly.

Air-con in every room now, the very much non-portable unit I have lent to my friend and when his finished with it I am told a shop will give me 4000 baht for it.

[IMHO]

i tested it in the big-C

the sales staff was not any help at all ...

you are right about the heat issue, its suplied with a Hose for the hot air to get out (somehow) .. so this has been taken care of.

i guess the most peoples just put it in the home and turn it o .. and than it would generate (of course) more hot as cool air.

i was hoping someone had it run != thai style and could give some experience value.

well considering i have to punch a hole in the wall to get rid of the hot air, makes it just as complex to run as a split system i guess. as there have to be made holes as well.

well i dont "own" the house .. so this was something i had in mind.

the noise its generates was not that bad actually.

If you don't own the house, speak to the landlord. Some will be happy to let you install a split system, so long as you patch the holes when removing. Some might even be willing to go 50/50 on it even (assuming it stays).

Cheap split systems cost 1 Baht/BTU to buy, and installation ranges from 1,000 to 2,500 THB, depending on difficulty and parts needed.