Portable Air Conditioners - Why you shouldn't like them

So, in other words, get the ones with two hoses extracting the air from outside and expelling hot air on the other hose. Window units are not an option for me on the second floor because the HOA forbids them as they are an eye soar. The portable ones don't have anything sticking out, just held by the window frame.

Most of the inefficiency of a portable AC can be accounted for by simply buying a 2 hose unit, so that the air being exhausted is exterior air, rather than interior air. There are plently on Amazon.

A window unit is still a superior option, but that isn't a viable option for many people.

Good job!

If anyone is watching this 4 years later, please completely re-evaluate this video. This is about older SINGLE HOSE portable ACs. Look into NEWER DUAL HOSE systems WITH inverters. Dual hose existed before as well but the newer dual hose are hose-within-a-hose, it looks like one big vent but two hoses together. And again, make sure it has an inverter; not only does it safe you on power bill but it's way quieter because it's not just on or off in how the compressor works but it can regulate the speed/power much better. They are EXCELLENT. Very efficient! With great cooling capacity as well.

In spain it is impossible to find window units and even harder to find double tube systems

There are two simple fixes for these problems. First, wrap some reflectix around the hose to insulate it so it isn't a heat radiator. Second, add a small opening next to the exhaust at the window. You can put a little flap on it if you like. It will allow air to enter the room at the window and travel a few feet directly to the air conditioner where the suction exists. That prevents hot air coming into the rest of the house. And, the hot air coming in and going directly to the AC and then exiting the room, would not add heating to the room at all.

I have tiny upstairs windows in a cape cod. Hard to find a unit small enough to fit. I got one of these. HORRIBLE! Couldn't cool a 120 sq ft room, door closed, slanted ceiling. And the electric bill sky rocketed. And, yes, it was blowing cold air. I felt like the walls were like a "hot draft". WORTHLESS

Well thanks, I caved and bought a window air conditioner, and realized why portable air conditioners are called portable air conditioners. I hate carrying this heavy, non-portable, 60-pound behemoth across the house and setting it up in a window TWICE A DAY. BUT APPARENTLY, ACCORDING TO YOU THIS IS BETTER THAN OWNING A PORTABLE UNIT, ISN'T IT?!?

I rent cause houses on long island are insane and my place doesnt allow window units cause one fell out and hurt someone. Im stuck with these for now. This makes me sad

The problem is the heavy weight. I’m a 55 yr old female and big window AC units are HEAVY.

I had window air conditioners and replaced them with mini splits. What a difference. Quiet and cools down quickly.

I loved the portable unit when camping. I thought that was what they were for.

Just bought one for my 100sqft room, definitely a game changer, I was roasting every night and couldn’t sleep, now I couldnt be any happier

Good point on the negative air pressure comment. That will also cause the warm outside air getting pulled in to condense on cold surfaces in your walls and could cause mold issues

You say whatever you want, the portable AC I got for my mom's house is AMAZING. There is NO WAY a window unit would cool the entire first floor of her 3 level townhome. She and my sister have disabilities that require them to have access to air conditioning in the summer, or suffer greatly. The portable AC is quiet and feels so good you can hardly tell that the house's central air wasn't on. And at $500, it was was the perfect solution to get them through the summer.

Super informative...thank you!

Another thing to keep in mind is the humidity - since this thing is constantly pushing air from within the room outside rather than recirculating, it does a crap job of dehumidifying since outside air comes in to replace it. Especially in a place like south Texas. I lost power and used one of these on a generator to cool a bedroom. Got down to 72 degrees F... but at about 70% humidity!! Cool and sticky. And it ran incessantly. There's an outlet to drain condensation, and it was nearly empty even after running overnight! I'd take it over nothing, that's for sure, but I agree with the last resort sentiment.

that is an awesome 'thank the phoenicians' shirt, cool video too

Thank you , great information and good presentation … I have a portable only because I can move it from room to room if I needed too.. so it has its place in some circumstance .. but the cost of 4 window units versus one does have a benefit .. but I am not sure how long it would be to get the pay back on 4 versus one . The concept of a central unit has some drawbacks as it cools the whole house while at night you only need to cool your bedroom

I have a toshiba portable ac in my room and it feels ice cold. Its like been inside a refrigerator i love it 😊

Portable AC really sucks. I have two of them, expensive to use and loud and not so cool air

Is ìt avail able in Pakistan give me address to buy it

I have one and it is way better than not having one. Though after watching I have adjusted my hose, so it is as short as possible. It does get pretty hot.

People buying these usually have limited options. Not a helpful video.

Bro, its portable and convenient and here you are talking about it being less efficient. That is just a drawback.

I’m curious what you’d recommend for those with horizontally sliding windows? Also a misconception that could be addressed is that with dual hose portable units if the outside air is polluted (smoke, smog, etc) it is not actively being pumped inside the space rather it is cooling the unit.

The floor standing units can also be DANGEROUS. Like you stated, they create a vacuum in the house. If you have a furnace in your basement that has a dual purpose of making heat and hot water (very common in my area) then, even in hot weather, the furnace will run occasionally to make hot water. If the A/C is on when the furnace is running the vacuum can overcome the draw of the chimney and pull combustion gases into your living space. Luckily I figured this out without killing someone. I don't know why this possibility is not mentioned anywhere in the A/C documentation.

I own two of the stand up portable ac units , use them if my 3 ton central air unit goes down and I have to wait on a technician to come , and each unit will work well to cool a room size of 350 square feet .. I live in Alabama and it’s humid and in the mid 90’s every day from June to October..

I liked this video...who knew heat causes such great coolness!! Anyhoo, I can't use one of those great units you suggest...my apartment gets a cool 104 without a portable air conditioner with a pipe connected to my 7 foot tall window with a very small slidable opening that will only allow the size of a tube without anything but windows that are 7 feet tall and no way to mount a small air conditioner portables are a G*dsend...so while this is a great article for homeowners it is virtually useless for apartment dwellers who can't modify their rentals

I'm not gonna not like something that's keeping me alive until I can afford to upgrade I'm not gonna burn in hll because it's not 100% effective like as long as it turns hot to cold I don't care g.

Great explanation, thank you, you made me think twice about the portable units, a friend of mine recommend the portable unit over the mini split for all the hassle of wiring and tubing.

I rent an all included apartment with a landlord who likes to play games with the A/C in the summer months....I bought one...bracket fits perfectly in the window without having to install hardware....a regular window unit is not an option....I will be cool overnight this summer.

Yeah they may suck but theyre the only realistic option.

Tbh the portable ones look less portable than the window one 😂😂

Midea Duo 14,000 BTU (12,000 BTU SACC) High Efficiency Inverter, Ultra Quiet Portable Air Conditioner, Cools up to 550 Sq. Ft
? this one seems good

The exact moment I realized how these coathanger abortions work (at least, the single hose variety), I knew we were doomed as a society. They are so hilariously, mind-bendingly inefficient and unfit for purpose that they should genuinely be illegal to sell or even own - and it looks like in 2025, they will be. The industry has lacked any kind of energy efficiency regulation on portables (even though window units have had pretty stringent regulation since the 80s if I recall?!?) and has cost cut to the point of "BURN THE EARTH DOWN TO SAVE 13 CENTS ON A SECOND HOSE!!!" off-the-rails capitalism, it's truly dystopian.

What I'm slightly curious about is how the single hose units are able to actually cool at all ... I suspect it's something to do with the condenser running at a higher delta T than the evaporator, combined with the energy that the condensate water takes with it when it dribbles down the condenser in a futile attempt to not make the end user drain the condensate from these bastards, but I'm genuinely not sure how they manage to do anything except turn electricity into a lot of noise and a huge difference in temperature inside the unit that doesn't just cancel out and end up with a room that's 1,000 watts-of-heat-worth warmer. 😂😂

piece of crap have one💩💩💩

I live in a 100 year old stone cottage, i can’t realistically install central air con, these things are my only option

I do think the mini-splits are the way to go for retrofitting a home -- they cover all the bases. But they can be unsightly especially if the piping on the exterior which, to save labour costs, is most common to see.
However, coupled with hefty tax-payer rebates and thus huge demand, the cost of installation has gone through the roof. Plus, lack of product seems to have resulted in low quality units being flogged at huge markups.

For the occasional use during hot-spells here in the PNW, 2-hose portables are fine. The latest ones are with inverters and relatively efficient and quiet.
Even the newest inverter window units are way better than just a few years ago.

..just my 2 cents.

Thank you for this very informative video. Greetings from the Philippines.

Wow, that central ac unit is hovering like an angel

Wow glad i have a dual hose. I was wondering why one hose was warm and one cool. Never thought of there being single hose vs dual.


IDK what you mean by loud. Mine is very quiet, altho it is a Friedrich tbf

Not entirely surprised these are less efficient but this is the only option i have because i have sideways windows

best way is for some one to give me the money to get new sliding windows not swing ones and a lovly air con that fits on the outside wall ither that or stop all the dam hot air our goverment is puting out

Glad to see that you use British Thermal Units to indicate capacity.

I tried to replace my one-hose portable with a two-hose but I can't find even a single one. Past the single hose there's only split and minisplit and I don't think you can just balance the outside unit on a windowsill.

i'm rewatching this years later because my mind was blown (no pun intended) by you explaining how ductless works which feels like magic

The window units are exposed to the elements, rain, leaves, dirt and dust and they grow mold and get nasty.

Put the air conditioner outside set it to heating and put the hose inside the air. Remember to cover the unit from the sun. This works 20x better. It will only push the cold air inside your house.

why dont they sell any window units in the uk