Air Conditioning

SandLake

I am considering buying one of the (mobile) air conditioning units probably from B&Q but don't have a clue as to how good they are

Has anyone any experience of these units?

Inactive

Take a look at this thread;

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1057999

maninthestreet

I have one. They are big, heavy, and tend to be noisy (you really couldn't sleep with one switched on in the bedroom). They do cool a room well, but you have to stick the vent hose out of a window.

vivatifosi

Agree with maninthestreet, they are noisy, but they do cool a room well.

Incidentally I got mine the end of last Summer in the sale for £80 at one of the big B&Q warehouse stores. Don't think I would have paid full price (more than double) for it.

Which Magazine did a review on air conditioning (last year I think) which is well worth a read in the library if you are planning to buy.

moonrakerz

maninthestreet wrote: »

I have one. They are big, heavy, and tend to be noisy (you really couldn't sleep with one switched on in the bedroom). They do cool a room well, but you have to stick the vent hose out of a window.

There is a major problem using a window for the vent hose - well, two in fact.
1. Hot air comes back in the window.
2. The pipe from the A/C unit to the window becomes a very effective radiator and much of the heat the unit has extracted from the room is promptly fed back into it.

Place the unit against an outside wall and cut a hole through the wall directly behind the vent from the unit. You then use a piece of the flexible hose to go from the unit and through the wall. This way you only have 3 or 4 inches of "hot" pipe in the room.
Makes the whole thing much more efficient.

Oldernotwiser

moonrakerz wrote: »

There is a major problem using a window for the vent hose - well, two in fact.
1. Hot air comes back in the window.
2. The pipe from the A/C unit to the window becomes a very effective radiator and much of the heat the unit has extracted from the room is promptly fed back into it.

Place the unit against an outside wall and cut a hole through the wall directly behind the vent from the unit. You then use a piece of the flexible hose to go from the unit and through the wall. This way you only have 3 or 4 inches of "hot" pipe in the room.
Makes the whole thing much more efficient.

Have you ever seen the diameter of the hose from the back of one of these! Do you really want a bloody great hole in your wall for the sake of more efficient air conditioning for the couple of days of British summer? Crazy!

QTC

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Have you ever seen the diameter of the hose from the back of one of these! Do you really want a bloody great hole in your wall for the sake of more efficient air conditioning for the couple of days of British summer? Crazy!

Excepting medical conditions and the like, do you really need air conditioning for the couple of days of British summer?

Oldernotwiser

QTC wrote: »

Excepting medical conditions and the like, do you really need air conditioning for the couple of days of British summer?

Possibly not, although for less than £100 it's quite nice to have.

moonrakerz

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Have you ever seen the diameter of the hose from the back of one of these! Do you really want a bloody great hole in your wall for the sake of more efficient air conditioning for the couple of days of British summer? Crazy!

Yes, I have a 5" hole in my wall, hardly a "b****y great hole". The hole is occupied by the pipe so there is no backdraught. Even if there was, it goes into the unit not the room. There is also a nice neat cowling on the outside of the wall so no backdraught or rain can get in anyway.
If you are going to do a job - do it properly !

I sit in cool comfort in my lounge - who's crazy ?

Oldernotwiser

moonrakerz wrote: »

Yes, I have a 5" hole in my wall, hardly a "b****y great hole". The hole is occupied by the pipe so there is no backdraught. Even if there was, it goes into the unit not the room. There is also a nice neat cowling on the outside of the wall so no backdraught or rain can get in anyway.
If you are going to do a job - do it properly !

I sit in cool comfort in my lounge - who's crazy ?

I've got proper reversible air conditioning units in both bedroom and living room. They provide cheap electrical heating in the winter months as well as quiet, efficient air conditioning in the summer.

I think that you might find that you're wrong about who's done the job properly!

moonrakerz

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

They provide cheap electrical heating

Oh really !

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Possibly not, although for less than £100 it's quite nice to have.

Oh really, really ! :D