Is this air-con unit a good price?

chris112

As i recently moved into a 'new build' block of flats (privately renting) i have quickly learnt how hot it is in here.
Especially as i suffer from heat intolerance due to my underlying illness,

so i need to buy an air con unit and after a call with an online retailer, i was promoted this one:

https://www.aircondirect.co.uk/p/1067750/electriq-silent10-10000-btu-quiet-air-conditioner-portable-for-rooms-up-to-5-sqm

i live in a 2nd floor flat with the sitting room being approximately 25 sqm, which is the hottest room, besides the small bathroom

is this advised air con suitable as i find it hard trusting the true intentions of sales people

if not, what would be more suitable?

living on incapacity benefit means money is tight, so has anyone seen it or something similar for a better price
- i see the refurb 'customer returned' one is £30 cheaper as its just been opened and warranty remains, which i would go for

i have searched online and ebay air con units seems cheaper but im not sure how reliable they would be, compared to a branded retailer + in the event of a warranty claim, it may be more tricky

- am i correct in thinking v.a.t relief would not apply here as the product needs to be specifically designed for disabled people, e.g. a wheelchair

but the only reason im buying air con is how much worse the excessive heat makes my conditon

were

I would not buy it.

I am not sure how effectively it cools room. To cool something you have to remove the heat, then pump that heat energy elsewhere. Like a fridge sucks the heat from the inside to the radiator piped on the outside on its back. Office ones blow the heat into the atmosphere. Other portable ones have radiators you hang out the window. There has to be an exchange of heat, and a barrier between the exchange to cool an enclose space.

Not only is there no barrier, it also consumes electricity which adds more heat. It may cool the outgoing air on one side but the other end will heat the room up. Though by removing moisture will evaporate your sweat making you feel cooler.

This sounds it is more of dehumidifier than an AC. There is another method too cool a room down, and that is to blow air across water (wet surface), and evaporating the water this takes heat energy and with water evaporating will lower the temperature. This unit does not work like that

This is better. it is split into two parts inside bit and outside bit, but may require you to screw things on the wall/ceiling and drill holes http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SPLIT-AIR-CONDITIONER-9000-BTU-ENERGY-CLASS-A-REMOTE-4-SPEED-FAN-WHITE-HOME-/201948840573?epid=1073667100&hash=item2f0516c27d:g:bqcAAOSwOVpXYnX2

You may have got a better answer if you put this in the in 'my home'/diy section. Hopefully someone will move it for you.

chrisw

were wrote: »

I am not sure how effectively it cools room. To cool something you have to remove the heat, then pump that heat energy elsewhere. Like a fridge sucks the heat from the inside to the radiator piped on the outside on its back. Some office ones blow the heat into the atmosphere. Other portable ones have radiators you hang out the window. There has to be an exchange of heat, and a barrier between the exchange to cool an enclose space.

Not only is there no barrier is this, it also consumes electricity which adds more heat. It may cool the outgoing air on one side but the other will heat the room up. Though by removing moisture will evaporate your sweat making you feel cooler.

This sounds it is more of dehumidifier than an AC.

I cant comment on the unit itself or the price, but it does come with a window vent kit to avoid the problems above:-

'The window kit is only designed to be installed with sliding or sash windows and not to be used with any other style of windows. However the fishtail adaptor can be used with most windows / doors to vent the unit. When venting in the cooling mode ensure that the opening left is as small as possible.'

another_casualty

I used to have ceiling fans in my last place . Very good. The only thing there is that you must remember to dust regularly .
Good suggestions above tho .

fwor

chrisw wrote: »

I cant comment on the unit itself or the price, but it does come with a window vent kit to avoid the problems above:-

'The window kit is only designed to be installed with sliding or sash windows and not to be used with any other style of windows. However the fishtail adaptor can be used with most windows / doors to vent the unit. When venting in the cooling mode ensure that the opening left is as small as possible.'

It's true that this type of cooler has an external vent attachment, and this is obviously essential to get rid of the hot air - but the problem is that all this does is to create negative pressure in the room. The result is that warm air seeps in from outside the room and makes it much less effective.

As Were says, you really need a proper split system.

However, I would recommend that you first check there are no restrictions on what you can put on the outside of the building - as you may find that hanging an aircon unit on the outside is not permitted due to a restrictive covenant.

were

chrisw wrote: »

I cant comment on the unit itself or the price, but it does come with a window vent kit to avoid the problems above:-

'The window kit is only designed to be installed with sliding or sash windows and not to be used with any other style of windows. However the fishtail adaptor can be used with most windows / doors to vent the unit. When venting in the cooling mode ensure that the opening left is as small as possible.'

You got me, I did not see that venting kit, plus 1.5m pipe - bit skimpy. The other problem with these is that when the water tank get full it stops (or the water will overflow). This leaves you emptying a 5 litre container (if the container is 5 litres) multiple times a day "Max dehumidifying: 28.8L/24h" because there is no water drain. My dehumidify has a water drawer that contain about 5 litres and during summer had to empty it 4 times a day.

I have used split units a good few times and they have been great.

if the window is a sash type then you could dangle the pipe outside and block the gap with plastic sheet and blankets, but there are very few sash widows these days, and hot air will enter through the other gaps around the window

Frozen_up_north

I have a similar unit, think it was £169 from Homebase a few years ago. While it works to a limited extent, the cooling is nowhere near as effective as a proper air conditioning unit.

As others mentioned, the problem is how to vent hot air without sucking warm air in from elsewhere. The exhaust vent pipe is quite hot and radiates heat in the room too. Just poking the "elephants trunk" out of an open window is pretty ineffective - especially if the wind is blowing from that direction. I made an adapter from thin plywood to blank off an open window to avoid "blow back" of the hot exhaust air, but even with that its hard to cool a small room by more than a couple of degrees.

At a friend's Spanish villa, they had a single a/c unit installed for less than €700 (the wall mounted type with an external fan/radiator unit). I know you are unlikely to get something similar installed in the UK for that price (around £650), but their Panasonic a/c unit is really good.

Hfranco2018

Installing a mini-split in your home is one of the best decisions you'll ever make. They are quiet, discrete, and arguably the most efficient way to control the climate in any home.

DCFC79

Hfranco2018 wrote: »

Installing a mini-split in your home is one of the best decisions you'll ever make. They are quiet, discrete, and arguably the most efficient way to control the climate in any home.

Thread is from last year you know.