Portable Air Conditioner Basics

This guide breaks down the basics of portable air conditioners (including BTU, condensate disposal, dual hose design, modes, controls, and venting)so you can shop smart and save.
Portable air conditioners are a convenient and inexpensive way to provide powerful cooling wherever you need it. Whether you need to provide supplemental or spot cooling to a server room, apartment, office, or just a single room, a portable air conditioner could be the solution you are searching for. Portable air conditioner units offer energy efficient cooling at a fraction of the cost and installation of a mini split or central air conditioner.
BTU ratingPACs are rated in BTU. The greater the BTU of a unit, the more cooling power it has.
0-150 square feet=7500 BTU150-250 square feet=9000-10,000 BTU250-450 square feet=12000-14,000 BTU
These sizing guidelines can sometimes differ from the maximum suggested room size given by the manufacturer, and high heat loads can impair the effectiveness of any air conditioner. Keep in mind that a PAC with too little cooling power will not cool your space adequately, while a PAC with too much power will short cycle, which will burn out the gepressor, and not dehumidify your space well at all.
Condensate disposal methodsAll PACs dehumidify the air that passes through them. The water removed from the air is called condensate. This condensate is collected in a bucket inside the PAC, but different models dispose of it in different ways:
Drip: These PACs have removable buckets that fill up relatively quickly (every 2-8 hours, depending on conditions) and must be emptied by hand.Partial Drip: These PACs evaporate most of the condensate and vent it out the exhaust hose. The remainder must be manually emptied from their non-removable internal bucket about once every 12 hours-several days. A few PACs use an internal bucket and drain pump to pump the condensate out via a small tube that fits inside the exhaust hose.No Drip: Some PACs exhaust all of the water into the air. This feature is nice because it allows you to run the unit without having to worry about water accumulation that must be emptied from time to time.
One hose vs two hosesSome PACs feature a dual-hose design. This design cools the gepressor of the PAC with air from outside your room. This increases the efficiency of the PAC, and also avoids creating a negative air pressure in the room (as single hose PACs exhaust air from your room, causing the room to suck in air from outside). Two potential downsides to the dual tube design exist: if the air outside is too hot (