Is a 14,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner Always Best?

Is a 14,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner Always Best

?

It's usually better to have and not need than to need and not have. It definitely is with portable air conditioners. Not having adequate cooling power is frustrating and expensive. Most people seem to get that. But on the other hand the answer to the title is "no". It is surprising how many calls I get from people who want a 14,000 BTU portable air conditioner, but don't know how big their room is, and haven't thought about the heat load in the room. I'm glad they call, because getting the right tool is basic for any job, including cooling, and they need help! Because overkill on power is usually unnecessary and again, expensive. One really needs to consider these issues when looking for the best unit.

For most manufacturers of residential units, the 14,000 BTU portable air conditioner is their most powerful. They generally range from about 8000 up, often in 2000 BTU increments. The BTU rating is criticIt's usually better to have and not need than to need and not have. It definitely is with portable air conditioners. Not having adequate cooling power is frustrating and expensive. Most people seem to get that. But on the other hand the answer to the title is "no". It is surprising how many calls I get from people who want a 14,000 BTU portable air conditioner, but don't know how big their room is, and haven't thought about the heat load in the room. I'm glad they call, because getting the right tool is basic for any job, including cooling, and they need help! Because overkill on power is usually unnecessary and again, expensive. One really needs to consider these issues when looking for the best unit. al because it tells one the cooling capacity of the unit, the higher the number, the more air it can cool in a given time period. The larger the room, the more air, and the more power that is needed. Many manufacturers will list a "maximum" or "up to" square footage in their product description, but be careful with those numbers. It's not quite that simple. Those numbers are derived from testing under ideal conditions, which rarely exist in the real world. Certainly not in my house! One must consider ceiling height and heat producers like electronics and large sunlit windows in the room as well, because high ceilings and heat load increase the work load on a portable ac. One wants to make sure and get a unit powerful enough that it has "cycle off" time, so the unit doesn't run continuously, and that often means moving up in power by one increment over the recommended number. But one need not go crazy with it. There's no need to put a 14,000 BTU portable air conditioner in a 100 square foot room, where 8,000 BTU's would be sufficient, unless it is a server room or has some other massive heat load. As one might expect, the more power, the more expense, and I don't like to see people waste money needlessly.

On the flip side, the last thing one wants to do is undersize. The unit will then run continuously trying to reach the desired temperature. It will not last as long and will run up some pretty high energy bills to boot. Some applications are just too big for a residential unit. Even a 14,000 BTU portable air conditioner is not going to be adequate for a room of say 600+ square feet. A large window or through-wall unit or a mini-split system would be a better choice in that instance. And for business applications there are commercial portable units that are much more powerful.

Another consideration is the heat function, which is basically a reversal of the cooling. In some units, the heat function has a significantly lower BTU rating than the cooling function, and therefore may not be adequate even if the cooling is. So one should take note of that when evaluating different models. The best way is by looking at the specifications, which should have all the information you need to compare, and will also give the actual BTU rating, not rounded up for advertising. And if you have any questions, please call me or someone like me, and we can figure out your needs together. I don't want you making an expensive mistake. Just have a little info (room size, etc.) gathered up first!

POST COMMENT

Factors To Consider When Choosing Industrial Space How To Select The Right Professional Electrician For Your Home Choosing A Work Boot That Is Integrated With The Latest Features Necessity To Buy A Work Boot That Protects Workers From Electrical Hazards Canon EOS Rebel T2i 18 MP CMOS APS-C Digital SLR Camera Tesla Secret - Were We Robbed of Nikola Tesla's Free Electricity? Kodak C180 10 MP HD Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom and 2.4 LCD Screen What you could get from a cast aluminum bench Fujifilm FinePix J40 12.2 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3-Inch LCD Canon PowerShot S95 10 MP Digital Camera Canon PowerShot SD1300 IS 12.1 MP Digital Camera In October Oaks air conditioning heating tilapia (Map) Advantages of the Electric Poker Shufflers