Portable air conditioner is it worth?

I found that putting a 10lb dumbbell on the top of my portable unit helped dampen the noise a bit – cuts down on the vibration a bit. But yes, they are very loud.

slimc

in General Discussion 4 years and 8 months ago

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Guest User | 4 years and 8 months ago

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Who has a mobile air conditioner, share, pls, feelings, is it worth buying it? I’m interested in reliability, efficiency and noise level.
While stopping at the Whynter ARC-14SH, maybe there are better options?

conorl

in General Discussion 4 years and 8 months ago

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My struggle was finding an a/c unit that could be used in a window that has burglar bars. Thought about building a box around a normal window unit but a/c instruction normally counsel against this. A pass-through a/c around which you can build a box was very expensive. So settled on a portable unit. It’s big. It’s loud. But it does cool my 400sf space. I bought a Whynter too. The thing I find most difficult it a good night’s sleep when it’s running. It does not operate with a steady, consistent hum. It turns on the a/c in short bursts that are louder than when the fan is just running. Hope this helps.

Arkady | 4 years and 8 months ago

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My experience is similar – noise is really disruptive.

nathanjoe755 | 4 years and 8 months ago

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I have two mobile ACs… Both are 4-5 years old and they are both incredibly loud… They do a great job at cooling though. But sometimes I just have to turn it off and swelter just so I can give my ears a break from the near-constant drone…

greenworks | 4 years and 8 months ago

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We had a sharp branded portable a/c years ago that was super expensive but as quiet as normal window unit. We purchased two others over time and one was loud and the other LOUD. SO LOUD.

They dont make the Sharp unit any more but in theory, we’re proof that you can find a reasonably quiet portable unit. Wish I could give you more direction but there is hope.

cammie

in General Discussion 4 years and 8 months ago

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I have two portable ACs (LG LP1419IVSM ) which I swear have solved my problems with storage and noise. This was recommended by NYT’s Wirecutter. I cannot recommend this more. I drove down to Maryland twice in order to get it and that was the best decision I made. It is expensive to purchase – $670 (and possibly not energy efficient, though what AC unit really is?). There are few things that I count as a must for me to live in NYC, and this is one of them. Good luck!

Quoting NYT’s review for 2020 Portable ACs:

“Rather than running only at max speed or nothing, the LG can operate at a continuously variable speed, so the unit has a lot more flexibility in how it reaches a desired temperature in a wide range of temperature and humidity conditions. The LG had the lowest volume measurements on any machines we tested, and other nice (but not unique or essential) features—like compatibility with Google Home or Amazon Alexa, smartphone control via LG’s app, and a remote—give you a lot of options for how to operate it.”