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I'm thinking ahead to summer and need some recommendations for a portable air con unit to keep my workshop/office cool. Heating would be a bonus as I could use it in winter. I would consider a fixed air con unit if these are much better, easier or cheaper to run than a portable unit. I'd like to keep the temperature around 20c degrees in summer so not server room cool or anything crazy. The room is roughly 6.5m x 4m.
A bit of Background. I print t-shirts and other clothing and the printers and ink don't work well when the temperature is too hot or too cold as the inks clog the printheads. The room is in an outbuilding and is very well insulated but has no heating. I use a couple of heat presses in my process so those plus the patio doors which catch a lot of sun means the room gets far too hot in summer. The equipment is down one end so that's where I'd site the air con unit so it wouldn't matter if the other end of the room was a bit warmer.
Thanks.
The trouble with portable units is that on most (if not all) you have to stick a hose out of a window for all the hot air to blow out of. Oh, and they need a bucket for all the condensate to go in which needs emptying regularly (often if it's humid). And they are VERY noisy and not that efficient IMO.
The trouble with portable units is that on most (if not all) you have to stick a hose out of a window for all the hot air to blow out of. Oh, and get a bucket for all the condensate to go in which needs emptying regularly. And they are VERY noisy and not that efficient IMO.
I bought a KYR-25CO/AG 9000BTU for my study last year in the spring - was soooo good when it was hot in the summer. Bit noisy to be honest, but reasonably priced and didn't break. As above you need a window kit to seal the hose to the window. I never emptied the condensate the whole summer!
If you want air con to actually work well and not just make noise and gobble energy it is usually better to have the pump and radiator unit outside and the heating / cooling blower inside. Saves having so much noise and rattle inside too.
These are now available for smaller spaces (like your workshop) but may be marketed as air source or split heat pumps as this is the trendy name for an air con unit.
Not necessarily more expensive than free standing heat pump units that sit in a single column inside with a large pipe to outside.
Example here from a quick search but there will be lots more available:
https://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/eiq-9wminv/electriq-eiq9wminv-air-conditioner?refsource=apadcenters&mkwid=g2yPup1f_dm&pcrid=74492038419412&product=eIQ-9WMINV&pgrid=1191871133740130&ptaid=pla-4578091576062856&channel=bingsearch&msclkid=6585ad287f5c15f0d8f2cd04957e565e&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping_aircon%5Ccommercial%20air%20conditioners&utm_term=4578091576062856&utm_content=Shopping_aircon%5Ccommercial%20air%20conditioners_eIQ-9WMINV