5 Myths About Portable Air Conditioning Units

A portable air conditioner may be just the ticket for delivering that jet of cold air where you need it the most, but there are many misconceptions regarding what these units do and where they can be used. Let’s explore the top myths about portable air conditioners.

Myth #1: Turning a thermostat down to a lower temperature cools the room faster.

Nope. Gradually lowering the temperature on your central AC unit is the best way to go. That way, the AC unit doesn’t have to work as hard. If you lower the thermostat too fast, humidity increases, and that can be a problem in commercial facilities.

Still, every building or office generally has a “hot spot”, a place that just doesn’t get cooled by the central unit. Our spot coolers are portable air conditioners that can be used to cool office or factory hot spots. Many factories use them to cool equipment that often overheats. We’ve also installed units in hospitals that need to keep medical supplies at optimal storage temperature, labs, and many other commercial facilities. Perhaps you need additional cooling for a computer data center to cool server racks; if so, our spot coolers are a perfect solution. Finally, we install them in regular offices during the summer months when the building AC is just not doing the job. And of course, we’ve delivered many of these units in emergency situations when the building’s primary AC unit failed and fast cooling was needed.

These units direct a jet of cool air where you need it the most. Perhaps you are in a situation where you don’t need to cool the entire room or building. With spot cooling, you avoid the cost and discomfort involved and just cool the space you need. The units are easy to set up. They are self-contained and simply roll into place wherever you need them. We offer various sizes and all of them run on a 120V electrical supply.

Myth #2: To be more efficient, run your portable AC at a high temperature when you are not in the office. 

It actually will waste energy if you turn your AC up to a higher temperature while you are gone. Gradual temperature changes are best. We can set a timer on the portable AC to ramp up before you come into the office. This way, your space will be cooled and you will save on energy costs at the same time.

Myth #3: A portable AC will perform optimally no matter where it is placed. 

While our portable air conditioners are very efficient and versatile, there is a lot you can do regarding the placement to optimize efficiency. Don’t place the unit in direct sunlight next to a hot window. This will cause the machine to work on overtime and use more energy. Try not to place the unit next to large electronics that give off heat. However, we do deploy many of these units to cool expensive equipment in jeopardy of overheating. The energy cost you pay pales in comparison to your replacement cost for the other equipment.

Optimally, these units need to be placed in a shaded area away from large electronics. These portable coolers work just like the air conditioner in your home by cooling air as it runs over coils containing a chilled refrigerant. The refrigerant is then run to a compressor, which compresses it to a hot liquid inside a coil. A fan blows over the hot coil to exhaust warm air. The refrigerant is then decompressed, which chills its temperature again and allows it to cool your room. In your home, the compressor is placed outside the house. In a spot cooler, the compressor is inside the spot cooler itself and the warm air is discharged through a tube or duct. The duct can be run outside of the building, or in many cases, it can vent into a drop ceiling to get the warm air out of your room. As the spot cooler chills the air, it will also remove moisture from it.

Our portable air conditioners are very easy to use and maintain. They roll right into place and plug into a standard electrical outlet. The units all pull moisture out of the air, and you will periodically have to drain a condensation tank, but that is easy to do. All of our coolers have digital controls that make it easy to set the temperature and blower speed, and most units come with remote control.

Myth #4: Only large spot coolers are available, and I have a small space to cool. 

At Preferred Climate Solutions, we offer a wide range of energy-efficient, easy to use portable air conditioner units. All are world-class compact and reliable coolers that cool areas as small as 250 square feet to areas as large as 2,100 square feet. Our units range from 10,000 to 83,000 BTU units that we can deliver 24/7 to fit your needs. We offer on-site delivery, set up and pick up when you’re done, and quite often, a single spot cooler can do the job for the client. If you’re not sure what you need, we will come out and do a no-cost assessment to get you the optimal cooling solution for your unique space.

Myth #5: There’s no cooling solution for my outdoor event.

Much of what we do is rental of outside portable A/C units that duct cool air into an event space. These units are stackable and can be configured to any special event. Our units range from 5-ton to 25-ton AC units that we can deliver anywhere in Texas with onsite delivery and setup.

We have rented these units for every type of event ranging from corporate retreats to wedding receptions. Many athletic facilities also use these units because they have no permanent climate control system, so they use our units during training season and in the hot summer months.

These units can be used in any outdoor or partially enclosed area. They’re quiet, unobtrusive and they bring temperatures down fast.

Call Us Today

If you know you need cooling but are not sure what the right equipment for the job is, give us a call today at Preferred Climate Solutions and we will help you choose.