Below is a list of frequently asked questions regarding portable air conditioners and mobile air conditioning units, simply click on the link to see our answer.

What Portable air conditioners do you stock?
What is a BTU?
What is the Energy Efficiency Rating?
Will my dehumidifier work in a cold room?
What is the difference between manual and electronic controls?
Could you explain the difference from between electric heat and a heat pump?
What are EER and SEER Ratings?
What is a chassis and do I want one that slides out?
How do I determine the noise level?
What are air flow and output options?
What are fan settings?
How do I choose a mini split air conditioner?
Do some mini split air conditioners have heat?
What is dual zone and triple zone?
What size air conditioner do I need?
How often should I clean the filter?
Is a portable air cooler and a portable air conditioner the same thing?
How should I store my Air Conditioner when it is not installed?
How does the window kit work?
Do portable air conditioners collect water?
Are portable air conditioners used to cool computer server rooms?
What happens if I buy an Air Conditioner smaller than needed?
What is the lowest room temperate possible with air conditioning units?
Can air conditioning systems be self installed?
Are faults common with air conditioning units?
How much noise do the monobloc units make?
What power supply is needed for portable air conditioning units?
Isn’t it a security risk to leave the windows open?
How much of the summer will we need air conditioning?
Why should our office need cooling now, when it hasn’t before?
What is Energy Labelling?
Can I catch legionella from my portable air conditioning?

What portable air conditioners do you stock?
We stock a high quality, good value range of portable air conditioners, evaporation coolers, humidifiers and mobile air conditioning units.  View our full range of air conditioners

What is a BTU?
BTU stands for British Thermal Unit. It is the industry standard unit of measurement for heat quantity. 1 BTU is 0.293 watts (0.29296875) 1 watt is 3.412 BTU

What is the Energy Efficiency Rating?
The EER, or Energy-Efficiency Rating, measures the air conditioner's energy consumption and efficiency. A high EER rating means less energy is being consumed.

Will my dehumidifier work in a cold room?
A dehumidifier will not operate satisfactory in a room that is below 18°C. At this temperature it will become necessary to operate the dehumidifying coil below freezing temperatures in order to reduce the relative humidity to a reasonable valve. Frost on coils usually will appear.

What is the difference between manual and electronic controls?
Basically, this is as simple as a digital display for knobs. Keep in mind that you must have electronic (digital) controls to use a remote control.

Could you explain the difference from between electric heat and a heat pump?
When a unit says that there is electric heat there is a heat strip in the unit that uses the fan to distribute the heat. Electric heat is meant to subsidies an existing heat source.

What are EER and SEER Ratings?
The Energy Efficiently Rating (EER) is determined by The Air Conditioning and Refrigeration that equals the ration of cooling capacity in BTUs to the power input in watts. This rating determines the state of the air conditioner when it is up and running. Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating (SEER) is commonly used to measure central and ductless air conditioning. All air conditioners must have a SEER rating of at least 10 to be sold in the United States.

What is a chassis and do I want one that slides out?
A chassis is the guts of an air conditioner. When the air conditioner is described as fixed that means that the chassis does not slide out.

How do I determine the noise level?
All air conditioners will make some sort of noise however the air conditioners on the market have been engineered to be quieter than older units. Mini split air conditioners are the most quiet since the compressor sits outside

What are air flow and output options?
This determines how you can move the vents to determine where the air flows in your room. Air deflection means that you can move the vents to the side and up and down manually.

What are fan settings?
Air conditioners come with many levels of setting some just come with two settings (on and off) or with more like low, medium, and high.

How do I choose a mini split air conditioner?
Like all air conditioners you need to know how many BTUs you need to cool the area you are trying to cool. You also need to consider the number of air handles that you need normally one air handler per room is what you would need but, if your office or home has open areas you may be able to cool multiple rooms.

Do some mini split air conditioners have heat?
Some through the mini split air conditioners have electric heat strips and a few have heat pumps

What is dual zone and triple zone?
Dual zone means that there are two air handlers and triple zone means there are three air handlers. It is best to get an air handler for each room you are trying to cool but, if you are trying to cool open areas that consist of more than one room you may be able to use one air handler just make sure the BTUs are enough to cover the square foot area of all of the rooms.

What size air conditioner do I need?
The cooling capacity of an air conditioner is measured in British Thermal Units (BTU), and the capacity you require depends mostly on the size of the room you need to cool. If you buy an air conditioner that is to small for the room it will not cool adequately. If you buy one that is too large, the air conditioner will cool the room before it dehumidifies and this can leave you feeling clammy. For larger areas, sometimes two smaller units are more efficient than 1 large unit. View our information on 'Calculate the right-sized air conditioner for your needs'.

How often should I clean the filter?
To ensure maximum cooling capacity and efficiency you should keep the filter clean. During peak usage times the filter should be inspected on a weekly basis to make sure that it is not clogged with dust.

Is a portable air cooler and a portable air conditioner the same thing?
No they are not the same. Air coolers use water and evaporation to cool much the same way a swamp cooler cools. Only the direct air stream is cooled (10-15 degrees) and generally air coolers cannot cool the ambient air in a room. Portable Air conditioners use a compressor/Freon to cool and are much more effective in cooling rooms and at keeping the humidity low.

How does the window kit work?
The foam window kit simply is cut to fit most any slider or up-down window in your home up to 4 feet. The window is then closed against the foam to seal the air from the outside, the exhaust hose then is fit through a small cut-out in the foam. Installation takes about 5 minutes and this allows for easy portability from window to window. For windows larger than 4 feet, simply purchase extra foam at the local DIY store.

Do portable air conditioners collect water?
Most portable air conditioners condensate water as they are cooled, this water is then contained in a internal water reservoir.

Are portable air conditioners used to cool computer server rooms?
This is one of the most common uses of a portable air conditioner! Even in small computer rooms, a 12000 BTU unit should be purchased due to the extra heat produced. Moreover, the portable AC will help keep the air dry and more suitable for computer application.

How should I store my Air Conditioner when it is not installed?
It is best to store the unit right side up. If the unit is stored on it's side, or other than right side up, it is necessary to place the unit in the right side up position for at least 24 hours prior to turning on the power. This allows the freon and compressor oil to move back to the proper position. If this precaution is not taken, the unit will not function properly, and compressor damage may result!

What happens if I buy an Air Conditioner smaller than needed?
An Air Conditioner is actually refrigerating the air passing through the unit. It is taking heat from the room, so whatever the heat load, the Environment in the room will be improved. When the heat load is greater than the units cooling capacity , it will be acting as a comfort cooler or spot cooler, taking heat out of the room but not actually reducing temperatures. To cool the room properly you may need to consider a second unit. How low can I make the temperature? There are limits to how cold the room temperature can be made. When operating in a suitably sized room most Air Conditioners will cool to around 21°C. portable Air Conditioners are designed for peoples comfort. The ideal summer temperature for most people is around 21 – 24°C.

What is the lowest room temperate possible with air conditioning units?
Most air conditioning units support temperatures as low as 19°C, but a more comfortable setting is around 21°C. Low temperatures can have a detrimental effect on the air handling unit causing it to freeze.

Can air conditioning systems be self installed?
With smaller mobile units or portable systems this is possible; it is merely a case of positioning and plugging them in.

Are faults common with air conditioning units?
The single most common fault is blocked drains resulting in dripping water. The amount of moisture removal that air conditioning units can accomplish in the damp British climate is considerable. Luckily however most are very simple to clear and then flush through with detergent. Household bleach is an excellent cleaner, in diluted form, to flush the drains and condensate tray with.

How much noise do the monobloc units make?
Most portable air conditioning units have a choice of fan speeds. At the higher speed the fan noise would normally be lost in the background noise of a busy office. At lower speeds the unit is scarcely audible

What power supply is needed for portable air conditioning units?
A normal 13 amp supply from a wall socket. An extension lead can be used to a socket if none is available close by.

Isn’t it a security risk to leave the windows open?
The warm air hose is flexible and as temporary air conditioning is not needed at night most people turn off the unit, withdraw the hose and close the window. It is simple to put it back in the morning.

How much of the summer will we need air conditioning?
This depends on your building and the equipment in it. The inside temperature of an office, in the afternoon, will commonly rise to between 4°C and 8°C above the outside temperature so most offices would benefit from cooling for at least part of the day for much of the time from May to September.

Why should our office need cooling now, when it hasn’t before?
The increased use of PCs and other electronic office equipment now provides more unwanted heat. Virtually all electricity consumption inside the building ends up as heat. The mean summer temperatures are rising. Four out the last 10 years in London have been some of the hottest on record.

What is Energy Labelling?
Energy labelling is a new way of allowing consumers to easily compare and rate the efficiency of air conditioners and systems, similar to that used for domestic appliances such as fridge's and washing machines etc. For more information view our 'Energy Effeciency Rating' page.

Can I catch legionella from my portable air conditioning?
It is highly unlikely, you are more likely to catch it from a shower head in a hotel room that has not been used for a long time. But, legionella can be caught from the aerosol spray of infected cooling towers of larger, older and poorly maintained building air conditioning systems.