The statement above is the greatest misconception we saw regarding portable air conditioners and it results in a lot of 1-star ratings: people don't realize that, even though a portable air conditioner is not a window air conditioner, you MUST have a window to use a portable air conditioner (although, a sliding door or any other way of venting the exhaust to the outside will do as well). We wanted to make that clear early on, so that, if you don't have the option of venting your portable air conditioner to the outside, you can head on over to our report on fans instead, to find the one that will keep you the coolest. When considering how to cool a home, there are two main options: central air conditioners (which cool the whole house from a central location) and smaller window or through-the-wall air conditioners that cool down individual rooms. We cover both of those types of air conditioners in their own reports, but there's also a third alternative -- a portable air conditioner.

These are similar in scope and cooling capacity to a window air conditioner, but their more modest venting requirements make them easier to install -- especially in rooms where installing a window unit is either undesirable or impossible, such as apartment units where they may be prohibited. The best portable air conditioners can be set up quickly by just one person and can be moved around to cool a different room as needed, although they're still heavy in spite of having wheels. A portable air conditioner doesn't commandeer a large section of the window (like a window air conditioner does), but a portable AC still needs access to outside air. Each portable unit comes with a window kit, which mounts one or two hoses to a small panel that's installed in a window. Some experts prefer the dual-hose style because it provides slightly better performance. says that, while that's true in theory, in practice the difference is actually very slight. In our research, we found that single-hose models often rate as well or better than many dual-hose portable air conditioners, and typically cost less.

All air conditioners, including portable air conditioners, pull excess moisture from the air. This is stored in a water tank that must be periodically emptied (machines will shut down when the tank is full) or drained continually through a hose running outside. Portable air conditioners with a self-evaporative system minimize the need for emptying, though under more humid conditions, the water tank may still need to be emptied occasionally, and more frequently if the humidity is exceptionally high. Some portable air conditioners have dehumidifying functions that pull excess moisture from the air without cooling it. If you are primarily interested in that, we cover dedicated dehumidifiers in their own report. In doing the research for this report, we quickly found that expert reviews of portable air conditioners offer only half-hearted recommendations, and user reviews aren't much rosier. Like window air conditioners and central air conditioners, the cooling capacity of a portable air conditioner is measured in British Thermal Units, or BTUs.

, portable air conditioners aren't held to the same rating standards as window units or central air systems, so there's often a disconnect between their claimed BTU rating and the size of room a portable air conditioner can satisfactorily cool. McCabe notes that even different models with the same BTU rating will vary in their actual cooling capacity.used 10 ton ac unit That means that the disparity between the BTU ratings of window and portable air conditioners renders traditional sizing guidelines somewhat moot. ac outdoor unit sizesInstead, where a 6,000 BTU window air conditioner might be great for a small bedroom, testing shows that you may need to turn to a 10,000 BTU or better portable model to get the same degree of cooling.how does ac split unit work

These performance shortfalls aren't a result of poor manufacturing, but a byproduct of having a unit that's designed to vent hot air to the outside while sitting entirely in the room it is trying to cool (instead of being half inside and half outside). Still, as most experts and users say, if a portable air conditioner is your only practical option, it's a lot better than having no air conditioner at all on a hot summer day., , and others. We considered performance, how easy the portable air conditioner was to set up and use, and how well it held up over the long haul, including the warranty and customer service reputation of the manufacturer. The result is our picks for a portable air conditioner for any size room.When it comes to running a business that relies on storage technology, keeping equipment cool is paramount, as overheating can cause unscheduled shutdowns, system malfunctions, and even complete failures; all of which can result in expensive repairs/replacements, loss of important data, and valuable operation time.

That’s where solutions like Tripp Lite’s SRCOOL7KRM come in. This rack-mounted air conditioning unit effectively blasts 7,000 BTU/h of close-coupled cooling power into highly-targeted areas of IT equipment. To that end, the SRCOOL7KRM is well-suited for heat-sensitive gear used in data centers, server rooms, network closets and other where rack-mounted equipment susceptible to heat. Because it has a small physical footprint, Tripp Lite’s air conditioning unit is also ideal for use cases where floor space is limited. Tripp Lite SRCOOL7KRM Air Conditioning Unit Specifications To help lower power consumption here at StorageReview, we leverage a fresh air cooling system. Our server equipment runs fine under this method, although some devices are more heat resileant than others. Sensitive gear, like our UPS and battery rack can have longevity problems as temperatures pick up. This is where the SRCOOL7KRM steps in, offering an in-rack cooling solution as backup for hotter days.

To help accomplish this, a magnetic sheet is attached to the front door of the rack enclosure, which works to direct cool air to our equipment rather than the entire room. Our long term goal is to have an additional servers and storage array mounted above to benefit from the cooler air as well. Because it targets only a specific area inside a rack enclosure, the SRCOOL7KRM can be more energy-efficient than a freestanding air chiller if you don't need to cool the entire room. In addition, the SRCOOL7KRM can dispose of its own condensate, through evaporation of water sprayed across the hot condensor, removing the need to find a way to drain water away from the unit. The Tripp Lite air conditioning unit can also automatically restart after unexpected power failures, making sure the cooling is in place as other equipment comes back online. Users also have the option to schedule unattended shutdowns and startups via the built-in timer feature. The SRCOOL7KRM sports a plain black 8U chassis, focusing on functionality and efficiency over design, which is norm for these types of devices since they are often hidden away in a room. 

Looking at the front panel of the SRCOOL7KRM shows the vast majority of real-estate taken up by the air filter, which helps keep the air flow clean and free of dust. This filter is permanent (no need to buy replacements) and can be removed for easy cleaning. Above and below the filter are the directional vent/cool air outputs, which can be installed to provide either downward or upward airflow. To the right is the SRCOOLNET2 slot. This is an optional remote management accessory that gives users a handful of useful information and features over an Ethernet network (SNMP, Web, SSH or telnet), such as the ability to monitor temperatures, receive alerts, review logs and control settings. The SRCOOLNET2 also comes with an ENVIROSENSE temperature and humidity sensor, which gives users the ability to link cooling output with temperature readings. On the far right is the digital display control panel, which allows users to manage the AC unit and get quick updates on operating conditions.

This includes a numeric display, operating mode LEDs, temperature control buttons, Fan Speed Mode LEDs, and fan speed, quiet, timer, function and power buttons. Mounting the SRCOOL7KRM is also straightforward and easy, as it works exactly like any other rack equipment that leverages 8U of space. It comes with a 7-foot cord that can be used with any a standard 15A (NEMA 5-15R) outlet. After installation you configure the cooling output to direct cool air up or down depending on if the AC unit is above or below your equipment. Since this is cooling two large UPS units and battery expansions, we opted to mount it on the bottom of the rack, where any possible water leak would drip onto the floor versus into our equipment. In use it has worked out quite well operating in the background. Power consumption has been true to the spec sheet, drawing just over 1000w under load and about 150w in standby where the fans are continuously operating. Measuring the power usage with our Xitron XT2640 Power Analyzer we noted peak startup current hovered around 1,500w for a split second before dropping down to its normal operating range.

The fans remaining on is very important since you block off normal incoming airflow with the magnetic door covers, so it keeps ambient or cooled air always flowing over gear installed in the rack. In our environment, we use a more limited amount of shielding on the front of the rack, just enough to keep the airflow pointed up, but not too much that if the unit ever failed or circuit dropped that airflow would be cutoff from our 24kW UPS array. As we work out a sweet spot of cooling requirements versus power savings, we've been operating the SRCOOL7KRM with a temperature setting of 87F. In practice this has worked out pretty well, where we've been monitoring the UPS during this period. In the following chart we you can see where at 87-88F the temperatures dramatically drop (while the AC unit is operating) and then slowly pick back up after the AC unit turns off when it senses the overall room temperature has dropped to its standby limit. You can also see the section of time where the AC unit was turned off, where temperatures increased above that set limit.

The Tripp Lite SRCOOL7KRM rackmount air conditioning unit is an 8U, rackmount cooling unit designed to cool racked IT equipment. The SRCOOL7KRM uses 7,000 BTU/h of cooling power to cool off heat-sensitive equipment at close range. The AC unit is fairly compact and ideal for places where floor space is limited such as inside of a rack or an IT closet. The unit can be used both to keep heat-sensitive equipment from shutting down or failing and it can potentially lower overall power consumption as it will focus on keeping the equipment that is most sensitive to heat cooler versus cooling down the entire room when a large portion of the equipment can function fine in warmer environments. At StorageReview we have several pieces of heat-sensitive gear in our lab, particularly our UPS and battery rack. To help drive lower power usage, we've been adopting fresh air cooling for most scenarios, although as the heat picks we've turned to efficient spot chillers to offer just the right amount of cooling thats needed, where its needed.