What are your options if you cannot vent a portable air conditioner from a window, how a ventless portable unit could work, and the importance of venting units?
Are you looking to own a portable air conditioner (AC) but are wondering if all portable units need to be vented outside a window?
The simple answer is no. Venting a portable air conditioner does not always mean that it needs to be done out a window. There are other ways of venting a portable air conditioner that does not require a window.
In the case where you honestly cannot use a portable unit that comes with an exhaust hose for the ventilation process, you can opt for a ventless portable air conditioner which is also known as a swamp cooler.
It is good to understand the importance of venting a portable unit to get a clearer picture of what this means for your portable unit.
What is the importance of venting a portable air conditioner?
The worst thing that could happen if you do not vent your portable air conditioning unit, is that it will end up failing on you and will be of no use to you anymore.
Since the main intention of a portable air conditioner is cool down a room by drawing in all the hot air and letting out cooler air, if the unit is not being vented, this means that all the hot air will have no place to escape the air conditioner and will remain inside.
This will in turn cause the unit to malfunction, as it will not be able to efficiently cool down the room since hot air is trapped inside unable to escape. At some point, warmer air will be emitted instead of cool.
Ensuring that a portable unit is vented is also important, as the cooling process also involves the extraction of moisture from the air. The more it is humid, the warmer the space is.
However, when a unit is properly vented there will be less humidity, leaving a room cooler. An accumulation of humidity in the room will only lead to the cooling effect of the air conditioning unit to drop.
So, what are other ways of venting a portable air conditioner besides out of a window?
Venting a portable air conditioner from a window is the most common way of allowing the venting process to happen efficiently. It is not, however, the only way to achieve the job.
Venting your portable unit can also be done through casement windows, which are not like the standard window, but rather open up like a door.
To be able to vent through a casement window, you can use a regular window kit to install the exhaust hose of the unit, the same way that you would with a traditional window.
You can also choose to take off a windowpane and replace it with a layer of Plexiglas, where you can make a hole for the exhaust to fit.
A portable unit can also be vented through the wall. This can be done to vent outside or into another suitable room, such as a laundry room or garage. You would need to cut a hole in the wall where the exhaust hose will be able to fit through.
You can seal in the exhaust hose with silicone caulk. A drop ceiling is another way to vent your portable unit through. You would need to add a drop or panel ceiling into a ventilation zone. Just make a hole in a ceiling panel for the exhaust hose to fit.
Another option for venting a portable air conditioning unit but one that is not usually recommended, is to vent through a dryer vent. With this method, caution is advised since dryer vents are sometimes smaller than exhaust hoses. This could mean that the air will struggle to filter out the vent.
Choosing a ventless portable air conditioner if these options do not work for you
Ventless portable air conditioners are also known as swamp coolers and are another resort, should you not want to stress yourself with looking into other ways of venting your air conditioner. A ventless portable air conditioner operates without a vent or exhaust hose.
A ventless unit does not work in the same way as a regular portable air conditioner, instead it works by trapping the heat of the room and converting the water from a liquid form turning it into vapour, in turn cooling down the room.
So, not all portable air conditioners need to be vented from a window, ventless swamp coolers offer the convenience of no venting hose, while there are other options of venting units.