Chuck B
sea-bee
Hi!
I could use some advice on the selection of a quality portable air conditioner that will be used in a bedroom primarily at night, and the main living area on occasion during the day.
My wife and I are the only inhabitants of the cottage on a regular basis.
The dwelling is our lakefront 750 square-foot cottage in northern Michigan. Here are some particulars about the rooms:
Bedroom:
The room is 10’ x 13’
Standard 8’ ceiling
Ceiling insulated with 10 inches of fiberglass.
Three windows all double pane E glass.
Walls are 2 x 4 studs, all insulated with fiberglass and 1/4 inch foam board under vinyl siding which was applied over the original tongue and groove wood siding.
Tongue and groove wood floor (3/4”) with vinyl plank flooring installed over it.
There is a crawlspace under the cottage and has not been insulated yet. There is good airflow under there. Will likely install fiberglass bats between the 24” o.c. joists, or have it foamed in the future but not soon.
We heat with Cadet electric wall mounted digital forced fan heaters.
One window faces the west and gets full sun in the afternoon and the other two windows face north with no sun.
Family Room/Dining Area/Kitchen:
The open concept rooms are 20’ x 15’.
Note: Not a lot of cooking takes place in the cottage during the summer as we grill mostly.
There is a full-sized side by side door refrigerator, and a convection microwave oven over the electric cooktop. No traditional oven, as we use the convection feature of the microwave for baking and roasting on occasion.
Standard 8’ ceiling
Ceiling insulated with 10 inches of fiberglass.
Eight windows all double pane (some with) E glass and a 32” French door with e glass. Approximately 50% of the wall area is covered by windows or a door.
Walls are 2 x 4 studs, all insulated with fiberglass and 1/4 inch foam board under vinyl siding which was applied over the original tongue and groove wood siding.
Tongue and groove wood floor (3/4”) with vinyl plank flooring installed over it.
There is a crawlspace under the cottage and has not been insulated yet. There is good airflow under there. Will likely install fiberglass bats between the 24” o.c. joists, or have it foamed in the future but not soon.
We heat with Cadet electric wall mounted digital forced fan heaters.
Three windows and door faces east, four south, and one north.
Note:
It may be impractical to size a unit for both applications and our primary concern is to cool the bedroom to make sleeping more comfortable during hot humid nights.
But if that is the case please spec out a unit for the bedroom and another for the joined rooms. I understand using a unit that is too big perhaps that will work for the larger area would be too powerful for the bedroom and would cool it but not reduce the humidity as I understand it. And if the unit size is appropriate for the bedroom it could run continuously in a larger area. Is my logic correct?
I am also curious about drain requirements. Aren’t there some units available that don’t require a drain?
Question about venting the hot air. I prefer not to vent through windows and would like to use a dryer type event to connect the hose to for security reasons. Is that possible?
Thank you for your advice in advance. I know I’ve written a book here but wanted to give you as much information as possible.
I am interested in a quality unit and would not purchase simply on price alone.
Thanks again, Chuck
I could use some advice on the selection of a quality portable air conditioner that will be used in a bedroom primarily at night, and the main living area on occasion during the day.
My wife and I are the only inhabitants of the cottage on a regular basis.
The dwelling is our lakefront 750 square-foot cottage in northern Michigan. Here are some particulars about the rooms:
Bedroom:
The room is 10’ x 13’
Standard 8’ ceiling
Ceiling insulated with 10 inches of fiberglass.
Three windows all double pane E glass.
Walls are 2 x 4 studs, all insulated with fiberglass and 1/4 inch foam board under vinyl siding which was applied over the original tongue and groove wood siding.
Tongue and groove wood floor (3/4”) with vinyl plank flooring installed over it.
There is a crawlspace under the cottage and has not been insulated yet. There is good airflow under there. Will likely install fiberglass bats between the 24” o.c. joists, or have it foamed in the future but not soon.
We heat with Cadet electric wall mounted digital forced fan heaters.
One window faces the west and gets full sun in the afternoon and the other two windows face north with no sun.
Family Room/Dining Area/Kitchen:
The open concept rooms are 20’ x 15’.
Note: Not a lot of cooking takes place in the cottage during the summer as we grill mostly.
There is a full-sized side by side door refrigerator, and a convection microwave oven over the electric cooktop. No traditional oven, as we use the convection feature of the microwave for baking and roasting on occasion.
Standard 8’ ceiling
Ceiling insulated with 10 inches of fiberglass.
Eight windows all double pane (some with) E glass and a 32” French door with e glass. Approximately 50% of the wall area is covered by windows or a door.
Walls are 2 x 4 studs, all insulated with fiberglass and 1/4 inch foam board under vinyl siding which was applied over the original tongue and groove wood siding.
Tongue and groove wood floor (3/4”) with vinyl plank flooring installed over it.
There is a crawlspace under the cottage and has not been insulated yet. There is good airflow under there. Will likely install fiberglass bats between the 24” o.c. joists, or have it foamed in the future but not soon.
We heat with Cadet electric wall mounted digital forced fan heaters.
Three windows and door faces east, four south, and one north.
Note:
It may be impractical to size a unit for both applications and our primary concern is to cool the bedroom to make sleeping more comfortable during hot humid nights.
But if that is the case please spec out a unit for the bedroom and another for the joined rooms. I understand using a unit that is too big perhaps that will work for the larger area would be too powerful for the bedroom and would cool it but not reduce the humidity as I understand it. And if the unit size is appropriate for the bedroom it could run continuously in a larger area. Is my logic correct?
I am also curious about drain requirements. Aren’t there some units available that don’t require a drain?
Question about venting the hot air. I prefer not to vent through windows and would like to use a dryer type event to connect the hose to for security reasons. Is that possible?
Thank you for your advice in advance. I know I’ve written a book here but wanted to give you as much information as possible.
I am interested in a quality unit and would not purchase simply on price alone.
Thanks again, Chuck
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