Mo-Jack wrote:DrewsBrews wrote:The issue with the "portable" units is they typically have only a vent for the condenser exhaust, and no outside intake for it. Same issue as having a window unit mounted flush at the back: It draws the inside air that was just cooled and dumps it back outside. That air needs to be replaced somehow so you then need to draw hot outside air back in the cabin area. Doesn't make much sense as it is a much less efficient way of cooling. So you need a bigger unit in order to get the same (or less) cooling and use more power doing it.
Isn't this basically what one gets with central air in a home?
Central air isn't all that different from a mini split (macro split?) besides ducting is connected to the evaporator side. The condenser is cooled with exterior air, not interior air like the portable unit. The "inefficiencies" of central air come into play trying to evenly cool every square inch of the home, vs the smaller units that only spot cool areas you need.
Window units are actually pretty efficient.. I think they get a bad rap because people hate getting them in and out of the window, keeping the compressor right there makes them noisy, and the fans aren't powerful enough to circulate in large areas... making for uneven cooling.
