Anyone tried a portable AC for their shop?

[Griff Murphey]

If you have had good, or bad, luck with one of these, I would appreciate your input. I need more habitability in my workshop...

[Marine A5 Sniper]

They work very well. I have one with remote control that I bought for my pigs. Never had a problem with it.

jt

[Griff Murphey]

Manufacturer and model?

Lucky porkers!

[joem]

I rented them for certain onsite jobs. The hot exhaust air off the condenser needs to be vented away from the work area and a hose to drain the condensate.

[UUURah]

Why? When I built my shop some 7-8 years ago, I bought a window A/C, installed it in 30 minutes, and that was that. It can be installed in a window, a hole in the wall .... just about anywhere.

[BOB LOUGHLIN]

I bought 3 different size units from LOWES. have them in the Ranch house. All work very well and I can turn on the one I need and off as I don't need. Friedrich AC units I think. Bob.

[TomSudz]

I have one here in the house, it takes care of the majority of the 1st floor of the house. During the winter, it's a "table" on the side of the couch. As JoeM pointed out, it does need to be vented, but mine has a hose in the vent that deals with the condensate. The unit comes with a plastic insert for a window, but I replaced mine with one made out of wood that fits better. Mine is made by Amcor, but I don't know the model. If it helps, I know these types of units (portable AC) were being used by the military in Iraq. I don't know what brand or model they were, but it sure was nice to walk into one of the buildings they were in. Of course, if you have a window, UUURah makes a good point and window units are usually cheaper.

[Griff Murphey]

Boring story but the shop is also home to a model RR. The only window NOT blocked by the RR is a critical access opening for track cleaning, etc. so I removed the old dead window unit that was there to allow my slightly larger body better access. For what I need I think the portable should do it just hoping for a tip on a reliable one.

[phil441]

I can understand your problem. When I had my shop built it had no windows on the back side. I bought a window unit from Home Depot and built a reinforced cut-out to fit that particular AC unit. All was well until it gave up. Problem! That model was no longer available and all the new ones required a different size opening. I had to have the old unit rebuilt at a premium over what a new unit would cost.
My advice to folks building a shop......add a regular window to the plan.
For Griff and I, what have you folks found to be a good portable?

[Griff Murphey]

We bought a De Longhi PACN 130HPE at Loews which lists for over $600 but was about $490 with tax. it has no drip technology and heat pump technology, also works as a heater. About a third of the reviews I have read on this one laud them to the skies, a third say it is pretty good, and a third say it is a piece of junk. I have not unpacked it yet. Some of the earlier De Longhis have a reall bad reputation particularly the "Pinguin" model, which there are MANY hot consumer reviews on.The company does not service these things, at least not in an economical, practical way, I
think that they are all made in China and you use them for a few years and toss. The good thing is that when they die they are easy to remove and replace. That is why I built a new window with a dryer outlet.