Portable Air Conditioner--any Good?
I'm considering purchasing a DeLonghi "Pinguino" portable air conditioner (it's on wheels; does not get installed in the window). Has anyone had experience with these? Any recommendations or warnings? Thanks.
Answer:
I've only got an ad that ran in a recent WASHINGTON POST newspaper. They list the unit(s) available at Bed Bath and Beyond, Boscovs, Hechinger, Parco, Stansbury Decker, Hechinger, Cummins Appliance, ServiStar and True Value Hardware Stores So far, however, we've been to several Hechinger locations and they never heard of the product! I've emailed the DeLonghi company asking them to tell me where the units are actually available. No response yet. The ad says no installation is required, "just set up the exhaust hose for venting then flip a switch for instant cooling." No model number(s) or prices given. If they really work effectively, this would be the ideal solution for me to use in my studio on the top floor of my residence (lots of lights and machines generating lots of heat). They have these conditioners in Portland, and they don't really seem all that good to me. They cost almost twice as much as a window mounted air conditioner, and you still have to vent the hot air out somewhere through a long tube. I imagine there may be some instances where this would be an advantage, but portability never seemed to be a strong point of an air conditioner. Once you move it from point a to point b, point a is going to heat up again. I have one, and it works just fine. they cost 2-3 times as much as a window unit of comparable capacity, but are quite handy. In Portland, we only get about a week's worth of days much over 90F. I can move it from my home office to the bedroom as needed (I suggest using two people to carry it up the stairs. Being able to duct out the window is nice, and any type of window or sliding door will work, and you don't need to look at an ugly window unit all the time. The current units exhaust the condensate with the hot exiting air. A web search should find a discount source. I found mine on sale at Sears.