Air conditioner

I don't really understand how these could work.

Most will need to dump the heat outside - or some involve tanks, ice blocks etc.

How do the ones you've seen work?
I'm sure someone will be along shortly with a physics/ engineering background.

I hope someone has more knowledge than I do!

Be very careful, most of these are scams and don't really work. We were fortunate to get our money refunded but there are many of these scams around at the moment.

Too many of those so called air conditioners are just fans. Beware.

A true air conditioner does need to be vented in some way. All the other things on offer just shift air around and are only of any use if they are blowing directly on you. Leaving a fan on in a room does not help.

I looked it all up on ChatGPT l;ast week and this is some of what they said:

The key question is: is it a true air conditioner, or an evaporative air cooler?

1. A proper portable air conditioner (the useful type):
- has a compressor (like a fridge)
- cools the air properly, even when it is humid
- usually needs an exhaust hose out of a window or door
- may collect water, but often it evaporates it through the exhaust (or has a drain)

2. The “water tank” type (often disappointing)

Many cheap units called:

“air cooler”
“mobile heater cooler fan”
“evaporative cooler”

are not air conditioners. They:

- blow air over cold water/ice
- may feel pleasant if you are sitting directly in front of them
- do not significantly lower the room temperature
can make the room more humid (which can make heat feel worse)

A water tank alone does not mean it is proper air conditioning.

Hope this is helpful.
For your situation (heat, breathlessness, fatigue)

We bought a Which recommended one during the back end of winter - wondering if we were wasting our money.

It has been worth its weight in gold. It keeps the room at a pleasant 21c and costs 20+p an hour to run. Nothing if you have solar. We have sat reading, watching tv etc through the hottest days, feeling comfortable and relaxed.

It has a pipe that vents the hot air out of one of the windows. DH is now busy planning to get something to cover the pipe to stop the heat from it warming the room, and something to fill the gap in the window.

It is a Delonghi. Not sure where we bought it from. Probably Amazon, or whoever had the cheapest offer. Can’t remember the cost either. They are heavy and not really portable about the house. I plan for it to be tucked behind a chair during the winter, or possibly rolled into a cupboard.

If we were younger, I think we would definitely be looking at a permanent unit fitted.

Luckygirl3

A true air conditioner does need to be vented in some way. All the other things on offer just shift air around and are only of any use if they are blowing directly on you. Leaving a fan on in a room does not help.

I looked it all up on ChatGPT l;ast week and this is some of what they said:

The key question is: is it a true air conditioner, or an evaporative air cooler?

1. A proper portable air conditioner (the useful type):
- has a compressor (like a fridge)
- cools the air properly, even when it is humid
- usually needs an exhaust hose out of a window or door
- may collect water, but often it evaporates it through the exhaust (or has a drain)

2. The “water tank” type (often disappointing)

Many cheap units called:

“air cooler”
“mobile heater cooler fan”
“evaporative cooler”

are not air conditioners. They:

- blow air over cold water/ice
- may feel pleasant if you are sitting directly in front of them
- do not significantly lower the room temperature
can make the room more humid (which can make heat feel worse)

A water tank alone does not mean it is proper air conditioning.

Hope this is helpful.
For your situation (heat, breathlessness, fatigue)

Luckygirl3, thanks for this. We have been talking about an evaporative cooler - we had the experience of an American friend some years ago who had one (I seem to remember it's called a 'swamp cooler' there). It worked very well in my memory but my memory, like every other part of my body, is failing .

Maybe it depends highly on the quality of the machine.

Those evaporative ones that run on water have to be topped up a fair bit . The wall mounted ACs are best. You can get reverse cycle ones which heat in Winter and cool in Summer but you have to have them installed. You choose the temperature you want.