3 Features To Look For When Choosing A Portable Air Conditioner
Portable air conditioners come with a range of features that can help you decide what model you want for your hard-to-cool room. The features range from much needed functional improvements to nice but not required lifestyle improvements. Can't decide on a model? Contact an air conditioning services company for more information and advice.
Programmable and Other Control Features
Easy-to-use controls and safety settings can make your portable air conditioning experience much more convenient and functional. Look for units that have programmable settings that allow you to turn on the unit at certain times of the day, such as an hour before you come home or at the hottest part of the day. Controlled operations can keep your energy costs low and minimize the wear and tear on your portable unit.
You might also want a unit that has an auto shutoff feature that minimizes the amount of time that the portable air conditioner can run. Some units also have an auto-reset feature that will turn the unit back on to its most recent setting in case the power supply would become briefly interrupted.
Want even more convenience? Choose a unit that does all of these things—and has a function-packed remote control.
Dehumidifier Setting
Do you live in a humid area and have difficulties keeping that humidity outside of the house? Consider investing in a portable air conditioner that has a dehumidifier setting. The dehumidifier can pull moisture out of the air and store the excess in a drain pan inside the unit.
The presence of the dehumidifier does require you to drain the water of the unit occasionally or the water can spill out and cause damage. There should be a drain valve on the rear or side of the unit that you can open to drain the water out into a sink. How often you drain the unit depends on the level of humidity, but you can start with checking it at least once a month and then adjust your timeframe accordingly.
Fan and Furnace Settings
Many portable units come with a fan setting, which allows you to keep the air circulating in the room after the cooling has already completed. But you can look for models that have oscillating side vents to better ensure that the air is stirred throughout the room.
Do you need the hard-to-cool room to have a heat source in winter? Some portable air conditioners also work as a space heater. Heat rises naturally so having a small unit on the floor can heat up a room just as well as a vented HVAC system. For more information, contact a company like JV Systems Air Conditioning And Heating of Tampa Bay Inc.