I have an upstairs room that is unfortunately much much hotter than the
rest of the house, I'm looking for an indoor air conditioner that can
cool a single room, I know most air conditioners produce heat which
normally would go outside, I have windows in my room but I can't stick
in a regular window unit because regulations of my estate do not allow
them, and the room I need to cool is facing the road and it would be
too hard to hide... although some kind of small heat exhaust tube could
vent out a partway opened window I suppose. Can anyone suggest ideas
for me?

"Schism" wrote in message
ups.com...
I have an upstairs room that is unfortunately much much hotter than the
rest of the house, I'm looking for an indoor air conditioner that can
cool a single room, I know most air conditioners produce heat which
normally would go outside, I have windows in my room but I can't stick
in a regular window unit because regulations of my estate do not allow
them, and the room I need to cool is facing the road and it would be
too hard to hide... although some kind of small heat exhaust tube could
vent out a partway opened window I suppose. Can anyone suggest ideas
for me?

AC units are available with a dryer like hose to expel condenser coil heat.
I can't imagine these things being efficient. The expelled air must be
replaced and something must be done with the collected water. Better than
nothing I guess.
John

"Schism" wrote in message
ups.com...
I have an upstairs room that is unfortunately much much hotter than
the
rest of the house, I'm looking for an indoor air conditioner that
can
cool a single room, I know most air conditioners produce heat which
normally would go outside, I have windows in my room but I can't
stick
in a regular window unit because regulations of my estate do not
allow
them, and the room I need to cool is facing the road and it would be
too hard to hide... although some kind of small heat exhaust tube
could
vent out a partway opened window I suppose. Can anyone suggest ideas
for me?

Google search:

http://tinyurl.com/aucf5

"Schism" wrote in message
ups.com...
I have an upstairs room that is unfortunately much much hotter than the
rest of the house, I'm looking for an indoor air conditioner that can
cool a single room, I know most air conditioners produce heat which
normally would go outside, I have windows in my room but I can't stick
in a regular window unit because regulations of my estate do not allow
them, and the room I need to cool is facing the road and it would be
too hard to hide... although some kind of small heat exhaust tube could
vent out a partway opened window I suppose. Can anyone suggest ideas
for me?


This is Turtle.

I would look into Mini-Splits central Air Conditioning system. Google [ Ductless
Mini-Split air conditioners ] and you will see them. it is a central air
conditioner system that the inside hangs on the wall and the condenser goes out
side somewheres. they are made just for what you described here.

TURTLE

Marina,

Get a mini split like Turtle said. I have seen the portable units like
MovinCool. They will cool one part of a room at the expense of another
part. All the electricity that goes into them comes out as heat. they
make a better dehumidifier than air conditioner. If you put the
exhaust hose in a window like the instructions say, you make up the
exhause air with outside air and the net effect is zero effect, except
your electric bill goes up.

Stretch

"Schism" wrote:

I have an upstairs room that is unfortunately much much hotter than the
rest of the house...

With nearby hot and cold water plumbing? If so, you might build a small
aquarium around the hot coils of a window AC (eg Walmart's $78.44 Haier
5K Btu/h 9.7 EER), with a 10 W fountain pump to move that water through
a 10'x4" PVC pipe containing 4 1/2" copper pipes and another small pump
to move water from the cold water supply through the copper pipes into
the hot water supply when the AC is running.

Nick

Get an ac contractor that understands air, to modify your ducts so more
air goes into that room. Cheaper in the long run than some of the more
exotic ideas. go to the National Comfort Institute web site to ask
about contractors in your area who are certified in air balance. One
of them should be able to help.

Stretch

On 21 May 2005 04:15:19 -0700, stretch wrote:
Marina,

Get a mini split like Turtle said. I have seen the portable units like
MovinCool. They will cool one part of a room at the expense of another
part. All the electricity that goes into them comes out as heat. they
make a better dehumidifier than air conditioner. If you put the
exhaust hose in a window like the instructions say, you make up the
exhause air with outside air and the net effect is zero effect, except
your electric bill goes up.

I have used a portable quite effectively for years since a window shaker
without a slide out chassis, sort of permanently installed in a wall by
previous owner, gave out in July one year. My windows have ancient steel
framed screens, so I had no place to put another window shaker quickly.
It is a single hose model, but it really does not draw that much air out
of the room because it uses condensate evaporation to help cool the
condensor, and just blows out the hot air and moisture at a lower rate
than it blows out cold air. So it does provide more cooling than the
amount of infiltration. I never had to drain it until the end of
the season (northern Illinois) and then the most I ever got out of it was
about a tablespoon of water.

There are units with 2 hoses to totally use outside air for cooling, but
in my case with venting to a southern exposure, that might be less
efficient than sucking in some room air from lower level or shady side.

But a portable is only easy with sliding windows. With crank open windows
it would be a cobble job. So the more efficient mini-split does seem the
best option, even if initially more expensive.

stretch wrote:

Get an ac contractor that understands air, to modify your ducts so more
air goes into that room. Cheaper in the long run than some of the more
exotic ideas...

Could be, if the contractor does the work for less than $200
and pays you $10/month for the next 20 years :-)

Nick

Schism wrote:
I have an upstairs room that is unfortunately much much hotter than
the rest of the house, I'm looking for an indoor air conditioner that
can cool a single room, I know most air conditioners produce heat
which normally would go outside, I have windows in my room but I
can't stick in a regular window unit because regulations of my estate
do not allow them, and the room I need to cool is facing the road and
it would be too hard to hide... although some kind of small heat
exhaust tube could vent out a partway opened window I suppose. Can
anyone suggest ideas for me?

Use a window unit but mount it inside with just its butt sticking out.

Put it on a cart and roll it up to the window.

Who'll know?

Andy writes:

I have the same problem with an "attic" room and here's how I plan to
solve it

I will build a hole in the wall to put the air condx in so that the
BACK of the
unit, where the air comes out, will expell into the attic area.

I will build a plenum between the wall and the back of the air
condx, so that
the INTAKE air, which blows over the heat exchanger, can be taken from
the
garage below. In this way the cooler garage air is taken in, and the
heated
air is expelled out into the attic, where a little extra heat doesn't
matter.

Of course, the FORWARD heat exchanger will take in room air and blow
out cooler air into the room, as in normal operation.....
In this manner, the air condx will work jusst as if it was mounted in
the window--
--- with the REAR heat exchanger intake taking in cool air and blowing
hot air
out the back...

Sure, it is a bit of trouble, and requires a few sheets of sheet
rock or plywood
to build the plenum, and an opening in the garage (or porch) ceiling,
but I can
use a little $68 dollar 5200 BTU air condx from Home Depot to cool a 12
x 12
room, and have a 5 year warranty, and pay no penalty for efficiency,
and not
**** off my neighbors....

Besides, I've retired, and have nothing else to do but think up
stuff like this...

Good luck,

Andy

Use a window unit but mount it inside with just its butt
sticking out.

Put it on a cart and roll it up to the window.

I thought about that, but I know all the window units I've seen have
vents on the side. Aren't they for expelling air as well?

"Schism" wrote in message
ups.com...
I have an upstairs room that is unfortunately much much hotter than the
rest of the house, I'm looking for an indoor air conditioner that can
cool a single room, I know most air conditioners produce heat which
normally would go outside, I have windows in my room but I can't stick
in a regular window unit because regulations of my estate do not allow
them, and the room I need to cool is facing the road and it would be
too hard to hide... although some kind of small heat exhaust tube could
vent out a partway opened window I suppose. Can anyone suggest ideas
for me?


Been there, done that. In one house I solved the problem by installing an
attic exhaust fan, which cooled the attic and kept the heat from radiating
downward into the rooms below. Better insulation would have helped -- In
another house, I added heat-blocking film on the east-side windows, which
had been admitting too much heat. In my present house, I've added a
split-unit air conditioner to provide some extra cooling in the living room,
while also taking some of the load off one of the main house air
conditioning units.

1. Find out why this room is hotter than the rest -- is there insufficient
insulation in the attic overhead? Too much sun coming in south or
west-facing windows? A tight-fitting door that is preventing a/c return air
from leaving the room? Insufficient incoming a/c air? Then remove the
heat source -- shade the window, add insulation, provide better ventilation,
iinsulate the a/c ductwork, exhaust the attic etc/

2. If you can reduce the heat input, you may be able to get by with
increased air circulation using a ceiling fan, or a portable fan. If you go
this route, also consider a dehumidifier. Otherwise, have a good a/c
contractor give you an estimate on improving the ductwork to the room

3. If you can't fix the problem by reducing the heat load or improving the
current a/c installation, check out split unit a/c systems, which a
radiator-like grill and fan on the ceiling or upper wall, and a separate
compressor located outdoors. Our Carrier distributor installed a split unit
carrying the "Goodman" brand name, which has a remote control with timer,
several modes of operation, thermostat, etc. It's not cheap but it is a
quiet, professional installation, much better than a conventional window
unit, and the outside compressor ought to be concealable where the HOA
inspection nazis can't find it.

Let us know what you do, and how it works out. -- Regards --