Climatic equipment for air conditioning in a house or small workrooms today is represented by a very large assortment: mobile air conditioners of a monoblock type, mobile split systems, monoblocks of an evaporative type and a split system with one or two working units. The latter are distinguished by shock cooling capacity, installation difficulties and considerable cost.
The most simple to install / maintain and affordable are mobile all-in-one air conditioners, which are available on the market both with and without an air duct. This article will discuss the features of both those and others.
Air Conditioners
A monoblock with an air duct is a fairly large-sized technique, which requires a certain space in the room, and suggests an outdoor placement option. The air duct is a corrugated hose that removes warm air from the structure and room to the street. It is usually taken out through an ajar door, a balcony window, or through an opening in a window pane. Less often, it is mounted directly into the ventilation shaft, a hole in a concrete wall or plexiglass (then a plug is needed).
You can sometimes find mobile air conditioners for a home with two hoses on store shelves. The second is designed to take fresh air from the street. But this type of technology in Russia is not so well distributed.
Principle of operation
All the working units of such a device are in one housing, including a noisy compressor with a fan. The principle of their functioning almost does not differ from the essence of the split system. The temperature control in the room is due to the difference in pressure of the working gas - freon. Schematically, the cooling cycle goes like this:
- a fan of a mobile all-in-one air conditioner draws in room air;
- Freon absorbs its heat, and the room temperature begins to decrease;
- through the coil, the refrigerant enters the compressor, where under pressure it gives off thermal energy, which is removed through the corrugated sleeve;
- the condensate at the same time leaves through the same hose or accumulates in a special container - the condensate collector (it must be emptied regularly).
The difference with the split system is that it does not have any hose, since the warm exhaust air is discharged by the outdoor unit.
Specifications and additional features
Of course, mobile air conditioners are more noisy, as evidenced not only by technical specifications, but also by user reviews, although there are companies that produce relatively quiet devices. For instance, Ballu For an area of 20-25 m², she created a series of BPAM with dimensions W * H * D of only 300 * 630 * 480.
But in any case, when placing it, it is much more necessary to think over where the blown air will go, since these units are not equipped with a super 3D system or 4D flow distribution. An exception may be very expensive models that cost more than some splits.
The equipment with various modes and functions does not differ much from the additional functionality of split systems: a timer, sleep mode, several fan speeds, step-by-step air purification, restart in case of interruptions in the power supply - all this is available for modern devices of the described type.
The main advantage of mobile air conditioners for a home with an air duct is their portability.Firstly, they easily move around the room for the length of the hose, and this is about 1.5 meters, and secondly, you can always take them with you to the cottage, to another apartment or office when moving.
It is worth remembering that the maximum area of the processed premises should not exceed 35-40 m².
Conclusion. From all that has been said and, judging by the customer reviews, it can be concluded that mobile air conditioners for a home with a discharge hose are ideal for small rental rooms or for a summer residence.
Popular manufacturers
In Russia, mobile devices from manufacturers such as BALLU have the highest sales ratings. ELECTROLUX, Hyundai, BORK, MIDEA and TIMBERK. In recent years, equipment from AERONIC has become in demand, BIMATEK, SCOOLE, SLOGGER and NEOCLIMA.
Mobile air conditioners without duct
Among monoblock climate technology in a special position are humidifiers, which are also called evaporative air conditioners. Although manufacturers are positioning them as cooling devices that can completely replace a split system or a monoblock with a hose, nevertheless, these mobile air conditioners for the home cannot be called equivalent in their characteristics.
Principle of operation
Firstly, the design is completely different. Here there is not only a compressor, but also other operating units through which the refrigerant circulates. The device consists of:
- water tank;
- sponge hydro-filter;
- air filter;
- a pump;
- fan.
Instead of freon, the coolant is cold water and ice, which are pre-frozen in a separate container. In modern mobile air conditioners without an air duct, one can sometimes find helium pads for freezing.
The principle of operation is that cooling is due to evaporation. In fact, they use the same phase transition here - water passes from a liquid state to a gaseous state and absorbs heat. The advantage is that the device does not emit a large amount of thermal energy in this process, therefore, it is not necessary to install exhaust hoses, and condensate is not collected, since it leaves the room with air, moistening it.
The cooling cycle is as follows:
- from a special tank, under the influence of a pump, water enters the sponge hydro-filter;
- air at this time passes through the air filter and is cleaned of mechanical inclusions;
- when the porous water filter is well saturated with water, the evaporation process begins - the air gives off its heat to the liquid;
- at the exit, the air flow is already cooled.
If we recall the physics from the school course, then we can understand that as such, a normal decrease in temperature cannot be achieved with this device. Why?
During evaporation, a large concentration of vapors is accumulated, part of the consumed energy also goes into heat (although managers and distributors deny this in every way), it becomes stuffy. If you use a cold condenser, then the ice for it must be frozen in the refrigerator. You can imagine how much heat the freezer will give off at the same time, and at the same time it will eat energy. Open window Yes, the stuffiness will go away, as the humidity will decrease, but an excess influx of heat will go, and all the efforts of a small mobile air conditioner will come to naught - the efficiency is simply reset.
From this it is concluded that a monoblock without an air duct is more a humidifier, but not a cooling device.
It is possible to reduce the temperature in a room with it by a maximum of 5-7 ° C, but again it is worth considering the features of the environment. A room with large heat influx from people, equipment, walls, roofs, windows, such equipment is not able to process qualitatively purely physically.
According to users in their reviews, mobile air conditioners without a duct are bought if a person needs good humidification coupled with a little cool. In this case, this is an ideal option.
Specifications and additional features
The positive aspects of evaporative monoblocks cannot be ignored. They are:
- can work in several modes - cooling + humidification, quick cooling, heating, ventilation;
- have several fan speeds;
- have the ability to change the direction of air flow;
- consume little energy in cooling mode - 85 W maximum;
- reduce the temperature gradually, due to which drafts are not formed;
- work quietly enough - for most, the noise level does not exceed 45 dB;
- have compact dimensions and light weight.
If we compare their characteristics in noise and compactness with the parameters of a mobile air conditioner of a monoblock type, then the advantages are definitely on their side. As a rule, the floor evaporator blocks are less than 10-12 cm wide and wide, both in height and in depth. Their noise level rarely exceeds 45 dB, while monoblocks with an air duct work at standard 50-56 dB.
For those who want to have a small and quiet mobile air conditioning in the bedroom, just floor water air conditioners are suitable. They can also be placed in the study, children's room or in a small office.
Of course, when comparing with a split system, it is difficult to call a water mobile air conditioner quiet, but there is not always a need for expensive two-component freon installations.
Management takes place either from the case panel, which can be mechanical and touch, or from the remote control.
If the choice fell on just such a model, it should be borne in mind that for its normal operation requires a constant small flow of air. In completely enclosed spaces, such equipment cannot be installed, since moisture must go somewhere, and this is ensured by a change in air masses.
It will also require regular filling of the liquid tank with water. Some units require daily topping, others are filled a couple of times a week. As a rule, a lack of fluid is indicated by a special signal indicator.
One of the features of the devices is their dependence on the ambient temperature. The higher its performance, the more intensively the air cools. If you add ice to the water, the result will be even better.
According to users in their reviews, mobile air conditioners without a duct are not able to reach temperatures below 23 ° C.
Conclusion. Summing up, we can conclude that the evaporative candy bar is suitable for people who often move from place to place and want to maintain comfort in any room. It will be ideal for small living rooms and offices. For asthmatics, this is a find, because it does not dry the air like a split system, but, on the contrary, moisturizes and refreshes.
Popular manufacturers
Among the airless devices, the leading positions in the market are held by devices from VEKTOR, BALLU, MIDEA, HONEYWELL and ELECTROLUX. SYMPHONY evaporators and Russian monoblocks are becoming quite famous Kibor.
Choosing a mobile air conditioner in an apartment
For the device to work properly and satisfy all the needs of the user, you need to know how to choose a mobile air conditioner in a particular room:
- First they are determined with the type of device: with or without an air duct. In this case, the presence or absence of air inflows and the volume of available heat inflows are taken into account. It is better to cool mobile air conditioners with a discharge hose - this is said not only by the manufacturers, but also by the feedback of the users themselves. If the choice fell on such a unit, they think where to mount the corrugated pipe;
- Take into account the volume of the room and are determined with refrigeration capacity. You should always leave a small margin of 20-30%;
- Pay attention to additional functions and basic modes of operation. Do you need, for example, heating or night sleep mode;
- In the technical passport look dimensions and noise level. Houses make measurements and outline the place where the unit will stand. For bedrooms and children's rooms it is better to take quiet mobile air conditioners with a noise of no higher than 45 dB. When measuring, take into account that the evaporative models are placed 15-20 cm from the wall, and monoblocks with a sleeve are placed closer to the window or door;
- Be sure to look at the volume of the condensate collector, since the pan requires regular cleaning. In extreme cases, moisture can be removed through a separate hose, which is then thrown into the outlet corrugated pipe;
- When choosing a mobile air conditioner, the brand’s popularity is taken into account. It is better to take the equipment of well-known manufacturers that give long-term guarantees;
- The determining factor may be the estimated frequency of movement. Still, it is easier to transport evaporative monoblocks from one place to another;
- Thinking which mobile air conditioner to choose, consider the presence of young children. The heat-dissipating duct is heated to 60 ° C - this is enough to burn.
Before making a final decision, they type in the search engine “mobile air conditioners for home” and read all the information presented. If you liked a particular model, you can search for customer comments specifically about it. Tips and descriptions given by a simple layman can become more valuable information than half-biased data from the manufacturer.
Is heating possible with a mobile air conditioner in winter
Oddly enough, but for heating in winter, a mobile air conditioner is much more suitable than a split system. Many monoblocks with an air duct are equipped with a built-in heating element, due to which the device heats the air in the fan mode in cold weather. Outside the hose is closed with a plug. The only minus of the mobile air conditioner in winter for heating is its high energy consumption. It is very expensive to heat in this way.
An all-weather device is a mobile split system, for example, from the company MIZUSHI. It is equipped with two heating systems: TENOM and HEAT PUMP, which make the mobile air conditioner in winter function for heat in any frost.
Installation
Difficulties with installing and connecting a mobile air conditioner with your own hands should not arise. To install evaporative monoblocks, you just need to read the instructions, pour water into the tank, freeze ice and plug the power cord into a power outlet.
To install a mobile air conditioner with your own hands, if you have an air duct, you will need to follow some rules and steps. In this article, we will consider the option of placing the hose in a double-glazed window with a jumper, since it guarantees the highest quality sealing of all joints.
So, to place and connect a mobile air conditioner you will need:
- dismantle the old double-glazed window;
- install a plastic jumper dividing the window into two parts;
- put a new double-glazed window of the required size in the upper part;
- for the lower section, a sandwich panel is prepared by cutting a circular hole in it of the desired diameter;
- Mount the finished sandwich panel in the window;
- connect the corrugated sleeve to the hole in it through the connecting flange, which is fixed with self-tapping screws or liquid nails;
- the drainage hose is inserted into the duct, and it is attached to the exhaust outlet of the device;
- from the side of the street they install a protective decorative lattice so that birds and animals do not damage the device.
The most important condition on how to connect a mobile air conditioner is to provide free access to the plug and use only a grounded outlet. Do not resort to using an extension cord.
It is worth remembering that you can raise the hose no higher than one meter, otherwise it will be easily damaged. It is not recommended in any way to increase the length of the sleeve - this affects the quality of cooling.
If a person is not sure that he can install the mobile unit well with his own hands, it is better to contact specialists.
Reviews
Whatever the “fillings” the manufacturers of mobile air conditioners “stuffed”, the reviews about them are very contradictory. Most buyers identify two main drawbacks: noise and the placement of the duct.Many users note that the slightest violation of the tightness of the connecting joints during installation guarantees a decrease in cooling quality, and sensitive people can not sleep at night with a noise of 50-55 dB.
It would seem that there is a small mobile air conditioner without an air duct and with a reduced noise level of up to 40-45 dB, but here the buyers are also not entirely satisfied. What do they dislike most in evaporative floor-mounted monoblocks?
First of all, these are “troubles” with water, which must be constantly added. But even more discomfort is the freezing of ice. To cool tomorrow, they need to stock up today. But where to freeze it in such quantity?
Many negative reviews have earned mobile air conditioners without an air duct for the short-term cooling effect. Most users have noticed that there’s enough coolness for a couple of hours, and then it becomes just stuffy due to air humidity. Some generally consider such an air conditioner a fiction and a well-thought-out advertising campaign, because judging by the effect of the work, these devices humidify the air well, but do not reduce the temperature in the room.
findings
It’s impossible to say that mobile air conditioners are the best invention for cooling a house or work area, and this is proved by reviews of people with experience in using this type of climate technology. If you need a high-quality, long-term and silent lowering of the temperature, then it is worth buying a split system.
