So you just bought a new portable cooler and it was the latest model in the store. But is your portable AC self evaporating or does it still need to be drained periodically?
You might not know about this yet, but draining a portable air conditioner is a thankless task. It can be fiddly, troublesome and sometimes even hard work if you have to lift yours up onto a coffee table to get it to drain into a bucket on the floor.
However, there is a way of avoiding this irritating chore, especially if you’re considering buying a new portable AC unit to replace an aging or unreliable one. Or if you just decided you want one for your bedroom or something.
What is a Self Evaporating Portable AC?
As already mentioned, most portable AC devices require that you drain them every now and again. That’s because when they condense the moisture in the air as part of the cooling process, much of it drips into a water-catching vessel inside the unit and as it fills up over time, it needs to be emptied.
Most models have a kind of water tank full alarm and shut-off to prevent the reservoir overflowing, but what if you could do away with that water tank? Well, there is a kind of AC that does exactly that!
It’s called a self-evaporating air conditioner and it literally re-evaporates the condensing moisture inside itself and exhausts it out of the vent hose to the outside. No more draining, yay!
Sensible and Economical
This great innovation is really helpful and labor-saving because it does away for the need to catch condensing drips of water. Many models even make use of the re-evaporating moisture to assist the chilling process and thereby reducing the amount of energy it uses to create that nice cool air!
The most efficient models have a dual-hose setup to further increase the heat exchange efficiency and reduce energy consumption, but you can also get single hose models if you don’t like the idea of two hoses hanging onto a window fixing where one will do.
It can also save a lot of people’s backs. If you have ever had to life a portable AC unit off the floor up onto a table, you’ll know what I mean there.
They are heavy beasts and I’ve thrown my own back out before now lifting one up onto a coffee table. So you can imagine how grateful I am for the self-evaporative technology that has been developed in portable AC’s to save my poor back any further strain!
Where Do You Buy a Self Evaporative AC?
Most models from well known manufacturers are on sale at most big hardware stores and electrical appliance stores that stock air conditioners. You can pick one up from your local store or even order one online and have it delivered to your home.
For the present time, they do cost a little more than their non-evaporating cousins, but I can tell you from personal experience the extra dollars was worth it! They’re great for cooling a hot kitchen, study or bedroom or anywhere else you need spot cooling.
One thing I should point out here is that these coolers also act as dehumidifiers with a dehumidify setting.
If you use it as a dehumidifier, it will catch the water it evaporates in a tank, because of the high level of moisture these units can strip out of the air in a room, especially when it’s very humid.
That means there is a tank that you will have to empty, but this is different from draining a condensate-catching tray. The water bucket is fairly easily removable on most models and you don’t need to lift them off the floor to do that job.
Just so you know!
