Portable Air conditioning/air cooler units

[stephentw]

Hello,

I've read through the other threads after a search and most people seem to be asking about installed air conditioning solutions. Does anyone know if there are any portable units which are decent enough and quiet? I'm renting so installing isn't an option but with the tv/amp/whatever else on in the summer it gets pretty hot, the amp doesn't like it at all and starts fans kicking in. I'd also like to use it in the bedroom at night (hence the quiet if possible).

I've seen this High End Portable Air Condtion Unit EXP09CS1WI - Aircon Direct which sounds good, but I'm not sure exactly how quiet 36db would be really. Is that loud enough to disturb sleep?

I'm not really even sure of what brands there are or where they can be bought, everywhere I find I've never heard of which makes me a bit dubious about buying an expensive thing from them.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Also curious about these evaporative cooler type units, do they work? Are they noisy?

[stephentw]

Anyone?

[silver12]

Anything over 25dB is too noisy for me, but obviously it's subjective. I'd personally not bother with a portable one (I have one stored away) and get a decent one fitted.

[stephentw]

I can't get one fitted, its a rented place. Plus I want to move it between 2 rooms.

Whats the reason no one seems to like portable ones? Would I be better getting just an evaporative cooler?

[silver12]

They are extremely noisy units, and aren't that great at their job. I would seriously consider large fans instead.

[bobnick]

Yes, they're noisy, ugly and large. But they do work, and the best thing to do is run them before you go to bed. They work much better than fans - it's like going to bed in a fridge! Of course, the room will slowly warm up again if you leave it turned off, but should be better than it would be without a cooler.

I'm slightly confused about your post - do you want a cool bedroom to sleep in, or are you wanting to run the AC whilst you're watching movies etc?
The AC will be louder than the fans in your amp etc, but the room itself will be cooler.

If you're in rented accommodation for a while, it's worth getting a cheap one if you think the £100 cost will be worth it for x nights of more comfortable sleep in the future.

Also might be worth turning off as much electrical equipment as you can overnight - some items are like mini-radiators.

[stephentw]

I want a cool bedroom and a cool room to watch tv/films in over the summer. So it sounds like its no good on both fronts really. I guess it'll be ok to cool the room before bed but then the room gets stupidly hot overnight too and it wouldn't be able to be left on.

I'd kind of given up on the idea after seeing one in action at work, it was really noisy and the room it was in was actually warmer than any of the others without a unit in. Seemed useless.