There are many ways that the best portable air conditioners can be categorized- on the basis of the BTU, size of the room, the energy star rating, and method of handling the moisture. There is one more way to categorize the portable air conditioners and that is on the basis of the number of hoses it has.
On the basis of hoses portable air conditioners are of two types:
- Single Hose Portable Air Conditioner
- Double Hose Portable Air Conditioner
We would know here the difference between the two and the respective advantages and the disadvantages of both of them.
Single-Hose Portable AC
They are the most widely used portable air conditioners.
- They are comparatively cheaper than the two-hose portable ACs.
- Besides, they are very easy to install.
The hose in these types of AC has got only one purpose.
- The single hose expels the hot air out of the room.
- So, the single hose AC pulls the hot & humid air from inside the room and vents it out through the hose.
- It means that there is no replacement or circulation of air.
- This leads to low pressure inside the room. And to compensate for this lower pressure the AC draws unconditioned hotter air from the adjacent area.
- This subsequently affects the cooling efficiency of the AC.
- It is, therefore, recommended to keep the door of the room with a single hose AC closed.
Double-Hose Portable AC
Double hose portable ACs are,
- More difficult to install and
- More expensive than their single-hose counterpart.
There are two hoses in this AC with each having a distinct function-
- One of the hoses brings in the outside air
- The other hose vents out the hot air
- It means that there is continuous replacement and circulation of air.
- Therefore, the pressure inside the room does not dropdown.
- However, the air used to cool the compressor is warmer and this would affect the efficiency of the AC.
- In addition, these ACs use two internal fans that would also add on to energy consumption.
- Having said, because of the double hose system these ACs cool the room more quickly and thus save on energy efficiency.
Final Words
So, these were the two types of portable air conditioners categorized based on the number of hoses. Both types of ACs had their pros and cons. If you are planning to buy a portable AC, you can weigh their advantages and disadvantages and accordingly select the best AC for your purpose.
