Discussion
Having failed to find any company able or willing to fit ducted a/c, I thought I'd look at portable units instead. Relatively cheap and little installation needed.
There are two areas to cool, the lounge/diner (25' x 10) and one bedroom (14' x 11'). There could be one unit in each, or perhaps just one in the bedroom with a short vertical duct to the lounge below, and a flap valve to direct the air either down or into the bedroom. Then at (say) 9pm I could just go up and switch the flap.
I looked on Amazon at standalone a/c units and there are too many to choose from, so I'd be grateful for any guidance the wisdom of PH has. I'm not looking for any fancy control units or 'apps', just something with a knob I can turn up and down.
Also, the units I've looked at have a huge ugly pipe fixed to a window. I know that condensate needs to drain, but that would only need a 1" pipe... can't the air just recirculate?
There are two areas to cool, the lounge/diner (25' x 10) and one bedroom (14' x 11'). There could be one unit in each, or perhaps just one in the bedroom with a short vertical duct to the lounge below, and a flap valve to direct the air either down or into the bedroom. Then at (say) 9pm I could just go up and switch the flap.
I looked on Amazon at standalone a/c units and there are too many to choose from, so I'd be grateful for any guidance the wisdom of PH has. I'm not looking for any fancy control units or 'apps', just something with a knob I can turn up and down.
Also, the units I've looked at have a huge ugly pipe fixed to a window. I know that condensate needs to drain, but that would only need a 1" pipe... can't the air just recirculate?
Ah yes the heat, of course!
I don't mind a big box on the outside of the house but I don't want boxes on the inside. Well maybe in the bedroom but not in the lounge/diner as due to various things in the way it would have go on the narrow north end, leaving the hot south end 25' away.
Not too bothered by noise - as long as it isn't ridiculous. It wouldn't be on during the night.
I don't mind a big box on the outside of the house but I don't want boxes on the inside. Well maybe in the bedroom but not in the lounge/diner as due to various things in the way it would have go on the narrow north end, leaving the hot south end 25' away.
Not too bothered by noise - as long as it isn't ridiculous. It wouldn't be on during the night.
I've had a few portable ones. I have considered a proper system which wouldn't be too tricky as I have a bungalow.
In my experience its not just the size that counts. My living room is south facing with patio doors and the unit I had hardly made a dent in it, waste of time. Same at my girlfriends house on the 3rd floor, didn't touch it.
In my study north facing I sometimes use a small unit and it copes fine.
This is the small one that is fine for the study north facing
This is the bigger one I had which I had assume would easily manage the living room but I sold it the same year. I really expected a lot more from this one I went through their support and got absolutely nowhere too so avoid them.
I'm not sure what one the gf has but it's like thar AEG.
These ones I think the water gets bundled with the hot air and expelled. My advice if you're staying in that house is to get a proper fitted setup. I hate the way these have to have the window open and the noise is on the inside of the house. This country ain't getting any cooler and air con will increase in demand and pricing...
In my experience its not just the size that counts. My living room is south facing with patio doors and the unit I had hardly made a dent in it, waste of time. Same at my girlfriends house on the 3rd floor, didn't touch it.
In my study north facing I sometimes use a small unit and it copes fine.
This is the small one that is fine for the study north facing
This is the bigger one I had which I had assume would easily manage the living room but I sold it the same year. I really expected a lot more from this one I went through their support and got absolutely nowhere too so avoid them.
I'm not sure what one the gf has but it's like thar AEG.
These ones I think the water gets bundled with the hot air and expelled. My advice if you're staying in that house is to get a proper fitted setup. I hate the way these have to have the window open and the noise is on the inside of the house. This country ain't getting any cooler and air con will increase in demand and pricing...
Simpo Two said:
Ah yes the heat, of course!
I don't mind a big box on the outside of the house but I don't want boxes on the inside. Well maybe in the bedroom but not in the lounge/diner as due to various things in the way it would have go on the narrow north end, leaving the hot south end 25' away.
Not too bothered by noise - as long as it isn't ridiculous. It wouldn't be on during the night.
They are pretty hefty things, get a high power BTU then they will run less time for the same cooling level, easy 35-40KGs in weight for them. I don't mind a big box on the outside of the house but I don't want boxes on the inside. Well maybe in the bedroom but not in the lounge/diner as due to various things in the way it would have go on the narrow north end, leaving the hot south end 25' away.
Not too bothered by noise - as long as it isn't ridiculous. It wouldn't be on during the night.
The 9,000 btu units i've had experience of put out more heat than they cool.
The exhaust hose likes to be as straight as possible, too many bends can heat things up. So bare in mind it needs to be 1-1.5m from the window.
Because these are blowing air out of the room/house they need to suck replacement air into the room, fine if it comes from a cold room, but not great if its sucking it from a hot room.
BlueMR2 said:
The big hose is required to pump out the heat it creates.
They are noisy too.
Yep - here's the heat in the exhaust pipe from mine:They are noisy too.
and beautiful ice-coldness coming out the front:
It's noisy but eventually it's a 'constant white noise' - and last summer there were nights I wouldn't have been able to sleep in the heat without it. I chose one that came with a neat kit to fill in the rest of the gap in the sash window. I also fitted a grille over the outside to stop any inquisitive birds or squirrels from being able to investigate the aperture..!
Edited by Funk on Friday 17th May 12:54
Funk said:
BlueMR2 said:
The big hose is required to pump out the heat it creates.
They are noisy too.
Yep - here's the heat in the exhaust pipe from mine:They are noisy too.
and beautiful ice-coldness coming out the front:
I'm also considering getting some UV film to go inside the window which should cut down the heat from my south facing window that gets heat all day. Also I have some blackout curtains which stop a fair bit of the heat coming in the room, bu you can feel the heat they are holding back if you touch them.
Also be careful to check the hot air output and the cool air output and make sure they are in suitable positions. I've just put mine on a stack of 4 bits of decking wood as the cold air output blows half the cool air into the side of the bed, as there is no space to spin it around.
I would like an external split unit personally, quieter in the house whilst less power use and no noise from the window being open (I am next to a main road and basically have to seal the hose and window to stop wasps etc flying in, so once its open it stays open till winter).
They have ( a couple of days ago) also resurfaced the road outside and the amount of noise from the traffic is ridiculous. It used to be quiet when dry with a change in pitch when wet, now its noisier all the time, with rally stage vibes when people pull on from side roads/drives.
White-Noise said:
That looks exactly the same as the Meaco branded unit we have. I paid just under £400 from Costco, but I've since seen random name units that look the same for £200.It's OK in our big (north facing) bedroom - the upstairs of our house gets very hot in summer.
We had a unit for years which was great as the hose was built in and pulled out of the top so was very easy to stick out of the window. The hose got almost too hot to touch so it must have been extracting a lot of heat but the new one does nothing like that.
One thing that surprises people about these units is that the fan doesn't stop when they reach the set temp - only the compressor goes off. So they're still very noisy. If you look at a thermometer they don't drop the room temp much - they operate more like a fan that blows cold air.
dickymint said:
The company never answered my questions and has ignored subsequent e-mails. I phoned them this morning and they said they'd call me back. Hmm. Next week I might just turn up in reception.Having gone down the portable A/C route in the past, my advice would be to avoid them like the plague.
They are noisy, take up space, and are very inefficient.
We were trying to keep the (North West facing) kitchen and bedroom cool. It was very ineffective, even given good quality portable units.
I then thought the issue was the hot ducting in the room and hanging out of the window, so in the kitchen I went to the lengths of core drilling the wall to feed the exhaust tube directly out from the back of the machine, meaning there were only a couple of inches of the (hot) duct inside. Whilst this improved things, it still didn't cool the room very well, and had to be running pretty much constantly to keep the room a few degrees cooler.
One of the fundemental problems with these units is that they vent the hot air outside the property. This means that for each cubic metre of hot air that is ejected, a cubic metre of warm ambient air is drawn into the room to fill the vacuum created. So rather than just cooling the air in the room, warm air from outside is being continuously drawn in to the room.
With a proper A/C solution (outside compressor, and internal wall mounted units), the heat is transported out of the room via the closed circuit liquid pipe, which goes to the external compressor, is cooled and then returns to the room to further cool the air in the room. As no external (warm) air is being drawn into the room, the cooling is FAR more effective.
3 years ago, my wife said she wanted a proper solution. She'd mentioned it before and I'd been against the idea due to the cost, and potential ongoing cost. This time I agreed, after a particularly hot/uncomfortable summer. We contacted some local companies in November/December, got quotes, and agreed for one to install a system in February. The idea of doing this in winter was that they are not as busy.
They put in a single large external condenser unit, and internal wall mounted units in 4 rooms.
We went with a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries solution, as they were decent value, good reputation, and the only criticism I could find was that they weren't (at the time) very good with "smart" app based controls. This wasn't an issue is all we wanted was a simple remote for each internal unit.
It is without doubt, the best home improvement decision we have ever made - even better than the Nuaire Drymaster PIV system which eradicated all previous condensation issues (but there's another thread on that). The external unit is unobtrusive and very quiet - it is mounted on the (rather solid) garage roof, and there is absolutely no vibration.
The internal units are pretty much silent in operation, and will easily keep the rooms at whatever temperature you set them to.
They are also a quick and efficient way of warming a room in winter - especially if you're only going to be in there for an hour, as the heat is instant, rather than waiting for the central heating radiators to warm up.
We are quite sensible with using them (don't cool rooms to 16 degrees in summer for example), but when it's hot outside, we don't shy away from switching on the A/C. Whilst I don't have a smart meter, overall for the past couple of years, the system hasn't had a noticeable effect on our electricity usage.
TL:DR - get a proper split A/C system - you won't regret it.
They are noisy, take up space, and are very inefficient.
We were trying to keep the (North West facing) kitchen and bedroom cool. It was very ineffective, even given good quality portable units.
I then thought the issue was the hot ducting in the room and hanging out of the window, so in the kitchen I went to the lengths of core drilling the wall to feed the exhaust tube directly out from the back of the machine, meaning there were only a couple of inches of the (hot) duct inside. Whilst this improved things, it still didn't cool the room very well, and had to be running pretty much constantly to keep the room a few degrees cooler.
One of the fundemental problems with these units is that they vent the hot air outside the property. This means that for each cubic metre of hot air that is ejected, a cubic metre of warm ambient air is drawn into the room to fill the vacuum created. So rather than just cooling the air in the room, warm air from outside is being continuously drawn in to the room.
With a proper A/C solution (outside compressor, and internal wall mounted units), the heat is transported out of the room via the closed circuit liquid pipe, which goes to the external compressor, is cooled and then returns to the room to further cool the air in the room. As no external (warm) air is being drawn into the room, the cooling is FAR more effective.
3 years ago, my wife said she wanted a proper solution. She'd mentioned it before and I'd been against the idea due to the cost, and potential ongoing cost. This time I agreed, after a particularly hot/uncomfortable summer. We contacted some local companies in November/December, got quotes, and agreed for one to install a system in February. The idea of doing this in winter was that they are not as busy.
They put in a single large external condenser unit, and internal wall mounted units in 4 rooms.
We went with a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries solution, as they were decent value, good reputation, and the only criticism I could find was that they weren't (at the time) very good with "smart" app based controls. This wasn't an issue is all we wanted was a simple remote for each internal unit.
It is without doubt, the best home improvement decision we have ever made - even better than the Nuaire Drymaster PIV system which eradicated all previous condensation issues (but there's another thread on that). The external unit is unobtrusive and very quiet - it is mounted on the (rather solid) garage roof, and there is absolutely no vibration.
The internal units are pretty much silent in operation, and will easily keep the rooms at whatever temperature you set them to.
They are also a quick and efficient way of warming a room in winter - especially if you're only going to be in there for an hour, as the heat is instant, rather than waiting for the central heating radiators to warm up.
We are quite sensible with using them (don't cool rooms to 16 degrees in summer for example), but when it's hot outside, we don't shy away from switching on the A/C. Whilst I don't have a smart meter, overall for the past couple of years, the system hasn't had a noticeable effect on our electricity usage.
TL:DR - get a proper split A/C system - you won't regret it.
Sheepshanks said:
That looks exactly the same as the Meaco branded unit we have. I paid just under £400 from Costco, but I've since seen random name units that look the same for £200.
It's OK in our big (north facing) bedroom - the upstairs of our house gets very hot in summer.
We had a unit for years which was great as the hose was built in and pulled out of the top so was very easy to stick out of the window. The hose got almost too hot to touch so it must have been extracting a lot of heat but the new one does nothing like that.
One thing that surprises people about these units is that the fan doesn't stop when they reach the set temp - only the compressor goes off. So they're still very noisy. If you look at a thermometer they don't drop the room temp much - they operate more like a fan that blows cold air.
Now that last point is where I think my expectation was wrong. Expectation and need really.It's OK in our big (north facing) bedroom - the upstairs of our house gets very hot in summer.
We had a unit for years which was great as the hose was built in and pulled out of the top so was very easy to stick out of the window. The hose got almost too hot to touch so it must have been extracting a lot of heat but the new one does nothing like that.
One thing that surprises people about these units is that the fan doesn't stop when they reach the set temp - only the compressor goes off. So they're still very noisy. If you look at a thermometer they don't drop the room temp much - they operate more like a fan that blows cold air.
C n C said:
Having gone down the portable A/C route in the past, my advice would be to avoid them like the plague.
They are noisy, take up space, and are very inefficient.
We were trying to keep the (North West facing) kitchen and bedroom cool. It was very ineffective, even given good quality portable units.
I then thought the issue was the hot ducting in the room and hanging out of the window, so in the kitchen I went to the lengths of core drilling the wall to feed the exhaust tube directly out from the back of the machine, meaning there were only a couple of inches of the (hot) duct inside. Whilst this improved things, it still didn't cool the room very well, and had to be running pretty much constantly to keep the room a few degrees cooler.
One of the fundemental problems with these units is that they vent the hot air outside the property. This means that for each cubic metre of hot air that is ejected, a cubic metre of warm ambient air is drawn into the room to fill the vacuum created. So rather than just cooling the air in the room, warm air from outside is being continuously drawn in to the room.
With a proper A/C solution (outside compressor, and internal wall mounted units), the heat is transported out of the room via the closed circuit liquid pipe, which goes to the external compressor, is cooled and then returns to the room to further cool the air in the room. As no external (warm) air is being drawn into the room, the cooling is FAR more effective.
3 years ago, my wife said she wanted a proper solution. She'd mentioned it before and I'd been against the idea due to the cost, and potential ongoing cost. This time I agreed, after a particularly hot/uncomfortable summer. We contacted some local companies in November/December, got quotes, and agreed for one to install a system in February. The idea of doing this in winter was that they are not as busy.
They put in a single large external condenser unit, and internal wall mounted units in 4 rooms.
We went with a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries solution, as they were decent value, good reputation, and the only criticism I could find was that they weren't (at the time) very good with "smart" app based controls. This wasn't an issue is all we wanted was a simple remote for each internal unit.
It is without doubt, the best home improvement decision we have ever made - even better than the Nuaire Drymaster PIV system which eradicated all previous condensation issues (but there's another thread on that). The external unit is unobtrusive and very quiet - it is mounted on the (rather solid) garage roof, and there is absolutely no vibration.
The internal units are pretty much silent in operation, and will easily keep the rooms at whatever temperature you set them to.
They are also a quick and efficient way of warming a room in winter - especially if you're only going to be in there for an hour, as the heat is instant, rather than waiting for the central heating radiators to warm up.
We are quite sensible with using them (don't cool rooms to 16 degrees in summer for example), but when it's hot outside, we don't shy away from switching on the A/C. Whilst I don't have a smart meter, overall for the past couple of years, the system hasn't had a noticeable effect on our electricity usage.
TL:DR - get a proper split A/C system - you won't regret it.
Completely agree and I would have a split system....if I wasn't in a flat; the options are few and expensive in my situation. I have plans to move to a house later this year all being well and proper AC will be one of the things I'll have installed.They are noisy, take up space, and are very inefficient.
We were trying to keep the (North West facing) kitchen and bedroom cool. It was very ineffective, even given good quality portable units.
I then thought the issue was the hot ducting in the room and hanging out of the window, so in the kitchen I went to the lengths of core drilling the wall to feed the exhaust tube directly out from the back of the machine, meaning there were only a couple of inches of the (hot) duct inside. Whilst this improved things, it still didn't cool the room very well, and had to be running pretty much constantly to keep the room a few degrees cooler.
One of the fundemental problems with these units is that they vent the hot air outside the property. This means that for each cubic metre of hot air that is ejected, a cubic metre of warm ambient air is drawn into the room to fill the vacuum created. So rather than just cooling the air in the room, warm air from outside is being continuously drawn in to the room.
With a proper A/C solution (outside compressor, and internal wall mounted units), the heat is transported out of the room via the closed circuit liquid pipe, which goes to the external compressor, is cooled and then returns to the room to further cool the air in the room. As no external (warm) air is being drawn into the room, the cooling is FAR more effective.
3 years ago, my wife said she wanted a proper solution. She'd mentioned it before and I'd been against the idea due to the cost, and potential ongoing cost. This time I agreed, after a particularly hot/uncomfortable summer. We contacted some local companies in November/December, got quotes, and agreed for one to install a system in February. The idea of doing this in winter was that they are not as busy.
They put in a single large external condenser unit, and internal wall mounted units in 4 rooms.
We went with a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries solution, as they were decent value, good reputation, and the only criticism I could find was that they weren't (at the time) very good with "smart" app based controls. This wasn't an issue is all we wanted was a simple remote for each internal unit.
It is without doubt, the best home improvement decision we have ever made - even better than the Nuaire Drymaster PIV system which eradicated all previous condensation issues (but there's another thread on that). The external unit is unobtrusive and very quiet - it is mounted on the (rather solid) garage roof, and there is absolutely no vibration.
The internal units are pretty much silent in operation, and will easily keep the rooms at whatever temperature you set them to.
They are also a quick and efficient way of warming a room in winter - especially if you're only going to be in there for an hour, as the heat is instant, rather than waiting for the central heating radiators to warm up.
We are quite sensible with using them (don't cool rooms to 16 degrees in summer for example), but when it's hot outside, we don't shy away from switching on the A/C. Whilst I don't have a smart meter, overall for the past couple of years, the system hasn't had a noticeable effect on our electricity usage.
TL:DR - get a proper split A/C system - you won't regret it.
C n C said:
Having gone down the portable A/C route in the past, my advice would be to avoid them like the plague.
They are noisy, take up space, and are very inefficient.
We were trying to keep the (North West facing) kitchen and bedroom cool. It was very ineffective, even given good quality portable units.
I then thought the issue was the hot ducting in the room and hanging out of the window, so in the kitchen I went to the lengths of core drilling the wall to feed the exhaust tube directly out from the back of the machine, meaning there were only a couple of inches of the (hot) duct inside. Whilst this improved things, it still didn't cool the room very well, and had to be running pretty much constantly to keep the room a few degrees cooler.
One of the fundemental problems with these units is that they vent the hot air outside the property. This means that for each cubic metre of hot air that is ejected, a cubic metre of warm ambient air is drawn into the room to fill the vacuum created. So rather than just cooling the air in the room, warm air from outside is being continuously drawn in to the room.
With a proper A/C solution (outside compressor, and internal wall mounted units), the heat is transported out of the room via the closed circuit liquid pipe, which goes to the external compressor, is cooled and then returns to the room to further cool the air in the room. As no external (warm) air is being drawn into the room, the cooling is FAR more effective.
3 years ago, my wife said she wanted a proper solution. She'd mentioned it before and I'd been against the idea due to the cost, and potential ongoing cost. This time I agreed, after a particularly hot/uncomfortable summer. We contacted some local companies in November/December, got quotes, and agreed for one to install a system in February. The idea of doing this in winter was that they are not as busy.
They put in a single large external condenser unit, and internal wall mounted units in 4 rooms.
We went with a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries solution, as they were decent value, good reputation, and the only criticism I could find was that they weren't (at the time) very good with "smart" app based controls. This wasn't an issue is all we wanted was a simple remote for each internal unit.
It is without doubt, the best home improvement decision we have ever made - even better than the Nuaire Drymaster PIV system which eradicated all previous condensation issues (but there's another thread on that). The external unit is unobtrusive and very quiet - it is mounted on the (rather solid) garage roof, and there is absolutely no vibration.
The internal units are pretty much silent in operation, and will easily keep the rooms at whatever temperature you set them to.
They are also a quick and efficient way of warming a room in winter - especially if you're only going to be in there for an hour, as the heat is instant, rather than waiting for the central heating radiators to warm up.
We are quite sensible with using them (don't cool rooms to 16 degrees in summer for example), but when it's hot outside, we don't shy away from switching on the A/C. Whilst I don't have a smart meter, overall for the past couple of years, the system hasn't had a noticeable effect on our electricity usage.
TL:DR - get a proper split A/C system - you won't regret it.
What did it set you back if you don't mind my asking? Do you know the split of parts vs labour too?They are noisy, take up space, and are very inefficient.
We were trying to keep the (North West facing) kitchen and bedroom cool. It was very ineffective, even given good quality portable units.
I then thought the issue was the hot ducting in the room and hanging out of the window, so in the kitchen I went to the lengths of core drilling the wall to feed the exhaust tube directly out from the back of the machine, meaning there were only a couple of inches of the (hot) duct inside. Whilst this improved things, it still didn't cool the room very well, and had to be running pretty much constantly to keep the room a few degrees cooler.
One of the fundemental problems with these units is that they vent the hot air outside the property. This means that for each cubic metre of hot air that is ejected, a cubic metre of warm ambient air is drawn into the room to fill the vacuum created. So rather than just cooling the air in the room, warm air from outside is being continuously drawn in to the room.
With a proper A/C solution (outside compressor, and internal wall mounted units), the heat is transported out of the room via the closed circuit liquid pipe, which goes to the external compressor, is cooled and then returns to the room to further cool the air in the room. As no external (warm) air is being drawn into the room, the cooling is FAR more effective.
3 years ago, my wife said she wanted a proper solution. She'd mentioned it before and I'd been against the idea due to the cost, and potential ongoing cost. This time I agreed, after a particularly hot/uncomfortable summer. We contacted some local companies in November/December, got quotes, and agreed for one to install a system in February. The idea of doing this in winter was that they are not as busy.
They put in a single large external condenser unit, and internal wall mounted units in 4 rooms.
We went with a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries solution, as they were decent value, good reputation, and the only criticism I could find was that they weren't (at the time) very good with "smart" app based controls. This wasn't an issue is all we wanted was a simple remote for each internal unit.
It is without doubt, the best home improvement decision we have ever made - even better than the Nuaire Drymaster PIV system which eradicated all previous condensation issues (but there's another thread on that). The external unit is unobtrusive and very quiet - it is mounted on the (rather solid) garage roof, and there is absolutely no vibration.
The internal units are pretty much silent in operation, and will easily keep the rooms at whatever temperature you set them to.
They are also a quick and efficient way of warming a room in winter - especially if you're only going to be in there for an hour, as the heat is instant, rather than waiting for the central heating radiators to warm up.
We are quite sensible with using them (don't cool rooms to 16 degrees in summer for example), but when it's hot outside, we don't shy away from switching on the A/C. Whilst I don't have a smart meter, overall for the past couple of years, the system hasn't had a noticeable effect on our electricity usage.
TL:DR - get a proper split A/C system - you won't regret it.
C n C has written pretty much what I was going to.
We had a couple of portable units but soon got fed up with the noise, poor cooling performance, and dragging between kids + our bedroom at night, only for the kids bedrooms to soon heat back up again anyway.
Last year we had Lynx AC fit units in to the main 3 bedrooms plus main living area downstairs. With our layout it made more sense to have two external units, each running 2 internal units, costing around 5k.
We haven't had a lot of use out of it yet, but even with just the low-mid 20c days we've had so far, its been a great addition and we're extremely happy. Very quiet in operation, efficient and effective cooling. If you can afford it, forget the portable units and do it properly, you won't regret it.
We had a couple of portable units but soon got fed up with the noise, poor cooling performance, and dragging between kids + our bedroom at night, only for the kids bedrooms to soon heat back up again anyway.
Last year we had Lynx AC fit units in to the main 3 bedrooms plus main living area downstairs. With our layout it made more sense to have two external units, each running 2 internal units, costing around 5k.
We haven't had a lot of use out of it yet, but even with just the low-mid 20c days we've had so far, its been a great addition and we're extremely happy. Very quiet in operation, efficient and effective cooling. If you can afford it, forget the portable units and do it properly, you won't regret it.
White-Noise said:
What did it set you back if you don't mind my asking? Do you know the split of parts vs labour too?
I don't know the split of parts v labour, as the quote didn't differentiate.Below is a screenshot of the quote.
They completed the work in accordance with the quote, and did need to install a condensate pump (included) to run the condensate pipe from the upstairs bedroom up through the loft and across the house to the opposite side where the external condenser was located.
The electrical work was to put in a new separate isolated electrical feed from the incoming house supply to the external condenser unit. Power to the internal units was provided from the external condenser.
The work was completed in March 2022, and we are near Harrow in Greater London, so not the cheapest area of the country.
C n C said:
I don't know the split of parts v labour, as the quote didn't differentiate.
Below is a screenshot of the quote.
They completed the work in accordance with the quote, and did need to install a condensate pump (included) to run the condensate pipe from the upstairs bedroom up through the loft and across the house to the opposite side where the external condenser was located.
The electrical work was to put in a new separate isolated electrical feed from the incoming house supply to the external condenser unit. Power to the internal units was provided from the external condenser.
The work was completed in March 2022, and we are near Harrow in Greater London, so not the cheapest area of the country.
That's funny I grew up in Pinner but moved away. I didn't know this had a different vat rate but now its gone from 5 to 0.Below is a screenshot of the quote.
They completed the work in accordance with the quote, and did need to install a condensate pump (included) to run the condensate pipe from the upstairs bedroom up through the loft and across the house to the opposite side where the external condenser was located.
The electrical work was to put in a new separate isolated electrical feed from the incoming house supply to the external condenser unit. Power to the internal units was provided from the external condenser.
The work was completed in March 2022, and we are near Harrow in Greater London, so not the cheapest area of the country.
I got as portable unit for the "summer of death" when we were in a flat. It was... ok. Very noisy and there is a pipe out the back and you do need to seal the window off to get the most out of it.
We moved to a converted bungalow and as our bedroom is in the loft conversion we had a proper split system installed and it is a million times better. Cools, filters and purifies the air and is quiet. It was also around x3 the price of the portable unit. Which is very good.
For the price of a couple of DeLonghi portables, get a 2.5KW split installed. You won't regret it.
We moved to a converted bungalow and as our bedroom is in the loft conversion we had a proper split system installed and it is a million times better. Cools, filters and purifies the air and is quiet. It was also around x3 the price of the portable unit. Which is very good.
For the price of a couple of DeLonghi portables, get a 2.5KW split installed. You won't regret it.
Simpo Two said:
C n C said:
TL:DR - get a proper split A/C system - you won't regret it.
What I actually want is a ducted system with an FCU in the loft, but this seems beyond the grasp of a/c companies in the area; they either only quote for boxes on walls, or run away and hide....I'm not going to say, "just go for a split unit system", as I assume you have very good reasons for wanting the ducted system, but there's no doubt a split unit system would be the easiest to find a supplier for.
If you do successfully get a ducted system installed, please post up details as it would be interesting to see what that entails and any advantages of that approach.
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