Air conditioning is perhaps one of the most important luxuries that we enjoy in modern times, be it in your cars or at home. These days, you will find some form of air conditioning installed in almost every home, with many homes having multiple units installed. The purpose of an air conditioner is to control an environment’s temperature and help keep it cool, especially during hot weather.
Air conditioners come in different shapes, sizes and operating mechanisms. Homes and offices typically deploy single-hose air conditioners that – as the name suggests – consist of one hose that takes out the exhaust, hot air from your room.
These days, however, dual-hose air conditioners are increasingly becoming popular, with many people looking for portable options.
How does a dual-hose air conditioner work?
If you are looking to buy an air conditioner, it is important to understand what your options are, and what a dual-hose system does.
Single-hose systems have one hose that takes away exhausted air from an area. It works similar to a refrigerator and is pretty effective at keeping a room cool. However, exhausting air away from a room is an energy-intensive process and can heat up an AC pretty quickly, decreasing its energy efficiency, cooling performance and even damage in the long run.
Dual hose air conditioning solves this issue by adding another hose. While the first hose takes away exhaust air, the additional hose draws cool air from outside and cools down the air conditioner itself. This results in an increased performance, better energy efficiency and long-term durability of the system.
Typically, the performance of a dual-hose AC over a single-hose unit is much higher. However, single hose units are often useful because of their portability, whereas dual-hose units are used to cool large areas such as halls since they’re not as portable owing to the extra intake requirements.
The solution, then, is to go for a dual-hose air conditioner that is portable.
Buying the right dual-hose air conditioner
With hot seasons approaching, you might be tempted to install another air conditioning unit in your home or office, or you might be looking to replace the old units. Buying a portable dual-hose AC can be worth the investment, but it is important to do some research before you go ahead and make the purchase.
Here are a few things to consider before buying a dual-hose AC:
- Energy efficiency – Depending on the cooling strength (BTU) of an AC, you want to select an AC that gives you the best energy efficiency. Electricity bills can get raked up pretty quickly if you have 24/7 air conditioning in your home, so buy a unit that consumes the least amount of power.
- Portability – A portable AC should be reachable anywhere and should be able to work in a variety of settings. Some units require wall mounting whereas others may freely be wheeled around anywhere. Depending on your requirements, you should buy the option that best suits your needs. Typically, units that require permanent installation are not very practical since they’re no longer portable.
- Thermostat control – Portable air conditioners often compromise on features. Most have manual temperature control, but many don’t have an automatic setting. You need to choose a unit that has both manual and automatic thermostat control. It should be able to shut off or auto restart when needed, decreasing the energy consumption and saving you from getting up at night to turn it on or off.
- Loudness – Since portable ACs often remain in close proximity to you, be it in your office or your bedroom. So, it is important that they create as little noise as possible. Always check the noise level rating on an AC before buying it, as loud ACs can become frustrating very quickly.
- Auto drainage – Some ACs require you to drain them manually, whereas others (such as some units made by Whytner) come with an auto-drain function. Such ACs work by using and recycling the water that is condenses during the cooldown of air. It is a feature that will set you back a few more bucks but will be worth your while in the long run.
- Dehumidifier – Do you live in a tropical climate where the humidity is worse than the hot temperature itself? If you don’t invest in a good dehumidifier, then even the best cooling units will be of no use as they will not be able to combat the humidity (and the resultant suffocation). Make sure that you buy a unit that has a built-in dehumidifier if you want to keep the air around you fresh, clean and cool. Dual hose ACs also have a dehumidifying capacity, where they will only dehumidify up to a certain volume of water each day. Take a look at this as well before you make a purchase, because buying a huge dehumidifier in mildly humid environments is overkill.
- Filters and maintenance – As with any appliance, ease of maintenance is one of the most important things you need to look for. Choose an AC that has good air filters that don’t need frequent cleansing or replacement. And even when they do, the filters should be easily accessible, removable and re-installable.
Research before you buy
These were some of the most basic pointers you need to be looking for when buying a dual-hose air conditioning unit for your home or office. If you need to look at some great available products and read their reviews, head over to DotBeasts.com for some top suggestions.
Each specific environment has specific air conditioning requirements. You need to first decide what features are important for you before even looking at available options. Ask yourself questions like ‘is the room large or small?’, ‘how much humidity is there?’, ‘how good the ventilation is?’, ‘is it a bedroom or office room?’, ‘do I need 24/7 air conditioning or just during the day or night?’ These questions will help you understand your requirements, following which you can make a much more informed decision.
