How To Vent A Portable Air Conditioner Without A Window
If you need to know how to vent a portable air conditioner without a window to use, here are some helpful methods and tips to make it easy for the handyman.
First of all, many people ask if it is possible to use a free standing air conditioner in a space with no windows?
The straight answer is that you can. Here are 5 viable ways to vent a portable air conditioner without using a window.
Portable air conditioners work hand in hand with window exhaust fans. More than 80% install the exhaust vent through the window when they buy a portable AC unit.
You can also get a free window seal kit from many producers for your portable air conditioners.
Sometimes venting your portable AC through a window is impossible. Due to how well AC units and windows work together, there is no clear answer to the question of "How can I vent my portable AC without a window?" This is the first.
What If You Don't Vent a Portable AC unit?
You cannot use an air conditioner without venting. Since all air conditioners produce hot air as well as cold air, the hot air must be exhausted to the outside through a vent.
If the unit is not vented to the outside, it will appear to operate normally, but it will not cool the air. That's because the hot air produced by the unit will be pumped into the room, actually causing a net heating effect!
I have seen this happen to a lot of people who didn't know any better and they complained their AC unit wasn't working. Of course it wasn't, the hot air was not able to escape out of the room!
There are many options for venting a portable AC unit, even if you place it in a room without windows.
These methods work for all kinds of portable AC, including self evaporating air conditioners and smart portable AC since they all work on the same principle.
Here are five ways to vent a portable air conditioner in a room without windows:
1. Vent a Portable AC Through a Wall
Every room has doors and walls. If the portable air conditioner cannot be vented out of the window, it can be vented from the wall.
Most rooms don't have 6-meter holes in their walls. A hole must be made in the wall to allow for an AC unit to be installed.
If you are a DIY enthusiast, you can drill the hole in the wall using a power drilling machine. The hole should be as large as the hose that vents your portable air conditioners.
This method is used more often for single-hose rather than dual-hose portable AC units. The two-hose portable conditioners are more energy efficient but drilling two holes in the wall to vent them is not something that a lot of people would want to do.
Before you begin drilling, be sure to select the right wall for venting. It must be an exterior wall (facing the outside) and be made of a material that can be drilled using standard home handyman equipment.
A reinforced steel wall should not be attempted unless by professionals with suitable equipment.
You should avoid choosing thicker walls unless you have a specially adapted through-wall vent tube.
For DIY purposes, it is best to vent an air conditioner through a thinner wall constructed of low-density cement, cinder block or brick.
If it is possible to make a hole in the wall that allows for ventilation, this is generally the best option for venting a free standing AC unit.
2. Vent a Portable AC Through a Dryer Vent
A portable air conditioner vent and dryer vent are virtually identical in terms of dimensions.
If dryer vent is being used, the same hole can be used for a hose to attach to a portable conditioner and vent it without a window.
Many of the portable AC units that come with window seals can be used in the same way as dryer vents. AC producers will often tell you that venting your portable AC through a dryer vent works best.
Of course, not all rooms in a house are equipped with a dryer vent, as a clothes dryer is generally located in a room specifically used for washing and drying clothes. This may not be the case for bedrooms or living rooms, for example.
It is also a limitation that portable air conditioners only have a 6 foot long vent hose, although longer hoses can be purchased separately from most good hardware stores.
3. Vent a Portable AC Through the Ceiling
If you don't have a window, but have a drop-ceiling, you can vent your portable air conditioner through that ceiling.
Drop ceilings are necessary although they are a rarity in modern houses. However, drop ceilings can be found i(or installed) n older houses with high ceilings.
Ceiling venting is popular in offices where false or drop ceilings are common. Cubicle offices are a good example of this. They can heat up quickly during summer without a cooling solution.
A specialized drop ceiling ventilation kit can be used for installing the venting hose. These kits are universal, and can extend the length of the hose as far as 10 feet.
4. Vent a Portable AC Through a Door
A room that has a door that can be used as a vent for a portable air conditioner is another option under the right circumstances.
Venting portable air conditioners via a suitable door is one way to achieve it without a window.
However, it is important that the door is facing out to the exterior of the building. If the door opens to a hallway or another room, it will not be possible to achieve cooling on one room without heating up another room or the hallway.
If you have a balcony or patio door, you can vent your air conditioner outdoors through this medium.
A sliding door that opens to the outside provide an easy to install venting solution with the necessary temperature differential that will allow you to use a portable AC unit with the same efficiency as if you were venting it through a window.
A tall portable AC venting kit would be necessary for doors with ordinary openings. The sliding casement doors can be ventilated easily with the sliding door vent kit.
These kits will fit all sizes of sliding doors, up to 150 inches. They are approximately 6-8 inches in width.
This solution works for almost all AC units.
5. Vent a Portable AC Through a Chimney
Chimney venting is a lesser-used way to vent a portable AC unit without using a window. It does require quite some work and perhaps the assistance of an expert.
First of all, you need a chimney that is not in use, for instance in a working fireplace.
Installing a long flue down the chimney can be difficult and it will mean someone getting up onto the roof to feed the tube down from above. The flue will need to be long enough to reach and connect to the AC unit's exhaust vent in the room from the top of the chimney.
Talking with a professional to make sure you are aware of all safety issues is the best way to go.
Chimney went is a popular choice for small cottages that have a short chimney.
Summary
Since all air conditioning equipment requires the hot air produced is vented out of the building being cooled, a means for portable units to vent needs to be made.
It's not really all that difficult to vent a portable air conditioner without a window in the room as long as you have access to either an external wall, a drop ceiling or an external door or even an otherwise unused chimney from a fireplace.
Without the above options available to you, you'll need get creative to discover another usable way to vent the unit if you don't have any of the above options or you are unable to drill a suitable hole in an external wall.
Date Posted: April 25, 2022
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