How To Vent Your Portable AC

In order to work properly, all portable air conditioners must exhaust hot air during the cooling process. (The Amcor APC2000E Personal Air Conditioner is an exception — but it is not powerful enough to cool an entire room.)

Most portable ACs come with a window kit to vent the hot air outside. However, not all rooms have windows. Computer server rooms, for instance, are often internally located, so portable ACs would normally be set up to vent into a drop ceiling space. Vent hoses may also be configured to exhaust hot air through a sliding door, into another room, or through a wall.

Portable AC Window Kits

The standard window kit includes a window bracket, which is a piece of foam or durable plastic that fits into an open window, a vent hose adapter for the bracket, and one or two vent hoses. The average vent hose is about 5 feet long, so you need to place your portable AC fairly close to a window.
First, attach the vent hose to the portable AC. If necessary, trim the window bracket to fit your window snugly. You may also need to cut a hole in the bracket for the hose (but most brackets come with pre-cut holes). Then, connect the vent hose to the adapter, and close the window tightly. It's that easy!

Will I have to remove my window screen?
Customers often want to know if they will have to remove their window screen to install a portable air conditioner. While it depends on the type of window and screen, most customers find that they do not have to remove the screen because exhaust hoses do not extend beyond the window.

Casement Windows and Crank Windows

Since casement windows and crank windows open like doors, standard window kits will not fit them. But that hasn't stopped our resourceful customers! Many customers who have casement windows simply cover the entire window opening with Plexiglas and cut out a hole for the exhaust hose.

Sliding Window and Sliding Door Ventilation

Standard window brackets are designed to be installed horizontally at the bottom of windows, but they can be installed vertically to fit sliding windows and sliding doors. Some modifications of the window bracket may be required.

For sliding windows, you need to make sure that the bracket will be long enough to fit the opening. Units that feature double window brackets, such as DeLonghi portable air conditioners, generally work well for sliding windows. A double bracket includes the standard window bracket plus and additional filler bracket. After setting up the bracket, if there's still an opening, you can fill it with wood, Plexiglas, insulation, or some other filler.

When working with sliding doors, the window brackets will not be long enough to fill the vertical opening, so you'll need to fill the extra space with some other material like plywood or Plexiglas.

Drop Ceiling Ventilation

Electronic equipment can produce a great deal of heat, but sensitive equipment must be kept cool at all times. For this reason, portable ACs are extremely popular for computer server rooms. The only problem is that server rooms often don't have windows, and most of them are located toward the center of buildings, away from exterior walls.

Fortunately, most server rooms are located in office buildings that have drop ceilings or panel ceilings, and you can configure the hoses to vent into the drop ceiling space. The DeLonghi PAC W130E comes with everything you need to set up drop ceiling ventilation while keeping the unit on ground level. Other residential units can also vent through the ceiling, but they will need to be placed above ground level so that the hose can reach the ceiling.

Most IT professionals opt for commercial-grade units like Movincool portable ACs with optional ductwork and drop ceiling panels. If drop ceiling ventilation is not an option in your server room, you can always vent the hot air through the wall.

Wall Ventilation

Some people prefer to exhaust hot air through a wall vent, directly outside or to another room such as a garage or storage room. You can use a jigsaw to cut the correct size hole in the wall — but make sure there isn't any wiring or plumbing where you want to cut the hole. You can seal the edges of the hole with silicone caulk.

Connecting to Dryer Vents

In most cases, it is not recommended that you use a dryer vent because dryer vents have a 4 inch diameter while most exhaust hoses are larger. DeLonghi portable ACs, on the other hand, feature 4 inch exhaust hoses, so they would fit most old dryer vents. However, if the external opening of the dryer vent contains a flap, then the unit's hot air exhaust will not be strong enough to push it open. In this case, you would need to remove the flap and replace it with some sort of screen.

Single-Hose PACs vs. Double-Hose PACs

Portable air conditioners require air to cool off their compressors. In single-hose units, this air is taken from the room, and then hot air is exhausted outside. This creates a slightly negative air pressure, which means that warmer air from surrounding rooms will enter the room that's being cooled. While a single-hose unit is somewhat inefficient, many people enjoy having slightly negative air pressure in a particular room because it helps to remove odors.
Dual-hose portable ACs feature one hose to draw in air from the outside and another hose to exhaust the air. With dual-hose units, no negative air pressure is created in the room. However, in environments where outdoor temperatures are extremely high (near 100 degrees F), dual-hose units may operate less efficiently than single-hose PACs. In general, dual-hose portable ACs can cool off a room a bit faster, but they also use a bit more energy. Considering all factors, it's impossible to say that one type of PAC is inherently better than the other.

Do Not Extend Vent Hoses

You should not try to extend the vent hose on your portable AC because it will result in decreased efficiency, and it could also void the warranty. Some units, such as Movincool PACs, feature exhaust hoses that are longer than the standard 5 feet.

Still Got Questions?

With a little creativity and ingenuity, you can make a portable AC work almost anywhere in your home or office. If you still have questions, call our product experts at (800) 934-9194 for a free consultation. Be sure to carefully read the instruction manual before installing your new portable air conditioner.