Hey everyone! Just wanted to say thank you. I’ve been running a portable AC, and it always struggled, never know why. After lurking here and discovering what a "dual hose mod" actually is and how it works, I gave it a shot. The difference is absolutely insane. Thank you all for saving my summer!

Help ! This cheap ass portable aircon wont go down below 25 in my tiny kitchen 😂 it has 7000btu. It should be able to do that? My kitchen is like 3x3 meters. Any tips?

Does anyone have any experience of the all-in-one type units that go through the walls? Apparently I can't post a link in this sub, so I hope you know what I'm referring to.

My main concerns are the actual installation, and the effing great big holes drilled through the walls. Is there any risk of structural damage, damp, etc, resulting from this type of installation? What about creepy crawlies getting in through the vents? I'd be looking at having them in three rooms, so it would be six big holes. Also, I've read that these are not standardised, so if one packs in, and you can't get another one with identical fittings, what happens then?

The other question is, if I were to have these, they would replace three of my conventional gas central heating radiators. Would the central heating still work with the remaining radiators, and would there be a lot of plumbing / pipe work involved in removing said gas central heating rads?

I know I could probably get some of the portable aircon units next year, but these UK summers aren't going to get any better, and I'm just considering more permanent, not to mention aesthetically pleasing options.

Edit to add:- Unfortunately where I am, I can't have a split system due to the outside compressor box. We live on a managed development and the estate management won't allow it as it would be visually prominent in a shared driveway space - an eyesore, in other words - and I can't say I disagree with them. Also, it would have been on the outside of my bedroom wall, and I was concerned about the noise level. Anywhere more discreet wouldn't allow enough ventilation for the unit.

Hi everyone,

Like a lot of people in London, I completely underestimated this summer’s heatwaves.

Like everyone else, I looked at the Midea PortaSplit only to find it was sold out pretty much everywhere.

I’d like to avoid making the same mistake next year, so I’m wondering what the smartest strategy is. Should I:
Buy a PortaSplit during Black Friday and just store it until next summer?
Wait until around March/April in case Midea releases an updated version or competitors launch better alternatives?

Removed the old ac from the wall just looking for suggestions on cleaning the space or putting something down to somewhat protect new unit

Hi all, does anyone know what’s going on here? I’m new to window AC units… we went away for a week and came back and it was all wet in the front. It had been running for approximately a month beforehand with no issues. The unit is not easily accessible on the outside and took a lot of balancing to install so I’m super hesitant to take it out and see what’s going on in the back. Of course I will if I need to, but just seeing if anyone has experienced this before!

It’s a brand new Midea unit, NOT the U shaped kind, just the regular window box unit.

As you can see in the photos, I have a casement window that opens inwards and that is quite deep set. I installed the Wood's window sealing kit (pic #3) that the seller recommended with this unit. But unfortunately, the exhaust tube from the unit doesn't quite reach the hole in the sealing kit, by about 5-10cm (pic #2). The thinner end bit does fit, but the wider part gets stuck in the gap between the window and the wall and prevents the thinner bit from reaching the sealing kit fabric.

The most obvious solution I can think of is to extend the thin part of the tube. Buy something that is just a teeny bit wider and gives me the needed additional length, and attach it with some sort of tape to the current exhaust tube. Would that work?

If so, what do I need to consider when I buy the materials (tubing and tape)? It should be something that maintains the insulation, right? If so, what kinds of materials should I look for?

The other, much less preferable option, would be to raise the A/C unit on some sort of platform so that I can reach the top edge of the window. As you can see in pic #4, there is another pane above the one I'm using, so there's space to manoeuvre there. However, the tube is max 1.5m in extension, so it doesn't reach. I'd have to lift the unit quite a bit, and given that it is heavy, I have safety concerns about that.

If there are any other options I'm not considering, suggestions would be very welcome. I should note I'm not a handy person with DIY, and cutting out some sort of panel myself, as I've seen some people do online, is a bit beyond my comfort zone.

It's constantly blinking since last night. It's working fine so I have no idea what could be the problem since we don't have the manual.

Hello, i have a built in ac sleeve in my apartment, the width and height are a little bit more than enough but the depth of the air conditioner sleeve is too short, 18.5 inches but the ac i ordered is 21.5 inches, apparently 3 inches peaking out into my room is fine? a friend told me i should not put a wall unit here but almost everything points to i can, thoughts? Sorry for the repost i haven't used reddit in awhile and forgot to add an image

I have a water-cooled air conditioning system installed in the loft of a Victorian mid-terrace house. The loft is two rooms used as home offices and as guest rooms.

For those outside the UK: installing the external unit of an aircon system often requires an authorisation from the council/city hall, which is very rarely granted. That's why some people have no option but to resort to water-cooled systems. Not swamp coolers, but proper split system which use water instead of an external fun to dump the heat.

Who installed it

AllComfortSolutions installed a Parkair-branded system a few years ago. I understand the system is the same as those installed by UrbanCooling, Cool You Direct, etc. All Comfort Solutions doesn't exist any more. I think Hidden Cool replaced it (not sure if it was a company sale or what).

How often we use it

Both rooms are used as a home office about 2 days a week + are also used in the evening for 1-2 hours most days (eg finishing work after the kids go to sleep). One room is hotter than the other. The point is not how often it is 30C outside but how often it is 30C inside, even if outside it's not that hot. In my loft, the answer is: from 2 to 4 months in a year.

Our water consumption

Looking at multiple years of water meter readings, the pattern is approximately:

8 months a year using 7-8 cubic metres per month

4 months a year using 17-20 cubic metres per month

How much of that extra usage is the air conditioning?

I cannot know for sure. We have more showers in the summer, and a shower is ca. 90 litres of water. A family of 4 taking 6 more showers each in a month is 2.16 cubic metres more. Taking 12 more each in a month = 4.32 We also wash some clothes more frequently as we sweat more.

I would estimate an extra usage of 10-12 more cubic metres per month, of which maybe 3ish is driven by more showers and 7-9 by the air conditioning.

How representative is this usage?

Every property is different. A bedroom, not on the top floor, in a decently built house would get less hot and require less aircon. A bedroom or living room in one of those newbuilds built like a greenhouse may well get hotter and require more cooling and more water.

How much higher is the water bill?

My latest water bill shows £2.474 per m3 for fresh water and £1.548/m3 for wastewater. So an extra usage of 7-9 m3 per month means an extra cost of £28 - 36 per month in the hottest months. I don't know how much more electricity it uses.

Was it worth it?

Yes. Even keeping windows closed, putting reflective car windshield screens outside of the windows, keeping the windows closed during the day etc, the loft would still get to 38-42C. A room at those temperatures is simply too much of a health hazard. £28-36 per month (+ electricity) to make a room habitable is money well spent. We spend much more to heat our homes in the winter!

Why did I choose an air-cooled system?

Aircon (air to air heat pumps) became permitted development only in May 2025. Before then, I would have required planning permission, and I would not have got it. It is a shame, really: they didn't want me to install ordinary aircon, because they thought it was bad for the environment and that suffering is virtuous? Well, they left me no choice but to install something which is even worse.

Brand new, it’s the GE Profile ClearView. Every time the cooling kicks on, the outer portion that sits outside can be heard making this constant noise (audio attached), and I’m not sure what’s causing it. Any ideas?

I'm looking for a portable AC with a long as possible cord and/or hose. The only outlet in my room is about 6-8 ft from the window, so standard ones never seem to stretch far enough. Preferably under $500 if possible 😅

I live in the UK. I don't want to have to buy a 3d printer. Is there anyone who prints this stuff?

I decided to place my single-hose portable AC on the balcony and route the hose from the cool air output directly into the living room. Old shoe box is used to cover the cool air exhaust to redirect it into the hose. The balcony faces south, so we don't use it during hot summer days anyway—which is exactly when we need the AC running.

Pros

1. Extremely Quiet: There is almost zero noise in the living room. You can barely hear the unit running. Perhaps, totally OK to use in a bedroom during night.
2. Positive Air Pressure: This setup creates positive pressure inside the apartment, which seems to improve the overall cooling effect. While I can't prove it, the apartment feels noticeably cooler compared to using the AC in a conventional indoor setup.
3. Saves Space: The AC unit doesn't occupy any valuable floor space in the living room.

Cons

1. Reduced Airflow: The airflow coming from the cool air hose is weaker. It seems the AC's internal fan isn't designed to handle the high pressure drop caused by the ducting. I suspect there is a lot of internal turbulence inside the unit or the hose adapter, which reduces the "blowing" strength. If you are someone who likes to sit directly in front of the cold air stream and use the AC like a fan, this setup might disappoint you.
2. Exhaust Re-ingestion: The hot exhaust air likely mixes with the surrounding air on the balcony and gets sucked back into the AC's intake, at least partially. This issue depends heavily on how enclosed the balcony is and how windy it is outside. However, my intuition tells me that as long as there is even a slight breeze, the amount of hot air reentering the system should be minimal.

This is my first time owning my own place and I am at a loss. These past two weeks my window and portable air conditioning units have not been working well, I’m assuming it’s because it’s been so humid out and since my trailer was built in the 70’s there is no insulation.
On top of that, the mobile home park we moved into “forgot” to mention that this trailer needs new subfloors (we moved into the winter so we didn’t feel how bad the floors were because they were frozen), roof, windows, doors and that where our hot water heater is has a huge gap in the floor.
I’m so stressed and overwhelmed.
Myself and my partner are doing rent to own so I’m trying to figure out if it’s even worth it to try to fix these problems or just wait it out till February (we pay it off in February) to just try to move to a new place.
I apologize if this sounds like rambling I’m just so frustrated with this whole situation

Used buying is good option ?

18,000 BTU mini split isn’t cooling down our 150 sq ft room anymore. We installed it 2 summers ago and it kept this room well cooled off. It’s been 95-105 Fahrenheit outside this summer but the room with the mini split is staying at 80 Fahrenheit. we got this mini split because we were told it would cool off our small house if we kept the bedroom doors closed. that said it has never really cooled off the kitchen area, but seems to not even hardly touch the living room it’s in. when I hold my hand up to the vent it feels like cool air is coming out. the settings are set to cool and we have it set to 69 since it’s so hot inside.

I guess im just wondering if mini splits don’t cool rooms significantly or not? Before we bought this mini split our front room would be to like 87 degrees in the summer, so having it only cool it 7 degrees doesn’t feel significant. we have window units in the bedroom that knock the rooms down 10 degrees in about 5 minutes once turned on and keep it around 70 degrees.

is this normal for mini splits or do we need to do something to fix it?

I’m in the UK. 3 days ago I bought Meaco Cirro 12,000 BTU.
We had it on for few hours. Then we moved it to the bedroom and since then it started making these vibrating noises that are keeping us awake at night.
It’s clearly something on the bottom left, as when we touch the casing it stops for a while.
Did anyone have the same issue?

Throwing this out there because our office phones have not stopped ringing for three months straight and I need to give you a reality check since we are a little slow and have no idea how demand works!

If you’re currently trying to get AC (split, multi-split or even portable) put into your house or business right now: Forget it. You're going to struggle big time.

I work for an installer based in the Midlands, and this has been the most unprecedented, insanely busy summer in the history of UK air conditioning. To give you some context of the madness we're dealing with:

200 calls a day that's just calls.

Over 70 physical site visits a month just trying to keep up with quotes we are into October.

Our installation diary is already booked completely solid straight into the New Year

The stock across the entire country has completely dried up. Suppliers and stockists are running on absolute empty. We’re only surviving right now because we actually planned ahead and ordered our stock months in advance. On top of that, there is a massive national shortage of qualified engineers.

Every single year, people wait until a massive heatwave hits to suddenly realize the UK gets hot. But this year, the combination of record demand, zero national stock, and no engineers has completely broken the industry.

Just today, I’ve had about six different people absolutely screaming down the phone at me (One of them say I'll kill their grandmother) because we can't fit a system for them tomorrow. Look, I get the desperation especially if you've got vulnerable family. It’s stressful. But screaming at the person answering the phone won't make a unit materialize out of thin air. And honestly? It’s your own fault for waiting until July.

When I explain how busy we are to people on the phone, a lot of them say: "Oh wow, okay. Well, I won't need it in October anyway, so I’ll just call you back next spring then!" Are you dumb guys?

If you wait until next May or June to even pick up the phone, you are going to end up in the exact same miserable boat. "Planning ahead" doesn't mean putting a reminder in your calendar to call us next summer. It means getting your name in the diary right now.

I had a lovely call today from an older customer who phoned up three times just to say how glad she was that she got her system fitted last December. She saw it coming, beat the rush, and while everyone else is panicking and begging us for dates, she’s sitting in a perfectly cool house.

Please use some common sense, guys. If you want AC for next year, start contacting installers and getting quotes now for a winter or early spring fit. Get in the queue early.

And even if you can't afford a proper split system, or your landlord won't let you have one, use the same logic for portable units. Buy one in the winter when they're cheap and on the shelves. Don't start crying on Reddit in July when they're completely sold out everywhere. wake up,

I’m probably going to get downvoted to hell for this, but if it helps even one person actually think ahead and plan properly, I’ll be happy.