I'm thinking of buying this (http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/product/product.jsp?CATID=8140002&PRODID=8090025&textLocation=top) mobile air con unit.

Does anyone have any experience of them?
Are they worth buying?

Cheers

:thumbsup:

I think with this type of unit you have to take the vent hose through an open window which seems a bit self-defeating to me.

You can buy a kit for about £30 to take the vent through the wall, but it's not really a DIY job.

If it's for a child's bedroom consider one of those slow ceiling fans, they're very quiet and move enough air to cause an evaporative effect.

Cheers for info.
It's for mine and the missus bedroom (well anywhere round the house really).

I appreciate summer in the UK is hit and miss and it might not seem worth it for the few days we have. However if last nights serious lack of sleep due to hot weather is anything to go by, it'll be a worthwhile investment for each year.

They had some air cooling unit thingies at B&Q for about £50 this weekend, considering how many days a year you will actually get to use it I think £200+ is a bit expensive.

Link : http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/product/product.jsp?CATID=8120006&entryFlag=false&PRODID=8090006

Cheers for that Nick.
The one you linked to though is basically a fancy fan.

And on HOT days they tend to just blow warm air around the room.

I realise £250 seems a lot of money, but I suppose it's worth what someone will pay for it.

It'll be a good investment (IMO) for next year and the year after to make sleeping nice and cool again.
Last night was just too hot for me to sleep.

Are these things noisy?

To be honest I'm not sure.
I wouldn't have thought they'd make much more noise than a fan makes.

However I've slept in apartments in the states with them built in and they weren't so noisy they kept me awake.

if you do get one of them from the B&Q around 250 could you let me know what they are like and if any good please cos we were thinking of getting one for the shop as its murder in here as soon as the sun comes round the front the big windows make it like a green house and there just isnt any ventalation weve got the fans but they dont do any good like you said after a while its just warm air they are circulating and its no good for the customers they drop like flies in the heat.
thankyou

Definately worth buying. We bought one for our daughter's (attic) bedroom last year. Yesterday it reduced the temperature from 30 degrees in the afternoon to 20 by the time she went to bed. It not very noisy but we don't leave it on at night because it's far too tempting for her to play with.

Anyone know roughly how much these things cost to run per day?

We're thinking about getting some for work, but the powers that be don't want landing with huge electricity bills!

ahhh i never thought of that feargal... i dont want a huge bill either so if they are dear to run the customers will just have to keep droppin like flies :hihi:

Yep... that's what the bossman says! We did ask for a large supply of ice pops instead, but again the answer was no!

I bought a portable air conditioning unit (12k BTU) for my bedroom from Homebase for £199.95 and it is worth every penny spent and more.

I must admit it is rather noisy but you soon get use to it!! Although the pipe does go out of an open window it does not seem to make much difference as the pipe end is flattened and I would kill my partner if he put an hole in the wall.

I would suggest you buy the best you can for your money to suit your room area and shop around..... this was the cheapest one we found

OK so I've been and bought the unit.
It's a 10k BTU system but also heats for winter use if required (so it's a dual mode).

It's got a remote control for it too, and it will dehumidify a room if you set it to that fubction.
Should have been £299, but reduced to £237 @ B&Q, Queens Road.

OMG its fantastic... it's not been on long and already I can feel the difference. The temp gauge on it says the room temp has now been reduced by 2 degrees C (not much, but it's only been on 20 mins or so).

Seriously Seriously looking forward to the difference tonight.

So far it gets the :thumbsup: from me :D

Originally posted by Litha
so if they are dear to run the customers will just have to keep droppin like flies :hihi:

Well you could always knock up a bit of pastry and turm 'em into eccles cakes.

abracadabra ! :D

Originally posted by Greybeard
I think with this type of unit you have to take the vent hose through an open window which seems a bit self-defeating to me.

You can buy a kit for about £30 to take the vent through the wall, but it's not really a DIY job.

If it's for a child's bedroom consider one of those slow ceiling fans, they're very quiet and move enough air to cause an evaporative effect.

I figured out I could stand one in the en-suite and vent it by taking the cover off the extractor fan and buying a joining collar for the hose for about a fiver - then Mr Strix said 'No' :(

Looks like I'll have to stick to my fan-and-icepack home made arrangement :rolleyes:

Well, DaBouncer.... was it any good overnight? Too loud? How much did it finally reduce the room temp by? I'm considering getting one myself because although it is a "few nights" a year when it's so hot you can't sleep, those "few nights" seem to be getting more each year.

Originally posted by DaBouncer
I'm thinking of buying this (http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/product/product.jsp?CATID=8140002&PRODID=8090025&textLocation=top) mobile air con unit.

Does anyone have any experience of them?
Are they worth buying?

Cheers

:thumbsup:

Hmmmmm ...

I seem to recall someone moaning about me and another forumer getting air-con units last year around this time. Something about, not really worth it, and, summer will be over in a few days anyway.

:P

Err, I'd invest in a good one. Get one that has a pipe that stick outside through a window to do it's evaporation and condensation thing. The kind me and Martin got are little more than glorified fans.

EDIT:

Jamie reads the rest of the thread ...

1) What's the noise level like?

2) What's the temperature drop like?

3) What's the pipe thing like? How long?

Originally posted by DaBouncer
I'm thinking of buying this (http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/product/product.jsp?CATID=8140002&PRODID=8090025&textLocation=top) mobile air con unit.

Does anyone have any experience of them?
Are they worth buying?

Cheers

:thumbsup:
Go to homebase, 12000 BTU air con £200, same as B&Q or better

No wasn't too Noisy.
Dropped room temp by approx 8-10 degrees.
Helped me sleep like a baby.

Was it worth it? Yes I'd say it was!