Best Portable Air Conditioner in Canada in 2022: Single- & Dual-Hose Air Conditioners Compared | Buyer’s Guide

Why are portable air conditioners so popular? They are economical, compact, easy to install, and mobile. A portable air conditioner works by drawing the air into the unit and passing it over an evaporator coil. As a result, the air cools down while excess moisture is eliminated. The cooled air is then forced back into the room, bringing the temperature and humidity levels down. What you should know is that any air conditioner generates both cooled and heated air. And this is where a hose is crucial as it is used to remove the heated air.

Portable Air Conditioners Compared

When it comes to air conditioners, you really have a broad choice. Apart from multiple brands and designs present on the market, there are 4 types of portable air conditioners: single-hose, dual-hose, split system, and self-evaporating models. Now, let’s look at them in more detail.

Single-Hose Air Conditioners

This type of air conditioner comes with one flexible hose that is fed through a hole in the wall or window. That hose is used to vent out the heated air and moisture out of the room. While being a common type of portable air conditioner, this option has several drawbacks. To begin with, it is not very efficient in removing hot air. Any crevices or holes around windows or in the wall will let it leak back into the room. Secondly, many of these devices are not suitable for cooling large areas.

That said, single-hose air conditioners are simple in operation, noiseless, and very mobile. They are perfect as a complimentary air conditioning system or in situations when you need to frequently move the unit from one place to another.

Dual-Hose Air Conditioners

Dual-hose units, on the contrary, are more sophisticated. They are designed with two hoses, one of which collects air to cool the machine down and the other one releases the heated air. This type of air conditioner is more efficient as it does not need to work as hard as single-hose air conditioners. The dual-hose option is more appropriate for large spaces and operates faster. The weak part of this type includes a higher price and increased electricity consumption.

This Portable 14,000 BTU Dual-Hose Air Conditioner comes with a control panel, adjustable power, and 3 modes: normal, natural, and night. You can adjust the unit’s power depending on the size of the room and the climate in your area. 

Testing & Customer Review of Dual-Hose Air Conditioner

Woopnik (YouTube blogger): "I have Whynter ARC-14SH Air Conditioner now for three years and more than one month and it works great. So if you're looking around for a great air conditioner that's it. I'm using it in the summer basically every day and of course every night. It's a little bit loud but you get used to it. I never had any technical problems with this unit. It just works it works and works and works.

It's a 14,000 BTU air conditioner so for the portable ones it's the strongest available AC. The machine is also self evaporating which means the condensation which the machine is accumulating is evaporated through one of the hoses to the outside. You don't have to worry about that. In the last three years only once, it has been very muggy very humid, the reservoir inside which is holding the water condensation flew over and the machine just turned off. It was easy to relieve the reservoir of the water. After this was done it worked again. Whynter products are really good."

Which Portable Air Conditioner Is the Best? Key Features

First and foremost, this depends on the size of the space where the unit will be installed. For large rooms and spaces packed with electronic hardware, you will need a powerful, high-capacity device. Below, you will find the list of the most important features to look for when buying your portable air conditioner.

Noise Level

Made with both a fan and a compressor, portable units sound like regular air conditioners. The noise exposure level measured in decibels is indicated on the package, with a decibel rating ranging from 38dB to 65dB. For low settings, the sound level should be no more than 48dB, whereas when operating at high settings the unit generates more noise.

Which portable air conditioner is the quietest? There are a variety of almost noiseless units on the market but many of them do not do the job well. If you want a powerful yet silent device, opt for the high-end De'Longhi 3-in-1 Portable Air Conditioner, Dehumidifier & Fan with the Arctic Whisper Quiet Mode. This means that you will hear up to 50% less noise when the device is operating at low levels. The air conditioner will both cool and dehumidify your bedroom without disrupting your sleep.

Cooling Capacity | Price

When it comes to cooling capacity, it is crucial to pick an air-con of proper size. Units designed for small spaces will not do the job when placed in large ones. On the other hand, large-capacity AC units are less efficient in small rooms. The cooling capacity of air conditioners typically ranges from 5,500 BTU/hr to 14,000 BTU/hr. You can choose an ideal cooling capacity for your room based on the formula: 20 BTU per square foot.

Сool Surround Technology in the DeLonghi 14000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner for XLarge (700 sq.ft.) rooms uses Bluetooth technology to monitor temperature and humidity around the remote control and delivers targeted cooling to you. ECO Real Feel technology provides the ideal balance between temperature and humidity.

You may pick a budget-friendly unit with 10,000 BTU of cooling capacity. This is a multi-functional device. In addition to three-speed options, the fan also has a sleep mode. The unit efficiently dehumidifies the room, extracting over 26 liters per day. 

If you are looking for a budget unit for a small room, then Danby with a 7,500 BTU cooling capacity is a good deal under $500.

Self-Evaporating Portable Air Conditioners

This type of air conditioner recycles the moisture in the air and does not require a drainage hose. Once inside the unit, moisture moves across the coils and cools them down. If there is any moisture left at the end of the process, it is vented out through the exhaust. The main benefits of self-evaporating air conditioners include energy efficiency and effectiveness. Not only does the recycled moisture cool the coils, but it also helps the machine cool down the room faster. These appliances are also more lightweight and compact.

However, self-evaporative air conditioners are a poor choice for areas with high humidity. 

5-in-1 units are multifunctional. It can be used as an air cooler, heater, humidifier, fan, and air purifier. Evaporative cooler's prices range from $180 to $260. They come with a built-in 6L—8L water tank and feature programmable controls with an LED screen, a 24-hour timer, and a fan with 3 speeds, and the Auto Breeze function. 

Keep in mind that the most affordable AC unit may be expensive to run if it was not engineered with energy efficiency in mind. Models with higher BTU consume approximately 1.35 kilowatt per hour. The best option is portable air conditioners with A and A+++ energy ratings as they are the most energy-efficient. 

Split Portable Air Conditioners

These air conditioners are composed of two separate parts. The first part is a wheeled indoor unit that cools down the air in the room and the second part is the condenser positioned outdoors. These units are connected through flexible refrigerant pipes. Ideal for large spaces, such an appliance is also much quieter due to the motor located outside the room. While being less portable, it takes up less space in the room because the indoor ventilation unit is smaller and more lightweight.

Alexa Compatibility

If you are a smart home enthusiast, you may want to get a smart air conditioner. These devices are more functional and convenient as you can control them with your voice or smartphone. These WiFi and Alexa-enabled units are compatible with Amazon Echo devices. In the app, you can switch between fan, cooling, dehumidifier, and auto modes as well as control the temperature, fan speed, and timer. Not only is this device loaded with features but it is also very efficient. 

Testing of the Portable Air Conditioner De’Longhi Pinguino Plus

Aaron's Test Lab: "This is kind of nice that De’Longhi Pinguino Plus is a four-in-one unit. In addition to the fan, dehumidifier, and air conditioning functions, that pretty much every single one of these types of products is going to have, this one also has a heat pump. So it kind of can run in reverse. It's a nice function if you have a small area with no HVAC at all just turning it on. The product is very quiet on fan-only mode. Only about 52 decibels which are somewhere in between rainfall and a low volume conversation. It's actually a nice white noise. However, when the compressor kicks on we're up to about 64 decibels. And while not loud, it is between a conversation and city traffic, in practical terms, this just means turning the volume up a little bit if you're trying to watch TV in the same room.

I placed a little thermometer in the vent to try and get an output temperature reading and it does come out pretty cold. 46 degrees is what's coming out of the air conditioning unit. That's pretty cool, right? No pun intended. The temperature of the exhaust is somewhere around 100 degrees. So that's a 50-degree difference between what's coming out of the front and what's going out of the back. And if we think about it this ducting is actually radiating some of that heat back into the room and it's sort of one of the reasons that portable air conditioners are normally not thought of as all that efficient. So I'm thinking if we actually wrap this ducting a little bit we can maybe improve the efficiency a little bit. So I picked up some spiral pipe insulation and wrapped it up. So before it was like at 100 degrees and now it's at 81. That's a pretty big improvement. So it's a suggestion if you want to improve the efficiency of your portable air conditioner a little bit.

Overall I think the Delonghi Pinguino 4 in 1 12500 BTU Portable Air Conditioner is a good unit. I've had it for a year now running it every day in the summer without an issue. That said one should be realistic with regard to expectations. The manufacturer recommends this product for room sizes up to 500 square feet but to me, that's a weird thing to recommend without any further info. Are we talking about a home in Arizona where it's 115 outside and the occupant is expecting 70? Or are we talking about where I live here in Seattle where it's 85 on a hot day? In my case, this unit is perfectly capable of taking care of my living room. The real point I'm making is that I think it would be wise to stay conservative with your expectations, especially in warmer climates."

Best-Selling Portable Air Conditioners in Canada | Comparison Table

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