Portable Air Conditioner Blog

You Have Options

2010-03-03T15:28:00.000-08:00

Portable air conditioners are not the only energy-saving solution for the warmer months. In fact, swamp coolers (also known as evaporative coolers) use much less energy than most air conditioners (portable as well as central), and their initial cost is about half the price! Swamp coolers are great for cooling larger areas because they offer high CFMs and various water tanks sizes. Additionally, they're compact, lightweight, and easily portable, so you can take it with you from room to room!

The NewAir AF-350 is one of the most highly rated and most energy efficient swamp coolers on Air Conditioner Home. Like many NewAir products, the AF-350 is not only for one type of use. This swamp cooler comes with an air purifier, so it also leaves your home smelling fresh, too!

Winter's Coming to an End Already

2010-03-01T16:35:00.000-08:00

Now that the winter season is nearing its end, it's the perfect time for you to take out your portable air conditioner! If you don't have one, there is still time to get one. In fact, spring doesn't come this year until March 20. However, it isn't a good idea to wait until the last minute to purchase one, because that's usually when the PAC-craze starts and everyone is lining up to get one.

Portable air conditioners are normally used when central air conditioning isn't strong enough, or when it doesn't hit the right spots. There are also many other reasons why portable air conditioners are THE units to use, especially during spring, summer, and even fall. Here are a few:

Some have more than one function - such as dehumidifiers, heaters, or air purifiers.
They save you a lot of energy compared to using central ACs
They don't require permanent installation, unlike window units
Most are easily portable and come with a set of wheels
They are extremely easy to install

Attention Singers!

2010-02-24T16:10:00.000-08:00

During the winter, many people become congested and get sore throats. The main reason for this is that the air is too dry and humidity levels are too low. This condition is often worse for singers who have to perform or record during the cold weather, as they continue to sing despite the fact that their throats are oftentimes as dry as a desert.

Research shows that one way to keep singers' vocals in good shape is to make sure their throats don't suffer from dry air. The main way to fix this is, of course, to use humidifiers. Humidifiers increase the moisture levels in the room and keep singers feeling refreshed and ready to use their voices.

Of course, this doesn't only affect singers; everyone else usually feels the same way once the weather becomes dry. It's just that singers are more prone to making the symptoms worse because they constantly have to use their vocal chords even when they're not feeling well.

Garage Heaters

2010-02-22T16:38:00.000-08:00

My favorite thing to do during the winter is to take out my garage heater and just wait for the temperature to drop so that I can use it. It seems a little weird, but it's a tradition that I always follow because then I don't have to worry about not being able to find it when the weather gets too cold!

Garage heaters, in my opinion, are the best type of heaters out there. They provide enough heat to keep a garage warm - how many heaters can do that? Plus, they don't use a lot of energy and they function as spot heaters. As long as I direct my garage heater toward the person I want to warm up (that would probably be me), that person feels warm and comfortable. I also love that my garage heater is small and cube shaped - it doesn't take up a lot of room. In fact, I'd say that it's almost like a more powerful space heater!

2010-02-19T14:25:00.000-08:00

It has been so warm the last couple of days that I had to bust out an industrial fan to cool down! If that's not crazy, I don't know what is. Industrial fans are usually used in larger areas like warehouses and workshops, not living rooms and backyards! Either way, I used the utility fan and about 10 minutes later, my entire house was cool and comfortable. Honestly, something like this has never happened before - to me, anyway. I'm still really amazed about it.

Has anyone else been keeping up with the Winter Olympics this year? I haven't really, but I did see a little bit of the ice skating. I've always been pretty interested in the sport since Michelle Kwan appeared in the Olympics for it. Oh! I also heard about the weather in Vancouver - about the lack of snow and how it's not cold enough over there either; my friend called it the "curse of the Winter Olympics."

Introducing: The Ice Maker

2010-02-17T16:10:00.000-08:00

Ice makers are one of the best inventions, ever.

If you own one of these amazing units, you probably understand exactly what I mean. Instead of using a freezer, you can use a compact icemaker to get ice - they're amazingly fast and extremely portable! I've had one of the NewAir icemakers for as long as I can remember, and it never disappoints. I make sure I have it with me whenever I host a party, or even if there's just a small get-together. Some ice makers can make up to 35 pounds of ice per day, and each cycle only takes about 10 minutes! What amazes me most is how great it works compared to a freezer. When my freezer runs out of ice, I have to wait about two hours before I can get any more. Before, all I could do was run to my nearest Ralph's and buy a bag of ice. Now, I can simply turn on my ice maker and get fresh, FREE ice.

Crazy Winter

2010-02-10T16:34:00.000-08:00

How much longer is winter going to stay? I haven't even checked up on whether or not Punxatawney Phil saw his shadow - though I heard he's only accurate 40% of the time anyway! Yesterday, it was raining and freezing - today, it's sunny and warm. You know that the weather is going crazy when you have to use a space heater one day, and then an electric fan the next. Good thing we had the Air King 9550 commercial fan blower today! Otherwise, I'm sure I would have been sweating through my clothes. This utility fan was super quiet and didn't distract me from any work that I had to do at all!

Don't forget - Air Conditioner Home has an excellent library full of articles that can provide you with tips about choosing the right humidifier, dehumidier, portable air conditioner, and even air purifiers! We even have tips on saving money and being green - topics everyone should be interested in (especially with the weather changes going on they way they do).

2010-02-08T16:35:00.000-08:00

Today, I was looking through some products and discovered a really cool water dispenser/ice maker combo: the NewAir AI-400SB.

This creative unit is a water dispenser first - it comes with hot water, cold water, and room temperature water. The hot water dispenser even has a child safety guard to prevent accidental scalding of any kind! The AI-400SB is also an ice maker. It is actually capable of providing up to 28 pounds of ice per day. And, even better, this unit is able to produce ice in only seven minutes, making it much more functional and capable than other compact icemakers - which don't have an additional water dispenser attached, by the way.

Too bad I didn't know about this cool water dispenser/ice maker until today! Can you imagine how perfect it would have been for a Superbowl party? Guests could make their own drinks at the temperature they want - and ice would be available too!

Price Reduction!

2010-02-03T16:50:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I always use coupons or coupon codes when I shop - it's a habit of mine. That is why I'm excited to tell you that Air Conditioner Home is having a price reduction on a few items! What's best about this limited-time offer is that there is no coupon necessary; the price has already been reduced! One of the many products, the NewAir AW-180E 18 bottle wine cooler is a great product that all wine lovers will enjoy. This wine cooler comes with a cool touch screen as well as an internal LED light for maximum visibility. Instead of its regular list price at $189.99, it is now $44 less - an impressive $145.99! Hurry and take advantage of this offer while you can - it's not going to last forever!

2010-02-01T16:38:00.000-08:00

Did anyone else watch the Grammys last night? I can't believe some people actually watched the whole show! I don't know how they managed to stretch it all into 3.5 hours, even with commercial breaks. I really, really enjoyed the performances from Lady Gaga / Elton John, Beyonce, and Green Day, though.

However, I became pretty bored in the middle of it, so I turned the TV off, turned my space heater on, and opened my book of Sudoku. Now, that was a good way to spend my night! I have only recently become enamored with that game of numbers - who knew it could be so addicting? I spent a few hours just playing with numbers while bundling up next to the heater.

Another Post about the Weather

2010-01-27T16:16:00.000-08:00

Just two days after I posted about how cold it is here in California, Mother Nature decided to do a 180 on me! Today, it's actually really, really warm. I had to take off my winter coat and turn on the Air King 9230 next to my desk! Who knew that I'd be using an electric fan in the middle of winter? The weather is really bizarre and so hard to understand sometimes. I think it might be global warming doing its work here.

Anyway, as I'm sure everyone knows, the iPad is coming out! I actually think it's quite a clever name, though it really does sound like it could be for feminine products. I've actually never heard of the iPad until I saw that it was a trending topic on Twitter. As "cool" as it may be, I don't really think it's that necessary, really. But, you know, whatever floats your boat!

Brrrr.

2010-01-25T16:03:00.000-08:00

I'm definitely not used to this weather in California. It's really extreme for me because normally I'm used to the 80-degree summers - even the 100-degree summers! Right now, it feels like Mother Nature is keeping her portable air conditioner on full blast and there's nothing I can do to stop her.

What's funny, though, is that I'm so terrified of the cold, yet I want to move to New York City. I'm pretty sure that place is much, much colder than California could ever be - especially in the winter. I can't even imagine what it would be like to live with snow and rain falling down all the time! When/if I move to NYC, I'm pretty sure I'll be wearing at least 5 coats and 3 pairs of pants every day, along with gloves, socks, boots, and scarves. I can barely imagine. Well, at least when I'm over there I'll be able to take my space heater with me!

Terrible Weather

2010-01-20T16:16:00.000-08:00

Wow, the rain is incredibly strong today! I don't know if anyone heard, but yesterday there was a tornado warning in the LA/OC area. It was ultimately cancelled, but still, what a scary experience! My friend even told me that it started hailing last night as well. I've never seen such terrible weather in California before - but then again, I haven't been here longer than 18 years, so I wouldn't know. But I bet it's all due to global warming.

I think that I'm going to start switching my appliances to Energy Star models - just like the Alen MDF3-50 dehumidifier. Even though it doesn't make much of a difference if I'm the only one who is changing my appliances to Energy-Star rated products, I'm proud to know that I'm contributing in some way!

Hopefully the weather doesn't get any worse than this! I don't think I have any coats warm enough to handle this type of weather!

Oh, Winter

2010-01-18T15:36:00.000-08:00

I came down with a nasty case of the cold yesterday. This weather is really, really getting to me. It's so dry - especially at night. My skin, nose, and mouth were especially dry so I turned on my Essick Air ED11910 whole house evaporative humidifier while I slept and today, I feel SO much better, even though I'm still kind of sick.

I'm glad that I have to learn all about these appliances and how/why they work. Otherwise, I'd just wait to get better naturally. And for me, that can take anywhere from 1 week to 3 months! Hopefully, if I sleep with the humidifier on every night, even after I'm not sick anymore, I'll be fine and dandy until the summer comes!

Oh, did anyone watch the Golden Globes last night? I haven't watched Avatar yet, but I hear it's quite fascinating and that it deserved those high-honor awards it received. I didn't agree with giving Glee the Golden Globe, though, for best TV comedy. I think that 30 Rock is much, much better. What did you think of the GG winners?

Shower Heads

2010-01-13T16:33:00.000-08:00

It's been about two months since I last posted about water purifying shower heads - a post in which I talked about how these shower heads are great for your skin and your hair because they remove chemicals and chlorine from your water. Well, I'm here to provide you with some personal feedback about these shower heads.

One word: AMAZING. I can't even begin to describe how great it feels to take a clean, chemical-free shower. I dye my hair a lot (which is unfortunate for my hair), so I can't afford to have chemicals in my hair. This shower head that I have (the one pictured, the Sprite FXD-SNP6) is perfect for my hair. When I come out of the shower, my hair feels clean and lustrous. Without this shower head, my hair would be brittle and crispy. Also, my skin has become a lot clearer and softer. I really don't know what I'll do when I have to go on vacation, because I know I'm going to want to bring this shower head with me wherever I go!

Using Humidistats to Prevent Mold Growth

2010-01-11T15:57:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I think I talked about mold and how to get rid of it with an air purifier. But how do you know if your home has the conditions for mold growth? Usually, most people don't know until mold covers most of their furniture. Mold can actually grow in any temperature, but once the humidity hits about 50 to 60%, you are at risk. Sometimes, you can smell it - sometimes you can't. So, in my opinion, a humidistat is the answer. These devices are kind of like thermostats, but they actually just check and tell you the temperature as well as the humidity levels. When your home gets to the temperature or humidity level that mold is likely to be growing in, the humidistat warns you. In fact, some actually tell you where the mold is likely growing.

This is very helpful because you want to make sure that you get to the mold before it gets to you! Using a humidistat significantly decreases the chance of you finding your home covered in mold just because you didn't realize what was going on.

Using a Ceiling Fan in the Winter

2010-01-06T15:48:00.000-08:00

I learned a really neat trick last night, and I want to share it with you! My aunt came over to my house late at night to chat with my parents. She came into my room and asked me why my ceiling fan wasn't on. I looked at her like she was crazy, but apparently she knew what she was talking about. After Googling, I remembered that ceiling fans are actually good to use year round (if you recall, I actually wrote about this before...I don't know why it didn't stick with me). There's actually a switch that allows you to change the direction in which the blades turn, forcing the hot air back down instead of pushing it up. This is a really great feature because otherwise ceiling fans would just be there to collect dust for a good half of the year! As it turns out, this feature can also save you up to 10% in heating costs.

Oh, but be careful if you have any flying pets, such as birds! I just read something on the internet the other day with stories about pet owners that forget to turn off their ceiling fans when they let their birds fly free. Can't be a pretty sight! :( Poor birds.

Freezers Are Great for College Students!

2010-01-04T16:36:00.000-08:00

Ever since starting college, I've been pretty dependent on frozen foods. I live in an apartment near the school, so everything I own has to be pretty small, including my refrigerator. And a small refrigerator equals one thing: a tiny freezer. As a result, I always ran out of room and could never find anywhere to place my pre-cooked meals. So, I looked around and found this awesome freezer / ice chest: the Vinotemp VT-ICECHEST. This ice chest isn't just for ice - it can pretty much hold anything that needs to be frozen. And it has a 7.2 cubic ft capacity, so I can put as many frozen meals into the freezer as I want!

This unit even has a bin separator - so of course, I made it look kind of like those ice cream bins at the supermarket. I don't think I've ever been so excited to put anything in my apartment. Now I don't have to waste as much money eating out all the time! (You know, college costs a lot even without considering how much a student pays for food)

Happy New Year!

2009-12-30T11:24:00.000-08:00

What a great year it has been! Thank you all for making this year so memorable for Air Conditioner Home. We hope that 2010 treats you well!

As it turns out, many people use their garage as an office - an idea I would never have thought of myself, but a brilliant idea nonetheless! A lot of the time, garages don't retain heat well because they're not insulated and they're a lot larger than the rest of the rooms inside of the house. As a result, you might want to use an electric garage heater this year to stay warm and comfortable inside the garage. These heaters are great for areas up to about 500 square feet, providing enough warmth for those of you who want to fix a car, build a shelf, or even just type up a document on your laptop inside of your garage! Additionally, garage heaters are great as spot heaters, so once you point them in the right direction, they provide a great amount of heat that will keep you warm even during the cold winters! For smaller rooms, don't forget that there are also electric space heaters, which I've posted about before!

Water Dispensers

2009-12-28T15:34:00.000-08:00

Hey, all! Hope you all had a great holiday / weekend! I basically just sat at home all weekend watching TV shows like Lost and House. What did you do?

Anyway, we recently got some cool new products in, so I thought it might be beneficial for our customers to see what we have in stock! We got these really cool Clover water dispensers here in the past week. Some are the regular bottled water dispensers that everyone should be familiar with - the others are really cool bottleless water dispensers. I had actually never seen one until last week, and I thought they were really sleek and compact - perfect for my apartment. These water coolers are actually much better than bottled water dispensers because they cost less to maintain, they don't use plastic bottles (which can be damaging to your health if you constantly reuse them!), and they don't waste as much space. The only downside is that they cost a little more to install. Otherwise, these water dispensers are great!

Free Shipping on Some Items

2009-12-23T16:01:00.000-08:00

The concept of "free" is always good - almost everyone loves free stuff! I say almost because of The Lonely Island's "On the Ground" sketch on Saturday Night Live - I'm sure there are really people like that! Anyway, I love free stuff so I thought I'd let all of our readers know that we here at Air Conditioner Home offer free shipping on many, many items. All of our air purifiers ship free, as well as some NewAir products (mostly heaters). Shipping on units can usually cost anywhere from $13 to over $50, so you might want to take advantage of this offer while it lasts! That's our Christmas gift to you all - free shipping on these items. Merry Christmas!

Last Minute Christmas Shopping

2009-12-21T16:06:00.000-08:00

It's finally the beginning of Christmas week! If any of you are like me, you probably waited until the very, very last minute to buy your gifts. Obviously, that's not good because by then all the good gifts have been bought and you run out of ideas. But don't fret! Air Conditioner Home can help you with your last minute shopping. In my opinion, nothing is better than a personal space heater - it can warm your heart and your body!

Just look for the items that are marked "IN STOCK - Ships today if ordered by 12:00 p.m. PST" just like this:

If you see these products, you can purchase them by December 22, 2009 (tomorrow) at 12 PM PST (3 PM EST / 2 PM CST) to receive your purchase by December 24, 2009. Be sure you pick overnight shipping on the checkout page or else you won't get your purchase in time for Christmas!

Good luck and happy shopping!

What Is Auto-Defrost?

2009-12-16T16:14:00.000-08:00

While adding products today, I came across the term "auto-defrost" and I realized that I didn't really understand it! So, I did some (brief) research, and it turns out that this feature is very important, especially when it comes to refrigerators, freezers, and wine coolers. Sometimes, ice builds up on the sides of the cooling/freezing unit, whatever it may be. Before auto-defrost was developed, you had to removed everything inside the refrigerator or freezer, unplug the unit, and wait for the ice to melt. Now, with auto-defrost, the unit automatically warms up a little and melts any frost that may have formed on the sides. The condensation from this frost is then drained through a collecting duct at the back of the unit. It's an amazing concept - one that most people don't even think twice about. Without auto-defrost, foods inside freezers would have ice inside the packaging, adding more necessary heating / cooking time. Additionally, foods could constantly be stuck together! (Think about the Glad commercials - that's exactly what I'm talking about!)

Energy Efficiency in the Winter

2009-12-14T11:31:00.000-08:00

With winter usually comes a large electricity bill and, more than likely, an even larger gas bill (this I know from experience!). Here are some tips that can help you become more energy efficient:

Try to use EPA-approved Energy Star products. Energy Star rated units can help you save hundreds per year, and they help reduce gas emissions!

Seal up your home! By closing up holes, cracks, and openings, you can refrain from using more heat than you need. However, by sealing up your home, you are preventing air circulation. As a result, you might need an air purifier to keep the air flowing.

Be wise about heating and use a programmable thermostat. Programmable thermostats let you customize when the heater turns on/off and how high you want the temperature to go! Best of all, there are many that are Energy Star approved and can save you even more money!

Rachael McAdams made a great point when she told Conan O'Brien that she turns off all appliances and even unplugs them when they are not in use. It may be wise to follow her example because this not only helps reduce your energy bill (because I really don't think you need your computer on 24/7!), but it also helps the environment. Many people don't know that many appliances use energy even when they are switched off but not unplugged!

Save Time and Frustration with Air Conditioner Home!

2009-12-11T15:58:00.000-08:00

Right after you purchase something, you usually read the instructions to see what you need to do. But sometimes this process gets confusing. Oftentimes, I find it useful to watch a video when putting something together or trying to figure out how something works. Seeing the process visually helps me save time and, not to mention, effort. As a result, Air-Conditioner-Home.com has put together a "How-to" video page that will save you time and frustration. We have videos that review products, such as dehumidifiers and air conditioners. We also have instructional videos that can help you learn exactly what you need to do to vent a portable air conditioner successfully. These videos can also be very helpful when you're shopping for the perfect home appliance (or maybe even the perfect Christmas gift!). Click here to take a look at Air Conditioner Home's helpful videos!