Portable air conditioners provide a mobile-cooling unit that can meet your temporary or mobile-cooling needs. For companies involved in the construction industry, warehouses that have varied cooling needs (depending on the products being stored), and offices under renovation, temporary and portable cooling is a necessity. The flexibility and mobility these units provide ensure that cooling needs are always properly met.

How Portable Air Conditioners Work

Portable air conditioners work on the same basic concept of a central air conditioner. They remove hot air from the indoor space and release fresh, cooled air back into the area. The units use a tube to draw air out of the building, and another tube to expel the air to the outdoors. The tubes can be connected to any opening, like a door or window that links to the outdoors.

The portable air conditioner has a compressor, condenser and evaporator, just like other air-conditioner types. Refrigerant moves through the system, changing from a gas to a liquid. As it does, it absorbs the heat from the inside air, expelling it to the outside and sending cooled air back into the room. Through the process, the unit also removes water vapor from the air.

Portable air conditioners provide several benefits for specific types of businesses. These include:

Mobility

With a portable air conditioner, companies can move the cooling anywhere they need it. This can be particularly valuable when an office is under construction, or for industries that regularly move from one site to the next.  Because they are lightweight and on casters, these units provide the flexibility you need to deliver cooling exactly where it is needed, and move it when the need changes.

Mobility is particularly important in some specific industries. For example, construction work, where the location of the job moves regularly, can benefit from mobile air-conditioning options. Also, businesses that have large computer server areas, which need more cooling than other areas of the office, can benefit from being able to move the additional air conditioning as the location of the server moves and expands.

Simple Installation

Portable air conditioners are simple to install, as they require nothing more than an opening to the outside to use. These units can be used directly out of the box, with minimal setup required. This means you can have cooling immediately, without the need to wait for an installation crew.

Reduced Humidity

Portable cooling units not only cool the space, but they also help reduce humidity in the space. As a portable air conditioner works, it pulls water vapor from the air, releasing it into the condensation pan or through a hose connected to a drain. This, in turn, lowers the relative humidity of the space.

Air conditioners typically maintain a relative humidity of between 40 and 60 percent. This is much lower than the outside air on a hot and humid summer day, and helps improve the comfort of those inside the facility. For workers who suffer from allergies, lower humidity levels can help keep allergens, like mold and dust mites, at bay, making allergies less of a problem for employees. Dehumidification also helps protect the assets inside from damage due to moisture in the air.

Affordable Cooling

One of the most obvious benefits of portable air conditioners is the affordability. If your facility needs cooling in a confined area, it’s often more cost effective to install a portable or temporary unit to cool that area than to make major changes to your HVAC system, or install a cooling system to the building that does not already have one. For mobile-cooling needs, portable air conditioners are the only viable option, as establishing a new HVAC system at each site is simply not affordable.

Portable air-conditioning units are a true asset to companies that have mobile job sites, or those that are under construction. With a portable air conditioner, your workers can feel more comfortable and experience improved productivity and safety. As you think about your cooling needs, consider the benefits of portable air conditioners.

About The Author: Dale Allen is the National Service Manager of Rankin, a Chicago land company and leader in temporary climate solutions.