Home DIY

I live in a 1910 victorian

Can something built after Queen Victoria was dead be described as Victorian?

I think my options are a mobile unit with a pipe out the window or a more traditional fixed unit with internally/externally mounted units. Are there any other options?

Not that I know of. There are split units that can be DIY installed but they mostly require a professional to gas it. They are a lot more efficient than portable units but obviously a lot more effort to install and fairly ugly. A good split unit can also heat your room which is handy for a portion of the year.

I suppose you could have some sort of central air system with a blower/chiller somewhere else in the house but I don't fancy your chances of fitting that to an older property.

For the number of times you'll use it, if you have space for the mobile unit then that would be what makes sense to me. It would be madness to have a big fixed compressor and fan on the outside of the house when it only gets 10 day's use max.

I have this one. It's noisy as the compressor is right there but it's more than enough to chill a room. The hose it comes with isn't very long but there are extension kits. If the hose runs through a room that is not being cooled, that room will get hot, however.

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B079FR1NTC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00

Igenix IG9901WIFI 3-in-1 Portable Air Conditioner with Amazon Alexa, Control via Smart Home App, Wi-Fi Enabled, White [Energy Class A]

I live in what is probably a similar property. I'd definitely go portable for the limited number of times you'll use it each year. Also bear in mind that they are big and heavy.

Don't underestimate how powerful a one you'll need (particularly if you have high ceilings). My 14,000 BTU one can only just get my bedroom (albeit a fairly large 16' x 14') down to 22 deg C currently. You can get more efficient ones but they're not cheap (admittedly none of them are cheap if you want one that will actually do something).

They're also very noisy, if you're sensitive to noise you won't sleep through it and although they help to get the temperature down it will creep back up when you turn it off.

That eletriq one is just a freestanding unit that can be fixed to a wall. It doesn't have the benefits of a proper wall unit (moving the gubbins outside so it's quieter).

I have this (although it was a lot cheaper when I bought it) https://www.airconcentre.co.uk/products/kyr-45gw-ag-h-mobile-air-conditioning-unit-14000-btu-kyr-45gw

Split units work, are quiet but are expensive to buy and install … and don’t install the external bit where the neighbours can hear / see it. They require planning permission IIRC.

‘Portable’ units with an external hose can work but are inefficient and noisy and their capacity is limited.

No good option really.

I would stay away from portable units or even ones with combined condenser / fans like the one you linked to.

The main issue with these is that the heat being transferred is generated in the house. This means you’ve got to cool down the room but the unit itself is causing some of the warming.

We’ve just had 4 units installed and a large 8kw condenser. It was £££ (about £9k) but it’s extremely energy efficient and is able to cool down the rooms quickly and maintain good temp over a long period of time with low effort.

A single split unit with a 2kw cassette is probably around £1,200 to install.

Our 8kw condenser Is virtually silent at full whack, running 4 cassettes.

We have a split unit that cools a top floor room under a flat roof from 28ish to 20ish through the day and down to 18 overnight.

This is our kids bedroom so used daily and makes a hell of a difference to family life