Cheapest portable air conditioner available, good for cooling small rooms (10m2). 3 year warranty, much longer than any competitors near this price.
- 3-in-1 function: cooling, fan and dehumidifying
- Remote control
- Window kit included
Stirling 1.5kW Portable Air Conditioner $249, Retro Turntable Briefcase $69.99 @ ALDI
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I bought the Bunnings one for $70 at the end of last summer.
Most stupid design.
Good if sitting in front of it, or cooling one room and leaving a window open at the opposite end of the house to bake.
If air goes out, it needs to come back in somewhere.
I modded a bunning click AC with an amazon box, ratchet straps, vent hose and tape so that will only intake from the window. Works great.
Too bad they don’t sell dual hose ac here.https://www.woolie.co.uk/article/convert-ac-from-single-hose…
Yeah, as per below. I recon you are best off modding it so it sits outside, and you make a box hose mod to blow cold air inside.
The problem is the surface area of exchange interface isn't big enough for a dual hose pulling hot air. Adding an inline blower to the modded second hose "may' help. Or running it single hose with an EVAP system on the intake window somewhere. A towel over hanging a window hanging over a tub of water might do it.
But really ..these are just $hite…
.
Keep in mind for the price the compressor will likely be noisy. It may be hard to sleep with it.
And these single hose ones are very inefficient, taking the air you just cooled and blowing it straight out the window.
I don't know why the dual hose ones never sold here.
Yeah, it's ridiculous, especially with all the environmental hype these days. I had considered modifying a portable one into a Frankenstein. Obviously a window unit is the best bet.
I finally went with the rather expensive ecoflow wave 2, it's suitable for my unique use case. Probably not for most ozbargainers though.I just did mine, I made a box for the lower half of the unit. The box has a 150mm outlet that goes out the wall. It made quite a difference. I'm going to silicon the crap out of it next weekend.
@MikeKulls: I've done this on all mine too. The box has another aircon hose going to the window in my case. I just use Gaffa tape it seals pretty well
@MikeKulls: Nice one, glad it works. I'll have to keep an eye out for one in the hard rubbish next year (where they belong!).
There's an opening in the market for someone to capitalise on this. Many such well designed appliances simply aren't available in this country. I won't speculate why.
@MikeKulls: Love the idea but I'd be a bit reluctant myself without a temperature monitoring system. The single hose design means that the unit cools itself. Having hot outdoor air used for cooling might be fine at night, but on a 40 degree day you might be rolling the dice.
Even better would be to add a water dispenser, so that you could cool the condensor with a mist. I had a 5kw unit that worked that way, up until the grid in my area shot past 250v and fried it.
What material did you use for the box? Cardboard? Wood?
@outlander: I used 16mm MDF from Bunnings. I'll see how it goes, so far seems to run ok. The only thing hot is the outlet. It's interesting to see other people are doing or thinking the same thing.
I used a temp probe on the Bunnings one, running it on dehumidify on a 30 degree day
Vent on the front of the unit was putting 18 degree air inside and the window vent was sending 52+ degree air out (I stopped when it hit 52, but it was still climbing slowly)
The problem is the outside air needs to come back in to replace that hot air you are sending out.
Ie. Today here you would be sending out 52C, but taking in 40C.
@tunzafun001: That’s why I use ceiling fans at opposite ends of the apartment to distribute the air around and keep the place cool
But yes, on its own you’d need a bigger unit counter this
@linkindan: I don't think you understand.
When operating a single hose portable air con it creates a negative pressure in the room they are operating in. Which means that hot air from outside is pulled into the room.
They are ok if you just have the cold air blowing on you.
See this video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-mBeYC2KGc@TightLikeThisx: I understand what you’re saying, but I also understand that my dog and I would have died last week without this unit running on dehumidify
@linkindan: If it helps, I spent some time near the middle of Australia with one of these.
Occasionally "cooled down" to 40C. Hit 54C a few timesWhat I did was seal a Beasley portable evaporative Aircon in a window at the opposite end of the house. The Beasley cooling area was about 60cm x 50 cm. Basically hay inside. That type. Not the rubbish Harvey Norman version.
Ran it on super low (so the water pump works).So when this thing is cooling the bedroom and venting outside (creating negative pressure), the air coming from the Evap creates a positive pressure and does a bit of cooling as well.
Works about as good as these will get. But have a towel ready. The condenser drops a lot of condensation with the evap running.
@tunzafun001: Coconut coir, but nice idea, I like it.
I can't understand why Australia doesn't have more evaporative-cooler-in-a-window type units. It might not do much during the day, but during the night they are brilliant and supercheap to run.
I’ve never seen a dual hose portable for sale in Aus, except industrial sized units.
Some you can convert
Yeah , crazy.
Portable split systems are infinitely better.
Basically a spilt system with a flexible hose.
https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/164842/why-are-porta…
Actually I seem to remember reading something about the way they were classified, single hose units didn't need to be rated the same as dual hose ones, but I also recall that was supposed to change allowing duals, don't know what ever happened with it.
(Found something about it here. PDF is gone but short story, single hose don't need to be MEPS rated but dual hose do like split systems etc, and likely they don't meet the requirements.)
@bamzero: These must have been the changes I was thinking of.. Apparently it was back in 2018 they decided they would decrease the MEPS requirement for dual hose portables. Doesn't seem to have made any difference though, since we still don't have dual hose portables.
The PDF has some interesting info though, like when they tested 10 single hose units they were about 25% below the claimed cooling output and energy efficiency, and if tested like a fixed unit would have a net heating effect on the room.
@bamzero: Maybe someone should innovate and manufacture them here in this hot country, that's supposedly 'going green'.
Oh yeah, over-regulated convict colony. Never mind.
I don't know about that, the outlet hose on mine feels very hot, so mine is expelling hot air, not the just cooled air at all.
Where do you think the air that it's expelling via the outlet hose is coming from?
Yeh but where does it get that air from to blow out the window? ;)
It takes it from the room, passes over the hot condenser to extract the heat outside but creates a low pressure in the room which has to be filled by drawing in warm air from any other openings, doorways, gaps in the windows etc.
So the air con is constantly fighting itself to cool the air in the room.
More about the hot outside air coming back in..
You cant send air out without bringing it back in.
Hence a normal split system has an inside and outside unit. The inside unit circulates it's own inside air only.
Just get a window aircon, if you cannot do a split.
The window box models are some effort to install, but at least the work.
Noisy as (profanity) though. My neighbour got one and now I can't enjoy being outside anymore.
@frewer: He runs it all day and night. It's an inner city terrace, so the noise doesn't have far to carry. It sounds like someone is running a bloody industrial fridge in my backyard. Bloody things should be banned IMHO.
I bought one from Masters when they had their closing down sale. it has an inlet and outlet circular duct fitting, but only included one hose for the exhaust. This means in default operation it sucks air in from inside the room before expelling out the hose.
I bought some foil ducting from Bunnings and while not air tight, most of the air is drawn in from outside (like 95%+). I also wrapped the outlet hose in multiple layers of bubble wrap to insulate it so it doesn't radiate heat in the room. Still noisy though.
Picture of it in the manual
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/1077351/Convair-Cp15hw1.ht…I have one with the two vent holes/slots on the back of the unit. If I hit up the manufacturer for a second hose should I just be able to pop it on the back and then run the intake & exhaust outside?
@ozbargainer998: No idea. Depends if the ports are inlet and outlet like mine. what does the manual say?
As above, I just bought ducting from Bunnings which luckily was exactly the right diameter (13cm). The inlet air is "low pressure" and ambient temp so I don't think it's as critical as the outlet hose.
Given the amount of renters around, you would think there would be better systems.
I don't know why the dual hose ones never sold here.
They're classed in a different category and have to undergo certain tests/certifications to be sold in Australia.
Fun fact. 2 Hose portable aircons were banned in Australia for being too inefficient. Manufacturers saw the ban and introduced the 1 hose system which makes them LESS efficient but somehow legal. As you can see, some manufacturers will cripple their 2 hose machines (or simply take away the second hose) to sell them here. Ain't life grand!
https://www.energyrating.gov.au/industry-information/publica…
Double duct portable air conditioners are subject to energy efficiency requirements, whereas single
duct portables are not.
A perverse outcome of the current requirements is that relatively energy efficient products such as double duct
portable air conditioners appear unable to meet the MEPS levels set in 2011. Their compact, portable size means
that they have small heat exchangers (a key determinant of an air conditioner’s energy efficiency) and are unlikely
to be able to meet current MEPS. There are currently none of these products registered and therefore available for
supply in Australia or New Zealand. Yet double duct portables are often significantly more energy efficient than
single duct portables, which are the other main portable option.
Single duct portable air conditioners are not subject to any requirements.@Foodgem: I heard that for a while the teco vertical slimline aircons were not allowed to be sold due to being inefficient, but less efficient portables were allowed. Not sure if that was true and I notice vertical aircons are available again.
@Foodgem: Yeh I found the changes I remembered hearing about years ago which seems to be the same doc you tried to link, yet while they had decided to apply MEPS to single duct and lower the requirements for double duct I haven't seen any changes?
Guess they are too busy trying to make everything electric now…
No noise level listed on the Aldi site (no surprises there), but info I can find online suggests that portable A/Cs in general produce between 60-70 dB. You aren't going to sleep with that much noise - that's the same volume as two people having a conversation.
I slept fine with ours and it was noisy as heck.
Got one of the Kogan ones, noisy af, using it in a studio so can deal with it but need some plugs if in a bedroom
Hmmm I paid $279 for a Bunnings Click one but that's 2.06kW. That struggles to keep a whole room cool. Not sure how this one would do…
That’s the one I got and it does mine pretty well on dehumidify
We bit the bullet and installed split system. Its so good. If only our house was better insulated. Have done the roof but meh.
What roof insulation do you have?
I was thinking of adding more to the roof, our house is poorly insulated. Windows are crap too.
Earth wool or something. Can't remember what grade thickness
omg same here too! keen to hear more what you guys did maybe i'll DM but yeah same our house is just shit during summer. i dont mind the cold during winter but yeah old house (30 years old maybe) and its usual brick/gyprock so i'm thinking do i need to do something in the roof and change the insulation mats , or putting double glazed windows.
@prankster: Start with draft seal around doors, windows $6 a roll at Bunnings.
If you have the old vents at the top of the wall, seal them up (they are from days when Aircon was not affordable to the masses).
These 2 steps made a huge difference for us.
Solar panels create good roof shade and extra insulation in winter. Same for window roller shutters / awnings
Especially if you don't have eaves… hopefully you do.Borrow a thermal camera from your local library to find where the heat gets in.
@tunzafun001: interesting thanks for the tips, we actually do have solar so yeah during summer we blast on the aircons if we have to but yeah then during the night it just loses all that coldness and its warm/humid grrrr
yeah our house has eavesi'll have to look into that thermal camera if my local libraries do that - never heard of that before :)
@prankster: Also check your state gov energy subsidies.
Ie. REPS in SA had ceiling insulation for $3/m2.
@prankster: I think it's mainly that the roof is one component of a set of thermal outlets and if there are too many other leaks the roof can only do so much. I like he tip of sealing off old school air vents in walls that tunzafun suggested. Gonna look into that.
Static (non adhesive) reflective/tinted window film make a significant difference. Try them in a room that gets the afternoon sun, and soon you’ll be applying it to all your other windows
Why non adhesive?
2 reasons I think why not is:
- It's easy to apply bubble free (with a soap and water solution spray and squeegee)
- It doesn't leave behind a sticky residue if you ever need to remove it.
Thanks I'll look into that. I might actually already have some that I bought for the car
This, we tinted our entire house ourselves using 15% tint (it's actually not that tricky with big rectangular windows) and it helped greatly with heat ingress as we discovered using a thermal camera).
On top of that we found the added privacy on the front windows is a nice addition, plus it looks good and the amount of light getting in is just perfect now. All up cost around $200 including the tools from eBay.House is still pretty hard to keep cool in summer though, not sure what to do next as the thermal camera picks up nothing at all.
Do you have an ebay link I can look at ?
@solidussnake: Absolutely - this is the one I bought, looks to be a fair bit cheaper now.
It's been 2 years of Perth weather with one window in direct sunlight and we've not noticed any reduction in the tint or discolouring / fading at all - aside from the handprints from the toddlers, it looks as good as the day we applied it.The tools it came with are okay but you could definitely benefit from getting better tools (I did, hence the higher cost), especially if you have a lot of windows to do. The tiny squeegee is good for getting into intricate corners and behind sliding door handles, but gets a bit frustrating after a while due to being so small.
Guess it's the heat ingress from the roof and no air going out.
I got automotive insulation from amazon, worked to make my bedroom cooler and block out the light. Win win.
Would 1.5kw be expensive to run? just need to take the edge of a big lounge room over nights
Yes. It would struggle to cool a large room thus using more power
But it could be effective for just a little stint. I use mine for an hour just before bed. It's helps a lot. Once I'm asleep, the heat doesn't bother me.Thanks, might pass
1.5kw would be around 60 cents an hour to run.. Very expensive
Doesn't use that much electricity - my 9000BTU unit uses 700watts, this one is likely under 500w
How do you work that out? Doesn't say how much it uses.
@King Tightarse: That's great if you own one already but if your don't then there's no way of telling
@Farticus: Jeez you post a lot of garbage. Have you ever noticed that every electrical device on the planet has sticker or imprint on it specifying the maximum input power requirements?
No, this is 1.5kw cooling power.
For example this is the manual of a 2kW cooling power from the same brand, it has an 800w power input. This is because the AC is approximately 2-3x efficient.
https://stirlingappliances.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/06…
So if you pay 30c per kw/h, you're paying 24c/hr to run a 2kW unit.
I expect this one is consuming 650w on average, so you're paying 65% of your hourly power rate to run it. About 20c/hr.
The problem is that with that low power input, it's going to be pretty useless. It has approximately the same cooling power as a $10 kmart heater has of heating power.
What you want is a 4kW unit consuming 1200w, which will deliver more efficient cooling, which you will actually notice.
This thing is suitable to cool a toilet room, not a bathroom, just a toilet room. Or a closet, or a really small caravan.
Don't buy it. If this is the only unit in your budget, you can't afford an A/C, get an evap cooler.
If you're buying an A/C, consider the overall cost efficiency into your purchasing. You can get the power input rating from the manual (usually given in watts) and compare it with the cooling output on the box (usually given in kW) for an efficiency factor. A little bit of up-front investigation and effort, and a non-minimal budget, can yield significant cost savings over just one summer.
Also, you should probably get a reverse cycle one. Reverse cycle is generally 2x-2.5x more efficient than your typical electric heaters, so if you're using those things to heat your home in winter, you're costing yourself a lot of extra money. Electric heaters are 100% efficient, but these are 200% efficient as heaters on average.
Worth looking at Kogan for this usually
Thanks for the explanation. There's no info on the aldi site about consumption at all
big lounge at nights? Get ceiling fans. And maybe a dehumidifier?
This is only 5000BTUs - really not enough
Is that 5000 BTUs of raw cooling power?
Need at least 9-10000 BTUs to be effective in an average sized bedroom, so that is 2.6kw-3.0 Kw
Not sure what you mean but Kw and BTUs are both commonly used on these types of portables.I have a Carson 9000Kw one and is OK-ish in Melbourne - would not be awesome in Queensland.
@Mondorock: Haha I see.
BTW there is a diminishing returns factor with this style of aircons whereby; if you go higher than 10-12,000BTUs the heat from the exhaust tube gets too much and obviously heats the room and gets hot to touch.
I think 10,000BTUs is probably the sweet spot for room portables - cools well enough, exhaust pipe not too hot, no weird heated plastic smells.
So ~ 2.9Kw
9000Kw, thats some pretty hefty draw. 3phase? Did you get your own transformer installed on the street by energex? 😂
Settings AUTO, COOLING, DRY, HEATING, ANTARCTIC CONDITIONS EMULATION MODE.@AmperSand: haha yes I wrote BTU/Kw too many times in row I think, so yes that's 9000BTUs however that being said, I wouldn't mind a 9000kw about now. Stinking hot and humid where I am
Get a window AC unit if you can. Much more efficient and effective.
any recommendations? and how much it usually costs to get it installed
These are great if you are renting in apartment that doesn't have aircon in bedroom
I had similar one 10 years back. Works well for a small room and bit noisy. Let's you sleep well in summer nightsThis would be very expensive to run if you wanted or needed to run it for a few hours a day.
Solar
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Nope would be around 500w by my very rough estimate.
1.5Kw is cooling power, not electricity used1.5kW cooling, divide by estimated COP of 2.5, power consumption 600 Watts.
0.6kW * 30c/kWh = 18 cents per hour operation, not expensive?
Thats not to speek of its actully in room efficacy, but it will be close to the operational coast.
Agreed it’s not that expensive to run?? A split system is generally 2.6kw for the smallest room, 4kw and 6kw for the bigger rooms. If this unit can cool your room, it’s a good deal.
I just tested the one our spare room. It is 2Kw so 25% more powerful:
It uses 600w When running on full: https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/14594/118205/100000630…
Well well well, how the turntables
Good luck finding stock
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Jesus Christ, I thought the air conditioner was $70 and nearly had a heart attack at paying ~$230 at Bunnings (after gift card discounts etc)