Portable Air Conditioning Comparisons and Reviews from Home Depot Website

My new home has a Florida Room that is underutilized. The room is surrounded by windows and has minimal shade from trees. This room does not get air conditioning from the HVAC system that provides heat and air to the rest of our house. The room has ample space and would be a great addition to the outdoor area while hosting parties or events. Unfortunately, I cannot even enjoy morning in the Florida room due to the stagnant heat and constantly high temperature. We have tried to use a fan but it does not do the job. We decided we would like to invest in a portable air conditioner in order to utilize the space to its fullest potential. The Florida Room is large enough to use as a second living or dining room. With a few blackout curtains and some insulation, it could even become a 4th bedroom somewhere down the line. For now, we are looking to use the room as a space to eat as a family as well as entertain our guests. Before buying a portable air conditioning system, I wanted to do some research and see what my options were. Ideally, the portable air conditioner would be lightweight, quiet and sleek in design. I was looking to spend up to $400 dollars. 

The first product I came across was the LG 8,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner, 115 Volt with Dehumidifier Function and LCD Remote. This white portable air conditioner costs $319 on the Home Depot website. The LG 8,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner, 115 Volt with Dehumidifier Function cools up to 200 square feet. The LG 8,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner, 115 Volt with Dehumidifier Function has 2 cooling and 2 fan speeds. The reviews for this product state that you should wait 24 hours to use the product after unpackaging. If the unit is standing upright the entire time then there is no need to wait 24 hours to use the LG 8,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner, 115 Volt with Dehumidifier Function. The LG 8,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner, 115 Volt with Dehumidifier Function comes equipped with 24 hour on/ off timer. The auto-reset will save the settings on the LG 8,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner, 115 Volt with Dehumidifier Function if the power goes out. Another great quality of the LG 8,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner, 115 Volt with Dehumidifier Function is that it comes with a window installation kit. In theory, this would be a great portable air conditioner to cool the Florida Room. After reading the consumer reviews, I was not too thrilled with this product. I was trying to create a peaceful outdoor environment by adding a portable air conditioner to the Florida Room, but instead, I learned that the LG 8,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner, 115 Volt with Dehumidifier Function is very noisy. It is also a very awkward design and would not fit well to the sleek design I had in mind. For the price, this product seems to be a quick fix to a larger problem, such as an entire central air conditioning replacement. I decided to look at my other options. 

The Whynter 14,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner with Dehumidifier and Remote was the second portable air conditioning unit I looked into. Priced at $465 on the Home Depot website, I decided to look at it even thought it was a bit above my price range. The photos make the The Whynter 14,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner with Dehumidifier and Remote look like it has a more modern design compared to the aforementioned portable air conditioner. Most of the reviews say that the Whynter 14,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner with Dehumidifier and Remote is quiet and has a nice blacklight that displays temperature. Some people even say that this product was good at cooling a three car garage in Arizona in the summer months! I figured this would be a great choice for my Florida Room. Because I had already come this far in my research efforts, I decided to go a little further and here is what I found: Dyson Pure Hot and Cool Link Air Purifier. Initially, I was not looking for an air purifier. I had not intended on spending over $400, and this product costs around $600. After doing some research, I realized that this was exactly what I was looking for. The Dyson Pure Hot and Cool Link Air Purifier’s design is exactly what I had in mind. With a 4.5 out of 5 star rating along with the reputation Dyson has alone, I decided to shell out the extra $200. When I read about the Dyson, I was aware that this would not cool the room completely and I was okay with that. The air purifier and was exactly what I wanted for the muggy Florida room, and the cool setting on the product is just an added bonus. For the winter months, I plan on using an electric space heater. It does not get too cold in the area I live, therefore, I am not worried about insulating the Florida Room. We now use the Florida room on a weekly basis and I am even able to move the Dyson Pure Hot and Cool Link Air Purifier around the house. It has really changed the way we live. Our overall health has improved and we utilize the Florida room even more than we thought we would. 

If you are looking for a portable air conditioner to use in place of an HVAC unit, I would recommend one of the first two products that were discussed in this article. The Dyson Pure Hot and Cool Link Air Purifier can be used in any room during any time of year. 

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