Much as I hate to admit it, portable air conditioners can get a bad rap. You can't use a "one size fits all" mentality and spot coolers are not the solution for EVERY air conditioning problem.
My goal with this series -- yes, there will be more to come -- is to expose the most common mistakes when using portable cooling for temporary, supplemental or primary air conditioning. I'm on a one-woman crusade to erradicate ineffective, unsafe and ugly portable air conditioning applications.... one application at a time!
This summer, I took my 17 year old daughter to the airport (which shall remain nameless) to put her on a flight to Europe. She's quite independent and very resourceful so I wasn't nervous about her flight or being in Europe with our family friends. I was anxious about her spending hours in the airport alone. We live 90 minutes away from the airport so I wasn't going to leave until her plane took off.
I must have looked pathetic. The helpful United ticketing agent took pity on me and gave me a pass to accompany my daughter past security. As we were walking through the terminal I was complaining about how warm it was. Then I saw it. I honestly couldn't believe this portable air conditioner was in the middle of a crowded international terminal!
I'm guessing the airport aurhority rented the portable air conditioner since there was a rental company name and serial number on the side -- not shown since they aren't able to defend themselves. Looks as if the rental company needs better quality control. Surely they didn't put a dirty unit in the field with missing parts!
Not sure about a portable air conditioning application? Post your question or comment here and I'll see if I can help. Let's rid the world of Poor Portable Air Conditioning Applications!