Summer means a rise in temperature and humidity. With more people working from home and spending longer indoors, keeping cool can be a problem. Getting a good night’s sleep also becomes difficult when the weather turns hot and sticky. An air conditioner is one solution and Chris Michael, MD at Meaco, gives his top tips when it comes to choosing one, and for getting the best results.
MeacoCool MC Series Pro 7000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner compatible with the Meaco App, Google and Alexa
How to choose the best portable air conditioner for you?
The best advice on buying an air conditioner is to start by thinking about what you’re aiming to achieve.
- Are you looking to get a good night’s sleep on those hot uncomfortable summer nights?
- Is the room being used for heat generating exercise (for example, home exercising )?
We recommend ignoring the gimmicks and opt for a larger capacity air conditioner unit. Most people underestimate the size they need and are then disappointed. A bigger unit not only gives more cool air in a larger space but will be quieter too. Calculating the correct size is dependent on a number of factors:
- The floor area of the room
- The size and position of windows, and whether they have blinds or shades
- Is it going into a conservatory?
- The number of room occupants (if any)
- The heat generated by equipment
- The heat generated by lighting
Other factors influencing how long it takes to cool a room are:
- Is the room south facing?
- Is the room shaded from the sun by trees?
- Does the room have thermal blinds (and are they being used)?
- Is the room upstairs and drawing in heat from the floor below (especially relevant if you live in a block of flats)?
- How well insulated are the walls?
- Do you have a window or door to put a duct through and get rid of the hot air? Our air conditioners are supplied with 1.8m flexible ducts and window kits to suit most UK homes.
- Is there any furniture blocking a duct from reaching the window or door?
- How well insulated is the attic?
- Or even, is it not in the house at all! Are you looking to cool down an outbuilding or office?
Keeping everyone cool with a MeacoCool MC Pro Series Portable Air Conditioner
Our top tips for keeping cool with a portable air conditioner:
- Keep your curtains closed during the day, especially at sunny, south facing windows. Only open windows when the outside temperature is lower than inside, and turn off electrical appliances when they are not being used.
- Turn your air conditioner on in advance of when you actually need it. If getting a good night’s sleep is the main purpose of the air conditioner, then pre-cool your bedroom and turn the air conditioner on in the mid-afternoon, with the blinds and curtains drawn, and the door closed. At bedtime you can then turn the air conditioner off, or just run it in fan mode. An ideal bedroom temperature is around 16-18°C (60-65°F). Temperatures over 24°C (71°F) are likely to cause restlessness, while a cold room of about 12°C (53°F) will make it difficult to fall asleep.
- Make sure the unit and the exhaust duct are set up properly. The aim of the portable air conditioner is to generate cold air in the room and expel the remaining hot air outside. The exhaust duct will push out the hot air from the room and generated from the unit, out of the room. If it’s not set up properly, if there are kinks in the hose or gaps in the window or door, you’re reducing the unit’s efficiency – or causing damage altogether! The duct should be fixed tight to the unit, leading straight to the window or door and fitted with a sealed window kit.
- Keep your air conditioner clean and clear of dust. By cleaning your filter regularly throughout the season, a quick hoover on both filters every other week, you’ll help the air conditioner run efficiently, better cooling your room. Equally, if you have things obstructing the air outlet, you’re restricting the cooler air entering the room and posing a risk to the health of the unit.
At Meaco, we have a large range of portable air conditioners, the MeacoCool MC Pro Series, with eleven models to choose from, providing localised cooling in rooms from 12M² to 40m². In the low fan speed setting, the sound pressure level of just 51dB(A) makes this an easy portable air conditioner to live with, for example, when pre-cooling your bedroom. With useful timer functions, you can set both an on and off timer from anytime between one and 24 hours. An easy-to-use remote control provides full control of the air conditioner, enabling the user to adjust the temperature and engage a sleep mode to ensure a restful night’s sleep.
Plus, new for 2024, the MeacoCool MC Pro Series are also app-enabled! You can now use your smartphone to switch on your portable air conditioner unit on the way home from work so you know it’ll be ready for you when you get in. Alternatively, change the modes from your phone from the kitchen to save you going upstairs.
Products featured: Meaco MC Pro Series air conditioners
33 responses
Hi MEaco
I have a 14000BTU Air Con unit – works great. There is a sleep mode but it seems to just dim the lights. Is there one a mode to turn the lights off and control via the app? Also when in sleep mode I assume the aircon will cycle on/off as required but fan keeps running?
Marlon,
Thank you for your enquiry.
You’re right. In Sleep Mode, the lights only dim and cannot be completely turned off, even when using the app.
Regarding the fan, yes, it does continue running even when the compressor cycles on and off. This is normal operation.
Hope that helps,
Omar@Meaco
I designed an adaptor to allow my MC10000 to run as a dual hose machine. It makes a significant improvement to the machine’s performance when in both cooling and heating modes.
I have uploaded the design to Thingiverse for those of you with a 3D printer.
I use a plywood sheet in my side hinged windows with adpators for the hose(s).
Tony,
Thank you for your message. Just to flag though, under our warranty terms and conditions, specifically section 12, the warranty is immediately and automatically voided if any alterations are made to the product, non-genuine components are fitted, or if the unit is repaired by a third party not approved by Meaco. Best to use the product as designed.
KR,
Omar@Meaco
Thanks Omar. I guessed that would be the case. It is a shame that Meaco do not manufacture an identical product as the performance improvement is substantial and there a lot of potential customers who specifically look for dual hose capability. There are practically zero portable machines available in the UK that provide this.
The MC10000 is a great machine and I would recommend it to anyone.
The Thingiverse item number is 6684717.
I’ve no intention of risking my warranty when my aircon arrives so I shall use it only as the instructions say, but….
It would be really good if Meaco ran with this idea. An external air inlet hose clipping over the grill could significantly improve efficiency and reduce running costs. If Meaco decide to make one at an affordable price then I will buy it.
Integration with the Home Assistant platform (https://www.home-assistant.io/) would be a great enhancement. Likely to get you more customers too 🙂
Michael.
Michael,
Thanks for your feedback. It’s an interesting idea and definitely one that’s been mentioned before. At present, we don’t offer an external air inlet accessory, but suggestions like this do get noticed. We appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts.
KR,
Omar@Meaco
Do these air conditioning units need recharging from time to time? If so, how long will the gas need replacing?
Leigh,
Thank you for your question.
No, our air conditioners are completely sealed inside, so you don’t need to worry about refilling or replacing any gas.
Hope that helps,
Omar@Meaco
Is there a way to find out the rooms current temperature?
Is it displayed in the app or in the screen anywhere ?
Chris,
Thanks for your message. This is something planned for future app improvements. When an app update becomes available, it typically includes upgrades, and displaying the room’s current temperature is one of the features that could be added in due course.
KR,
Omar@Meaco
We have recently bought the 10000 air con unit and when we turn on the machine the louvres at the front do not move. Can you confirm that they should move and what steps we need to take to resolve this issue
Anthony,
Thank you for your recent purchase.
The louvres on the 7,000-10,000 air con unit do not move automatically because they are designed for manual adjustment. We’ve updated our manual to clarify this and help you with the correct way to adjust them.
Hope that helps,
Omar@Meaco