What Is The Best Portable AC For RVs?
Portable AC units are a great option for RVs for many reasons. They are small, easy to find, and cost-effective compared to RV units to both buy and run. Here we tell you the best portable A/C for RVing.
What to look for in a portable AC
No AC unit on your RV? Or maybe your current RV AC isn’t cutting it or doesn’t cool one area sufficiently. You may want to consider a portable AC.
Things to consider for your portable AC needs:
- BTU – This is the one most people think of when shopping for an AC unit. British Thermal Unit (BTU) is the amount of heat an AC unit can remove from a space measured per hour. You will want to know the sq/ft of the space you want to cool. The higher the BTU, the larger area it will cool.
- Dehumidifier – Humidity control is important in RVs and AC units can help with this. Depending on the area you are in and the time of year, looking at the humidity removal capacity of the unit will be a factor.
- dB – RVs are small spaces and a loud AC unit can become very annoying when running for long periods of time. Decibels (dB) is the noise rating; the lower the number, the quieter the unit.
- Cost – This one is obvious but important. Like most things, there is a wide price range on portable AC units. Consider the efficiency of the unit as part of the overall cost. A more expensive unit may cost less to run.
The best portable AC
So what is the best portable AC? Of course this will depend on your needs considered from the above mentioned categories.
If you consider the needs for most RVers being a small to medium sq/ft area, humidity control, and noise level due to the small space, at a reasonable price point, we can then look more in-depth at one great option.
Honeywell Contempo Series
Honeywell is a well-known name in AC units that have been around for a long time. They are a brand carried by many major department stores making them available and reasonably priced.
The Honeywell Contempo series is our recommendation for the best portable AC unit that packs lots of features into a mid-priced unit.
This unit is not only a portable AC unit but a dehumidifier, fan, and air filtration system.
Features
- Honeywell Contempo series has BTU ratings of 10,000 – 14,000 providing cooling for sq/ft areas of 350 – 700.
- Three fan speeds to choose from in either A/C or fan mode make finding the perfect temperature a breeze.
- The dehumidifier is capable of removing between 80 – 110 pints of moisture per day. Another great feature of this unit is its built-in evaporator which lessens the amount of water needed to be dumped from the unit.
- On max speed setting, the noise levels range from 48 – 52 dB depending on the model. This is a very quiet portable air conditioner considering average conversation dB levels are 60.
- Dust, pet dander, and hair are all filtered using a two-way filtration system. The filters are easily removed and cleaned quickly under running water.
- Energy-saving 24 hour programmability and sleep mode allow you to have the perfect temperature all the time and reduce unnecessary energy use.
- The Honeywell Contempo series also has a digital remote for ease of use and control throughout your space.
- A 5-year limited warranty and thousands of reviews on Amazon should provide peace of mind that this is a quality unit from a reputable brand.
Purchasing a portable AC unit for use in your RV has many benefits including the ability to move the unit to the areas you require, reduce the use of often inefficient RV units, and the option to use it at home or in the office when not RVing.
One of the best parts about RVing is engaging with the community of traveling enthusiasts. iRV2 forums allow folks to chat with other RVers online, and get other perspectives on everything RVing, including products, destinations, RV mods, and much more.
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