Larvitz 

Renting in Germany means no split AC bolted to the facade, so my top-floor 1970s office got the consolation prize: a single-hose "monoblock" portable.

Plot twist: the compressor was never the problem. The window was. These things leak most of their cooling back in through the unsealed hole the exhaust hose runs through.

My fix: a cheap XPS panel clamped under the roller blind, hose port sealed with rubber tape. No glue, no marks, comes out when summer ends. Dropped the room 6 to 7 °C in 45 minutes.

New post:
https://blog.hofstede.it/a-monoblock-ac-is-only-as-good-as-its-window-seal/

#DIY #AirConditioning #Homelab #Germany #Heatwave

A Monoblock AC Is Only as Good as Its Window Seal

I moved into a top-floor 1970s apartment in one of the warmest corners of Germany, work from home, and needed the office to stay below “thinking is hard now”. A single-hose portable AC is a thermod...

Larvitz Blog
Jun 7 at 10:02amWeb
Show threadhubJun 7
@Larvitz - may I ask why did you go for the DIY solution rather than off the shelf (e.g https://de.trotec.com/shop/pac-rollladen-fensterblende.html)? Did you consider a mobile split like midea portasplit which have been hyped last year? I was considering upgrading my Monoblock from 2020.
PAC Rollladen-Fensterblende

PAC Rollladen-FensterblendeVereinfacht die Befestigung des Abluftschlauches am Fenster und erhöht die Kühleffizienz von mobilen Klimaanlagen

Show threadLarvitz Jun 7
@hub I already had the AC from the previous apartent. Buying an entirely new device was not a consideration. The XPS insulation is totally sufficient for my small room/setup and it was dead cheap (less than 20€ in the utility store)
Show threadhubJun 7
@Larvitz yeah makes total sense. 20€ is a totally different level of investment than 800 or so what you end up for a Midea. Hope it works well for the rest of the summer!
Show threadMaster of Potate 🥔Jun 7
@Larvitz Midea makes a portable split AC. They are not cheap and you still need to lead the umbilical outside somehow but I think they are a lot more efficient and silent. I have one like you and I funnel the heat outside through my fireplace. But this needs some more tinlkering because the metal heats up from the hot air. I need more insulation inside the fireplace.
Show threadLarvitz Jun 7
@chris I might consider something like that when my device dies. But as long as it works, I'll keep using that for the small office space. It's just a 12 square meter room and I only use it during work-hours.
Show threadsiklistJun 7

@Larvitz

You could even insulate the hose.

At least, that’s what I’m planning to do. I’m not sure how I’m going to go about it yet, but I’ll definitely do it. As I don’t have any blinds on the window, I’m going to fit some sort of panel with a hole in it into the fully open window. That’s the plan so far. We’ll see.

Show threadPhil Dennis-JordanJun 7
@siklist @Larvitz Yeah, the hose is the other weak link on those things.
Show threadCliff'sEsportCornerJun 7
@Larvitz how did you clamp it?
Show threadLarvitz Jun 7
@CliffsEsport The window blind just pushes against it by gravity. It's wedged between the window blind and the frame.