De'Longhi - PACL90

I got a good AC from the Italian brand DeLonghi. Also got another one from Ayce (do have split level apartment). The DeLonghi one is the best of them two.

We have a Delonghi penguino. It’s got the same cooling capacity as most of the other ones, but it is *significantly* quieter than any other model we’ve had. Turns out cooling capacity is good to pay attention to, but not having to decide between not being able to sleep because of the heat or because of the noise is the critical factor.

We used a portable refrigerative air con temporarily (with removable window kit & tubing), which did the job for the master bedroom when we had a newborn (waiting on the ducted installer).

Pretty sure ours was a Delonghi, but this was many years ago - so there could be better options out there today

I have a delonghi too, do you ever empty out the water?

I have an old mobile RC unit from my time in France, no name brand, model is not even available anymore and a colleague from work tried one recently from Delonghi(she's returning it because it was way too noise, like I told her). From my experience all of them are loud, over 65 DB due to the compressor, no matter how the company sugar coats it(Delonghi said their is 62DB, still way loud and I bet you it gets to more than that), it's a very very loud refrigerator at the end of the day Second point : you need to either find one that has 2 exhausts or convert one to have 2 of them. Reason is efficiency, manufacturers nowadays do not make mobile AC's with 2 exhaust because it's cheaper, so you are stuck with the one exhaust and should convert it to 2 because the side that normally should have the second exhaust is the compressor side and this side gets very hot. So think of it like this, you want cold air and have something that to get cold air create also a lot of heat and manufacturers being lazy and cutting costs said ok let's have the hot stuff be cooled by the ambient air that you the user want to cool. I just DIY-ed a second exhaust and put some heat tape where the rest of the holes were. AC has been going strong for 4 years now so no I did not damage it and it's well out of warranty now and the compressor also has a fan from the manufacturer so it pull air already, I just made it so it's more efficient to cool the room. Third point they do not cool that well, I set mine on 16 and in a 30 sqm room it barely drops to 22, it's a 9000 BTU unit so based on this and what I seen a wall mounted unit can do it should drop down easily to 18 but no, 22 is it's limit, which is still pretty comfortable if you ask me. Forth thing you will need to figure out how to constantly evacuate water from it because the included reservoir is good for 20-30 minutes, then it will stop until that water is evaporated, so get a hose and see where you can evacuate it without much hassle. Fifth point you will need to put it in a location where it evacuates the heat meaning you will have to find a place for it next to a window or a door that needs to be sealed off well, if you seal it well you will see that the usually included zipper blocking wall will inflate towards the outside or inside(can't remember now), this is due to the pressure difference from the inside to the outside, for me this is a good sign you have made a well isolated air conditioned room. There is now a better alternative, pricier but I do not know how it works in the form of a compressor positioned outside and a fan inside, like a traditional wall AC, Midea Portasplit it's called, no idea how good it is or how it works but the principle behind it for me should result in less noise, better cooling and even less electricity used.

Me too, after our DeLonghi costing twice the price failed after 3 summers. Nothing beats a proper installed split system.

We have a server room that is probably 6x12 feet in size, running 3 rack servers and some other small items. Not a LOT of heat output, but enough that it gets war. We have been through probably 3 Delonghi Penguino units in the past 4-5 years. Any other suggestions in that $500-1000 range for portable AC units?

We used to have a Meaco one from Costco within that price range, and that broke within a year. Since then we tried an AEG one which was terrible, and now have a De’Longhi Pinguino. It looks like Currys have a couple near your price range. We also have a still working De’Longhi dehumidifier which is probably old enough to vote, and so while now I’ve praised them on the internet I’m sure they’ll both break immediately, I have some faith in the brand. Would definitely suggest considering spending a little extra on one of the Pinguinos if you can.

Happy with my Delonghi Penguino. Now looking into how to mod it into dual hose! Ceiling fans and solar window film installation really improved our temp situation as well.

I had a penguino? And a Delonghi. Both were great. The out the window hose ones. Very very loud but worked in a 4x3 bedroom with a high ceiling. I bought second hand. People sell them when they get splits. You need up and down or left and right opening windows.

Delonghi I bought at Costco 3 years ago. I like it.

Those Delonghi units are essentially disposable. They work fine for 12 to 18 months, then they die. The nice part is that they are $600 a pop. If you want a floor-standing AC unit, MovinCool is the way to go. https://www.movincool.com/climate-pro-k-series/ If you keep the filter clean, they will run forever. But their "little" 12000 BTU unit is going to cost you around $5,000 new and it will require a waste water line for evaporate water to have somewhere to go. So, there may be a plumbing expense to add to that. Dealers may have used units available, and may offer lease agreements as well. MovinCool is the Honda Civic of AC units. Eventually the paint jobs look like hell, but under the surface, they just never stop running. The recommendation that you explore a Mitsubishi mini-split is excellent advice. The hardware kit will cost around $1,000 through a dealer, plus another $1-2,000 for installation.

I had a deLonghi in a 2 bedroom unit a few years back. It worked amazingly.

Sorry, I really can’t remember but it was nothing fancy - just one that vented with a window kit

I quite like my De'Longhi, even though it's bloody loud. But if it means my home office can be usable on hot days, then so be it. Noise cancelling headphones are the solution.

Yes, and I recommend buying one second hand in the cold months. Pinguinos and suchlike, used a few times selling for 75 quid on t'ebay

We bought a 'Pinguino' brand one and our electricity bill doubled. AVOID.

We also have a DeLonghi Pinguino for our bedroom. Ditto works really well, but loud as hell. We mostly put it on for a couple of hours before bed to cool the room down, then turn it off once we want to sleep.

Hey! As an HVAC pro, I get this question a lot especially during those hot spells when central systems can’t cut it or there’s no ductwork. When choosing a **portable air conditioner**, I usually recommend looking for three key things: 1. **BTU rating that matches your room size** too small won’t cool properly, too big will short cycle and not dehumidify well. 2. **Dual-hose design** if possible it’s more efficient than single-hose models because it doesn’t pull in hot air from outside while exhausting. 3. **Easy maintenance** check how often you need to drain it, and whether it has washable filters. A few solid brands I’ve seen perform well in real homes: * **Whynter ARC-14S** – Dual hose, good build, strong performance for medium to large rooms. * **DeLonghi Pinguino Series** – Quiet operation and decent features. * **Midea Duo** – Newer tech, inverter-driven, very efficient and quiet. Also, make sure to vent it properly (window kit, sealed tight) that makes a big difference. If you can tell me your room size, noise sensitivity, and budget, I can recommend something more specific.

My house has no AC and a 1927 floor furnace that sometimes floods. I have 2 portable units by DeLonghi that work well in my weird windows, cool the rooms down, and are also heat pumps

We had 3x Delonghi pinguinos that we used in a rental house that were a godsend. $650 each from Costco. You need a window or sliding door adjacent each unit to duct the hot air outside. Noisy yes, not too bad on electricity usage . They truly made an unlivable townhouse bearable in the summer.