The first rule of portable air conditioners is get a 2 hose model (or the Midea with the giant oval hose that is really 2 hoses.
1 hose hose models are an america only thing. They blow out the very air you are trying to cool. The only reason they exist is 'stupid people are confused by 2 hoses'.
2 hoses balance the pressure and use outside air to cool the condenser. They are the correct choice.
10000% go with the midea, I swear by it and have two of them. You save noticeable amount of energy with the inverter, pays for itself quickly compared to the $200 ones.
I got a dual hose Midea portable AC from Canadian tire two years ago. It’s a damn beast and cools my entire living room / kitchen. They are pricey, I got mine on sale but that’s my recommendation.
Even the Midea dual hose units have this issue, just to a lesser degree. They are NOT sealed all that well and have gaps everywhere.
The best way to mitigate this issue is to restrict the air outlet with a filter, reducing the pressure differential and hopefully creating a slight positive pressure
There is definitely still some negative pressure, even with the Midea dual hose units. A slightly cracked open door will swing inwards by itself when the AC is turned on.
I have a Midea unit and I know exactly what you're talking about. There is a small gap from the bottom chamber to the top chamber, and due to the pressure difference, the airflow reverses in that region. I opened up the unit and sealed it with foam to remove this problem.
These things are not sealed very well and have gaps everywhere. There's also gaps on the bottom of the unit and around the drain hoses. The evaporator is also not completely separated from the condenser on the inside, so even if you seal all the exterior leaks, there is still some inefficiency.
ByronScottJones
