Whynter - ARC-14S

Yes, it definitely exists! For a studio apartment, a high-efficiency portable AC like the Whynter ARC-14S or a quiet window unit like the Midea U Inverter are great options—they're both energy-efficient, powerful, and can cool your space fast without wrecking your electric bill. The Midea U is especially popular for its ultra-quiet operation and ability to cool like a beast while letting you still open the window a bit.

Whynter ARC-1230 or ARC-14S Dual hose and 14,000 glorious BTUs. Not cheap but they're the best of the best.

Most are made in the same factory and have different labels slapped on the front, similar to other household appliances. I personally have had good experience with Whynter units. They are known as one of the more reliable brands. As others have mentioned, you should look into dual hose units. They cool the room more efficiently than single hose units by preventing negative air pressure in the room.

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.

Hi, currently living in my 06 Sienna. If you are set on a portable: A) Get a Dual Hose. The intake being outside the vehicle mitigates a big part of the vaccuum effect which draws heat in through the gaps and seals. B) Insulate the Hoses: Wrap hoses with a single or a comination of insulating material(s) C) Insulate your Windows: Use insulating foam boards to make window covers for your rear windows and windshield. This can shave hella degrees on a hot day. D) Get enough BTU: Ignore the sq ft recommendations, you are cooling a mobile oven. I am running a Whynter 14k BTU Dual Hose (there are cheaper and honestly probably better comparable units), and it makes the space livable with no insulation on the hoses, and shitty thin window covers, in direct sunlight E) Get enough Wattage: The unit I bought said around 1300 continuous watts. Bullshit. This thing regularly pulls 1800 for lengths of time. Thats alot. I have a Bluetti AC200l + b300kx2 totaling 7600 watt hours roughly, so I can it run it for a little over 4 hours on a full charge. I run 3x 200w Renogy panels on the roof, so 600watts per hour, and will be investing in a Charger1 (DC to DC smart charger [wont draw from a battery with too love of voltage]) to add another roughly 500w per hour roughly while driving...It's not enough, and it still won't be enough. Power storage for HVAC is tough, so have enough battery, and always be charging.

Have had 2 Whynter dual hose units over the past 8 years. really solid cooling machines.

Or a dual hose, i recently bought a whynter 14000btu and it will cool most of the top floor of our house. With single hoses pumping out air inside the home it builds negative pressure so everytime you open a door to the outside it will suck in all the outdoor air (also leaks in through other spots in the house)

Just get any portable AC unit with dual hoses, it will vent the moisture out the window so no emptying needed. I have [this one](https://www.amazon.com/Whynter-ARC-14S-Conditioner-Dehumidifier-Activated/dp/B0028AYQDC) and it's an absolute beast at cooling.

Single most important thing: Dual hose units maintain the pressure balance in your room. Single hose units vacuum hot air into your house. Next most important thing. Buy new. These things are consumables. I like my Whynter brand units. They've lasted far longer than I thought they would. I also like my Hisense unit. It is nice and quiet.

I’ve owned multiple portable A/C units and have never had to drain them curious why Whynter is different.

Any dual hose one will be more efficient and possibly more quiet. I have the Whynter Arc. It does a great job. Some people may find it noisy but it doesn’t bother me. But it IS large so not easy to lug between places.

The best one is Whynter and it has two hoses on it if that helps. It's black and is like waist high.

I did this while using the heat mode and it still shut off every hour because the tank was full .

I did tons of research before buying the [Whynter ARC-14S](https://www.reviewni.com/product/B0028AYQDC) and was nervous about ordering online, but Amazon made the return policy very easy to understand, which gave me peace of mind. Shipping took about five days (a bit disappointing for Prime), but thankfully I ordered it in May last year. Setup was simple. I let the unit sit upright overnight, per instructions, and had to fit the window kit using particle board due to our tall horizontal slider. Hooking up the hose was easy, and while I haven’t bought the optional filter or insulation tape, the unit has worked great without them. Cooling performance is fantastic so far. We use this in our north-facing, well-insulated 2-story home. It easily cools our open-concept living room, kitchen, dining area, hallway, and even helps with the master bedroom—about 1,200 sq ft total. It held up well during a 109°F day, keeping our main areas in the low to mid 70s. Yes, it’s loud, but no louder than any other major appliance. The remote is finicky, and moving it between rooms isn’t ideal, but we just leave it in one spot and it does the job. Draining the water is tricky. The hole’s too low for a bowl to fit under, so we used a plastic tube. Honestly, I haven’t drained it in six weeks and it’s been fine. Not the prettiest unit, but totally worth it to stay cool.

The 12K BTU portable units work fine for even a large bedroom. I have three, all Whynter two hose. One even keeps a 600 sf finished attic with seemingly no insulation in the roof at an okay temperature on hot days. When it is over 100F out, it struggles but still the attic is tolerable if not ideal.

Single hose a/c units are a scam. You need a dual house unit. This is a good one. I have it. https://a.co/d/dOx9ef4

Whynter. They’re also packed very well in the box.

Yes, is the space insulated? First question to answer. Does it have windows? And which way do they face (aouth, etc)? We have a large 14000btu whynter portable ac in the garage. Its fully insulated and no windows. Works well to keep the space below 80 and around 50% humidity on most days. With that said, If i had the cash and space, a mini Split would be the way to go.

I really like my Midea MAP14AHS1TWT. Quiet, solid app control, plenty of power, easy single duct install, came with parts to use on horizontal or vertical windows. Only issue is the water drainage is hard to figure out, but I only run into that in heat mode. This portable unit is not subject to the u-shape AC recall. Also had a good experience with Whynter ARC-14S and their customer service helping me to repair non-warranty damage to the AC, but it's a more basic design, louder, no connectivity, two ducts so I eventually upgraded to the Midea.

So which hose did you cap the intake or the outflow ?

Second all this, don't get a single hose unit because it starts to pull in air from the rest of the house (instead of from the outside like dual hose units) so it's less efficient. Also for portable AC you need a higher BTU rating compared to window units. Currently I am using the dual hose Whynter ARC-14S 14000 BTU for an average sized bedroom and it works well. It is really loud compared to most other portable ACs though (if that matters to you). Previously I've used other models like a single hose Sharp 11500 BTU unit, and single hose SPT 12000 BTU unit that were much weaker. If you can find anyway to use the window unit (use a plastic panel, a wood panel, anything) you should definitely use it, it's a much better value than any portable unit. Just make sure that your HOA allows it, in all the neighborhoods I've lived in window units are always banned because of aesthetics.

If you’re going portable, go LG or Whynter. Midea’s hit-or-miss like a Tinder date..looks good online, but disappoints in person.

The whynter has a slightly higher CEER compared to the DUO (14.2 vs 13.8) for what it's worth. It does a great job of supplementing AC in my home office without of electronics.