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Difference Between Single-hose and Dual-hose Portable AC units

  • Writer: Loredo Litherland
    Loredo Litherland
  • Apr 3, 2020
  • 3 min read

In this guide, we’re looking at the main differences between single-hose and dual-hose portable AC units.

Portable Air Conditioner

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What Is A Single-Hose Portable AC Unit?

Just as the name implies, a single-hose portable AC unit consists of only a single hose. The purpose of this hose is to expel the warm that air is being dragged into the air conditioner.

When a single-hose portable AC unit is running, all of the warm air in a particular space is expelled from that space. This creates something known as “negative pressure”, because all of that air needs to be replaced.

From this negative pressure, air from throughout your home flows into the portable AC unit, and this air is cooled and then sent into the space. But, what’s worth mentioning is that most single-hose portable AC units aren’t that powerful, so this can lead to an excess of hot air flowing into your space.


What Is A Dual-Hose Portable AC Unit?

A dual-hose portable AC unit uses two hoses. One of these hoses is for pulling in air from outside of your home to cool the AC unit. The other hose is used to expel all of the warm air that is within your space.

While a dual-hose portable AC unit is running, it pulls in air from the space that it’s located in. All of this air is pushed through the AC unit, where it’s cooled. This requires a fair amount of power, so the AC unit has to pull in air from outside to cool down the air conditioner, which prevents it from overheating.

Dual-Hose Portable AC Unit

Dual-Hose Portable AC Unit


What’s The Difference Between The Two?

In essence, the main difference between a single-hose AC unit and a dual-hose AC unit is the fact one AC unit pulls in air from outside of your home to cool it down, while the other does not.

While this may not seem like a particularly notable difference, it does transform the entire air conditioning process. This is because dual-hose AC units are capable of exchanging larger quantities of air at any given time, and cooling that air without overheating and straining the different cooling coils.

Without that second hose, though, single-hose portable AC units have to work much harder to produce cool air that replaces the warm air that has been expelled from a particular space. This makes them less efficient and more prone to things like overheating.

Which One Should You Buy?

While dual-hose portable AC units are ideal, if you’re looking for power, single-hose portable AC units can be very useful.

If you need to cool a small space, and are looking for portability above all else, then a single-hose portable AC unit will work very well. They’re excellent for cooling small spaces in a quick and efficient manner.

For larger spaces, though, a dual-hose portable AC unit is ideal. This is because they can cool those spaces in a much more efficient manner, due to their air exchange system.


Conclusion

In the end, single-hose and dual-hose portable AC units are both very useful. To find the one that’s right for you, you must consider the space you’ll be cooling and the power that you need.


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