Portable AC FAQs

A portable air conditioner is an air conditioner that does not require permanent installation. They are designed to move room-to-room and can vent out of a window. The Friedrich ZoneAire portables have caster wheels and are relatively lightweight, allowing the units to be easily moved from room to room and stored away when you don't need them.

Room Size- Knowing your room size is critical in determining the best size air conditioner for your space. An air conditioners BTUs tell you how powerful the unit is and has a direct impact on how quickly the unit will be able to cool your space. Single or Dual Hose Design- Single hose air conditioners pull air from within the room and expel warm air and moisture outside. Dual hose air conditioners pull outside air into the room using one hose and exhaust the warm air with the other. Dual hose portables have the ability to cool an area more quickly and efficiently than single hose portables.

There are 2 main considerations when selecting a portable AC.

1. Room Size - Knowing your room size is critical in determining the best size air conditioner for your space. An air conditioner BTU tells you how powerful the unit is and has a direct impact on how quickly the unit will be able to cool your space.  The standard rule is that a portable AC unit needs about 20 BTU for each square foot of space you need to cool. Keep in mind, every application is unique so those 
2. Single or Dual Hose Design - Single-hose portable ACs pull air from within the room and expel warm air and moisture outside. Dual-hose portable ACs pull outside air into the room using one hose and exhaust the warm air with the other. Dual-hose portables have the ability to cool an area more quickly and efficiently than single-hose portables, but single-hose portables tend to be less expensive and more compact.  And no matter your choice, Friedrich's got you covered with both single and dual hose options that offer effective and convenient cooling.

Check out the Friedrich portable comparison grid below for details:

 

Yes, the Friedrich portable air conditioners are highly energy efficient. In addition to the high EER on the Friedrich models, portable air conditioners can be a great way to reduce energy consumption in your home or office. By cooling rooms used the most instead of cooling the entire space, less energy will be consumed.

YES!  Both our ZoneAire Compact and ZoneAire Dual hose models come equipped with wi-fi and voice command compatibility through our FriedrichGo platform. 

Guide based on normal room insulation, average number of sun exposed windows and two person occupancy.

1. If heavily shaded, reduce cooling Btus required by 10%
2. If very sunny, increase cooling Btus required by 10%
3. Add 500 Btus per person over 2 people
4. Add 4,000 Btus if the area is a kitchen

*disclaimer - Room Size by square footage is an approximation. Please contact an HVAC professional for more information. 

Yes, all portables need to be vented. Much like window air conditioners, portable air conditioners pull in warm air, cool it, and push the remaining warm air out of the back of the unit. It is the warm air that needs to be vented out of the room being cooled. The best way to vent a portable air conditioner is through a window using the window kit included in your purchase of a ZoneAire portable air conditioner.

Your Friedrich Zoneaire Portable AC comes with everything you need to set up and use your unit, including a window kit to vent the exhaust hose.  The window kit consists of a plastic piece of equipment that slides open and is adjustable to fit in your window sill and connects to your exhaust hose(s) of the AC unit. While our window kit typically fits most standard-sized windows, we do recommend you measure your window to be safe. For more details be sure to review our Portable AC Brochure.

Both our ZoneAire Single and Dual hose portables have a 6-foot exhaust hose. 

We do not recommend that you lengthen the exhaust hose of your portable air conditioner as it may cause the unit to overheat.

All Friedrich ZoneAire portable ACs come with a 3 prong grounded plug and operate on 115 volt/120 volt power. This is the standard household voltage. It is always recommended that you use caution and do not overload the circuit with multiple devices.

Our dual hose ZHP14DB model does offer both cooling and heat pump.  All other models are cooling only.

For optimal performance, it's best to clean the filters every 2-3 weeks, depending on how frequently it's used. Once you've cleaned the air filter a few times you will get a better idea of how much dirt is collected in the filter and you can adjust the schedule, as needed.  

Yes, there is a 1-year parts and labor warranty, plus an additional 4-years on the sealed refrigeration system.