How to vent a portable air con?

[Hosty44]

Hi all, 

I live in an "environmentally sustainable" building that doesn't allow air con. As such, I'm looking to get a portable one but it's not possible to vent through the windows.

I have a balcony door but I'd need a 2 metre (ish) long vent, as it's a floor to ceiling balcony door. Could I just buy a length of timber and cut out the air con exhaust shape in it? What's the best option?

[JacobZ]

Hi @Hosty44,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community and thank you for your question.

The simplest way I can see of doing this is to get a piece of plywood that is the height of the door and the same thickness as the door track and then cut a hole in the timber so the portable aircon vent can sit in it. 

If the plywood is a tight fit in the door track, then you should get a great seal when the door is closed.

If you can advise the thickness of the channel in the door track, then I can point you in the right direction.

Let me know what you think.

Jacob

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @Hosty44 

I have made such a thing in the past when we had our whole house air con breakdown.  We now have multiple smaller split system air cons in case of fails as we were out of air con for 2 months at the peak hot weather service guys flat out.

You right 100% right put the vent in the sliding door then use a piece of light weight pine timber that sits in above the vent in the same dimensions so when the door is closed on the vent the pine upper is also in place closing any gaps.

Or another lighter version is to use Foam board cut to size and lighter and easier to work with the same idea.

Tape this to your aircon exhaust duct in such a way the cloth tape forms a hinge and folds down flat against the aircon exhaust duct when not in use and  easier storage in cooler months.

A further idea without seeing the exhaust vent seal it along the edges at need with Self adhesive weather seal

Re your original  good idea, It would not be practicable or easy to make a suitable full length timber panel as when you remove the air con out of the door the long 2 m tall timber is hard to store.  

[Hosty44]

Hey Jacob. 

Thanks for the reply. So the depth of the wood would be approximately 18mm and the height 2640mm, as for width I can't say as I haven't bought an a/c unit yet.

[JacobZ]

Hi @Hosty44,

Frustratingly, plywood sheets are usually a maximum of 2400mm wide, so plywood is likely not the answer without additional work.

You'll have to know the width of the attachment bracket from your portable air conditioner for me to be 100% confident, but you'll likely be able to use this 138 x 18mm 5.4m White Moulding Pine FJ Primed DAR to create something suitable.

I have owned a couple of portable air conditioners in the past, and the bracket that attaches the exhaust duct to the window cover is usually tall and fairly narrow, so this will likely work.

If this is not wide enough, then I will have to work with you to create a suitable alternative.

Let me know what you think.

Jacob