Yes or no air conditioners: five useful tips

Not sure whether to choose a portable air conditioner or a fixed one? Not sure what is the right temperature or what type of maintenance to do?

There are always many doubts when it starts to get hot: here are five useful tips that can help you if you're thinking about buying one.

Is a portable or stationary air conditioner better?

The air conditioners portable in general they are less efficient than the split murals because they are often a single block, furthermore to allow the heat to escape from the room you are forced to leave a gap (for the passage of the pipe) and this compromises the air conditioning of the room. Consider that they are often noisy having the compressor in the room where you stay.

What is the right temperature?

The best temperature, also in order not to exceed consumption, is around 25°C, but it's always better not to go below 6-7°C compared to the outside because an excessive difference in temperature can be dangerous for health. Furthermore, electricity consumption is lower if you use the air conditioning at a higher temperature.

What kind of maintenance do I have to do? Are there obligations like for boilers?

There are no obligations law for systems under 12 kW or for domestic systems, but our advice is to check the refrigerant gas and the cleanliness of the battery, so that it is as efficient as possible. The frequency of checks depends on the hours of use. If you don't use it often (even in winter) you don't need to do it often, but about every 3-4 years. Every year, however, clean the filters under running water and with baking soda.

Is there a difference between the water of the indoor unit and that of the outdoor unit?

There are no differences. You can reuse the water from condensation for cleaning, for watering (not always because it is demineralised and therefore poor for the plants) or for the iron, but in this case follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Do air conditioner filters remove viruses and bacteria? Are they useful for allergy sufferers?

The important thing is to avoid stagnation of water where bacteria could proliferate, such as Legionella, but the risk in domestic systems it is very low. Several manufacturers offer filters that are supposed to break down any bacteria and viruses present in the room, but at the moment there are no studies demonstrating their effectiveness. Taking into account the volume of air in the room and the continuous air exchange in the rooms, it is difficult to hypothesize that the air treatment process can lead to real benefits for an allergy sufferer.