RE: Airconditioning

["James Hoye" <yahoo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> I have seen the one in B&Q  and I think the 8K BTU one is about
179,
> however it needs a pipe that goes to the outside, is this just for
> dehumidified moisture or is there another reason for this pipe.

It is likely (for this amount of money) that the pipe is a heat exhaust.

> If water can I just run it into a bowl or something short term??

The condensate is usually collected into an internal container, and is
emptied when the unit indicates that this container is full.

> Alternatively anybody know of any other sources for air conditioners
> that don't require external venting?? Preferably in the Bristol area
or
> online

Hmmm... an air conditioner is essentially a heat pump, and moves heat
energy
from one place to another - so unless you want to heat up the adjacent room
it has to go somewhere - outside usually.

The "hang the pipe out of the window" types are notoriously
inefficient in
that they draw air into the room (from adjacent rooms & outside) to
replace
the air that is vented (otherwise you'd end up in a vacuum).  This air has
the disadvantage of inevitably being warmer than the air that has already
been cooled in the room.  However, they will drop the temperature by
several
degrees and provide a degree of comfort.

The best type are split units, where the condensor is separate from the
evaporator unit (cooling part) [well, it's joined by the refrigerant lines,
but the units are separate].  You mount the condensor outside and the heat
energy is carried in the refrigerant return to be dissipated outside of the
room.  These are much more efficient, and sadly expensive.  Homebase(?)
flogged off a load of these cheap a year or two ago, and many list members
snapped them up.

Whatever type you get, you will need to 'vent' the unit to the outside one
way or another.

James