Question 1

Can I put this machine in a complete closed space? Or does it still need ventilation for hot air from it?

Accepted Answer

As with all AC unitunits to achieve any real result you have to evacate the hot air from the system to another location preferably outside. It will blow cool air without having the hot air exhausted, but any AC unit has to evacuate it's hot air somehow. If anyone says they can cool a space without exacting the heat make sure they can explain how the deal with the heat that is generated. As for thus system it has performed very well for what we needed and  I have had no issues.

Question 2

Does the unit need to be hooked to a drain?

Accepted Answer

No. If the exhaust is properly vented, it does not need a drain. However, after one year, the unit we have started to frost over and needed to have a pan put underneath to catch the water. Instead of sending back for repair, we purchased another unit. You may want to purchase an extended warranty.

Question 3

Have you ever had to add coolant to this unit?  If so, was there a valve ready for the coolant or is it covered/soldered shut?  I own a different branded model that has died and to have coolant added, it will be a couple hundred dollar endeavor since the valve isn't in any condition for coolant to be added.

Accepted Answer

We've had this unit for about 15 months now and we have not had to add any coolant to the unit. As far as I can tell, there is no easy access to the coolant, nor have I seen anything in the manual for it. The only maintenance we've done is cleaning both air filters a handful of times, and drain the unit from stale condensation water once.

HOWEVER, the unit seems to occasionally take a break from cooling now and again, I'm not sure if that's by design or a defect, or if the environment is too humid or dry. These breaks are short so it's not a huge issue for us, but it could be for some. I bet if we hooked up a condensation drain hose (instead of relying on self evaporation) the cooling breaks would stop.

Question 4

How much noise does this unit generate when in use? Will it affect a person who is on phone that is within 6-8 feet with wall partition between person and unit?

Accepted Answer

With the compressor on I recorded a noise of 78 decibels on my iPhone about 1.5 feet away; but that is in our server room with a lot of other fans running. I would say it's similar noise volume to a dishwasher.  With the compressor off it sounds like a large fan blowing.

From 6-8 feet away with a partition between I would say it would annoy the person when the compressor is on, but when just the fan is blowing it would be fine.

FYI this is our 3rd AC unit for our server room and by far my favorite.  Quieter compressor than our last and feels a lot better built.

Question 5

Can the unit be turned on its side?

Accepted Answer

No, the unit should stand upright depending on which mode you are running it in.  The unit can be hooked up in "evaporation mode" where it is fully self contained and all heat/condensation is exhausted using a flex tube that goes to a ceiling vent.  The other mode is non-evaporation mode which requires the running of tubing down to a drain, if you run it in this mode water vapor condensates and must drain, the two unit drain plugs are located on both sides of the unit, therefore I would not recommend turning it on it's side.  Not to mention the unit has intakes on both "sides" when it's standing upright, these intakes are for air flow, if you put the unit horizontal it would cover one whole side intake up.  I have used this unit for over 1+ year with NO issues, I had to call into tech support because it was freezing up when we first got it, but I was simply running it in the wrong mode, ever since it's been cooling a 600+ sq foot room with 3 servers, 2 switches with no issues.

Hope that helps!  Alex

Question 6

Does the unit need to connected to a vent or have access to a window?  If there are no windows in the room, can this unit function according to spec?

Accepted Answer

You must exhaust the heated air out of the space you are trying to cool. We also do not have access to a window we can open, but are accomplishing this by ducting the heated air into the space above the drop ceiling which then gets pulled into the building's air handler system. Hopefully this is a helpful option for your situation.

Question 7

Can this unit be exhausted outside via duct?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we installed this unit in a closet where fresh air can enter thru a grill in door then send the exhaust up thru a pipe that has an exhaust fan to pull the heat out since it vents about 30 feet straight up outside on roof. The cold supply side is then piped into another closet with server. Also bought the remote accessory part # SRCOOLNET that allows remote access via IP so you can monitor, set and manage the unit. It will also email or text when down and unit will reset/ start automatically again when power failure is restored. Has worked excellent for our application with remote accessory. Hope that helps, Ric.

Question 8

Does this unit have a setting where it will remain completely off until a specified temperature? I want to use this as a backup unit, only to be turned on (automatically) when temperature hits a specific point. Thanks.

Accepted Answer

This feature can be enabled if you add the optional SRCOOLNET network management card to this portable AC unit. You will need to login to the management card webpage and change the operation mode to "Remote Setpoint." As long as you do not select the "Always On" option as well, the unit will turn off when it is at the requested setpoint while operating on "Remote Setpoint" and will automatically turn back on when the temperature increases again.

Question 9

what are the dimensions of the warm air exhaust vent "tube" and is it included with the purchase?

Accepted Answer

The exhaust is 5". An accordion-style hose comes with the unit for exhaust, as well as a plate and adapter to vent through conventional tiled drop ceilings. I have 3 using the included vent and it works well with 84U of servers in a 10' x 14' room.

Questions & Answers