just for peeps that dont know yet..

"The BTU per hour rating is the basic measurement in the United States for air conditioning, and it is used to specify the capacity of an air conditioner. One British thermal unit (BTU) equals the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 pound of water from 59

 

So here is how A/C units work:

The working fluid (aka refrigerant) is compressed. That makes it hot. That heat is transferred somewhere else (usually air). Then the working fluid is expanded, cooling it down. Air is drawn across the cold fluid, then blown into the room.

A typical in-wall or in-window unit uses the outside air to cool the hot side, while drawing the inside air across the cool side.

These "one hose" units pull the inside air across the hot side as well as across the cool side. Since they then have to dump the exhaust outdoors, that means you are constantly taking your room air and dumping it outside. Just like if you do that in the winter, it means you are wasting energy.

The "two hose" design pulls outside air into the unit and uses it on the hot side, then dumps it back out with the other hose. That means they sould be more efficient, because the inside air stays inside and the outside air stays outside.

 

So which one would you buy?

one hose but higher btu
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?...&lang=en-US&s=1

or

two hose but lower btu
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?...y=1&topnav=&s=1

 

............. so what Mike is saying is, you should just open the refrigerator and freezer door and call it good


Ben, buy the two hose 10k BTU unit and you'll be happy. Don't get too hung up on the sqft ratings since they can't possibly know your specific/particular heat load situation.
For ball parking things, I have a 4 ton (48,000 BTU) central unit that keeps up, no problem even on 90 degree plus days, taking care of 3,600 square feet of living space (and I like it fuqing cold, stalactites dripping off the ceiling cold). Doing the rough math, that's about 13.3 BTU required per square foot so your 700 sqft would need 9,333 BTU for the same capability. Don't actually share this math with any respecting HVAC person because there are lots of variables we're not taking into consideration but as you can see, ball park, you are good to go!

 

Ever see the episode where Red Green attaches a freezer to his van with duct tape? He's making DIY air conditioning.

 

Yeah, I would probably get the two hose model.

The only A/C units I have ever purchased, however, have been the in-window type.

 

We call those Trash Conditioners

 

Yeah, but I installed it to keep my wine collection cool, so I think the wine snobbiness averages out with the trailer park style and ends up neutral.

I also had one for my dorm room when I was in Boston. That place gets miserable in the summer.

 

Yeah, the one I was offering up to Ben was for my 10x16 Shed/"Dog House" at the previous house

 

ok ok exactly the results i wanted thx guys