What Is a Portable Heat Pump?

It's freezing. The cold weather has arrived with rain and snow, and you're sitting in your study or workroom shivering because it doesn't have heating. Up until now, you've relied on propane or electric heaters, but these cost a lot to run, and you have to worry about ventilation.

This May Also Interest You: How Often Should You Change Your Furnace Filter?

A portable heat pump may be the solution you’re looking for. They're easy to install, economical to run and heat more effectively.

Is There Such a Thing as a Portable Heat Pump?

A portable heat pump is essentially a small heat pump on wheels. Running off a convenient electrical socket, these units are ideal for heating rooms that don’t have effective central heating. While movable AC units, such as portable heat pumps, require some form of venting, you can obtain suitable window and ceiling kits that vent the cold exhaust air outside or into a drop ceiling cavity. Most units include a flexible vent pipe and vent kit.

How Do Portable Heat Pumps Work?

A room heat pump works on the same principle as a portable air conditioner, except the cooling cycle is reversed. Instead of having an evaporator coil, a portable heat pump has a condenser that gives off heat. As with an AC, the unit compresses refrigerant gas at high pressure. The compression of the gas heats the refrigerant, and it's cooled by passing it through the condenser coil, releasing heat into the room. As the gas cools, it condenses into a liquid. The cold refrigerant liquid passes through an expansion valve into the evaporator coil at the rear of the portable heater. As the gas expands, it cools, and a fan transfers the cold air to the outside through a flexible vent pipe.

Do Portable Heat Pumps Also Cool?

If the unit has the right valves to reverse the refrigerant cycle, you have a portable heating and cooling unit you may use for cooling. These units are usually sold as portable air conditioners with heating. It's important to check specifications before buying. Some room heat pumps can only heat, and some portable air conditioners only have a cooling mode.

Choosing the Right Heat Pump Capacity

You should be careful to select a model with the right capacity to heat a room. If you intend to move the unit from room to room, size it for the largest room. For a 350-square-foot space, you'll need 9,000 BTUs of heating capacity. For a room that is 500 square feet, you'll need a 13,000-BTU heat pump.

Check the unit's heating capacity at the coldest temperatures in your region. A cold-climate heat pump can work at outside temperatures down to 5 degrees Fahrenheit.

More Related Articles:

• Need a New Furnace? Here’s What You Should Know About Costs

• How Much Does It Cost to Switch to an Electric Furnace?

• Do You Need a Zoned HVAC System?

• How Much Does It Cost to Replace an Oil Furnace?

• Is an HVAC Tune-up Worth the Price? (Yes, Yes It Is)

Are Portable Heat Pumps Worth It?

Portable AC heaters are an excellent solution for heating rooms and workspaces, but consideration must be given to the fact they need vent pipes. Here are some pros and cons to help you decide if a mobile heat pump is right for you.

Portable Heat Pumps: The Pros

Reasons for choosing a portable ac heater include:

• Energy efficient: An ENERGY STAR portable heat pump is up to 3 times more efficient than natural gas or electric heating.

• Portability: You can easily move a portable unit from one room to another.

• Works with drop ceilings and window kits: It's easy to find the right vent kit for your home or office from the wide selection of ceiling, wall and window vent kits on the market.

• Cools and heats: Most portable AC units have heating and cooling functions.

• Ideal for rentals: A mobile heat pump is ideal for heating rentals where it's not practical or permissible to install a fixed heat pump.

• Works off standard power outlets: Plug-in heat pumps work off standard 115-volt outlets, but larger units may need 20-amp receptacles.

Portable Heat Pumps: The Cons

Negative points to consider include:

• Noise levels: Although relatively quiet, portable units make more noise than radiant heaters and fixed air conditioners.

• Water condensation: You must have some sort of drain hose or drain pan to collect and remove water that condenses on the evaporator.

• Need to install the air vent hose: These units won't work without a vent pipe, which is aesthetically unsightly unless you can hide it behind furniture or plants.

• Heavy: They're relatively heavy, and their small casters mean they aren't easy to move over thick carpets or uneven tiled floors.