Best Tent Air Conditioner
The best tent air conditioner is different for each person and each persons needs so it is hard to say that there is a specific best tent air conditioner for everyone. But to try and help narrow down the choices, I have chosen what I believe to be the best tent air conditioner for 3 different situations. The 3 situations that I will look at are a tent air conditioner that is best for outdoors and tent usage, a tent air conditioner that is for indoor use mainly and enclosed spaces and a portable air conditioner that is more of an all-around unit that does well in both indoor and outdoor situations, but is not necessarily the best in either one.
Best Outdoor Tent Air Conditioner
The first situation I am looking at is for outdoor usage or inside of a tent. In order for a unit to function effectively in an outdoor setting it is best that it has a couple of factors going for it. One thing is that it should have a higher BTU rating. This will give the unit a stronger cooling power which will be needed when outdoors since you will be counting on more direct cooling rather than cooling an
enclosure. Another thing to look for is a fairly lengthy hose so that you can run the warm error far enough away from you that it doesn’t come right back. Also, a big thing to watch for especially with higher BTU rated units is that it is portable enough to travel around with easily. Look for something less than 30 lbs. Lastly you will want a sturdy unit with a strong outer covering. Since it will be exposed to the elements you want it to be able to handle a little bit of extra abuse and wear and tear. In my opinion, the unit that best suits this is the NewAir AC-12000E 12,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner. It is a little heavier than I like, but has wheels on it for easy transportation.
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Best Indoor Tent Air Conditioner
The second Situation I am looking at is for indoor usage. For indoor usage the BTU rating is not as important. What is more important is that it cools efficiently. Another big factor to consider is the noisiness of the unit since you will be indoors and maybe wanting to read a book, watch tv or have a conversation. You don’t want to be contending with the noise of the tent air conditioner when doing whatever it is you are doing. Lastly, you want a unit that is portable and won’t take up a ton of space. If you are inside, the last thing you want is for a bunch of space to be taken up by your air conditioner. My pick for the best tent air conditioner that fits this criteria and is a good bang for the buck is the Frigidaire 6000-BTU Mini Compact Window Air Conditioner.
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Best All-Around Tent Air Conditioner
Lastly, I am looking at an all around versatile tent air conditioner that would be sufficient for both inside and outside usage. Basically, take all of the things I talked about above and look for a tent air conditioner that is right in the middle. So find a unit that has a decent BTU rating, but not super high. Find one that is sturdy, yet light weight, and find one that isn’t too noisy, but not the quietest unit available since in all likelihood, a quieter tent air conditioner will not cool as efficiently. My top pick for a all-around versatile tent air conditioner is the Haier CPN12XH9 12K Portable Air Conditioner
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One of these tent air conditioners is sure to fulfill your needs whether it be indoor, outdoor or a little of both. If you still want to look at what else is out there, be sure to check out our article on Choosing a tent air conditioner
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How to Maintain Your Tent Air Conditioner
Once you have decided on what tent air conditioner you should purchase and have made the purchase, you need to make sure that you know how to properly maintain it. Properly maintaining your unit can add several years to the life of it and will keep it running as good as new. Follow the tips below for keeping your tent air conditioner maintained and you will be sure to enjoy it for years and years to come.
Tent Air Conditioner Cleaning
For the housing of the unit, the main thing is to just try to keep it clean from dust, dirt, mud, etc… to do this, just use a damp rag or cloth to wipe it off when needed, especially before storing. Do not use any strong chemicals to wipe down the housing, detergents or chemically treated cloths. Also, before storing the unit for long periods of time, make sure to drain the water tank, clean the filter and intake vent and turn the tent air conditioner on fan mode to let it run for 2 or 3 hours in order to completely dry the interior.
Tent Air Conditioner Filter
One important maintenance procedure that should be routine is to clean the filter. This should be done once every week or so of use. Usually this will involve removing the filter and lightly tapping it to get loose dirt and dust particles off of it, then lightly rinsing it with water if it is a type of filter that can handle it. It is best however to look at the owner’s manual for your particular tent air conditioner to see what it says regarding the removal and cleaning of the air filter.
If you ever start to smell and odor or see mold growing on the unit, you will want to give it a thorough cleaning. This involves removing the filter frame and cleaning it, then using some sort of acidic spray to clean the cooling coils off really well with. Look for any other areas that may have mold growing and give it a good cleaning. Once you have given your tent air conditioner a good thorough cleaning, run it for 6 or 8 hours on the air conditioner setting then turn the unit off and drain the water.
By following this simple advice, you should be able to easily maintain your tent air conditioner so that it will run efficiently and cool to the best of its capacity for many years to come. If you fail to perform the simple maintenance discussed above, it could easily take a year or two off of the life of your tent air conditioner. The best thing you can do is to not get too lazy about your maintenance so that you do not end up having to get your portable air conditioner repaired or worse, replaced.
Find out what BTU rating should I get for my tent air conditioner right now.
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The above tent air conditioner is one of the easiest to maintain for those who aren’t too mechanically inclined.
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Improve the Efficiency of Your Tent Air Conditioner
ost people buy a tent air conditioner, give the manual a quick read and get it up and running as quickly and easily as possible. There is nothing wrong with this, but the fact is that there is a good chance that their unit is not running as efficiently as it could be. If your tent air conditioner is running as efficiently as possible, you will be able to cool down quicker and cool larger spaces with the same unit. So let’s look at some ways that you could increase the efficiency of your portable air conditioner.
Tent Air Conditioner Efficiency Tips
If you are planning on operating the unit throughout the entire day, make sure to start it up early before the afternoon heat really hits. It is easier to keep an area cool than it is to cool it down from 100 degree weather. If you are planning on operating the unit throughout the entire night and it is cooler outside than it is inside, open up a window or door for 15 or 20 minutes before turning the tent air conditioner on. This will allow an exchange of air allowing the cooler air from outside to come in. After this, close the windows and then start up your portable air conditioning unit.
For the exhaust hose part of your tent air conditioner, try to keep the hose as short and straight as possible. The hose still needs to be long enough to effectively vent out the warm air away from your area, so try to find a happy balance here. The shorter and straighter the hose, the quicker and more effectively the exhaust will be vented out. Another trick with the hose is to insulate the hose. This is because as the warm air travels through the hose, the hose will emit heat back into your area. If you insulate the hose, it should keep this heat from being emitted until the warm air reaches the end of the hose.
Cooling correctly with your tent air conditioner
When you first begin cooling your tent or other area, turn the tent air conditioner on high for the first 30 minutes to get the best air circulation. This will get the warm air out and replace it with cooler air quickly. Then turn your unit down to low the rest of the time. This allows air to circulate through the cooling coils more slowly, thus becoming cooler than it would be on high power.
For units that use self evaporating technology, don’t use the cooling mode of continuous drainage. When you allow the water to be collected and recycled, it will cool down the coils much quicker and much more effectively. This will in turn provide much better cooling and cooler air.
Tent Air Conditioner Efficiency Conclusion
These are some easy to do things that will increase your tent air conditioner effectiveness quite a bit. There are additional things you can do such as making sure the tent or room you are in is air tight when cooling. With these tips, you will be enjoying the coolest air possible from your tent air conditioner in the shortest amount of time. Make sure to check out the top selling tent air conditioner listed below.
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Filed under tent air conditioner by on Aug 13th, 2011. Comment.
Choosing the Correct BTU Rating for your Tent Air Conditioner
The BTU rating of a tent air conditioner is defined as British Thermal Units and is an energy unit that represents the unit’s capacity for cooling. To pick the right tent air conditioner you want to make sure you pick the right BTU rating that you want. Typically ratings are from 6000 BTU’s up to 14000 BTU’s for portable air conditioners. This goes for tent air conditioners as well. So how do you know what BTU rating you need? Let’s look at what factors will help you decide on the proper BTU rating for your situation.
The first and most important thing to consider is what size room or area are you wanting to cool? The larger the room, the higher BTU rating you are going to want. But how do you relate the room size to the BTU rating? The below relationships are a great starting point for choosing the correct BTU rating for your tent air conditioner.
Tent Air Conditioner: BTU Ratings
7500 BTU: 150 square feet
9000 BTU: 200 square feet
10000 BTU: 250 square feet
12000 BTU: 350 square feet
13000 BTU: 400 square feet
This gives you a good starting point for choosing the BTU rating that you need, but there are other factors that could increase the BTU rating that you need. One such factor is if you have any electronics that run hot such as computer servers, washers and dryers or any other heavy appliances. This would require a little more cooling power to be effective. Also, if there is going to be direct sunlight or some other source of heat where you will be cooling, such as through a window or sky light, you will require slightly more BTU as well.
Tent Air Conditioner: Other BTU Factors
Another factor that would require a higher BTU rated tent air conditioner is if you are in a room or space with poor insulation. This is a big reason why you may want a bit higher BTU than the ones listed above for your tent since a tent will have very poor insulation and will not keep the cool air in very well. Also, if you are just using the tent air conditioner in the open air, the BTU is really more up to you to consider what type of cooling power you want. If you want to blast cool air right at your face, then you may want to get a very high BTU unit. But if you just want to have a nice cool breeze, you likely do not need as high of a BTU rating for your tent air conditioner.
Tent Air Conditioner: BTU Conclusion
These are the biggest factors to consider when choosing a BTU rating for your needs. Now that you know what you are looking for, you can start to look closer at specific makes and models of tent air conditioners. Make sure to read reviews and make an informed buying decision. Amazon is a great place to read reviews and the unit listed below is one of the highest rated tent air conditioner units that Amazon currently sells.
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See the top 5 selling Tent Air Conditioner units on Amazon now.
Filed under tent air conditioner by on Aug 12th, 2011. Comment.
How to Vent Your Tent Air Conditioner
One of the most important things to consider with a tent air conditioner is how and where you will vent out the hot air so that it can effectively cool the inside of your tent or wherever you are cooling. Tent air conditioners typically come with one or two vent hoses that you can run somewhere to vent out the hot air, so it is important that the venting is setup properly so that you will get effective and efficient cooling. Find out the best ways to vent your tent air conditioner so that you can enjoy its full cooling power.
Check out the Top 5 Tent Air Conditioners Now
Typically, tent air conditioner units have just one vent hose, but some of them come with two vent hoses which enable the units to cool much quicker, but use more energy to do the cooling. You will end up paying more for a unit that has two vent hoses, but it may be worth it if you really need the fastest cooling possible. The reason that a two hose unit cools more quickly is because one hose draws from the indoor air to cool down and the other hose draws from the outdoor air for exhaust air to cool the compressor. This way the indoor air is cycling and recycling getting cooler and cooler much quicker. This is opposed to a single hose unit which uses indoor air for both the exhaust and the cooling, so cool air is being sent outside, allowing warm air in.
Properly Venting the Tent Air Conditioner
Whether you choose a single hose tent air conditioner or a double hose unit, how you vent the air will be one of the biggest deciding factors of how well they cool. The first thing to check is that the exhaust hose is properly connected to the tent air conditioner. If it is not properly connected, it may leak warm air before it has a chance to be vented out away from your tent or room. Once you are sure that the vent hose is connected properly, you need to have somewhere to vent the warm air away from your tent.
Venting the warm air away from your tent or other area should be pretty simple. Just run the hose out through a small opening or just as far away from your area as possible and make sure there is nothing that would block the vent stream or direct it back at your area. Pay attention to the wind and any obstructions near your vent hose. Also, if you happen to use your portable tent air conditioner inside of a house or room, it is best to open a window just enough to fit the hose outside and run the hose through it.
Tent Air Conditioner Venting Conclusion
As you can see, it is not difficult to vent your tent air conditioner, but it is very important to make the necessary checks and run the hose correctly. Once you have the hose venting correctly, you will be enjoying that tent air conditioner in no time at maximum efficiency!
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One of the top Tent Air Conditioner Units on the market.
Filed under tent air conditioner by on Aug 11th, 2011. Comment.
Why Purchase a Tent Air Conditioner
1) Because your neighbor has one and you have to one up him and get a better one.
2) Because you had a dream that it would change your life!
3) You love gadgets.
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Ok, Why Should You REALLY Buy A Tent Air Conditioner
Lets look at some actual reasons why buying a tent air conditioner may just be the right choice for you. It is also important to realize that a tent air conditioner doesn’t just have to be used in a tent; it is most likely portable and can be used in a number of situations. It can be used in a home, an office, a garage or anywhere else you need some portable cooling. Now on to the reasons why a portable air conditioner could be a great choice for you.
Tent Air Conditioner Energy Efficiency
One great thing about a tent air conditioner is that it is much more energy efficient than a full-fledged ac unit. The EER is the energy efficiency rating for air conditioners, so if you would like to find a very efficient tent air conditioner, you want to look at that number to be 10 or higher. This is better for the environment and the pocket book because it will use less electricity for the same amount of cooling power.
Portability
This is kind of stating the obvious, but it is something that really can’t be overstated. Being able to take an air conditioner anywhere that you go can be super handy. Imagine if your son had peewee football game on a 90 degree day and you show up with a portable air conditioner for the team to sit in front of on the sidelines. You would instantly become the coolest parent there, but more importantly you would be helping your kid and the rest of his team to keep cool and avoid over heating which can be very dangerous. You can also easily take it to a backyard bbq, camping or just to set in front of your la-z-boy. The portability is something you will love. Some units even come with wheels, making them easy to carry around.
Dehumidifier
Most portable air conditioner units have a built in dehumidifying function. This eliminates any need to buy a separate dehumidifier. The units do this by circulating the air and cooling it to your desired temperature while also dehumidifying at the same time. So in a sense, you are getting two things in one.
Keeping Cool On The Go
Perhaps the most important reason you would want to purchase a portable air conditioner is that it will keep you cool no matter where you need it. Since it is portable you can take it with you anywhere and cool anything from a small room to a few people enjoying a hot summer day. Take it down to the beach, camping or to a potluck or picnic. People will praise you for it and you will all be able to enjoy some fresh cool air whenever needed. This is the main reason I purchased a portable air conditioner and I haven’t regretted it since.
If you still don’t know if a tent air conditioner is right for you, try reading some of the user reviews over at Amazon to see what people like or dislike about them. Real world user experience is one of the best ways to learn about products and make a decision of your own. Check out the link below this article to head over to see one of the top selling portable tent air conditioner units that they sell and check out the user reviews on them. They are not all positive, but they should be honest. Whatever you decide at least you will know you put in the effort to make an informed buying decision.
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If you still need some help choosing a tent air conditioner, check out our article on Choosing a Tent Air Conditioner
Filed under tent air conditioner by on Aug 10th, 2011. Comment.
Top 5 Tent Air Conditioners
When purchasing a tent air conditioner, you might as well start by looking at the top selling ones in the industry. There is most likely a reason that they are the top selling tent air conditioners and will be a good starting point for you to make a final decision on which brand and model you would like to buy.
Below are the top 5 best selling tent air conditioner units according to Amazon.
1) SPT-SF-608R Portable Evaporative Air Cooler – With over 158 reviews, this is a tried and true tent air conditioner. It features a humidifier and fan for humidifying and cooling and uses water to cool the air. So not only do you get the cooling, but you get a refreshing sort of misting from this unit. It has a 10-liter water tank and also features a remote control. The unit is quite portable at just 12X16X25 inches. This is a great tent air conditioner for just about anyone.
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2) KuulAire PACKA50 Portable Evaporative Cooling Unit – This unit currently has 27 user reviews at a modest 3 star rating. This tells me that it will get the job done but does not “blow” most people away so to speak. This tent air conditioner will cool 350 square feet and also uses evaporative cooling much like the previous unit. It has a 5 gallon water capacity, has 3 different fan speeds and also comes with a remote. It easily swings and it will also work on a timer. There is no assembly required with this tent air conditioner so if you just want something that will work for you right out of the box, then this might be the perfect one for you.
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3) SPT SF-610 Portable Evaporative Air Cooler with Ionizer – Coming in with 33 user reviews just under 3 stars, this is yet another evaporative air cooler. But this unit also features an ionizer which will help it to pump much cleaner cool air. This is a great feature to have for anyone who suffers from allergies or sensitivities to dust or pollen. This is a light weight unit that can be used as a humidifier or a fan. It claims to use much less energy than an air conditioner. So this unit is more of a fan than an air conditioner, but a pretty darn nice fan at that. It would work great as a tent air conditioner with it’s light weight frame and small size. This unit also comes with a remote control.
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4) Portable Air Conditioner – This tent air conditioner is exactly what it says it is. It is a portable air conditioner with very few bells or whistles. It currently only has 10 user reviews at just 2 stars. It is very small and operates on batteries. I am guessing that the reason for the small rating is that people were expecting something that would cool a small room or tent and found that this would only cool a very very small area. It is quite cost effective and easy to transport, but I wouldn’t bet on it keeping you cool on a hot summer day.
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5) Haier Portable Air Conditioner – Last we have the Haier portable tent air conditioner. Coming in at 8,000 BTU’s, this has some decent cooling power, but the price is a little high. It currently has 26 reviews at about 2.5 stars. It will cool and dry a room up to 200 square feet and is eco friendly for those who like to be green. It has a push button screen, includes a remote and also a complete window kit for those who might want to put it in a window. This unit is a little bit heavy coming in at 56 lb, but it still considered portable. Reviews on it are very mixed, so you may want to click below to go and read what others had to say about it.
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Well that wraps up our list of the top 5 tent air conditioners available on Amazon right now. If one of them sounds right to you, click on one of the Amazon links above to be taken over to Amazon and check out some more of the user reviews and see what other people’s experiences have been. This is almost always the best way to go about making a purchasing decision in my opinion. Good luck finding the perfect tent air conditioner for you.
Filed under tent air conditioner by on Aug 9th, 2011. Comment.
SPT SF-608R Portable Tent Air Conditioner
Our Personal Rating: 3.65/5 stars
If you are looking for a tent air conditioner, you may have just found the one you are looking for. This is a great model with very few flaws. Read on to find more about it.
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Versatile, lightweight, and economical, this evaporative air cooler easily rolls from room to room for use anywhere in the home or office. Unlike a fan that blows hot air and more energy efficient than an air conditioner, the appliance uses water to cool a personal space up to 12 degrees lower than the ambient temperature. The air cooler works by endothermic reaction (a reaction that consumes heat). The unit sucks air through a wick saturated with water; as the air flows through the wick, some of the water evaporates into the air, consuming the heat that was in the air. A cool air stream then gets blown out the front of the unit through oscillating louvers for even distribution.
The appliance can also be used as just a fan or a humidifier when temperature is not an issue. Easily change the settings with the included remote control. The unit provides an air flow of 23 feet per second, a water-consumption rate of 0.6 to 0.7 liters per hour, and a 10-liter water-tank capacity. Other details include a nylon and photocatalystic filter, three air speeds, a sleep mode, and a timer that can be set from a half hour to seven-and-a-half hours. Though perfect for use in dry climates, please note that the appliance does not work very effectively in areas with high humidity since it utilizes water to cool. The 60-watt air cooler measures 12 by 16 by 25 inches and carries a one-year warranty.
This Evaporative Air Cooler, Humidifier, and Fan is versatile, lightweight and economical. The Cooler easily rolls from room to room for use anywhere in your house or office. This Air Cooler shoots a stream of air with oscillating louvers, to evenly distribute refreshing cool air. Can also be used as a fan or humidifier if temperature is not an issue. The remote control allows you to easily change settings.The Air Cooler works by endothermic reaction (a reaction that consumes heat), so this evaporative Air Cooler sucks air through a wick saturated with water. As the air flows through the wick, some of the water evaporates into the air, consuming the heat that was in the air. An air stream is then blown out the front of the unit and is considerably cooler than the current room temperature! This is not an air conditioner and therefore uses much less energy. The unit works well in dry climates; not very effective in areas with high humidity as the unit utilizes water to cool.
Not sure what to look for in a tent air conditioner? Read our article on how to choose a tent air conditioner
Amazon Review 1:
First off, this is NOT an air conditioner. If you expect your room to be freezing cold, this is not the product for you. It’s a COOLER, and it does its job very well. It works by evaporating water. Try soaking a T-shirt, wringing it out, and putting it on wet to get the effect. It doesn’t work very well in humid areas, but it works GREAT where the air is dry.
I’m in southern California, where the humidity varies pretty widely. I place the cooler six or eight feet from my chair, and on the hottest days I’m quite comfortable.
Benefits:
* it’s about 1/5 the cost of an air conditioner
* operating expense is a fraction of the cost of air conditioning
* neat features! (timer, sleep function, etc.)
* remote control
Drawbacks:
* it’s not freezing cold like air conditioning.
Commentary: It is easy to see that this would make a great tent air conditioner. This user only had one thing listed as a drawback and a bunch of benefits.
Amazon Review 2:
We bought this one as well as the KuulAire KA50. We live in very dry Colorado, and our bedroom as well as our daughter’s bedroom are in the upstairs/attic of our very old house. It gets broiling hot up there in the summer, though window fans do cool the rooms down at night. For our daughter’s nap, though, we need to get her room cool, and window fans are no good for this during the middle of the day. The KuulAire is superior to this product- aimed at her bed, it cools it down very nicely, and that is just on the low setting. This one has much less power and barely cools her down on the highest setting. It does work great if I put it 3 feet away from me, pointed directly at me while sitting on the couch as I am right now. Definitely not capable of cooling down even a very small room. Even the KuulAire really only cools where it is pointed, but that does work great for a bed, and cools much further distances. So, if you are looking for something to aim directly at yourself, this is great, does blow cool air, even without ice. Otherwise, to cool from further than 3 feet, or to cool more area- get something more powerful. As far as any swamp cooler- we’ve discovered that, since we go to bed later than our daughter, when the night has had time to cool down, at night it is far more effective here to just stick a window fan in the window- cools us down faster, cooler and with less of a sticky kind of cool.
Commentary: This user did not get the best use of this tent air conditioner for his situation. It just goes to show that make sure you know what the tent air conditioner is best for and what your needs are for it.
Amazon Review 3:
THIS IS NOT A REPLACEMENT TO AC AT ALL. So if you are thinking, you need an AC, go ahead and look elsewhere. I live in Vestal, NY with 40-70% humidity and still this item operates the way I expected. Fill it up with lots of Ice cubes and it cools down your room. Again not as much as AC tho. This makes you feel sitting outside porch and getting nice breeze at your face.. Fill the top part with ice packs and it’s even gets cooler. don’t fill it up all the way with water as it said in instruction as the water equalivates to your room temperate. ( natural physics rule )Keep 1/3 of water and 2/3 ice and you’ll enjoy this device as much as I do…Good Luck.
Commentary: A great hint from this review, for this tent air conditioner, just keep some water and ice on hand and it will make a world of difference.
Amazon Review 4:
This is a great little machine with very simple construction. It had a slight problem out of the box as it wasn’t reading that my tank was full. I called the manufacturer’s number that was in the owner’s manual. They answered on the 2nd ring, knew exactly what the problem was (float was stuck) and emailed me the instructions to fix it, and within 5 minutes, it was working perfectly. My home office gets extremely hot while I am working because of where it sits within the house, but this little cooler makes the room very comfortable. The controls are easy and it is easy to move around. I recommend this unit (that is basically a portable swamp cooler) to anyone living in an environment like Colorado, it is fantastic!
Commentary: Obviously, if you live in Colorado, this tent air conditioner may be perfect for you. It makes his home office cool as can be!
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Make sure to check Amazon for other tent air conditioners if this one does not meet your needs.
Filed under tent air conditioner by on Jun 28th, 2011. Comment.