According to Paul, if you are using a portable cooler, where you do not draw in air from outside, then you will not need to leave a window open.

Since ours is on the roof, the air is circulated in from outside and to even out the pressure, and let the hot air escape, we need to leave a window open. But with a portable one, you are recirculating the same air inside so no need to leave a window open.

Hope this helps,

Irene

Thanks Irene. I'll report back... I'm going to buy one somewhere where I can easily return it, in case it turns out to not work well.

My friend here is also recommending this type of portable cooler fan, calls it pinguino. Need to make a trip to Media Markt one of these days...

hey Ola.

my sis-in-law had a pingüino when she lived in madrid, forgot what brand she had.

i also believe they are more expensive.

saludos,
jer...

Great thread.

I was just writing a post about the Madrid heat on my new blog.

Anyway, the reason I am posting is to warn those people that use a PC for long periods of time and use an AC as well.

We have a portable AC in our room and over the past two weeks I have used it whilst working my 12 hour days behind a pc screen. Approx one week ago my eyes really started to ache and hurt. It was hard to explain the pain, it was more of an ache than a sting, but it was very uncomfortable.

I also noticed that my eyes seemed very dry and not matter how many times I blinked it didnt make any difference to this.

I did some research on google and it seems I have "dry eyes syndrome". It is very popular and is mainly caused by the following:

Air conditioners
Looking at a pc screen too long
allergies

I have had hay fever for the past few weeks and I stare at a pc screen for 12 hours per day, so I am guilty of all the above.

I went to the chemist and bought some eye drops. I then bought a humidifier for the room and removed the AC.

My eyes are now fine. I tried putting the AC back this morning and straight away my eyes started aching again.

This means that I am now working everyday in a VERY warm room

Anyway, the purpose of this thread is to warn anyone who works on a pc all day and has an AC close by. If your eyes start hurting then you will know why.

Thanks.

hey Ola.

just saw this classified ad from Chica selling a portable ac unit and thought you (and maybe some others) would be interested, CLICK HERE.

saludos,
jer...

Ok, just wanted to post to RAVE about the "swamp cooler," inelegant name and all. I bought the Marino model from Convair at the Corte Ingles last week (cause they deliver AND, as Mariposita pointed out, you can return it if it doesn't work). And I LOVE it. It TOTALLY works and is SIGNIFICANTLY cooler than just a fan. It is portable and requires practically no energy. The only issue I have had is that initially, it actually had a bit of a swampy odor-probably because the filter on this particular model is natural (ie: wood/straw). But, I went back and consulted the store and the promotora a few times and they assured me with a bit of use, that should go away in the first week, and sure enough it has. I definitely recommend this! Thanks for the great idea-I had never even heard of these! If you want to experience it, the Corte Ingles near Callao has them set up and running.

Hello,

Well last night was the first night I actually had trouble sleeping because of the heat. We do have one of the swamp cooler/pinguinos (the ones that need water, right?) and i set it up before. It required A LOT of water to fill it, but I turned it on and the air was refreshingly cool. I think I'll use it in my bedroom at night, because the fan alone wasn't cutting it. You plug it in, but these are supposed to use little energy? That would be nice...

By the way deano6410, I've only been in Madrid two weeks but also have found my eyes bothering me (that is, very dry feeling). I do have A/C here at home where the computer is, as well as at work, but I had chalked it up to the super dry air Madrid has here. Coming from three years in Miami, it's really been affecting me and I constantly feel dehydrated. I've been using eye drops. May be time for some more...

cool. (excuse the pun) we just got a Roca AC for 415€ from Corte Ingles and what a pile of shit it is. It's going back asap.


Does it cool a large area?

Cheers Hotske

ok, used the pinguino last night. it took forever to fill up, as i was running back and forth from the bathroom with a small glass. and the entire amount of water was used up in one night! so i'll have to do that every night. does everyone else find that it uses up all the water during the night?

schwendy: how much did that swamp cooler set you back?

binkx...

quote:

it took forever to fill up, as i was running back and forth from the bathroom with a small glass.

get a bucket and a funnel at any "todo a 100" (60 eurocents) shop, they will cost you like 3 euros for both

you can also use a pitcher to fill it.

or, if ya got a lot of free time, use a thimble

quote:

does everyone else find that it uses up all the water during the night?

yes, if you leave it crankin all night long the water will not last long. as far as i know you have to fill em up often and last night it was H-O-T so it was probably working overtime.

saludos,
jer...

well.

last night was the first night i used my portable ac unit.

what a relief!!! it lowered the temp. in my living room and bedroom from the 32º it read when i plugged it in to 26º and ena and i got a great nights sleep

saludos,
jer...

My Marino was 199€-not cheap, but worth it-it could be 10-20 € less at Media Markt (a guess, I don't actually know), BUT in my case, the delivery, ability to run back and ask questions three times (which I have done) and to return it if I need to, outweighed that difference.

As for filling it up-I have a watering can I bought in a chino for a € or two and six or seven fills of it will last me about 10 hours. The thing needs a least a couple of liters to work effectively so I would invest in a watering can.

As for area-no, it probably cools a large room at a time, not my whole apartment-but I don't want to do that anyway. They do have larger models that cool more area. Again, if you hit the Corte Ingles, they have them all there with literature and you can investigate what makes the most sense. I will just attest that it works and well!

thanks schwendy.

does it blow mist into the air? i mean does the air feel humid when you use it?

and if the 10 hours or so go by and it is empty, does it just turn into a regular fan? is it bad to run it without water in it?

as for filling it, if i were you i would use my hose to do it instead of using the watering can.

binkx, another way to fill yours would be to buy a short hose that you can conncet to your kitchen or bathroom sink and run the water right into that bad boy.

saludos,
jer...

To answer your questions, yes it creates humidity, but this is a good thing-but not so much that you experience it as mist or that anything is getting wet (you can turn down/off the humidity also)-it is just that it feels MUCH cooler than if it were just a fan.

Yes, once the water is gone it is just a fan. No, it does no damage to leave it running as just a fan-they specifically told me this.

You can use whatever is most convenient to get the water in there. Good luck!