How to Lease Portable Air Conditioners

Know how long you intend on renting the portable air conditioner and how soon you need it. This information helps the rental company price the unit you need to rent.

Check on the size of the failed air conditioner unit, if any. Locate this information on the original unit if possible. Some air conditioner units may or may not have this information available. This is helpful for the rental company, but they can size a portable unit without this information.

Measure the length and width of the room or space you need to cool. Measure the height of the room or space. Make a note of the shape of the room.

Count the number of windows and skylights. Measure the height and width of each window.

Check for the type of ceiling included in the space. A suspended ceiling has an open area between the tiles and the actual ceiling known as the plenum. You must know the distance between the suspended ceiling and the actual ceiling. A warehouse could have a metal ceiling sprayed with insulation, while a residential homes use wallboard.

Tell the rental company if you are cooling a warehouse, office, computer room, residence or tent. Each of these locations requires different types of portable air conditioners.

Multiply the wattage use of each piece of equipment in the room by 3.4 to determine the number of British Thermal Units, or BTUs, needed to cool the room if this is a computer room with servers and computers that generate a large amount of heat. Generally, you need 12,000 BTUs for every 250 square feet of space unless cooling a room with a lot of heat generating equipment.

Check on the electrical power available. Standard receptacles, like the ones in your home or office that power appliances, clocks, personal computers and desk lamps are rated at 15 or 20 amps and draw 120 volts. Other voltages available are single or three-phase 208/220 or single or three-phase 480. Commercial locations generally use the higher three-phase voltage. Look at the breaker panels in location to find this information. When renting a portable air conditioning unit for a tent, you need to know the distance to the nearest available electricity.

Tell the rental company how you intend on exhausting the hot air generated by the portable unit. You must know the distance to the nearest window, or outdoor access, in the room where you intend to install the portable unit.

Provide the rental company with the nearest floor drain location or sink if you are renting a portable two-ton unit or larger. Air conditioner units generate condensation that you must dump from smaller portable units and larger units utilize tubes to drain the condensation.