Sharp CVP12LX Portable Air Conditioner: A most versatile cooling solution

If you read me often, you might remember that last summer we converted our totally disheveled garage into a combination workshop (for me) and design studio (for Veronica). The total makeover took about a month and resulted in a very attractive addition in shades of gun-metal gray and stainless steel. The dropped ceiling with its built in fluorescent light panels made this look like anything but your typical garage.

It seemed we had thought of everything (including a HDTV Flat panel TV). Well… almost everything.

A Statement of the Problem
Do you have any idea of just how hot a South Florida garage gets in the summer? Scratch that. It doesn’t even have to be summer. It just has to be South Florida with the morning to mid-day sun playing on the 18’ steel door.

Well no problem I thought. The central air conditioner main air handler is located in the garage. It seemed to me to be a simple matter of running a new duct off the main house feed. It was simple of course until I called in the professionals. Professional assessments ran from “You sure you want me to do that?” to “I wouldn’t recommend that.” to “You’ll royally screw up the air-conditioning in the rest of the house!” The professional consensus was a large portable unit would be the best solution.

The Search
After long days researching the several free standing units available from various manufacturers, I presented my findings to the ever-radiant Mrs. Xeno who took less than 30 seconds to put her finger on the Sharp CVP12LX. “It’s gun-metal gray and stainless steel, I like it.” Who can argue with that? Besides, it was one of the finalists anyway.

Sharp CVP12LX Portable Air Conditioner
This portable air-conditioner is a self-standing unit on casters that can at least in theory be easily moved from room to room. It does have to be vented no matter where you locate it, so maybe it isn’t so easy moving it from room to room after all.

The unit stands about 33” tall and 18” wide and is considerably more stylish than an air-conditioner is expected to be.
The Sharp CVP12LX puts out 11,500 BTU/hr, normally enough to cool a 450 – 475 sq. ft. room. While the garage runs 400 sq. ft. we thought it best to have a little extra power cooling this minimally insulated room. We’ll discuss the need for insulation later.

The unit has a dehumidifier function and removes up to 60 pints of water a day from the room air and is self evaporating requiring no emptying of tanks if the unit is vented properly. Having no windows in the garage we chose to vent the air-conditioner through a small screened-in vent located at the bottom of the concrete wall. The plastic venting kit was easily adapted so that it could be “mudded” into the vent with little effort.

Controls
Full function controls are found on the remote control only. So, it goes without saying, don’t misplace the remote! From the main unit, the air-conditioner can be turned on/off, but it will revert to its last setting.

The Remote Control allows you to set the unit to a thermostat controlled temperature (down to 72 degrees). A Mega Cool setting is available for quick cooling that drops the thermostat setting to 59 degrees.

The remote gives you 4 fan speeds and permits you to oscillate the grill blades. For our application, we choose to keep the fan on high and manually adjust the grills to send the cold air as high as possible.

Additionally, from the remote you can choose “fan only” or “dehumidify”. The remote also has a timer that can be set so the unit won’t be left on unintentionally. It’s hard to believe, but this unit is so quiet that it could indeed be left on inadvertently. The remote control can be stored on a holder on the back of the main unit.

The main unit has two permanent washable filters that easily slide in or out. Periodically they should be removed and washed with a garden hose and replaced. This whole process will take less than 5 minutes, but it is extremely important to remember if your unit is to operate efficiently.

Performance and Efficiency
The Sharp CVP12LX Portable Air Conditioner moves up to 300 cubic feet of air per minute. That provides plenty of cooling power. The efficiency rating is 8.5 EER. For units of this type that’s a middling type rating. When planning to work in the garage, (excuse me, the studio), I find it takes about 30 minutes to cool the place down sufficiently, once the Florida sun has had its way with the steel doors. And that brings us to the need for insulation.

Insulating Tips
Garages are notoriously poorly insulated. Typically, you’ll find air leakage all around the door. This is easily and inexpensively remedied with special garage door weather stripping available at any hardware store. But beyond air leakage, one only has to place one’s hand on the steel door surface. Down here in South Florida, the door will feel as hot as a radiator. And, in this case a 18’x7’ radiator at that!

To solve for this problem we purchased foam insulation panels (2 inches thick), and cut them to the precise size of the individual door sections (16 in all). Attaching the panels to the door with a spray adhesive was fairly straight forward. This has reduced heat build-up in the garage considerably, allowing it to cool more quickly and keeping it cool without breaking the bank paying for the electricity used.

Final thoughts
The Sharp CVP12LX Portable Air Conditioner has proven to be a good choice for our workshop/studio application. Its performance, pleasing aesthetics and to date, its trouble-free track record earn it Xeno Seal of Approval. I recommend it highly. Just keep track of the remote control.

Regards,
Rudi

© Rudi Xeno 2008