The main question I need answered is, if I vent my dual hose portable AC through the fireplace, can I have the intake hose pull from the apartment (re-cooling air and avoiding dirty chimney air) or will it negate the benefits of a dual hose unit by pulling hot outside air in from my poorly insulated windows and doors?Background: I live in an old, poorly insulated, 3rd floor apartment that gets super hot in the Colorado summer. The managers will not allow window units. I've tried a portable swamp cooler, but it just doesn't cut it in the midday heat (I work from home).We have casement windows that swing inward and are about 8" deep from the face of the window to the inside of the screen (that I'm not allowed to remove). I've thought about trying to find a shallow window unit and then build some kind of box to support it, and allow me to extend the unit inside the apartment a little. Unfortunately, the windows are also narrow ~19", not leaving much room for side venting, and the whole thing would be unsightly and/or a huge pain.I ordered a dual hose portable AC with plans to build plexiglass window inserts to close up the window. Unfortunately, my windows are all different sizes, so I'd have to build more than one (or some kind of adapter) to use it in more than one room. The space near the window where I'm currently using it is pretty tight, so I thought about venting it through the chimney in our living room. The materials would be cheaper since I wouldn't need to buy plexiglass and I could have less exposed exhaust hose (more efficient?).So far I have it temporarily set up in a window with cardboard blocking it just to see how it works. It cools the 13x10 room I'm in very well; but the adjacent rooms get only a minor benefit. It's a Whynter 14,000 btu unit.Questions Would there be any impact on the efficiency of the system venting from the chimney?Can I exhaust through the chimney and intake from the apartment? Would this help re-cool already cooler air in the room, or draw in more outside hot air by impacting air pressure?Should I worry about drawing in dirty air from the chimney?Could I install a window unit in the fireplace? Would it be more efficient? via /r/DIY http://ift.tt/2tKLPCm
