Portable air conditioning gets hired for three reasons: the fixed system failed, the space was never conditioned, or the heat is temporary and the equipment inside it is not. Rental units run from roughly one ton on a standard 115 volt outlet up to five ton machines needing 208 to 230 volt power, with day rates commonly between $75 and $350 depending on size.
Size against the heat load, not the room
One ton of cooling removes about twelve thousand BTU an hour. An office might need a ton per four hundred square feet; a server room or a production line can need several tons in a space you could pace out in seconds, because the machines inside are producing the heat. Tell the yard what is in the room, not just how big it is.
The plug is the first constraint
Units up to about a ton and a half run on ordinary 115 volt outlets, which is why they are what most customers end up with. Anything larger wants 208 to 230 volt on its own circuit and a specific connector. Establishing the available supply before booking saves the single most common wasted delivery in the climate hire trade.
Hot air and water have to leave
A portable cooler moves heat rather than removing it, so its condenser air has to be ducted into a ceiling void, out a window kit or into a space nobody occupies. Vent it into the same room and the net effect is warmer air. Condensate needs a drain or a pump, and in humid weather a large unit produces gallons a day.
Book ahead of the heat, not during it
Rental cooling is the most seasonal fleet on any yard. When a regional heat wave lands, the phones start on the same morning and the stock is committed within hours, often on long hires that hold machines for weeks. Anyone with a predictable summer risk, from a data closet to an event space, should reserve in spring.
Questions people ask about portable ac rental
Will a portable AC run off a generator?
Yes, provided the set is sized for the compressor's starting surge rather than its running load. That surge can be several times the running amps, so a generator chosen from the nameplate alone will trip repeatedly. Yards will pair a suitable set with the unit if you say it is going on generator power.
How much is portable AC rental for a week?
Usually about three times the day rate, so roughly $200 for a small single ton unit up to around $1,000 for a five ton machine, before delivery and ducting. Monthly hire drops the daily cost sharply again and is normal when a fixed system is being replaced.
Single hose or dual hose?
Dual hose units draw their condenser air from outside the conditioned space, so they do not pull warm air in through gaps to replace what they exhaust. Almost all commercial rental machines are ducted this way; the single hose type is a consumer product and struggles in a working environment.
Can I rent one for a server room?
Yes, and it is one of the commonest hires. Size it against the kilowatts of IT load rather than the floor area, plan where the hot air is ducted so it does not recirculate, and make sure the condensate has somewhere to go if nobody will be in the building overnight.