Vent a portable air conditioner with a 6 inch hose through a 3 inch hole in the wall

air-conditioning

I bought a new portable air conditioner for my condo. I bought this one: a/c. I want to use it to cool either my living room or my bedroom. My apartment is 1100 sq. ft. so I believe this should be more than enough to cool down either portion of the condo. However my condo is not A/C friendly. It has only narrow casement windows and one roof to ceiling sliding window in the living room. I am also not allowed to install a window mounted A/C. However, it does have these 3 inch holes in the wall in many of the rooms (presumably for ventilation or A/C). I heard some of my neighbors use those holes to vent their A/Cs. I wonder whether this is safe or not (fire, mold). If it is, can I just hook the hose into a 6 to 3 reducer? What material is good for this purpose: PVC, metal, something else?

I know there are ways to install portable A/Cs in casement and tall sliding windows but both seem too complicated. I was hoping I can just use a reducer and be done, but I want to make sure it is safe. BTW the condo exterior walls are concrete.The holes clearly lead to the outside (I can see the street through them)

Best Answer

The reduction of the diameter from the 6" of the hose to 3" through the wall may not cause a significant problem. The resistance to fluid flow of a pipe is [inversely] proportional to the square of the diameter and directly proportional to the length of the pipe. So if the length of the 3" diameter hole is short compared to the length of the 6" hose, then the constriction to 3" may work OK. You could ask the mfgr, but you may have to try it. I bet it will work fine.

The key to making it work would be to make a gradual transition from 6" diameter to 3" diameter over say 8 inches to 1 ft of length. This would prevent the creation of turbulence which could restrict flow. Presumably the 3" hole in the wall is lined with a pipe, right?

I wonder if those 3" diameter holes are positioned vertically so that a ductless mini-split a/c could be installed. How high above the floor are these holes? How far are they from the ceiling? Would the building management allow that?