Portable Air Conditioner Vented Through Wall With Stealthy Magnetic Cover Hose too short or no window? Hang in there, and keep cool!
Air conditioner vent hose too short? No window? No Problem!
Extending the exhaust hose can overheat and ruin these expensive coolers. Vent your portable AC through the wall, with a stealthy magnetic interior cover.
Make a simple and discreet magnetic cover to hide the interior vent hole when not in use. Insulate the wall passage to eliminate drafts and heat loss in the winter. Keep bugs and critters outside with a louvered exterior vent cover.
The problem:
Our house is cooled by an evaporative cooler (aka swamp cooler). It keeps the main floor of the house comfortable, but doesn’t reach the office. It gets really hot in there.
Our portable air conditioner is a great one. It’s a Honeywell 10,000 BTU and we love it, but like most portable ACs, it MUST be vented to function properly. And like most portables, it comes with a very short exhaust hose that won’t reach the only window in the office.
I thought the simple solution was to add an extension hose, but my dreams of simplicity were shattered. It turns out that extending the hoses on these machines creates too much back pressure and can quickly overheat and kill them. Not good…
Now what? Suffer in the heat? Only use the office in the winter?
The solution:
The only way around the problem was to go through it! (The wall, that is…)
Poking a hole through the wall might seem like a huge job, but it’s actually pretty easy. My biggest concern was having an open vent, and all the expensive heat blowing out of the house (and my wallet) in the wintertime. Another issue was having a gaping hole in the wall creating an eyesore.
The solution is to make the vent easy to seal off and insulate. The eyesore concern is solved by making a magnetic cover that snaps over the hole when the AC is not connected and in use. It’s not much more visible than a light switch or outlet cover. And, it can be made from just about any type of material or painted to match your decor!
The video below shows the steps in detail to make this a project that just about anyone can manage.
Magnetic vent cover blends in when portable air conditioner is not in use
Summary of Steps:
- Determine placement of vent
- Cut inside hole
- Build simple wooden duct box to go through wall
- Cut outside hole
- Make a magnetic cover
- Embed window vent faceplate into wall
- Attach air conditioner hose to vent
- Enjoy your cool, comfortable room!
Show us your vent! Now you can share photos in the comments below!
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. At no extra cost to you, I may earn a small commission on items bought using them. These are the same recommendations I would make regardless of any compensation. For products that I have older versions of, I recommend the items that I would replace them with if I were buying them new.
Resources for Portable Air Conditioner Vent Through Window
These are the tools I used in this project. You do not need all of them, so feel free to substitute with tools you have available.
Honeywell 10,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner, Dehumidifier with Remote
From Amazon
The whole reason for this project! Great AC unit.
Kobalt 24V MAX Brushless 1/2″ Drill/Driver
From Amazon
Drill, charger & battery
Kobalt 24V Max Variable Speed Keyless Cordless Jigsaw
From Amazon
Alternative to Keyhole Saw
Skil 7-1/4″ Circular Saw with Single Beam Laser Guide
From Amazon
Lightweight, reduces fatigue. Dust blower keeps sightline visible.
1-1/4″ Electric Brad Nailer
From Amazon
For assembling wood frames. Alternative to air compressor/pneumatic nailer
3 Gallon 1/3 HP Air Compressor
From Amazon
Light duty compressor, perfect for brad nailers, tires, etc.
18GA Pneumatic Brad Nailer
From Amazon
Inexpensive alternative if air compressor available
Bora WTX Clamp Edge Straight Cut Guide for Circular Saws, 50″
From Amazon
Clamping aluminum guide rail for clean, straight cuts
18GA Pneumatic Brad Nailer 5/8″ x 16″ Swift Bore Spade Bit
From Amazon
For drilling through deep walls
Zircon StudSensor 70 Center Finding, Live AC Detection
From Amazon
Deep scan, erasable wall marker
IRWIN QUICK-GRIP Bar Clamp, Medium-Duty, 12″
From Amazon
For supporting cross braces while attaching, as shown in video
Frost King Magnetic Vent Covers 3-pack, white
From Amazon
8″ x 15″, can be painted, stenciled or wall papered to match
Air Vent for Exterior Opening
From Amazon
Screened, louvered
Bosch Daredevil 12″ Bit Extension
From Amazon
For drilling through deep walls
There are more DIY projects in the works, so stay tuned to Uncharted DIY. Feel free to comment, post photos of your Portable Air Conditioner project or ask questions.
How to Vent A Portable Air Conditioner... Without A Window
12/14/2020 @ 10:17 am
[…] the wall: If there’s no window in your room but you need to get that heat out, the idea of just cutting a hole to the outside has a certain elegance. Before you start, make sure you know where wires, ducts, […]
Uncharted Steve
05/12/2021 @ 7:44 pm
YouTube viewer/commenter, Microwaved Soda, brought up a concern about moist exhaust air eventually rotting out the wood in the wall. The way the tunnel is made and mounted, the exhaust air cannot get to the inside of the wall. However, the MDF (medium density fiberboard/particle board) the tunnel is made from is exposed to the air. I am going to paint the inside of the tunnel with a couple of coats of polyurethane (but not water-based poly) to seal the wood. If you seal or paint the tunnel before installing it, you’ll save some time, but it can be done pretty easily with it already in place.
Thank you Microwaved Soda for bringing this to my attention!
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[…] Steve, U. (2020, July 27). Portable Air Conditioner – No window? Hidden exhaust vent through wall. Retrieved November 21, 2022, from https://uncharteddiy.com/portable-ac-vent-through-wall/ […]
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