Can This Amana Unit Cool Multiple Rooms? Tony Explains Why the Answer Is Usually No
If you’re looking at the Amana 7,400 BTU 230/208V Through-the-Wall AC with Heat Pump (PBH073J35CC) and thinking:
“Maybe it can cool my bedroom AND the hallway… or my office AND the break room… or my studio AND the adjoining closet…”
Stop.
Put the measuring tape down.
Don't even finish the sentence.
Because the answer — Tony’s answer — is:
Usually NO. And when people try, they regret it.
Through-the-wall units are not central air systems. They’re not ductless multi-zone mini splits. They’re not air movers designed to push cold air around corners, down hallways, into open stairwells, or through doorways into other rooms.
A 7,400 BTU wall unit like the Amana PBH073J35CC is built for one job:
Cooling (and heating) ONE enclosed room.
Not two.
Not “one and a half.”
ONE.
But let’s break down why — using real field experience, real airflow behavior, and real thermal physics that no amount of wishful thinking can change.
Let’s get into Tony’s complete explanation.
Why a 7,400 BTU Unit Is Designed for a Single Room
People forget that BTUs aren’t magical.
They are a very real, very measurable limit.
A 7,400 BTU unit is engineered to cool:
150–300 sq ft
IF the room is enclosed
IF the insulation is decent
IF the sun load isn’t insane
IF the airflow path is clean
That’s one regular room.
Not two small rooms.
Not one room and a hallway.
Not one room and a bathroom.
One enclosed zone.
Here’s a general load calculation to reinforce this:
[Room Cooling Load Behavior Overview]
This is not a “marketing recommendation.”
This is physics.
The #1 Reason This Amana Can’t Cool Multiple Rooms: Airflow Direction
Through-the-wall units blow air straight forward, into the room they are installed in.
Not sideways.
Not around corners.
Not through doorways.
Not down hallways.
Not across open lofts.
The airflow pattern is a single forward-facing column.
Think of it like a spotlight:
It hits where it’s pointed — and that’s it.
Air does NOT turn corners naturally.
Air does NOT push through doorways efficiently.
Air does NOT travel far without a duct system.
This is the airflow equivalent of a flashlight beam, not a floodlight.
Here’s a basic airflow pattern concept to support this:
[Single-Direction Air Discharge Behavior]
So even if the unit could produce enough BTUs, it cannot deliver them where you need them.
The #2 Reason: The Second Room Isn’t Getting the Cold Air Fast Enough
Let’s say your Amana is installed in a bedroom and the door to the hallway is open.
Here’s what happens:
Room 1 (the AC room):
-
Gets blasted with cold air
-
Reaches temperature quickly
-
Thermostat shuts unit off
Room 2 (the “extra” room you're trying to cool):
-
Gets the leftover air
-
Very little cold air moves in
-
Large pockets of warm air stay trapped
-
No circulation pattern is established
Meanwhile, the thermostat is in the WRONG room — the room getting all the cold air.
So what does it do?
It shuts off the unit early, thinking the whole space is cool.
Room 1 is cold.
Room 2 is still warm.
You get uneven cooling.
Classic complaint.
Classic airflow failure.
The #3 Reason: BTUs Get Watered Down Across Extra Space
The Amana PBH073J35CC is designed for one thermal zone.
When you add a second room, here's what happens:
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Heat load doubles
-
Air volume increases
-
BTU density drops
-
Temperature control becomes inconsistent
-
Humidity removal suffers
-
Unit runs longer and harder
Your 7,400 BTU unit starts performing like a 4,000 BTU unit because it’s being stretched past its design.
You can’t cheat BTUs.
You can’t “finesse” square footage.
You can’t “trick” physics.
Here’s a BTU distribution:
[Thermal Load Distribution and Multi-Zone Limitations]
The #4 Reason: Doorframes Are Airflow Roadblocks
Doorways are airflow chokepoints.
Even with the door fully open, the frame itself bottlenecks air transfer.
This creates:
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Turbulence
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Air stagnation
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Uneven movement
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Temperature separation between rooms
This is why a room with a strong AC can still leave the hallway feeling warm and stale.
The air simply isn’t mixing.
The #5 Reason: Second Rooms Often Have Their Own Heat Loads
Even if airflow wasn’t an issue (it is), the second room often has:
-
Its own windows
-
Its own sun exposure
-
Its own electronics
-
Its own insulation problems
-
Its own door that may be opened/closed
-
Its own trapped heat
This adds heat load that the Amana wasn’t designed to handle.
A 7,400 BTU heat pump in Room 1 has ZERO way to “know" what Room 2 needs.
It only reads temperature where the unit is — not in the additional space.
The #6 Reason: Humidity Removal Breaks Down
Cooling multiple rooms with one wall unit wrecks humidity control because:
Humidity needs:
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Air recirculation
-
Consistent cold coil contact
-
Continuous airflow patterns
When air drifts into other rooms and doesn’t return to the unit, it:
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Stays humid
-
Feels warmer
-
Keeps moisture trapped
-
Makes Room 2 feel sticky
This is especially true in:
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Bathrooms
-
Hallways
-
Laundry rooms
-
Sunrooms
-
Kitchens
Humidity removal is a closed-loop process.
Multiple rooms destroy the loop.
Here’s a humidity concept:
[Moisture Removal Pathways in Small HVAC Units]
**“But Tony… What If I Leave All the Doors Open?”
Still NO.**
People think leaving doors open magically turns two rooms into one big space.
It doesn’t.
Even with all doors open:
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Cold air sinks into the nearest room
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Warm air rises and gets trapped
-
Doorframes block some airflow
-
Corners trap heat
-
Warm air doesn’t naturally return to the AC
-
Large spaces break the AC’s thermostat logic
-
Air still doesn’t circulate evenly
Open doors don’t create airflow pathways.
They create air leaks, not air distribution.
**“What If I Use Fans to Push the Air?”
Still NO — just slightly less no.**
Fans can help mix air.
But they don’t fix:
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BTU limitations
-
Thermostat misreads
-
Doorframe restrictions
-
Heat load differences
-
Humidity failures
Fans help, but they don’t solve the core problem.
They just make the system struggle slightly less — not actually work.
The Only Times Multi-Room Cooling Kind of Works
There ARE rare situations where one through-the-wall unit can “help” a second space:
1. Two very small rooms with no doors
Think studio alcoves.
2. A tiny closet-sized room connected directly to the main room
And only if the closet has low heat load.
3. An open-concept micro-studio
350 sq ft or less.
4. A room that barely needs cooling
Like a storage room.
5. When the second room is within direct airflow path
Not sideways, not behind a wall.
Even then — it’s supplemental at best.
Here’s a two-space airflow idea:
[Open-Plan Air Mixing Limitations]
Don’t expect miracles.
What Happens When You Force This Amana to Cool Multiple Rooms (Real Consequences)
You’ll face:
❌ Higher electric bills
The unit runs nonstop.
❌ Weak cooling performance
Neither room gets comfortable.
❌ Coil freeze-ups
Long runtimes + poor airflow = ice.
❌ Overheating compressor
Shortens lifespan significantly.
❌ Humidity problems
Rooms stay sticky and warm.
❌ Constant temperature swings
Never consistent.
❌ Loud operation
Overworked units get louder.
❌ Early failure
A unit designed for one room can’t survive handling two for long.
This isn’t a guess — this is decades of field experience.
What You SHOULD Use for Multi-Room Cooling
If you want to cool more than one room, Tony recommends:
✔ A multi-zone mini split
Independent air handlers for each room.
✔ Two separate wall units
One per room.
✔ A larger PTAC with better airflow
For hotel-style rooms.
✔ Small ducted mini split
Discreet, quiet, evenly distributed.
✔ Central air
If the building allows ducting.
Trying to force a wall unit to do something it wasn’t designed for is a losing battle.
Tony’s Final Verdict
The Amana PBH073J35CC is an excellent small-room solution — quiet, efficient, clean, reliable, and perfect for:
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Bedrooms
-
Offices
-
Studios
-
Therapy rooms
-
Hotel rooms
-
Retail counters
-
Enclosed spaces under 300 sq ft
But it is NOT built for:
❌ Hallways
❌ Multiple rooms
❌ Open floor plans
❌ Combined areas
❌ Any room the unit isn’t physically inside
Here’s Tony’s final answer:
**Can this Amana cool multiple rooms?
→ Usually NO.**
**Can it cool one room extremely well?
→ Absolutely YES.**
Match the equipment to the space and you’ll have a system that performs beautifully.
Ask it to break the laws of airflow physics — and you’ll be disappointed every time.
