I purchased this in June when I couldn't take the NYC heat anymore. My window unit broke at the end of last summer, and due the prohibitively expensive delivery/installation costs in NYC for a 4th floor walkup apartment with extra wide windows, I decided to get a portable standing A/C-my first.
I'm sure a lot of the issues I'm pointing out here have to do with the fact that portable units are just not as efficient as window units, but this 12,000 BTU unit does not cool my apartment nearly as quickly as my mighty little 8,000 BTU window unit used to. The nice thing about the portable unit which is an advantage over my old window unit is that while I have it installed in my bedroom, I can blast just my bedroom only (8 ft x 14 ft) by shutting the door, or angle it to cool the living room only (20 ft x 22 ft), or to hit both rooms. The bedroom gets cool enough when I shut the door so that the unit is cooling my bedroom only (and the temperature reading on the unit can get down to 73 degrees); it is a challenge to completely cool the living room area on a really hot day, but that was an issue even when I had my window unit (also installed in my bedroom). When I do try to cool just the living room (essentially dragging the unit to the doorway of the bedroom and blasting it only into the living room), while the living room can sometimes cool down to a comfortable temperature, the bedroom then heats up because the PVC exhaust pipe leading from the unit to the bedroom window gets quite hot.
It is also very noisy. The first week, I could hardly fall asleep because of the noise. It is like sleeping near a generator. I guess I've gotten used to it by now, but I definitely think that it could have been designed better to be quieter. Also, even on low speed, it's just as loud as when it's on high speed.
Beware that all portable units will require some kind of exhaust pipe to be connected to the window so that the heat generated by the unit can escape. You only need a small window, however, much smaller than an A/C would need, so if you have a basement apartment with a small window, you'd probably still be able to accommodate this unit.
If you have a living situation that allows a window unit to be installed more easily and inexpensively, I would certainly recommend that. For those who cannot install window units for whatever reason, this portable unit is OK, but I wonder if there are more efficient, quieter units out there. Also, I sometimes wonder if I made the right decision to keep the unit because portable A/C's cost more than window units, and maybe I should have just sucked up the outrageous installation charges associated with a window unit which may have been a more efficient cooling system.
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We had a dehumidifier in our basement that finally gave out, and we bought this unit because not only did it dehumidify, but it also cooled the basement, something we had recognized a need for awhile back but had never scratched the itch. As a dehumidifier it works pretty well, although just how much I'm not sure of since in lieu of draining the tank, I ran a 5/8" hose to my sump. By the way it fills the sump, however, I believe that the specs claimed by the store are just about right and it removes about 100 pints of water per day during these really humid springtime days. The window kit that comes with the unit was not designed for our basement windows, which hinge on top rather than slide. We really needed some light to come through the window as well as vent the hose to the outside, so I replaced the detachable screen with 1/4" plexiglas and cut a 6" round hole in the plexi. Then on a table saw I cut the window panel that comes with the unit down to a square with the 6" hose flange in the middle, and bolted that to the plexi. This works pretty well, although it added $50 to the deal since I had to buy a larger sheet of plexi at HD and cut it down to the required size on a table saw. But the setup allows me to disconnect the hose, use the round cap that came with the mounting kit to close off the hole and swing the window closed during the winter or for security purposes. The 60" hose wasn't long enough to reach the window from our basement floor, but luckily I had a bench that worked out nicely to get the unit about 14" off the floor. This height also provides a decent slope for the 10-foot water hose to drain into the sump.
Using the A/C with the dehumidifier on is different than using it as a straight-up A/C unit. With the dehumidifier on, you don't get to adjust the temperature, and the unit seems to want to keep the temp in the 71-73 degs F range whether you like it that way or not, the reason for the 3 star rating. The current setting (with dehumidier on), running on medium fan, keeps my entire 24x48 basement cool in the summer and I'm happy with the result, although, because you can't control it, the basement stays a lot cooler than I normally like to keep the upstairs, so there's this effect of entering the Great White North whenever you walk downstairs. I'd guess that it adds about $30 to my monthly electric bill to have it run 24/7.
Update: 7 months later, into the heating season (December in MD). Since this unit will not dehumidify without either the heat or a/c on, and I have cheaper heating options available to me than running the thing in heat mode, I've bought a full-function dehumidifier to stand next to the unit on the bench mentioned above. When it got cool outside I disconnected the hose from the window collar, closed the window and pulled the plug on the unit. When I need A/C next spring, when I'll shut off the other dehumidifer and fire this thing up.
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I'm sorry the other buyers were not happy with their purchase, because my unit works wonders for me. I got it to cool a 20 x 20 size den because my central air just couldnt do it in triple digit heat! I did not want to give up an entire window with the permanence of a window unit.Even though we have 100+ degree heat in Georgia, it gets extremely cold in the winter (though the cold only lasts a couple of months) but I know from experience the cold air does seep through the outside vents of a window unit, thus increasing heating costs. I don't have to worry about that with a portable because it can be packed away during the winter, plus the sleek design fits beautifully with my decor. You can't get that with a window unit. I admit, it is quite expensive, I had trouble attaching the hose and the window panel is so easy to remove, I would not feel safe if I didnt live on private property with a security system, and the window that I've attached the hose to is very high off the ground... a burglar would need a ladder to get in, but I have no complaints with the cooling feature itself, its excellent... The product does what it claims: "will cool areas 300-400 sq ft".
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I don't know what any of these bad reviewers are talking about. This is one awesome portable AC. The set-up was very easy... and my bedroom is literally an ice cube after 10 minutes of it being on the lowest speed. It could easily cool my entire apartment. Everyone on here is complaining about how loud the AC is. What do you expect, for it not to make any noise? It's an AIR CONDITIONER. Even window units make noise. This AC makes the same amount of noise as any other window or portable AC. And yes, the compressor turns on and off because it's regulating itself to stay at the temperature you set it on. So it turns from AC to fan every 10 minutes or so. And yes it is a little loud when the compressor turns back from fan to AC, but again, that's normal. And the display light is not THAT bright. I actually like it, it's like a little night light in my room when the lights are off. Neither the light nor the sound of the AC affect my sleep at all. If the display light is that big of a deal, you can easy put a piece of black vinyl tape over the light and peel it back when you need to see the display screen. The fact that there is no water bucket to empty is awesome, and I have not experienced any leaking problems. I love this AC and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to stay cool all summer. P.S. I ordered this on Overstock.com and saved $100 so I would recommend you do the same.
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don't buy it unless...you live where there's no rain. There is no way to prevent rain from leaking down into the back of the unit. YES...it cools nicely, so it's fine when it's not
raining. Also don't buy it for a ground floor room unless you have security bars on the windows. It's just the kind of thing burglars love because they can easily push the panels out & climb right in.
I'm going to keep it, but I'll have to take the window panels out whenever it rains
and I DO have security bars on my windows, otherwise, I'd never be able to use it at all.
Oh...one last thing, if you have a cat it could easily be hurt or killed if he or she removes the window panels which would not be hard to do.
If you plan to use it on a higher floor, I think there may be a way to hang the exhaust
hose out & bent downward so the rain wouldn't come in. (maybe)
It really does cool very quickly & nice, though.
