Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)THE GOOD: attractive, fast install, quick-fix for house hot-spots, reusable air-filters are easy to clean, works (mostly) as advertised.
THE COULD-BE-BETTER: 3 issues (not bad, still a great buy): (1) BTU-RATING CAVEAT: advertised rating of 10k is in max-AC mode - and you can't run the unit at max for longer than 8 hours at a time; so real-world non-stop capacity is more like 7.5k. (2) INSULATE THE EXHAUST HOSE: grab some 6" round A/C duct insulation before you leave the store to wrap the 6' hot exhaust hose with - this $5 mod will improve the unit's efficiency; (3) WINTER-STORAGE HEADS-UP: The hot air is sent outside through a 5" hose that mounts to an exhaust port, which in turn is held in the window by a window-sill-plate. The sill plate is permanently installed in the window with woodscrews. Ideally, the exhaust port should be removable, and then a trap-door slides over the opening to seal for winter. Unfortunately, the port sits off to 1 side instead of the center of the plate -- so that if you have storm windows the exhaust port won't have enough clearance to detach and allow the supplied trap-door to close. Oops! So a quickly cut square of cardboard affixed with tape over the port and we're winterized. A minor inconvenience that the drapes hide.
OVERALL EXPERIENCE: bought this July 2009. This is June 2010. Unit is quiet. Uses condensation water to cool the condensor so it makes a "trickling" noise regularly but not show-stopper. When I keep in mind that the trickle means that the unit's efficiency is going UP during those moments, I let it remind me that I'm saving money.
FINAL THOUGHTS / RECOMMENDATIONS: bear in mind that a window-mounted unit will be more efficient than a portable. When you buy a portable you're buying quick-fix convenience. So if it's a long-term solution you need, then go with a window unit instead. Finally, many pre-1980 homes in the USA were built with 3.5 ton A/C systems that have smaller ducting. Hindsight reveals that 5 tons would have been best. But such an upgrade would require larger diameter ducting which can double the price of a replacement central A/C system in an older home. And so home-owners buy portables and window-units as a low-dollar work-around. My advice: bite the bullet, spend the money, buy a quality brand, do the 5 tons AND ducting, and get a 10 year warranty. That and *all copper* replacement pipes for the plumbing, and you'll be set for life.
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