UPDATE 5/5/2010: This unit is still running as efficiently and effectively as ever. We are very, very happy with our purchase.
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About a month and a half ago, my husband and I purchased this at our local Costco (because of good pricing and their great return policy) after researching and reading mixed online reviews on MANY, MANY portable air conditioners. He's in the Navy, so we're currently living in Port Hueneme, CA (Southern CA near L.A.) right on the ocean and the humidity is pretty high. We've used it on days with temperatures ranging from ~78 to 86F and are still waiting for a really hot day to hit. It might not happen this year, but it certainly did last year. We use it in our upstairs bedroom--approximately 180 square feet--with the door shut to keep our cats out.
The results:
* Noise: Fantastic. We used to have one fan blowing on full-speed in there. While you CAN hear this unit, it is quieter than the fan was, by probably 50%. As another reviewer noted, you can hear a little water trickling from time to time, but that doesn't really bother us, and it's certainly not constant. We sleep like babies with this unit about a foot away from the bed.
* Cooling: Again, top-notch. I really wasn't expecting much from a portable after reading so many bad reviews for all of the portable air conditioners we researched. On the day that we installed it, it was 83F outside (and probably close to 90F in our bedroom) and, being pessimistic in our expectations, we put it on the MegaCool setting and left the bedroom, closing the door behind us. About 2 hours later, we headed up the stairs to check on it. About halfway up the stairs, we could feel that the air was cooler than it had been downstairs. In fact, the entire top floor of our townhouse (approximately 500 square feet) was noticeably cooler, even with the bedroom door closed. When we opened the bedroom door, it had already dropped a good 10 to 15 degrees. We left it for a few more hours, and when we went back in it was so cold that we got the down comforter out to cuddle under as we slept. And sleep we did--better than we had in ages. I think that 4 hours to go from 90F to what felt like near 50F is very reasonable. Since then, we've kept it between 67F and 70F.
* Remote: Very user friendly. You can also cover the sensor on the remote with your hand and click the Power button to turn the remote off without turning the air conditioner off--this elongates the battery life.
* Dehumidifying: It's unbelievable how well this dehumidifies the air here. Remember, we live right on the ocean, so it's always very humid. I LOVE that my sheets no longer feel soggy when I sleep, and that my husband and I can sleep touching without sticking to each other. And if this tells you anything, my hair is really wavy/curlyish, and when I sleep at night in the dehumidified bedroom, it gets very close to perfectly straight. As soon as I go down to the lower level of our townhouse, though, my hair immediately starts curling. My husband tends to laugh at how quickly the curls form once I leave the bedroom. I never had this experience with centralized AC when I lived in Texas. My point? It dehumidifies REALLY well.
* Draining: We've done this twice in the last month and a half and probably could have gotten away with doing it once. A lot of the water evaporates right out of the window, and the tank seems to have a decent capacity. The machine will also automatically shut itself off if the tank gets too full. The method is also pretty easy. The drain is far enough off the floor that you can use a bucket to empty the unit. One thing we noticed is that even though it has an on/off valve, the off position doesn't seem to work. We have to make sure the stopper is in securely no matter what setting the valve is on.
* Construction: Seems to be quite durable, but not overly heavy. My husband had a broken arm and I was able to drag it from the car and up the stairs with minimal help from him. It was definitely heavy, but it was doable (I'm 6', average to above-average strength for a woman, and not too concerned about breaking a nail, though). Once out of the box, the casters are a real plus when moving it.
* Installation: The installation instructions are a bit tedious and not perfectly written, but it's pretty easy to figure out how to assemble most of the unit without them if you have a decent amount of common sense. The installation is still not a bed of roses, but I don't think installing any other portable unit would be any better. From my research, they all use similar methods, so I can't really complain about this unit. Just an FYI, though: this unit is designed for windows with solid wooden casements--the exhaust piece needs to fit snugly against and screw into the casement. We had a slight problem with this because we have windows that open horizontally rather than vertically, and the casement isn't flat or wooden--it's recessed and metal. We ended up having to make a workaround--some measuring and a quick trip to the local lumber yard, and we had a few plywood inserts. One fills in the recessed casement and allowed us to screw the exhaust piece onto something solid, the other braces the sliding part of the window up against the unit. A bit of a pain, but not too bad nor too ugly.
* Other features: The adjustable louvers work very well. We like to point them up at the ceiling while we sleep, giving nice cool air and great circulation without freezing us out. The Plasmacluster functionality is nice, but when it's on, the unit shows a very BRIGHT blue light. We have difficulty sleeping with it on, so we turn it off at night. Just a head's up in case you want to run Plasmacluster at night--you may need to find a way to cover the light up. [EDIT 5/5/2010: We have since discovered the nifty "Lights" button on the remote control. This turns off the lights on the unit without making you turn off the Plasmacluster functionality, so no worries there any more.]
All in all, we're both so glad we bought this unit. We were mulling over whether the expense would be worth it so we waited and thought for a few months. We agree that we should have just gone ahead and done it MONTHS ago! The summer would have been much more bearable, and we would have been much better rested!!
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Sharp CV-P10NC 10,00 BTU Portable Air Conditioner with Full Function Remote ControlProduct Description: Sharp's CV-P10NC Portable Air Conditioner is easy to move from room to room. The CV-P10NC provides quiet cooling with sleek and attractive styling and a Plasmacluster® ion generator. You can also use the CV-P10NC as a dehumidifier to remove up to 60 pints of moisture from the air in a single day. An included fully featured remote control with LCD display allows you to control the unit from anywhere in the room. The flexible exhaust hose and window adaptor kit allow venting of the hot air, while keeping rain and insects out.
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