Showing posts with label stand-alone air conditioner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stand-alone air conditioner. Show all posts

11/21/2010

Soleus LX-100 10,000-BTU Evaporative Portable Air Conditioner with Remote Control SOURCE: Amazon.com Product Description Review

Soleus LX-100 10,000-BTU Evaporative Portable Air Conditioner with Remote Control SOURCE: Amazon.com Product DescriptionI use this in my bedroom. It gets really hot, especially in the summer, and I also have a lot of electronic equipment(av receiver, Xbox 360, PS3, LCD tv, some halogen lamps, etc.) and to top that all off I am really hot natured. So I needed something to keep the room cool. This thing does it effortlessly. The temp. in my room used to climb up to 75ºF, now with the SoleusAir it stays at around 66-68ºF, just how I like it. On a side note, my central A/C went out last summer and it got up to 83ºF in my house, but the SoleusAir kept it at a cool 68ºF in my room. So you can count on it even under the most demanding loads. It also has a built-in heater as well and it heats as well as it cools. So this is really an all-in-one unit. The only downside(along with any other portable a/c unit) is that you must run 2 hoses(one exhaust, one intake) to a window. It comes with a window installation kit, but I live near a busy street so I can sometimes hear outside noise... but it's not too bad.

But I would highly recommend this product.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Soleus LX-100 10,000-BTU Evaporative Portable Air Conditioner with Remote Control SOURCE: Amazon.com Product Description

Product Description:
All-in-one appliance - space and energy saving machine that cools, dehumidifies and cleans the air, to fulfill all of your comfort needs. Offers 10,000 BTU's of Air Conditioning along with a 50 pint evaporative dehumidifier,adjustable and programable thermostat, and 3 speed Oscillation Fan. Heavy Duty Casters bring this unit where its needed the most, for spot cooling, workshops, garages, home/apartments with limited space and secondary facilities like RV's, boats and cabins.Great for work spaces, protects equipment in computer/server rooms and warehouse offices, provides extra cooling during extreme weather and can serve as a temporary system for restoration companies.Soleus Air; Innovative products for a more energy efficient world.

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11/02/2010

Ha Sh CV-PD13PX 13000 Btu Portable Air Conditioner Review

Ha Sh CV-PD13PX 13000 Btu Portable Air ConditionerI have a severe case of what is most often referred to as Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS.) It is a medical condition, but not an "allergy" per se because it is not an immune system dysfunction involving histimines, allergens, etc.

I've had this problem for 11 years, but I have used window air conditioners without a problem. In the last month, this is the third portable air conditioner I have tried unsuccessfully.They all seem to emit plastic or chemical vapors of some kind, which gives me headaches that can last for days.I am starting to suspect one reason for this problem is the location of the fan motor.

On most portable units, the motor for the indoor fan is not located on the external chamber, as it is with window units.On window units, the fan that circulates the indoor cold air, is driven by a motor on the external side of a wall that also drives the outside fan. This wall separates the inside cool air circulation from the outside hot air circulation. The vapors coming off that motor never enter the indoor cooled air which enters the room, because the indoor fan is driven by a shaft coming through that wall from the outside side where the motor is, and the vapors from that motor remain outside.

Another thing causing these sensitivity problems for me could be the special plastics and circuit board vapors used in the controls.Again, on window air conditioners they seem to be located where they will get drawn out by air draft to the outside part of the air conditioner.Portables seem to put these controls directly in the path of the indoor cooled air.

On the portable units I've seen so far, there two fans. There is a separate indoor fan exposed to the indoor cooling air. This motor may be gassing off.But I really don't know for sure if this is the reason for the vapors that give me headaches.I only know I cannot use this air conditioner and I am very upset about it because, otherwise, it seems like a very nice, well-engineered unit.

Today, I bought this Sharp CV-PD13PX. The store had it on display yesterday and I was able to give it the sniff test before I took it home. It passed the sniff test in the store. To buy it, I had to pay $50 to become a "member" of the store that sold it, but it seemed worth it. The price was right.Also, there are very few appliance stores and big boxes that sell portable air conditioners in the isolated valley where I live.

Unfortunately, as the unit was running at home I started to get more of a vapor plastic/chemical "new car" smell, especially when I got close to it. I suspect this may be coming from the motor or some other internal components, (not the plastic housing) because it seems to worsen (or at least not improve) as it runs. The vapor problem for me on this unit is not nearly as bad as it was on the 10,000 BTU Sharp that I tried a few days ago.That one was not on store display and did not even pass the "sniff test" when I opened it at home (see my other review.)

I am going to return this one too, because I do have a headache, though not quite as bad as the one I had a few days ago from the other Sharp. I hope the headache does not last for two days like that other one did.

My wife and daughter don't hardly smell it at all but I do, because I am so sensitive to them.This is a great air conditioner, but I am giving it only three stars because I was upset that Sharp has overlooked one detail, rather than making it a totally innocuous unit that people like myself can use.I'm sure they could make it that good if they wanted to, but like I said, this seems like a problem with most, if not all portables at the present time. I just thought Sharp might have been a cut above in that regard. I might still try one or two more portables sold locally before I give up on them, and try to make a window unit work for my apartment with its sliding glass windows.I started with the higher end units.

It seems rediculous for these units to have these "air purifying" high-tech gimmicks, like ionizers, when the materials of the unit itself contaminate the air with less-than-healthy, if not toxic, vapors to breathe with possibly the same effect as second hand smoke (industry and insurance companies seem to turn a blind eye to research in this area.)

As time goes on, check my reviews, if this issue interests you.I really wish someone would make a good basic portable with all the reliability and hygienic (with regard to chemical/plastic vapors)features of a window air conditioner, preferable from aluminum, not plastic.Maybe some company will, or maybe a company already does, but just not sold in my area, or in the USA.

June 6th

Finally decided to give up on portables after I tried a couple of other makes/models, and ran into similar problems, and headaches round the clock.

Then I bought a SHARP AF-S85PX (8,000 BTU, 10.7 EER) window air conditioner and installed it today. It is actually just as quiet or quieter than the Sharp 10,000 or 13,000 BTU Portables and, aside from some initial gassing out, seems to be pretty innocuous with regard to toxic chemical vapor and/or plastic vapor emissions. Even when first opening the box, there was very little, if any toxic emission build-up. Built well and packed excellently. Price was good too. $190. Haven't had a chance to see how it performs on a hot day, but it has a powerful fan and very cold blowing in cool mode. Amazon doesn't have this model for sale yet but when it does, I will have used it a while and will do a review, but my first impression is to give it 5 stars!

It was a lot of work and money to build a hardwood frame planed/fitted into the tracks of a sliding sash, with a plexiglass window above it.I still have to make a tall slim screen to fit next to it on the back track.And I have to do this for 4 windows in this apartment.If I move, I have to do it all over again (hopefully able to use most of the same pieces.) Many people don't have the skill I have, and just suffer in the heat.

I really wish someone would make (or, if already made, just sell in my area) a less toxic portable, just like a window air conditioners with lots of metal (instead of plastic,) and with a minimum of VOC emittingplastic, circuit boards, and motor, exposed to the indoor cooled air.

I'm not the only one with sensitivities.I recently heard from my neighbor of an octogenian woman that got such headaches and allergies to a window air conditioner that she just suffered in the heat with it off, until she moved.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Ha Sh CV-PD13PX 13000 Btu Portable Air Conditioner

Product Description:
With its Plasmacluster Ion Technology, the Sharp CV-PD13PX portable air conditioner can activate and release positive and negative ions into the air. The CV-PD13PX makes a great addition to your home cooling for the following reasons:
Portability
Portable air conditioning units are more affordable and mobile than its central AC systems. Also, if you live in temporary housing, you can still enjoy a cool home without making unnecessary installations.
Large Capacity Dehumidification
Is your home feeling a bit sweaty and sticky? The CV-PD13PX has a dehumidifying function and can remove up to an amazing 72 pints per day! With such an intense dehumidifying capability, you can enjoy not only cool air but crisp, fresh air.
Library Quiet
With its Library Quiet function, it?s easy to use the CV-PD13PX in all sorts of situations, including during the nights when you are asleep. The CV-PD13PX performs at 43 dB at low cool speed.
Washable Filters
The CV-PD13PX?s filters are washable and reusable, meaning that you do not need to spend hours looking for that right filter replacement or money stocking up on extras. You also do not need to frustrate yourself when the filter models become discontinued!

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10/31/2010

Royal Sovereign ARP-1200EX Portable 12,000-BTU Dual-Hose Air Conditioner Review

Royal Sovereign ARP-1200EX Portable 12,000-BTU Dual-Hose Air ConditionerThis air conditioner is not particularly powerful nor well thought out."A leading consumer magazine" says that portable air conditioners don't work as well as window units, so given that, I suppose it works as well as one could expect.It did cool a 400 square foot room, but not powerfully so.And nearly every other aspect of this unit is annoying.

Performance:I started the unit in a 400 square foot room - the size it's rated for - at 84 degrees, with the outside temperature about 95.The room quickly felt cooler, and within a couple of hours had cooled down to 79.There it stayed - the unit could not get it any colder.But it sure felt better than when it was 84.I consider this performance barely acceptable.

I tried it in some other rooms.Rolling it between rooms was not hard, even on a pretty deep carpet.Surprisingly, it didn't cool much faster in a 300 square foot room with fewer windows.And in a much larger room than recommended, all it did was circulate the hot air from near the ceiling, raising the temperature at people level.Don't fight the laws of physics.

Operation:This is where it gets irritating.The air louvers are useless, because they're on the top of the unit.They adjust a bit vertically, but you can't direct the air left or right.This hardly matters because the air can't be aimed at someone unless they're standing next to the unit.It's noisy at all fan speeds, less so on low.I didn't notice much difference in cooling between those settings.

The LED temperature readout is difficult to make out when there's light behind it, and since the air conditioner typically sits in front of a window, that'll be most of the time.The room temperature reads two to four degrees low.So with the thermostat set at 78, the room temperature leveled off at 80 (according to three different digital thermometers).

The remote control works OK, but doesn't get any information from the unit.So if you change the settings on the unit, and then use the remote, the unit will pick up all the settings from the remote.If this is confusing, use one or the other but not both.

The water tank is unlikely to fill except under high humidity conditions, says the manual, and I agree.Our humidity indoors was 35%,.After three hours of operation there was no water in the tank.

Assembly:The assembly instructions need more details.The hose adapters that screw to the window plate can go on eight different ways - facing in or out, inserted into the plate from the outside or inside, and with the latching tabs on the sides, or top and bottom.I ran through most of these before getting it right:Insert the adapters from the outside, putting the flanges through the plate to the inside.Put the screws through the plate into the adapters.The tabs should go at the sides in most cases, so the hose connectors will angle down.

The other thing they should tell you is how to remove the hose connectors.Pressing the locking tabs is difficult.But just turn the connector a bit on the flange.It'll press the tabs for you and pop right off.Once all this is clear, the hose setup is quite convenient.The hoses extend to 44"; if the hose connectors are included then the total length is 52".

Recommendations:A lot of other Royal Sovereign models are available.If I had to do it again I'd get a 14,000 BTU model with louvers facing forward.Always get two hoses.The single hose models don't cool as well because they vent inside air outside.This sucks air back in from somewhere, and it's probably hot.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Royal Sovereign ARP-1200EX Portable 12,000-BTU Dual-Hose Air Conditioner

Product Description:
With an energy-efficiency rating of 9.2, this portable air conditioner offers comfortable and economical cooling for rooms up to 400 square feet. The unit features three fan speeds and a dual-hose system with 12,000 BTU's per hour for fast results and quiet performance. In addition, its convenient, digital LED with remote-control settings provides the option for either continuous operation or setting the automatic 12-hour timer. The 12-hour timer programs the machine to turn on or off anywhere from 1 to 12 hours in the future, making it easy to cool the house for the evening or shut it off during sleep. Durable casters ensure smooth mobility, allowing the unit to be put to use almost anywhere, from bedrooms, family rooms, and computer rooms, to wine cellars, garages, and attics. Other details include a rotary compressor, 5-foot-long ventilation hoses, a 4/5-liter-per-hour humidity-removal capacity, a thermostat ranging from 64 degrees F to 90 degrees F, and simple-to-clean carbon filters that collect large dust particles and prevent bacteria build-up. The 1300-watt air conditioner measures 16 by 20 by 33 inches, weighs about 79-1/2 pounds, and carries a one-year parts-and-labor warranty.

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10/03/2010

Soleus Air PH3-10R-03 10,000-BTU Evaporative Portable Air Conditioner with Heat Pump and Remote Control Review

Soleus Air PH3-10R-03 10,000-BTU Evaporative Portable Air Conditioner with Heat Pump and Remote ControlI have had the unit for 2 summers. It sucks.You can't empty it easily.It does not cool our master bedroom and I regret buying it, especially at the cost.Please just buy a window unit.You will regret this purchase.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Soleus Air PH3-10R-03 10,000-BTU Evaporative Portable Air Conditioner with Heat Pump and Remote Control

Product Description:
All-in-one appliance - space and energy saving machine that cools, dehumidifies and cleans the air, to fulfill all of your comfort needs. Offers 10,000 BTU's of Air Conditioning, 10,500 BTU Heat Pump Heater, along with a 55 pint evaporative dehumidifier, single hose design, adjustable and programable thermostat, and 3 speed Oscillation Fan. Heavy Duty Casters bring this unit where its needed the most, for spot cooling, workshops, garages, home/apartments with limited space and secondary facilities like RV's, boats and cabins.Great for work spaces, protects equipment in computer/server rooms and warehouse offices, provides extra cooling during extreme weather and can serve as a temporary system for restoration companies.Soleus Air; Innovative products for a more energy efficient world.

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10/01/2010

Sharp CV-P10PC 10000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner Review

Sharp CV-P10PC 10000 BTU Portable Air ConditionerThe same air conditioner is priced at $399.00 at Home Depot and you are asking $999.99 for the same prodct

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sharp CV-P10PC 10000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner

Product Description:
Sharp CV-P10PC Portable Air Conditioner is easy to move from room to room. The CV-P10PC provides quiet cooling with sleek and attractive styling and a Plasmacluster ion generator. You can also use the CV-P10PC 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 virtually 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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8/14/2010

11-500 Btu Portable Air Conditioner Review

11-500 Btu Portable Air ConditionerI live in an apartment with casement windows and therefore can only use portable style air conditioners.My first was a DeLonghi.It was extremely expensive, EXTREMELY heavy(a swelte 108 lbs.), and although it was 13000 btus it was unable to effectlively cool my approximately 500 sq. ft. space.In addition, it required you fill a tank with water which it used as a cooling agent to work at maximum capacity.The tank would empty on humid days within 2 hours and require a refill to work again.Obviously, if you wanted to keep the setting high overnight as you slept the unit did not work well.It broke last summer, and although I live in a major city, the nearest authorized service place was an hour away by car.After one repair, and a second breakdown right after, I had had enough.The replacement?This unit.Although it is 11,500 btus, it has already done a better job cooling my apartment than the DeLonghi EVER did.The air blows COLD.Unlike that unit and many other larger portables, this unit requires no filling OR emptying of water, and so all you have to do is switch it on and walk away.It has an LCD display on the remote so you can custom set the temperature, settings and fan speed.It's a trim unit and much lighter than many.And although someone else reviewing this product criticised the swiveling vents (which go up and down), this is actually useful in cooling the whole room, not just one area.Sure, the majority of functions are on the remote, but the unit has a holster for it, and besides, how hard is it to keep track of a remote??Highly recommended.

Click Here to see more reviews about: 11-500 Btu Portable Air Conditioner

Product Description:
Sharps new Portable Series Air Conditioners are easy to move from room to room. They both provide quietcooling with sleek and attractive styling and a Plasmacluster ion generator. Use them as a dehumidifier to remove up to 60 pints of moisture from the air in a single day. A fully featured remote control with LCD display allows you to control the unit from anywhere in the room. The flexible exhaust hose and window adapter kit allow window installation and venting of the hot air, while keeping rain and insects out.

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7/27/2010

Soleus Air PE2-08R-62, Evaporative Portable Air Conditioner, Dehumidifier and Fan, 8,000 BTU's, White with Blue cover Review

Soleus Air PE2-08R-62, Evaporative Portable Air Conditioner, Dehumidifier and Fan, 8,000 BTU's, White with Blue coverI cannot get a window unit due to my window size, and this unit came with a window kit that fit my windows. It worked absolutely perfect for 2 months. Then, on a particularly hot day, the bucket filled up with water and the unit shut off. I drained all the water, which is an absolute pain in the rear to do due to the drain being less than half an inch off the floor. The unit leaks water like a faucet ever since, all over the floor. There is really no effective way to use it anymore. I ordered a different brand that doesn't have water leakage issues. I should have listened to all the reviews I read. I practically paid several hundred dollars for a few months use. What a waste. The unit cools great, but what good is that with water all over your carpet? Stay away from this product.UPDATE: The unit only leaks when moved. If the water reservoir fills up, and must be drained, the unit must be moved to do so because the drain plug is literally right on the floor and there is no pan or container you can get under it. The reservoir will fill eventually, the unit will have to be drained, will have to be moved, will leak. Once all the water leaks out that is going to leak the unit works great until its time to drain again. Like I said, it took 2 months before I had to drain, but this process was a major PIA. I would avoid this unit, but I still gave in another star because it does not leak except during the drainage process.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Soleus Air PE2-08R-62, Evaporative Portable Air Conditioner, Dehumidifier and Fan, 8,000 BTU's, White with Blue cover

Product Description:
8,000 BTU Evaporative Portable Air Conditioner with Dehumidifier and Fan has dual motors offering a 3 speed fan with oscillation, a 50 Pint evaporative dehumidifier, and adjustable thermostat with 24 hour programmable timer with memory, from 64° to 90°F.A washable and reusable air filter keeps circulation clean and loss of power protection with auto restart feature. Heavy duty casters and remote control offer you assistance in unit placement and controls.All in one appliance to fulfill all your comfort needs.

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7/05/2010

Sharp CV-P10MX Portable Air Conditioner 9,500 BTU, White Review

Sharp CV-P10MX Portable Air Conditioner 9,500 BTU, WhiteI just purchased this Sharp CV-P10MX from Bed Bath and Beyond for [...]- 20% coupon + 8.25% tax - 5% bonus CASHBACK rebate for using my Discover card. Total net purchase price for me was about [...]. That's the best deal I could find and I didn't have to wait for shipping. I got the A/C unit today.

The unit is big. Look at the measurements carefully before purchasing. You need enough space right next to your window for this unit. Even though this is a portable unit with casters to move it around, the exhaust hose setup is more or less semi-permanent. Once installed it's not meant to be taken off very easily. So keep that in mind. Once you've installed it, you essentially can't use your window again to bring in fresh air--not without taking down the exhaust hose installation.

Don't get me wrong. I LIKE this portable unit quite a bit. I do solidly recommend purchasing this unit if you need a portable AC. For what it does, it does it well. The cooling performance is SOLID! Don't listen to other users with similar NON-Sharp units complaining about it not working or not bringing the temp down enough. They either have faulty units or didn't install the exhaust hose properly. These kind of AC units WORK and they work quite well for what they are designed to do. BUT there are shortcomings with these designs. For one, we have blinds AND curtains installed on our windows. With this portable AC installed on this set of windows, our blinds and curtains become essentially useless. Please keep that in mind. Also, it's a real pain to install the exhaust hosing contraption properly into your window frame and to make sure the insulation is properly insulated. It's not impossible but a real pain.

Another bad design about this particular SHARP unit is that there's no display on the AC unit itself. ONLY the remote has all the info/stats. So you can't tell what's going on with the unit just by looking at it. For example, you can't tell the current temp--or at least what the AC unit thinks is the current temp. You can only set the desired temp. on the remote unit. Additionally, you can't tell what setting the fan is currently running at just by looking at the unit. You have to go check your remote, and even then, you don't really know what the real fan speed is currently running at, only that you've set your remote to a certain setting. If you don't point the remote directly at the unit, it may show that you're running at high speed but really you're running at low or medium speed. It's a bad design pure and simple. The AC unit itself should have a display with all pertinent info AND it should have buttons to allow you to change the settings of the AC unit. As it stands, you can ONLY turn the unit on and off on the unit itself. Everything else is controlled by the remote. Make damn sure you don't lose your remote or else it essentially becomes useless to customization.

Another bad design is that the louvers ONLY automatically adjust UP and DOWN. For side to side adjustment, you have to MANUALLY adjust it by going to the unit itself and using your hands to adjust it. What this means is that you get auto action of up and down but not side to side. If your room is very small, it may suffice for just this up/down action, but if you have a bigger room, you're going to get frustrated with the lack of automatic side to side movement of the louvers. Again, bad design.

One of the biggest reason for getting the SHARP units is how quiet they are suppose to be in the lowest setting--supposedly 36 db--however that is just the sound of the fan operating by itself--meaning when the compressor isn't working to produce the actual COLD air. When the AC unit has kicked in with the compressor, the sound, even at the lowest setting, is not very quiet. It's definitely not something you can fall asleep to unless you get adjusted to the sound. Having said that, the Sharp will be the quietest of all the portable AC units out there. I've done ample research before purchasing this unit and this is by far the most quiet unit on the market today. So if you want the quietest machine, this is the unit to purchase but don't be fooled into thinking that it's truly quiet. It's NOT. It'll take some getting use to before one can go to sleep without ear plugs with this unit on. (I've been using ear plugs since my college dorm days to fall asleep so it doesn't bother me one bit but it will bother others initially I'm certain.)

All in all, I solidly like this unit and I believe it's one of the best out there. I am quite satisfied with this purchase. It will absolutely cool your room. If it doesn't, you've either installed it incorrectly or you have a faulty unit. If installed properly, it WILL work very well. But there are shortcomings--described above--to these portable AC units, by nature of their design, not isolated to SHARP units only. Realize these shortcomings before purchasing these kind of portable AC machines and you won't be very disappointed once you get it home and installed.

I know when the next heat wave comes this way, I'll be sitting happily in my bedroom surfing the net with a very "cool" smile and appreciating my Sharp CV-P10MX very much. :)

(I would give this machine 5 stars if they improved upon the user design. Otherwise very happy with the cooling performance of this Sharp CV-P10MX!)

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sharp CV-P10MX Portable Air Conditioner 9,500 BTU, White

Product Description:
This portable AC is so easy to move anywhere in the house.Enjoy quiet cooling with attractive styling.Controls include Cool, Dehumidify, Fan and Ventilate modes.A fully featured remote control with LCD display allows you to control the unit from anywhere in the room. The flexible exhaust hose and window adapter kit allow venting of the hot air, while keeping rain and insects out.

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