7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
Nice unit with few flaws
Date of Review: Aug 25, 2005
The Bottom Line: If you need to cool a small (20'x20') room and don't want an ugly window unit showing outside, and want portability, this is a decent choice.
I got mine at Brandsmart in Florida for $330. Setup is easy, and it's a quiet unit with a lot of nice features, including the remote. The model is suffixed with a 2. (ACP102PR2)
The window kit for venting it though has a little to be desired. It's good for putting in a window when you run the unit, but for something permanent and secure you'll want to visit Home Depot or the like for a better solution. It is very similar to the way you vent/exhaust a clothes dryer. Only the vent kit goes in the window, and a flexible pipe carries the hot air exhaust from the unit to the window vent. This flexible pipe will extend about 70 inches, which gives you the ability to locate the air conditioner in a variety of locations relative to the window you use for venting.
The unit is quiet, but as it runs there is a momentary sound of a pump or something running every few minutes which may be annoying. I'm finding I just tune it out most of the time.
It has a washable air filter which is very easy to remove and replace. The air filter carries a separate 90 day warranty.
The blower vent is a little.. odd. It automatically opens and closes when the unit is turned on/off.. but it only opens far enough to blow straight out, and not up. You can also adjust it with the remote.
This 10,000 BTU unit cools and dehumidifies.. though I'm unsure how any a/c unit isn't a dehumidifier.. but at any rate it does both, and has a 'comfort' setting where it will automatically cool or dehumidify depending on the environment. This unit does not provide heat.
You do have to drain this unit periodically. The instructions tell you to move it to a drainage area or outside, and remove the rubber plug from below. Clearly a drain hose can be attached to make this easier. The unit is heavy but not unmanageable; I just don't want to wrestle it outside every time it fills with water. It is on wheels so can be moved on a hard floor or short carpet pretty easily. So with a length of 3/8" hose you can move it to a doorway, then run the hose outside and let it drain. Handles on either side help facilitate lifting the unit.
It has an LCD display which shows the current temperature, and what mode and fan speed is set. It has a timer and clock as well, so you can set it to turn off after 1-24 hours, or turn on at a specific time.
I use it to cool a 20'x20' room and it works very well. It would likely cool a slightly larger room, but if you want to cool a larger area, you should consider a unit with a larger BTU rating. Also, this 110V unit draws 11.5 amps/1250 watts. I mention this because it should have its own circuit to run on, otherwise you'll be blowing fuses/tripping circuit breakers. It does have a GFI in the power cord plug which is a nice safety feature.
The Energy Efficiency Rating (EER) of 8.0 is not the best among some other portable units.
It measures (roughly) 33" tall, 21" deep, 18" wide. I'm not sure on the weight but I'd guess it's around 60-75 lbs.
It has a 5 year warranty.
Overall I'm very pleased.
