Home Improvement Product Reviews

Should you “Go Big” ?, August 3, 2011

This is as big as you can go with 110 volt plug. It takes 12 AMP of power, so whatever circuit you plug it into will likely have little room for anything else (think entertainment center, microwave, etc.)

Beware of window height. Some window styles won’t open high enough – Check yours.

Pain to install. Takes me 2 people and 45 mins every time I do one of these big boys.

Cold? Oh yes. It’s the full 15,000 BTU. A mighty blizzard compared even to the 12,000 units. It will cool whatever room you put it in and probably the adjoining ones too.

Loud? Compared to others on the market today yes. Compared to even 5 years ago? Not really.

If you’ve got the window to fit it in and the significant wad of extra cash to pay for the size premium, the only concern I would have is 1) noise and 2) shipping. (This unit’s box is just too much for one poor delivery man whereas the smaller box for the 6/8/10/12K BTU units is manageable).

3 stars because I think it’s overpriced and find Frigidaire of avg. quality.

Also to consider… here’s the review I gave on another model that is relevant to this one:

——————

Between family and rent houses I put all types and sizes to the test every year in the scorching Texas sun. Here’s my experience:

If you want a solid window air conditioner, it really boils down to two choices: Frigidaire and LG. The current “sweet spot” on reliability/price/economy is the 10,000 BTU unit regardless of make/manufacturer.

Recently they’ve been making 12,000 & 15,000 BTU 110V (normal plug) units.
-The 12000 BTU truly is 20% stronger, but you pay 50% more here on Amazon.
-The 15000 BTU is a snowball tossing beast, but it’s in a larger case that may not fit your window (height-wise) and doesn’t have a long history on the market so we don’t know how it will do long-term

LG Pros – The 10,000 BTU LG is my “workhorse”. Best value. Run them till they fail in 4 to 7 years, then swap `em out for another.

1) Better warranty (but really, who cares when it breaks because you’re sitting there sweating)
2) Typically last an additional 2-3 years over other brands
3) An LG rarely just stops running – it will degrade slowly over a season
4) They are more tolerant of neglect (e.g. dirty filters… can’t rely on tenant to care for your stuff)
5) Better withstands being placed in harsher environments (direct sunlight, restricted airflow)
6) Lower “lemon” rate

Frigidaire Pros – For family I prefer to run 12,000 & 15,000 BTU Frigidaires. They are a little nicer, and I consider it worth it even though they always break sooner. (Value and reliability aren’t as important, but I do have to compensate by keeping a new boxed spare around because they always fail at the most inopportune moments. Most people can’t do this.)

1) A little nicer looking
2) Better features
3) Quieter
4) Slightly easier installation
5) Circuit surge/drain on startup seems significantly less (think lights flickering when compressor comes on)

Other parting thoughts:

1) A thing to know about newer units: To obtain the higher EER (efficiency) ratings, they use finer design on heat exchanger fins. For the non-experts, this means smaller little spaces that get jammed up with dirt/mold/whatever resulting in a clogged/filthy/poorly operating unit much-much faster than your parents’ old units. Appliance repair stores can service your window unit every year (clean it of filth) that will extend life by at least 2 years and sometimes much more. Of course this costs anywhere from up, and the units are cheap, so it’s your call whether to service or toss it.

2) The 10,000 BTU Frigidaire here on Amazon is a good buy w/Amazon Prime shipping. For other higher BTU models, as of this writing you’ll be paying more but also know that right now with the national heatwave most box stores are sold out so you may not have a choice.

3) Something this heavy is a risky ship (versus store pickup). It might be shipped wrong-side-up, or dropped, or whatever. It’s a risk you’ll run so do so knowingly. (I seem to have pretty good luck w/Amazon shipped items.) The risk is offset, however, by advantages of buying from Amazon (store would take forever, you’d have to load it and bring it home, have to have a vehicle large enough to carry it, etc.)

4) Clean. Your. Filter. Every. Week. It will keep your little ice machine healthy.

5) Different stores have different models from the same maker. If they are made in the same year, it doesn’t seem to make a difference.

6) Tempted to go cheap like a Haier? Don’t.

7) Tempted to buy a 6,000 or 8,000 BTU model? Don’t. Get the stronger unit. It will cool down the room faster. It will not need to work as hard as a weaker unit and last longer…

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Great Brand – Great A/C, June 25, 2010

We have a 3 year old Frigidaire 22500 which is wonderful. It was an excellent inexpensive yet quality alternative to the Freidrich it replaced. When it was time to replace our bedroom a/c, I automatically drifted to the Frigidaire brand. Because it is powerful, the fan is quite loud on high; tolerable on low. It cools an attic bedroom which takes the sun all day because roof exposure is east-west. Use mostly at night. Cool-down from 90 degrees to 75 is about 10-15 minutes. Really! If during the day, the cool down is another five minutes. Great machine. Excellent price – delivered.

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Big but not Too Big, July 27, 2011

By 

Ambrose “Software Designer & Armchair Philoso… (Trenton, NJ, United States) – See all my reviews

  

Warning: These are something of a pain to install. I got two of them, so on the plus side, I was an old pro for the second one. This is not one of those you can just drop into the window–you have to disconnect and remove the front, remove the outer shell, install the top bar, side runners (for the the expando deals to attach to), install the mounting brackets, install a spacer (if you have old wooden windows like me with storm windows), then install the unit into it and reconnect the front. Took me a few hours for each one, being careful.

On the plus side, they are powerful and do a great job cooling my 1600 sq ft first floor (with 10ft ceilings). Another plus is they run off 110 volt line, so you can plug them into regular outlets. On the other hand, they take 12 amps (rated, and I measured it). So you basically still need a dedicated 15amp circuit for these puppies.

Anyways, I also bought 3 of the smaller models–all have same operation, remotes. Very straightforward. I love the remote sensing feature–I can put the remote up higher and on the other side of the room and set the thermostat, and it is much more accurate that way (just buy some rechargeable AAA batteries to keep em going). I like the energy saver mode–these use that all the time, so it turns off once it reaches the desired temp and comes on as needed.

They are not quiet, but I doubt your bedroom is big enough such that you’d be sleeping with them; however, don’t put them in the TV room–you’ll have to turn it up loud. I planned on that and intentionally put them in the other rooms on the first floor–they keep the whole floor cool without being a bother that way. Actually, they may be just a tad too much for my needs, but not so much that it is a problem (e.g., no moisture issues).

The air filters are pretty standard; not hard to clean (like a dryer lint trap); it tells you based on a timer when to clean. Then you just clean and reset.

My only real criticism of these (and all like Frigidaire models) is that “eight way” vents are only so-so. I really want the cold air to blow up, but you can only get them at like a 20 degree angle upwards (if I had to estimate). Seems like most window AC units suffer from this issue, though. Not a major issue, but it could be better.

Anyways, they’re energy star rated, but they’re still going to cost you, especially in the hotter times, but hey, it is SO worth it!

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