ARC-131GD

We read many reviews before deciding on this unit to cool my wife's studio, a 16x24 barn style building on our property (with 18' rounded barn style ceilings). It's a larger area, so we were looking for a unit with at least 12,000btu power. I toyed with the idea of getting a 240v unit, since I did run 240v power out there when we built it (we use a 240v garage heater for heat in the winter). We decided on this one because of the price-to-performance-to-ratings ratio (which isn't an actual mathematic ratio, but you get the gist).We were happy that ours arrived undamaged and complete. I had a very specialized installation, since this building has no windows that open (more on that later). After install, we powered the unit up and it began cooling the place down. The real test was a couple days later when my wife had a photo shoot with clients in there... I went and checked it out for myself and was very satisfied with the cooling! The space was very comfortable, even on a sunny, hot, muggy (70º dew point) day. It does make a bit more noise than we'd like for this space, but for the comfort of air conditioning, we're willing to make a sacrifice. It hasn't been in service for but a week now, but thus far it is everything we were hoping for.Now for my installation... If you have windows that open (double or single hung style), this install is super easy. For any other type of window, or, in our case, an installation without operable windows, the installation gets a bit trickier. I had planned this out in my mind beforehand and knew exactly what I was going to do: cut 2 holes (for the intake and exhaust) through the side of the building and install the hose mounting plate directly onto the wall.- I started by tracing the 2 holes to be cut by placing the hose plate on the wall. Quick cuts with the Dremel and I had 2 holes through the shiplap wall covering and drywall.- I then cut out the insulation to match the holes made on the interior.- I then marked center on the holes and drilled a small hole through the back of the exterior siding from inside the building. Moving to the outside of the building, and using the mounting plate as a guide again, I traced 2 circles on the exterior siding and cut out those holes, so I now had 2 holes all the way through the exterior wall.- To install the mounting plate on the interior, I actually *reversed* it, so it sits flush against the wall, and the mounting adapters for the hoses are attached with screws from the back side of the plate. To attach to the wall, I simply drilled and countersunk 6 new holes and used flat head screws. (For winter I will remove the plate, remove the hose adapters, replace the insulation, reinstall the bare plate without the hose fixtures, and then use the included hole cover piece to hide the holes and make it look a lot cleaner.)- For the exterior, I bought two 4" dryer vent kits, which come with sheet metal sleeves to install through the wall. Since the holes for this unit are larger than 4", I simply left the sleeves un-hooked and set them in the holes. They'll just help keep the insulation tucked where it's supposed to be, but aren't absolutely necessary. I decided on a flat louvered vent for the exhaust and an open-style angled vent (with critter guard) for the intake. I lined them up with the holes on the exterior and screwed them in to place.- *** Many have expressed concern with how close the exhaust and intake ports are to each other. I agree with their assessment (that they should be separated more, so you don't pull in hot exhaust air constantly), so I angled my intake away from the exhaust port. Looks a bit goofy, but this is on an unused, unseen side of the building. Even if people were to see it all the time, I'd rather have a slight visual quirk than be constantly overworking the AC.- Caulked around the newly installed vents to prevent water intrusion into the wall, and DONE!We now have a comfortable studio at a fraction of the cost of a mini combo unit. Very happy with the performance and quality thus far!

I purchased this unit to supplement the central AC in a ~150ft² home office with generous eastern/southern exposure and a vaulted ceiling. It has performed adequately in this role for about a month with average highs of 105F in TX. It does not perform as well as a 12,000 BTU window unit I have in another room (which can refrigerate some 300ft² down to 65F with ease), but I was not expecting it to. It has been able to cool the office to about 75F easily enough.I use the remote exclusively; I have not used the controls on the unit. I have found the timer function helpful, although I wish it were more sophisticated: it will count down to deactivation when running or count down to activation when off. The remote also sends commands based on its sense of the state of the unit (a mild inconvenience); for example, if you set timer then after it turns on wish to adjust the unit, the remote will be sitting in "timer" mode and it will take two (or more) button presses to get the unit to adjust to your preference.This unit is not quiet, but I do not find it excessively noisy, either. The blower generates what is effectively white noise and is louder than the hum of the compressor. You will notice when the compressor shuts off, but the unit will not be much quieter. It's not as bad as the vibration that window units tend to produce and transmit to the structure of the house.Thus far, I have not had any issue with the condensation collector - the unit appears to be recycling condensation onto the hot coils as advertised.Installation was a fairly straightforward process - I unpacked the unit from its fairly sturdy packaging and followed the instructions.I had to modify the vent plate because the window opening was approx 16" - too narrow for the included plate in stock form. A few minutes with a hacksaw and a miter box chopped it down to size - not terribly neat, but sufficient for its function.After the plate was modified I installed the hose connectors and taped it in place with generous amounts of duct tape. Coupling the hoses to the connectors was simple enough if one exercised care to "thread" them properly. It blew satisfyingly cold as soon as I fired it up.The nature of the hoses makes it difficult to situate the unit directly in front of the window. I wanted it off to the side, so that was not a problem. The hoses will get nearly hot to the touch, which is expected for the hot side of an air conditioning unit. I used the bottom of the shipping crate as a baffle to isolate the hoses from the intake.This unit will benefit from some improvements. I will fabricate a better vent plate next season that seals up better and leaks less heat. I also intend to us some rigid piping for the hot side, either insulated or with a better baffle to isolate the intake from the outside exchange piping. I may also build a small stand in case I find that condensation starts to collect in the drip pan.

To those who justifiably complain in their reviews about modern-day PORTABLE air conditioners being noisy, did you know that a quiet, much more efficient design call the PORTABLE-SPLIT AC is available in Europe and other parts of the world with a 50 HZ electric supply but is NO LONGER available for the USA's 60 HZ market? Way back in the 1990s, we purchased a PORTABLE-SPLIT AC that is no longer available in the USA but technologically advanced versions of it are sold in Europe. Our model was a two-piece, 11K BTU, DeLonghi PAC GSR/MU "Pinguino" (aptly named penguin) with its fan and electronics housed within its ultra-quiet interior unit. Its small compressor unit, which is the piece that makes the noise, was outside where it could drip condensate unimpeded instead of flooding the house or shutting down the AC if emptying was required. The compressor was permanently attached to the interior unit by a connector line comprised of a pair of small refrigerant-filled copper tubes housed in an unobtrusive, slim (1.5" x 3"), 6-foot-long plastic sleeve. (One can search for this Pinguino model number on the internet to see its configuration.) Our dependable PORTABLE-SPLIT Pinguino provided over fifteen years of outstanding, trouble-free service to a house with difficult-to-vent casement windows and sliding glass doors. We placed its thin connector line at the bottom of a two-inch opening in one sliding glass door and inserted a barely-visible, narrow foam insulating strip to block off the remainder of the 2" vertical opening. (Exiting the connector line out a double-hung window would be even easier.) Security-wise, our sliding glass doors came with an accessory that prevented the door from sliding open any further. Comparatively speaking, one was barely aware that the portable was there when it was operating except for the floor space that its interior unit occupied.The basic principle behind the superior efficiency of a "split" AC, with its inside and outside components connected by refrigerant-filled tubing, is that no outside air contaminates the conditioned air in the living space. By contrast, the air-to-air portables currently available to the American public not only have their noisy compressors housed in the one-piece interior unit, they also have truly ugly, highly inefficient, single or dual five-inch-diameter air-exchange hoses that are impossible to conceal, troublesome to vent, and problematic because both single and dual hose models create some degree of negative-air-pressure that draws the hot, humid outside air back into our living spaces to contaminate the conditioned air and condense on our cooled interior surfaces. What's currently available to us is a giant step backwards in air conditioning technology.Though no longer available as a portable in America, the quiet, efficient, two-piece "SPLIT" AC design is now exclusively the lucrative product of big-name-brand Ductless Mini-Split manufacturers. Trouble is that, compared to portables, Ductless Mini-Split air conditioners are very expensive and require (a) professional installation to retain warranty and (b) putting a hole in an exterior wall. Installation of our portable Pinquino was just the opposite; we seasonally set up and removed the Pinquino twice a year for the fifteen-plus years that we enjoyed it; it took only minutes and required no expensive professional assistance. We tucked the two-piecer in a closet for the winter and didn't have to deal with a hole in an outside wall or a drafty window kit when the temperatures were below zero outside. For those of us (apartment dwellers OR homeowners) who either can't or don't want to drill a hole in an outside wall but live in areas with hot, humid summers, we no longer have that quiet, efficient PORTABLE-SPLIT option. (There is an unwieldy SPLIT AC hybrid with a 20 to 25 ft. connection line with a "Quick-Connect" feature that's designed to exit either through a window OR a hole in the outside wall but, since the interior unit is secured to the wall like a Ductless Mini-Split, it may be movable with considerable effort but hardly qualifies as "portable".)Unfortunately by 2011, I felt that either the Pinquino was starting to show its age or the summers were getting hotter so, since I couldn't buy a PORTABLE-SPLIT AC in the USA anymore, I decided to replace it with newer and, I hoped, better technology. Trying to fill the PORTABLE-SPLIT AC void, I bought (a) a single hose air-to-air portable in 2011, (b) a dual-hose air-to-air portable in 2012, and (c) a very expensive Ductless Mini-Split AC whose professional installation required a hole in my wall in 2013. Both of the noisy portables, single AND dual hose, caused a negative-air-pressure that made my living space mold-inducingly humid. Over the course of its first month in the summer of 2013, the Ductless Mini-Split system failed. The HVAC installer was unresponsive to my complaints and never revealed whether a faulty installation or defective compressor caused the refrigerant leak not discovered until September, so I returned it. The Ductless Mini-Split was great for the brief time that it worked and I do not think that all HVAC professionals are as incompetent or unresponsive to their customers or that all Ductless Mini-Split ACs are defective, but last summer's stressful, expensive experience was one that I'm in no hurry to repeat.This spring, I bought a dual-hose Whynter ARC-131GD from Amazon as an interim solution and have used it in May...but May is not the hottest, most humid month in the Northeast by any stretch so it hasn't been challenged. However, it is a solid, well-built unit. Even its electric cord is a substantial gauge. Its fan easily disperses cold air through the fixed, tiered opening on the top of the unit with sufficient strength to condition my 425 square-foot room. The ARC-131GD's "EXHAUST" hose is smaller that the "INTAKE" hose, and I personally think that this diameter difference might contribute to minimizing the negative air pressure in my tightly constructed house. I base this opinion on the fact that I cannot feel any perceptible air being drawn by the ARC-131GD into the house through the stove and bathroom exhaust fans as I could with the other two air-to-air portable ACs. I really like its unusual medium gray color because it visually disappears in our dark room instead of standing out like white or other bright color. In fact, I wish the hoses were the same color so they would "disappear"!No surprise, the (compressor-housed) Whynter ARC-131GD is considerably noisier that a "split" system, either portable or ductless, both of which have outside compressors. The ARC-131GD's noise is noticeable but tolerable, although I'd classify it as more than "white noise" to me. However, I only paid $400 for the 131GD versus a whopping $3500 for that troublesome, hole-in-the-wall Ductless Mini-Split, so I rationalize that I can tolerate some noise for the $-difference. Would I trade this Whynter for a PORTABLE-SPLIT of the same quality and longevity as my quiet, dependable Pinguino PORTABLE-SPLIT? In a nano-second! However, the ARC-131GD is, for the reasons mentioned above, satisfactory so far and I have expectations that it will remain satisfactory throughout the summer's increasing heat and humidity because it has demonstrated that it has considerable reserve power to make my room uncomfortably cold in short order when cranked up to top fan speed while set at the lowest temperature.I gave the ARC-131GD five stars because, so far, it does the job for which it is designed, but it is what it is. Air-to-air technology is inherently noisy and inefficient. I'm still looking for another ultra-quiet, efficient, unobtrusive portable-split AC and wonder why I no longer have access to such a product in America. Conservatively speaking, I've read at least a thousand justifiably negative portable reviews over the past 3-1/2 years since the passing of the Pinquino. Perhaps it's time for a PORTABLE-SPLIT AC rebirth for those of us who can utilize this two-piece SPLIT design. To that end, I still hope that manufacturers of PORTABLE-SPLITS realize that there is a market for this product here and convert a current 50 HZ model (with inverter technology, "quick-connect" lines, and other technological advances) to 60 HZ to give Americans this option again. Better yet, manufacture this option in America.

I bought 3 from Amazon and all 3 have gone back. I didn't even open one of them as I was so frustrated with the other 2. I bought the units for my 3 bedrooms, two of which are about 150sq ft, the last which is about 250 sq ft. All 3 rooms are well under the size of what the units are rated for. I bought the larger size unit with the expectation that I could move them to other rooms if need be to keep them cool.Setup: The setup of the units was not a problem. Even though the shipping weight is 86 pounds, I found them to be relatively easy to move. As another reviewer commented, they are very easy to unbox by just cutting the 4 straps and lifting the box up. Once out of the box and in the rooms that I was putting them in, I had an extra setup step due to my windows being casement/crank-outs. To get the unit to work I have to put a piece of plywood or plexiglass in each window and cut the holes for the exhaust pipes. I've done this with other portable units that I have used in the past so I find it easiest to cut the plywood to the size of the screen for the window. Once the unit was all setup, I was ready to go!Cooling: I am well aware of the limitations of portable air conditioners. If you do not have to install a portable unit (you have regular double or single hung windows) buy a standard air conditioner. They work incredibly well. Portable units are not the answer unless you absolutely have to use them. With that being said, I have an old unit (Icy Breeze or Arctic Breeze or something along those lines) that works perfectly in the large master bedroom. Regardless of what the temperature is outside, it will do a good job of keeping the temperature consistently cooler. That is a single hose unit and is at least 10-15 years old. These new units would not keep the rooms cool at all. I tried using these units in both hot and moderate weather. There were days when it was 90-94 and there were days where it was 75-85. I have a thermostat in the master bedroom to control one of the zones for my boiler and even with this Whynter unit running for 10-12 hours, the coldest the room ever got on a hot day was 80. Even on the moderate days, it would not drop the temperature below 72. What is the point in an air conditioner that doesn't work when it is hot out?Draining: On the days where it was hot 90-94, I had to drain the units about 4 times during the night. It probably got down to about 74 or 75 at night and still I would drain the unit at 6pm, 12am, 4am, 6am. It was unbearable. For whatever reason, as it got cooler out at night and into the morning, the unit would actually build up more condensation. Draining wasn't too difficult, I used a plastic ziplock bag that I put underneath the lower drain and let it fill up. The upper drain I used the ziplock bag as well. But this unit needs a larger tank to be able to not have to be drained 4 times during the night. Mind you that each time that you drain the unit, the unit has shut off so it takes another 10 minutes for the compressor to kick on.Due to the simple fact that these units could not cool a room that was well within the specs of what they should be able to handle, I returned them. Next year, I will just put in new windows and use regular window air conditioners as they always work as expected.

I decided to write a detailed review of the Whynter air conditioner that I purchased last month. I figure I will cover the items that are important to me and hopefully this will help you with your purchase. Most important to me is cooling power. I am specifically using this unit to supplement our central air conditioner during the warm months of the year. We live near the base of the mountains in Southern California so we get a quite a few 100 plus days of heat a year. With our concrete roof tiles for wild fire safety, our upstairs rooms can bake during the day.First impression: The unit was shipped in a box that was double layered. This made it appear to survive shipping without damage to the unit inside. Now do not destroy your box as for the reason I am about to explain. I decided to use box cutters to open to the box. As I opened the box everything inside was in perfect shape from shipping. Everything was in perfect shape until I plugged it in. It was DOA. I immediately contacted Whynter via email. Their response was quick. I noticed from my correspondence via email with them it seems they check their support email twice a day (morning and night). My responses from Whynter at first were basic trouble shooting ideas which I had already had attempted. Now here is where things are a bit different. I received an email asking me to take the unit apart and check the connections of the control unit and display on the front of the unit. To me this was not big deal. I am technically savvy, have worked building computers for years, and have the training to match. As I took the unit apart I did realize that for the casual buyer this is something they should not be asked to do from the manufacture. None the less the specific problem they believed it to be, a loose connection with the front control panel, was correct. I fixed the connection, put the unit back together, and bingo it was working. Do not destroy your box until you know you will not need it to ship it back.Second impression: The unit is large and somewhat heavy. It does have wheels which makes form easy movement. The control lights are bright so if you are using the unit at night you might need some black electrical tape to cover these up. As for ease of use of the controls, they are straight forward. The remote is great if you want to be lazy.Noise: The unit is somewhat loud. Not as loud as units I have purchased in the past but it is loud when the compressor kicks on. I feel this should only be an issue if you need to sleep in the same room with it. When the compressor is off and the fan is at the lowest speed the sound is not a issue at all.Exhaust: Setting up the dual exhaust is easy. I know people complain about this but it is really easy. If you have some gigantic window then you might have an issue... but at that point you should be smart enough to realize you will have that same issue with most portable air conditioners so do not complain about it.Power: It works and works well. I put it in a very hot 450sqf room and it cooled it quick. The crazy part is when we put it in our kids small room. In the early evening the sun hits this room and bakes it... really hot at times. This room, even with central air, stays between 78 and 84 degrees during these hours. I put that unit in there and in 15 mins the room was 66. To me that is amazing.Condensation: I have no issues with condensation. I had a few drops of water in the reservoir and it was easy to empty. Everyone complains about the drain being on the bottom. Yes, design flaw. To empty just grab a zip lock freezer bag and empty into that. For those you thinking of buying this unit, know your environment. If you live in south where it is humid then the drain on this one might be an issue. If you live in a dry environment like me, well I have not had to drain except when I was testing the product.Other issues: Case vibration. One thing I noticed is that the case vibrates when the condenser kicks on which makes the sound issue worse. I put a piece of tape on it and made the sound stop. None the less I am not even sure I would have had that issue if I would not have had to take the unit apart to fix it myself in the first place.Overall I give three stars. The unit works well and cools outstanding for my environment. I have to knock off a few stars for having to fix a new item myself, the vibration, drain plug placement, and it is a bit loud when the compressor is on. If you are thinking of buying this unit just know that I have purchased and used portable air conditioners in the past and not a single one has come close to cooling as well as this one does. Also the overall design is much better than the units I have purchased in the past.

For my fellow movie lovers out there I will tell you that this unit looks exactly like Wall-e's girlfriend Eve. Exactly.So on to the review...If you are like me you have spent hours and hours pouring over reviews for portable AC units trying to decide if 10,000 BTU's are enough. Should it have two hoses or one? Will I need to dump water out of this thing constantly? Most importantly, will it cool my space?Here are the negatives:It is large, but not too large. We live in an 850 sq ft. one bed/one bath unit and it fits in the corner of our bedroom just fine. You will notice it is there but at least it's modern and sleek looking.It is noisy, but not too noisy. It definately makes a humming noise (think "sounds exactly like a window unit") but it's not obnoxious to us. As I stated we sleep with it in our bedroom and it runs all night. We also happen to live on a very busy street in downtown Seattle so I love that it blocks that noise. Eventually you don't hear it and it becomes somewhat ambiant. One more thing to note about noise, when it gets to the designated temperature you select, it will shut itself off from cool and switch to fan only. It does make a noise when this happens but again, nothing serious.It is expensive, but worth it (see positives below). Now to those of you who haven't signed up for prime yet...prime is cheaper to pay for than the shipping on this item. Might as well buy Prime and then this second as you will get a year of Prime membership AND this item will ship free in two days. The alternative is you pay for shipping and get no Prime..sounds silly even to type this option.It doesn't have directional vents. I know other people have commented on this and it's true. The main vent moves up or down but you can't really adjust the airflow to target right or left. To compensate for this, please know that the hoses are very "bendy" and allows for lots of movement (and it's on wheels!).The positives:It's cold. Like really cold. We have not run it on colder than 65 because literally we would freeze...ok not literally but you get the idea. The downside is we only have one window that will work for installing this and it happens to be in our bedroom (about 12x12) at the end of a very long hall. As you can imagine, the living room area is not nearly as cold but much cooler. If we had it in the living room I would have the same complaint about the bedroom. It just can't move around that many corners without the help of a fan but at night, the sleeping is perfect and that is what really matters to me.It has 3 blower speeds, a regular fan and a dehumidifier...AND A REMOTE. It's fancy and the settings work great. We don't need the dehumidifier in Seattle but we love the multiple speed and fan option. *It does have a blue digital display that can be a bit bright, so if that bothers you...SO WHAT! AT LEAST YOUR COOL.It is pretty easy to install. So my Dad did ours and actually removed the glass from our window and installed plexiglass that he cut perfectly round holes into for the hoses...but I think we could have figured it out anyway. (or you can borrow my Dad for a fee). We didn't buy anything extra except the plexi-glass but like I said above...we really didn't need to. May want to check other reviews for installation woes.It does NOT need draining...at least in Seattle. We run it 24/7 and have for 3 weeks now. I have never had to empty it once. I think that is the biggest benefit of having an intake and exhaust hose and the reason we chose this model above all others. It definately would be a pain in the butt to have to figure out how to empty this. It wouldn't be easy as the valve is under the unit at the back of it. We keep ours on carpet but a flat surface and it has never shut off from "needing to be emptied", not once. This alone is worth every penny in my opinion.What else can I tell you? If you want more info. just ask, happy to help. I honestly love this thing. Splurge on th 12,000 BTU's..why not...you're worth it.

(I would like to preface this review with the fact that I live in a small college dorm, I cannot comment on the use of this product in a larger area. )let me start by saying I live in a hot, humid, southern state in a building that lacks the benefit of Air Conditioning. I did a great deal of research on small AC units before I made this purchase. This unit is one of the best rated units on the internet, for good reason. So I decided to buy a little bit more of an expensive unit so that I would have the piece of mind of knowing that the product I was purchasing would serve its purpose perfectly.So now for the review of the use of the unit.Pros:-It cools a room down extremely quickly, I come home from work and the room is in the 80s and I turn the unit on and within 5 minutes I can feel that the room is noticeably cooler. No matter what time of the day I am using the unit, it has no problem keeping the room the temperature I want it at. On 100 degree days, it kept my room at a cool 70 degrees without a problem.-It has 3 distinct and very useful settings. The first is the actual AC unit itself which goes down into the 60s. The nice part is that the temperature that the units says it is running at is the temperature in the room. If I want to sit in a 68 degree room, this unit won't have an issue with it.-The second setting is the Dehumidifier, this is great for wet rainy days when the humidity outside is flowing into the room. As soon as the unit transfers into Dehumidifying mode, the room starts to dry out very swiftly.-The final setting is a fan with three different levels of intensity. This is optimal for when it starts to cool down outside.-The unit has easy to use buttons as well as a very accurate and useful display which shows temperature set at and current room temperature, mode in use, and fan intensity.-The unit also comes with a remote which lists the set temperature, mode in use, and fan intensity. This is great to use if you are in bed or across the room from the unit.Cons:-The main issue with unit that I have found is the amount of noise which it creates. I am aware that AC units can be noisy, but if this unit is using the AC mechanics, it is very loud. Whenever the unit is actively cooling the room, I have to turn my laptop or tv volume up very high so that I can still here what is going on around me. If the unit is set to fan or dehumidifier, there are no problems and it makes little noise. But if the AC unit is running, it drowns out all other noises around it.-The Dehumidifier does need to be frequently emptied when it is being used. The issue is that the drain for the unit is all the way at the base of the unit and is very hard to get to unless the unit is on a raised platform. I would recommend setting it on blocks or a large piece of wood, so that when it is time to drain, one can easily get a container underneath the drain.-I wouldn't call this unit huge, but it also is not a very compact unit. It has a long hose so that if can be put several feet from a window, but then the two hoses will also stretch out from the window to the unit. It is not so large that it is an issue, but if you are interested in a very compact air conditioning unit, this one is not for you.Overall, this unit seems to work much better than the other single hose units that other people living in my building are using. Many people have commented on and asked how I keep my room so cold when they struggle to cool theirs down. The unit is loud, but the trade off with that is that the room is always comfortable and whatever temperature you want. It is a great unit and I would highly recommend its usage. I live in a hot area and it works great. If you are looking for an AC unit, pay the extra money and get one that you can be guaranteed will work wonders.

I purchased this to replace a Penguino 7,500 BTU single hose portable unit that I bought used from a friend. While the Penguino worked okay, it could barely cool a small 10x12 bedroom. It would blow cold air and pump out very hot air through the exhaust hose, but the compressor ran constantly and it just never seemed to be able to cool the room with me and a few computers in it.I recently moved to a house that is older, has less insulation, and where my office has two 4' x 5' windows. I knew the Penguino wouldn't cut it. While the recommended BTU guidelines say that 12,000 BTU is overkill for my new 11x17 office, I didn't want something under powered, and I wanted to be able to move the unit to the living room, garage, or sun room and have it handle those rooms as well.After learning about dual hose portable AC units, I ordered this Whynter from Amazon based on the generally positive reviews. When I received it, I let it sit in the box upright for a full 24 hours just to make sure that the compressor was happy.I then got it setup, got the hoses connected, plugged it in, and....nothing. No lights, no sounds, no power, nothing. The buttons on the front didn't do anything, and while the remote LCD display worked, the remote didn't turn the unit on either. I triple checked the plug and reset it to make sure that it wasn't tripped. I double checked my outlets, checked the voltage on the outlets, and even verified that there was electricity going up the cord using a non-contact voltage detector. All seemed fine with my electricity.I called customer support, but they were closed since it was Sunday, so I left a VM and then emailed support. They called me on Monday and explained that it was likely the cable to the display panel on the front of the unit. They said that they have found that during shipping, the cable apparently gets disconnected. They emailed me some instructions on how to open up the unit, remove the back and front cover, and check the cable. I opened it up, and sure enough, the cable had fallen out. I would hope that since they know about this issue that they will use a piece of tape or glue on future production runs to fix this issue.While plugging the cable back into the front display panel, I noticed that it had been pinched under the front cover, and this had ripped the insulation and exposed the wires. I emailed a photo of the damaged cable to support, and the next day they shipped out a replacement cable and new display circuit board. Two days later those parts arrived, I installed them, and got everything reassembled. I then plugged it in and immediately heard a beep. I turned it on and the front panel lit up. The compressor kicked in, and cool air quickly started flowing. All fixed.While that process took about a week to get through, I thought the customer service was very good. They knew my problem as soon as I described it, sent me instructions so that I could fix it myself, and then sent me new parts. It generally took a day to receive each reply, but they were responsive and helpful. Some customers might not be comfortable taking apart the unit, but I didn't mind doing the fixes at all, as it was a lot easier than having to re-pack and return the unit.Now that I have it working, I like it, but it does have some fundamental drawbacks. The drawbacks aren't necessarily the fault of this particular product, but rather the inherent challenges with portable AC units.While the compressor on this Whynter unit is quieter than the noisy clanky compressor on the Penguino, the Whynter generates quite a bit of noise when running. The noise seems to be coming mostly from the fan and air flow of the exhaust hose. Once the unit cools the room and temporarily drops into fan only mode, there is a huge drop in noise.Using two iPhone apps, I'm measuring about 70dB about 5 feet away from the unit in my office. While 70 dB isn't necessarily "loud", the constant white noise and frequency of the sound feels very loud and is actually fatiguing in my office, which is currently sparsely decorated, so there is probably lots of sound reflection making it sound even louder. It feels similar to being on a passenger airplane, but not quite as loud. Fortunately I have some Bose QuietComfort noise cancelling headphones that I can wear--otherwise I would want ear plugs. If you have a larger carpeted room with less noise reflection and can position the unit farther away from you, it would help.The Whynter is able to easily cool my 11x17 office from 84 degrees to 76 degrees and have the compressor shut off for several minutes before it turns on again. That's pretty good compared to my old AC unit, especially considering the poor insulation and large windows in my new house.As for the dual hose design, while it may be more efficient than a single hose unit, the down side is that the hoses are very large, bulky, unsightly, and tedious to setup and position. You basically can't put the unit closer than 2 feet from the window since the hoses are so large and stiff. The larger hoses are obviously more efficient, but the downside is the appearance and bulk. There is no hiding this thing.As for draining the water, I haven't yet dealt with that, but I'm okay with having to rig something up if necessary. I'm going to call Whynter to ask about the "upper drain port" in the middle of the back of the unit to see if that can have a hose attached instead of having to fight with the bottom drain.The unit is relatively compact and light compared to my old air conditioner. The plastic body and frame make it much lighter than a metal design, and it's smaller overall than the 7,500 BTU Penguino.Overall I'm happy with the unit so far. I will probably only use it 3 months of the year for summer here in the Los Angeles area, so I'm hoping to be able to tuck it away in a closet during the rest of the year.UPDATE 1 - NOISE REDUCTION: After three days of running, the noise was frustratingly loud, so I tried to see if I could reduce the noise. My impression is that there is a significant amount of noise just from the air flow out of the exhaust hose. So I grabbed a large shower towel, folded it in quarters, laid it over the first foot of hoses, and immediately I noticed an improvement. I then just covered the exhaust hose, and that was what reduced the sound. It doesn't dramatically reduce the overall volume, but it significantly reduces the highest frequency of the noise which is what was bothering me the most.I'm now going to look into some kind of hack to neatly wrap the exhaust hose with a towel or insulation to see if that works. The one possible downside might be that by insulating the exhaust hose, it increases the temperature of the plastic hose and causes it to degrade faster. But given my office layout, I need to try and quiet it down, so I'm okay with that consequence.UPDATE 2 - UPPER DRAIN PORT: On the back of the unit, near the middle, there is an additional plastic cap that holds a rubber stopper, which goes into a plastic port on the unit. The instruction manual calls this the "Upper Drain Port", and later mentions in "Dehumidifying Mode" that it can be used for "continuous drainage". I called Whynter customer service (866-949-6837) and the woman who answered confirmed that it can be used for continuous draining of the unit rather than the lower drain plug.I don't know if this is a new feature, but for all the people complaining about having to lift or tilt the unit to drain it, locate the ** Upper Drain Port ** on the back and give it a try.Unfortunately, despite the manual saying that "a garden hose" can be used for this port, the male threads on the port do not match my standard garden hose threads. The diameter is correct, but the threads are slightly different, so I can only get a few turns before the threads tighten up. But it looks like it should be possible to rig up a piece of tubing and gasket that will work to allow draining outside or into a bucket.UPDATE 3 - WATER DRAIN SOLUTION: I went to Home Depot and found some parts to make a simple and effective water draining solution for the Upper Drain Port that uses gravity, no pump required.Here are the parts and the Home Depot SKU numbers, which cost about $13.3/4 Sch 40 PVC threaded female-female coupling (SKU 610798)Watts 5/8" ID x 3/4" MIP Nylon Hose Barb with 90 degree elbow (SKU 558915)Watts 3/4" OD, 5/8" ID x 10 ft. Clear Vinyl Tubing (SKU 702554)Optional: HDX 2 1/2 quart plastic All Purpose Mixing Container and lid (by the orange buckets at HD)The threads on the PVC coupling aren't exactly the same as either the Whynter drain port, or the Watts Hose Barb, but since there is no pressure involved, it works well enough. Just be gentle and don't over tighten it.First, remove the plastic cap and rubber cork from the Upper Drain Port on the back of the unit (be ready for water to pour out), then gently thread the PVC coupling on to the drain port. Then thread the plastic hose barb into the PVC coupling, pointing it downwards. Then cut a piece of the clear vinyl tubing and attach it to the hose barb (I used about 15"). Point the hose into a container or bucket, and you are all set.This morning I had collected about 20 ounces of water after running for a few hours.UPDATE: August 2015: This AC unit has been working great this summer. Over the winter, I had new windows installed and insulation blown into the exterior walls, so that has greatly improved the home office where I use this unit. Although it does make a fair amount of noise, It is definitely quieter than the larger ARC-14 and does a good job for my office. Today it is 98 degrees and it is working very hard to keep the room temp at 78. It has been running continuously, but is holding the temp steady. When I first used it this summer, after it had sat in the garage all winter, it did act a little funny, with the compressor not turning on for several minutes, but after that first day of use, it has been working fine.

Works perfectly. Only small complaint is that the valve to drain excess water is in the dumbest place, right at floor level, so that it's virtually impossible to drain it without spilling water on the floor.

An excellent air conditioner and easy to use the remote control. 11,000 BTUs is the perfect strength and the size of the air conditioner is not cumbersome for my apartment.

So far it seems to work well! The summer will be the real test though? As far as removing the hoses as one person complained about, I found all you have to do is firmly grip and rotate the hose coupler and that will push the tabs back, then wiggle it out! Very easy! I don't know why that is not in the instructions? As far as delivery, UPS did a great job, no damage to box at all!!! Update: I stand corrected, it does say in the manual to twist connectors to remove at the bottom of page 15 of the manual! A little hard to find though?

the unit is preforming well, amazon.ca overcharged me.my fault should have shopped around more.

- There are many unheard of brands of portable ACs that you will see on Amazon, but in my opinion all these are just products that are made in china (nothing wrong with that) and sold in north america by small businesses in the US, that imports these products puts their name on it, and sell it to us!- I think these products that have reps only in the US should not be sold in Canada!- The problem with this is that these small businesses can not support their own product compared to well established brands that have service centers around the globe. Businesses that you don't know even where they are located, and at most they only have a phone number and sometimes only email.- For example, I figured after buying it that I am responsible for paying the shipping fees to the US if it broke I mean, even if it within the warranty period. So paying almost 600 dollars for this unit, plus shipping of around 300 dollars is just not worth the trouble!Now, talking about the AC itself, I can confirm that my window unit of 5000 BTU produced the same if not better amount of cool air.Add to that the portable ACs are known to be noisy. And I read many reviews of water leaking problems, I haven't used mine long enough to confirm this.If you can install a window unit then just go with that, but if that is not possible, and you don't mind spending a couple of hundreds knowing that it may not be worth it, then go ahead and try to find yourself a good one! It is like gambling but who knows it may work for you!My final advice, if you must buy one then at least, buy a well-known brand that has a service center in Canada!