Customer Reviews

Sharp CV-P10MC 9,500 BTU Portable Air Conditioner

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I just bought and installed the Sharp CV-P10MC Air Conditioner in my bedroom. I like the unit, and it went together fairly easily, once I understood how the six (6) piece window frame was supposed to work. Because I installed the air conditioner exhaust in a 46 inch wide double-paned window, all components that came in the box were used. The vinyl window frame has a deep "groove" for the window to sit in, vice a traditional flat sill. This realization caused me to scramble to find scrap wood to fill the groove and provide the desired flat sill. Although not explicitly stated, this hot air vent to the outside environment is as permanent an installation as most other things around today's homes.

This is where I would like to see a bit more honest disclosure from Sharp. Yes, this nearly 100 lb. unit is on castors, but I seriously doubt anyone will be moving it from room to room. To use it in another room, an additional window vent bracket would have to be installed.

This unit also removes up to 60 pints of water a day! That water has to go somewhere, and that means I have to provide a hose and "drip pan". The unsuspecting pedestrian is no longer the target of the cool, refreshing drip of a traditional window air conditioner's condensate. That byproduct of the refrigeration cycle is now mine alone to deal with.

Finally, I would have liked to better understand the floor space required for this unit to properly operate. The exhaust vent is identical in size and construction as a clothes dryer exhaust vent. A minimum of 12-18 inches perpendicular from the wall is needed to allow the vent to be flexed while not becoming restrictive.

Now, with all that said, I like the unit. I bought it for about $[...] at [...], and drew a lot of attention while waiting at the check out. It is truly as quiet as advertised, with routine modes barely heard. The "Mega Cool" mode is the exception, being, by comparison, very noisy. But the "Mega Cool" mode is not intended for long term, routine use. The Sharp will only run an hour in that mode before automatically shifting to a quieter, less expensive setting.

The remote control is easy to read, comprehend, and use. Good tactile design. Of particular note, when the unit is not being used, Sharp thoughtfully provided a hook in a recess on the back of the unit for the remote to be stored.

I look forward to putting the Sharp CV-P10MC Portable Air Conditioner to work this summer. It is an attractive, and, I hope, a capable appliance. It would have been nice, though, to have had a better picture of the installation and operational requirements associated with it's use.

I should've written this review a couple of months ago as it's almost mid August already... Anyway, for what it's worth:

We've been wanting to buy a portable unit for sometime now and, based on the reviews we read online, we decided to give this Sharp portable A/C a try.

The day before we got it, though, we were at HomeDepot and noticed that someone had just returned a Delonghi portable A/C...

We installed the Sharp on a very humid day. That night the temp in our bedroom was 84F and the humidity was atrocious. We turned the unit on two hours before bed time and closed the door, just like we've always done with the window A/C.

First thing we noticed: it really isn't "library quiet" at all.

Second thing we noticed: this portable 9500 BTU A/C could not bring the room temp down to a comfortable 74F in two hours like our 6000 BTU window unit (also a Sharp, btw) would do. Actually the portable unit only cooled the room down to 80F (just 4F in two hours!).

Third thing we noticed: you can hear water trickling inside the unit, which can be rather annoying when you are trying to get some sleep in a not so cool room with a portable A/C that cost you a small fortune yet cannot perform as well as a humble $130 window unit...

So we turned the damned thing off, brought two fans from downstairs and opened the windows. Aha.

We returned the Sharp CV-P10MC next day.

A few more things worth mentioning:

*** Whatever you do, DO NOT (I repeat DO NOT) use the weather stripping that comes with the A/C. If you do, you will find out that it's almost impossible to remove that horrendously sticky crap from your window frames. Goof Off® helped, but it was a royal PITA.

*** It will collect quite a bit of water during operation. We ran it for about five hours and the reservoir was already full.

*** This A/C may work better in dry climates. In very humid climates, this thing does not perform well.

(3 stars for quiet design, 2 more stars if it will remove condensation via the vent hose and not require a bucket or water draining during AC operation)
(3/29/07 update: Ran the Sharp for 3+ hours and the unit expelled most of the condensate out the vent hose as the internal tank only had 2-3 ounces of water collected.)
Picked up the Sharp CV-P10MC 10,000BTU @ Costco recently however the weather has not been warm enough here in the NW to thoroughly test the unit out yet.
The unit is indeed very quiet however I'm concerned that it may require regular draining of collected condensed water during AC operation as my short 30 minute test collected 4-5 ounces of water. (I have a Windchaser portable AC unit that never seems to collect more a few drops and never stopped because it needed draining or required draining)

Sharps manual states it removes up to 60 pints of water a day in Dehumidification mode only, which requires regular draining of the internal collection tank (4-5pint capacity) or the attachment of an external bucket for longer uninterrupted operation.
In AC mode, Sharp's website and manual states:
"Bucketless Design. No water tank to empty.
The built in condensate disposal system sends the water out of the exhaust hose. "
"This air conditioner evaporates water condensed during cooling operation within the unit through the exhaust air outlet. Although water flowing sound way be heard, this is normal."

I assume the Sharp AC unit will not require and external water collection bucket or internal water tank draining when run in AC mode only.
My Windchaser portable AC unit (purchased last year)never once needed any condensate water drained during the whole season. The Windchaser manual states that it removes the condensed water through the air vent hose via an evaporation process that also cools the internal compressor unit. I assume this is the same type of process Sharp is referring to in its manual however the proof is in real life use.

To anyone who has used the Sharp portable AC unit last season; Please report back and let us know if it removes condensate water via the vent hose in AC mode and DOES NOT require you to stop the unit to drain water on a regular basis or require an external water collection bucket.

Thanks!

My mother in law has this and we are now emptying it twice a day.
The unit stops and will not run until it is emptied.

It is very hot and humid and I don't know if the water is not being evaporated
and filling up the internal container (ie there is a problem with it) or

if it is so humid the water cannot be expelled fast enough
out the exhaust and the internal container is filling.

I hope it is the latter.

THOSE HIGH RATED REVIEWS ARE RATING THE DEHUMIDIFIER FUNCTION AND NOT THE COOLING FUNCTION.
HOW DOES THE UNIT COOL??????
THIS IS AN AWFULLY EXPENSIVE DEHUMIDIFIER.

The box says that this is recommended for rooms 360 to 410 square feet.
My room is less than 380 square feet and has low ceilings. This unit did not cool down my room at all.

It was only 83 degrees outside, I ran the unit for 3 hours and the inside did not get any cooler than 81 degrees. I let the unit run as the outside temperature cooled to 79 degrees and inside remained at 81 degrees.

If you have a small room, this is probably one of the best portable air conditions you can buy.

The only other thing I really don't like about this unit is that all of the control is with the remote control. If the remote control is lost or breaks, all you can do is turn on the unit and it goes into default mode. If the unit remains plugged in, it goes to the last setting you used. If the unit gets unplugged, it goes to cool mode with the temperature set at 69 degrees. You cannot change that without the remote control. There is a place to hang the remote control on the backside of the unit.

The unit is fairly light and compact for a portable air conditioner. There are a few that are smaller and a few that are lighter.

It is the quietest one I have heard. However, the 36 dB that they claim is when the fan is on low. When on "Maga cool", the unit is pretty loud. Not so loud that you have to jack up the sound on your TV, but loud enough that it could bother you if you were a light sleeper.

The installation kit is well made and sturdy. It can go into windows up to 48" wide (double hung) or tall (slider). Some other units only have kits for up to 38". Unless you have something unique about your window, you can install this in about 30 minutes. This unit won't work on one of my windows because the hose hits a shutter frame. Or course, you can always construct your own adapter to make it work on just about any type of window. But, if you go through all that effort, you may just want to get a window model.

I have read reviews where some people claim that this unit had no trouble cooling a 400 square foot room in 100 degree weather. There a lot of factors about a room that will determine how effect the air conditiner will be, such as is there a ceiling above the room, or another floor, how much sun is there on the room, how high are the ceilings, etc. But, the air that comes out of the unit is cool, but not extremely cold. I don't see how it can cool a room that large.

One problem with all of the portable airconiditioners is that they have a hose to exhaust the hot air out a window. These hoses are never insulated, so they radiate some of the heat back into the room. The longer the hose, the more inefficient your cooling will be. And, the room gets hot on the backside of the unit, because of this.

For a room above 360 square feet, you probably need to get a unit that is at least 12,000 BTU, unless conditions are perfect in your room.

Pro: Elegant (somewhat quiet) Machine
Con: Must pull hot air from outside in order to function.

The problem with these single hose portables is they cool the super high temp condenser coils with air from the room and then spit it out through a window via the hose. Problem with that: Where does the air come from to REPLACE the air going out the hose? FROM THE HOT AIR OUTSIDE! (Through cracks and crevices around windows and doors, if it's an air tight room the a/c will overheat and shut off.)

Ridiculous, it's constantly fighting a losing battle. You'll need 2x the BTUs to do what a window unit does. And just wait till you get your electric bill!

Get a window unit instead. If you don't have a appropriate window you can have a 'through the wall' unit installed or look into 'mini-splits' or go all out and get central air.

Good luck and stay cool,
J

This unit I bought at Home Depot for my sons studio aprox 150 sq ft ,After thinking we were possibly doing something wrong I know realize this unit does not work.I see many have found this design useless.
Get a window unit and feel the cool .,this unit is poor