Soleus AirŽ 12000 BTU Portable Evaporative Air Conditioner

by Soleus

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 17.8 x 19.2 x 32.5 inches ; 79 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 75 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B001777U7G
• Item model number: LX-120BL DB
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #100,062 in Office Products (See Top 100 in Office Products)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2003

Product Description

Soleus Air 12,000 BTU Portable Evaporative Air Conditioner rolls out for big relief on hot days. When it's hot outside, stay cool and dry inside! This Soleus Air Portable Evaporative Air Conditioner is also a dehumidifier and fan. It moves from room to room on casters and vents with two hoses, so there's no mounting in the window. Dual air intake hoses keep the motor running cooler and more efficiently. It cools a larger area faster than a single-hose air conditioner. There's more: 12,000 BTU air conditioner has big cooling capacity; 60-pint evaporative dehumidifier removes dampness; 3-speed fan with oscillation for better circulation; Adjustable and 24-hour programmable thermostat (64 degrees to 90 degrees F range); Dual motor and Smart Chip technology; Remote control for convenience; Loss of power protection with auto restart; Enjoy cool savings now! Order Today! Soleus Air 12,000 BTU Portable Evaporative Air Conditioner

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Avoid this model and this company's products, August 30, 2007

By 

Sourkraut (Bay Area, Ca.) - See all my reviews

This is in Amazon twice, so I'm reviewing twice. Bought for specs - reasonably met cooling expectations given the conditions in which I use it. Heating was abysmal. Just after warranty expiration the exhaust squirrel cage fan blades disentigrated. Called Soleus to buy a new part. Once thru phonemail hell, the obviously new customer service person, although trying to help, finally found out Soleus no longer sells parts. But, for $45/hr they'll troubleshoot and fix it. Just bring it in. They're in El Monte - I'm not. I believe the cheap plastic fan case warped allowing contact with the blades. Lousy customer support. Because this is manufactured in China I cannot find a replacement unit thru normal channels. So I bought a New Air AC1600H based upon many reviews. Not here yet. Stand by.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy this lemon, August 29, 2009

By 

Rapscallion - See all my reviews

This review is from: Soleus AirŽ 12000 BTU Portable Evaporative Air Conditioner (Electronics)

I had a Soleusasir unit that had to junked after 14 months when it leaked all over the floor. Since there is no local network to repair it. It must be sent back to Texas. The time, trouble, and expense are not worth it since the unit is poorly made. Avoid buying it. It's not worth the money.

4.0 out of 5 stars Doing well, considering buying another one, July 30, 2011

By 

draagonfly "draagonfly" (San Diego) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Soleus AirŽ 12000 BTU Portable Evaporative Air Conditioner (Electronics)

I bought my unit off Craigslist so it was already used one season I believe. I've had it two seasons now myself and it's still running just fine, altho I've come across a few problems that needed resolution. Keep in mind that even tho I live in San Diego, this unit runs A LOT since I have it specifically to cool my pet chinchillas. Chinchillas HAVE to be kept cool as they could easily have heat stroke in temps above 75°F.

Firstly, what I LIKE about this unit:
1) It's been very reliable
2) It has a temperature setting that turns the compressor on and off as the room gets hotter or colder, therefore it's more energy efficient
3) Altho still pretty loud, as far as portable A/Cs go, it's quieter than others (46db)
4) Easy setup (for the most part)
5) It has a remote (altho I rarely use it)
6) Washable filter is great and it seems pretty tough - same filter has lasted through several washings. I think it's made of a plastic mesh.
7) This thing is a trooper if you have an open floorplan... the area mine is cooling is 1000SF (it sits at one end of the space in the breakfast nook - it cools the nook, the kitchen, the living room AND a bedroom if the door is left open). The Soleus keeps the space at a very reasonable mid-70s temp when it's 85-90°F outside. Some days the only thing I run is the dehumidifier and that both takes the moisture out of the air AND cools the space beautifully.
8) I find it cools the space better when the louvres are oscillating than when they are still.

What I've found challenging:
1) This is its third season and it's been having a problem with leaking all over the floor. Fortunately I have tile floors so I simply empty the water reserve and clean it up, but as this seems to keep getting worse, not sure if this is going to turn out okay. Right now I'm emptying the reserve twice a day and sometimes I'm still having to clean things up.
2) Supposedly it empties the water itself through the exhaust hose... not sure what is causing SO MUCH water but I think the "empties itself" is a lie because I've always had to empty the reserve by hand, especially in dehumidify mode
3) Having a thermostat is nice but it only turns the compressor on and off - not the entire unit. The fan runs constantly as long as the unit is on.
4) When you move the unit to get to the drain plug, the hoses tend to disconnect themselves because the pegs used to secure them are not very good
5) There is no insulation on the plastic part that goes in the window so unless you rig something up yourself, you're leaking a lot of air around the vent thingy. For that matter, I had to get a board cut to fill in the rest of the window space as well, but perhaps that's normal as I don't think any of these things fit a window perfectly anyway.
6) The timer to turn it on or off doesn't give you a clock option (altho I haven't been able to find ANY portable unit that offers that option). The timer is basically "turn on in X number of hours" or "turn off in X number of hours." The timer is only good for one switch as well... for instance, you can't set it to go off in 2 hours then back on again in 4 hours. You can only use one option at a time.
7) Louvres do not oscillate unless you specifically push the oscillate button for them. For instance, if you're using the timer to turn it on, it will NOT also turn on the oscillation.

I have three portable A/Cs in my 1440SF condo... the Soleus, one 10K BTU Royal Sovereign, and one other 9K BTU off brand. The 9K unit is really not needed, but I have it in the second bedroom in case guests want to sleep with the door closed. The Royal Sovereign was where the Soleus is now and didn't do the job nearly as well as the Soleus which is why it got moved upstairs (and honestly, I'm considering replacing it with another Soleus). The Soleus definitely does its job the best of all of them.