Customer Reviews

SPT WA-1230E 12,000-BTU Portable Air Conditioner with Remote Control

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I bought this AC unit during the excess heat wave this summer. The unit, (once properly vented) works really well for cooling my bed room but it shuts off when the water needs drained. Durning these hot temperatures this is after only 2-2.5 hrs. Draining the water is not an easy task because the drain is only 1 inch from the floor so you can only use a really really shallow dish. It does come with a hose to connect to a drain for continous drainage but the drain must be below or at the same level as the AC unit.

This drainage problem makes the unit NOT useful for long term cooling (you can't run it all night or use it to cool while at work)

As a long term solution I am working on buidling a stand to set the unit on for continous drainage into a bucket but it is heavey and vibration makes noise a problem. Other portable AC unit have a collecting bottle which is easy to revome for drainage.

I bought my Sunpentown in May of 2005. When it arrived the LED display was broken and the 12,000 BTU air conditioner was not capable of cooling my 150 square foot room. I called Sunpentown and explained the situation. They said that as long as the output temperature was 20% cooler than the input temperature the unit was considered to be functioning properly.

Do the math. If your room is 95 degrees, a 20% reduction means that the air coming out of the AC is still a sweltering 78 degrees! A 12,000 BTU air conditioner should turn my tiny room into a meat locker, even on the hottest days. The Sunpentown struggled to make the room comfortable anytime the temperature exceeded 80 degrees. Since the LCD was broken I decided to have them replace my unit hoping that I might get a better one. The second unit worked as poorly as the first, but at least the LCD was visible.

As others have noted, drainage is a constant issue with these units. Mine would only run for 3-4 hours before drainage was required so I wound up putting it on a stand and running a hose from the discharge area to a 5 gallon bucket. There is simply too much water produced for it to successfully blow out the exhaust hose. It should be noted that my unit only had 1.5 feet of exhaust hose with no bends so it was an ideal installation. If you have any bends in the hose it will only make matters worse.

In August 2006 the unit quit cooling the air. The compressor would kick on, but no cooling occurred. I called Sunpentown but since my unit was 3 months over the 1 year warranty they wouldn't do anything. My only option was to ship the unit to their facility at my cost, have them diagnose and repair the unit at "flat rate" (but they wouldn't discuss specific prices) and ship it back to me at my expense.

Not wanting to incur $175 in shipping charges PLUS the unspecified repair fees just to return my Sunpentown Portable Air Conditioner to its unacceptably poor level of functionality I sent my unit to a place it truly belongs - THE LANDFILL.

If a normal window unit won't work for you, save yourself a lot of money/time/aggravation and buy a giant industrial size fan. Sunpentown builds lousy products and provides lousy service when those products fail.

I was shocked at how useless this thing was. I would turn this unit on immediately when I come home from work. The initial reading on the unit would say something like 95% (house was all closed up). The unit could not even drop the room temperature below 90%. After about 1hr the exhaust hose would radiate so much heat into the room that the unit made a better heater than air conditioner. The vents blow upwards as if to cool the ceiling. You cannot adjust them vertically. The unit is also very loud.

I returned the unit after giving it a try for about 3 weeks. The other pain is returning this. You have to put it back in the box it came in with all the paper work and then carry this 85 pound box to a fedex place to have it shipped back to the manufacturer. You have to pay shipping to send it back and you are not refunded that amount. Plus there is a 6% restocking fee.

Good riddance.

My experience with a Supentown Portable AC Unit is very similar to what 'Thorion (Rome, NY)' reported. I purchased a WA-1200E in June 2006 and it died last week (end of June 2007). This unit was lightly used (less than 10 hours per week during warm months only) . I contacted their support staff and, although they were prompt to reply, they indicated that the unit was out of warranty and that nothing was covered. They gave me the option of shipping the unit (85 lbs) at my own expense back to their warehouse in CA. They would then determine what part(s) failed and charge me for the replacement parts, labor and return shipping. Their other suggestion / advice was to take it to a local repair shop of my choice and have them find out the problem...then order the replacement parts from them. Either way....TERRIBLE! For a costly unit like this it should last way longer than 12 1/2 months. DO NOT BUY!!!

I'am a certified EPA HVAC Tech that chooses A/C and Electronics as a hobby only because I make more income by other means and the reason why I bought this unit is strickly as a backup means for hurricane aftermath. I ran last night to mimic hurricane scenario and was disappointed at performance keep in mind my room is 15X15= 225sq.ft. I purchased 12000 BTU unit should be kicking a** but doesn't :(

PROS
mobility
remote control
plug into any 120v outlet
removes much hummidty

Cons
Somewhat noisey but acceptable just need to crank TV volume
Doesn't really drop temp much for size of room
Room temp at start 78Deg will not drop lower than 75Deg sad
Bad performance if looking for permanent solution

I had ordered one of these units and went to pick it up directly from Sunpentown in nearby City of Industry, California where they are located. While waiting for the air conditioner to be brought out I struck up a conversation with a gentlemen who had brought one in for repair. He remarked that the first one he received was defective and that he had exchanged it for a replacement. The replacement he was having repaired was getting fixed for the SECOND time. At that point I was feeling uneasy about the unit I was about to bring home. I asked an employee about how reliable the air conditioner was and he didn't seem to be very confident at all about the product. I canceled my order.

A while back I had posted reviews of my experience but they appear to have been removed. Although I didn't go through with the purchase of the air conditioner, I believe my interactions with the customer getting a unit repaired for a third breakdown and the lack of confidence on the part of an employee of the company could have value to someone considering a purchase (so Amazon, please do not remove!).

I bought this product in the summer of 07. I live in a room over the garage that gets the brunt of the sun and therefor reaches 78-80 degrees even with the AC on. At first the unit after running for a couple hours would drop the temp to 72 on a summer day but no lower. The first spring/summer I did not have to change the water at all. The next spring/summer it could only drop the temp down to 73-74 and I had to change the water 5-6 times. Now only less than 3 years later we are in the midst of our first 80 degree week. The unit is only dropping the temp to 75 and I've had to change the water twice in two days.

Please read everyone's review about how hard it is to change the water. I can confirm every complaint.

If I had to do it over I would have gone another route towards cooling my room.

I had the same problem as others - it simply did not cool the room. Returned it. considering it's 12000 BTU, I'd expect a lot more. Turns out that Sunpentown is a fake brand name slapped onto a chinese company. Hopefully they'll figure out how to make an air conditioner that actualy works in their next iteration. Also, I don't like this style of air cond. the window type is more convenient.

Last summer was the most humid in San Diego, CA I have ever experience in the 16 years I've lived here. My husband was working nights at the time and complained the heat was making it unbearable to sleep during the day. Our home is over 2,200 SF so running the air conditioner is NOT cost effective when there are only 2 people at home occupying 2 rooms in the entire house. I ordered this unit after doing extensive online research on several products. We did have to rig it on a couple of stepstools in order to get a larger collection bin for the water but it was only necessary for a few (extremely humid) days. The unit helped to reduce the temps in our 200 SF bedroom up to 7 degrees. But the biggest benefit was drying up the air enough to make sitting still (and sleeping) more comfortable. The unit is so effective we ordered another one to keep downstairs; it's toooooo heavy to lug up and down the stairs. The noise is insignificant since we fall asleep with the TV on and my only complaint would be set-up. It took us about 40 minutes to put it all together and configure the vent to the window. Of course, trying to set up while sweating your butt off creates more frustration. Love the remote, timer and wheels!

It works, that's the best part. But be careful when ordering - this unit does _not_ have a removable water tank. You need to use the valve at the rear. And don't tip it after it's been running or you might find water has leaked out. FYI, this model does _not_ heat. I don't know if the description has been changed, but that was not clear to me when I ordered. That's not a minus, just pointing it out. If you need heating, get the EH model.

That aside, the unit cools well and it is what it is ( a big portable unit). The remote works well (although, hilariously, it opens the tray on our dvd player too) and it was packed well.