This is one of these "please be realistic" reviews. We live in inner city Los Angeles where this week alone the temp was 110°! And of course, dry and polluted ("migraine weather"). In our Living room/bedroom loft floor plan, we have an old 8,000 BTU one-hose portable a/c bought for $800 in 1997 (!!). Probably not energy efficient...but not in a land fill. I mention this because those older ones have the catchment bucket for the condensation that one empties about every 8 hours the unit runs. Why am I mentioning this? Read on... In conjunction with this a/c, we run two floor fans to really push the cold air all over the space. With the hotter temps (and unsleepable nights), this year we needed more. We didn't have any other appropriate windows to install a second portable a/c, and plus, were worried about the power usage. So we sought a swamp cooler, and saw this. Obviously it's new on the market, but at the time we considered it there were about 5 reviews up that made us take a chance.
Keep in mind, for US, this is a "supplement," not the sole and full megillah. Yes, as the other reviewers noted, the instruction booklet mentions "ice packs" that DO NOT come with it. All the above said, here's what we've been doing to our GREAT satisfaction: Los Angeles being notorious for hard water, and using distilled water for this not being an affordable option (the cooler's gallon water tank drawer needs replenishing 3 times a day with round-the-clock continuous use), we use the catchment bucket with the condensation from our portable a/c to fill this cooler's water tank. Hopefully, by not damaging the cooler's mechanism with lime, we'll have it for decades to come, as we have our aforementioned a/c. ICE PACKS: We bought from Amazon:
RINBOTTLE Ice Packs for Lunch Box Slim Reusable Freezer Dry Ice Pack for Coolers Keep Cold and Fresh for Outdoor Camping Picnic and Parties (Set of 8)
We bought the 8-pack and use 3 at a time in this cooler' water tank. We replace them with 3 fresh icy cold ones from the freezer every time we refill the cooler water tank. For us, with these long-lasting ice packs, there is NO QUESTION of a reduced room temperature; definitely as other reviewers have documented, up to 10°. You'd be surprised how a 100° room can be insufferable to sleep in, but 90° is do-able.
It's lightweight, even when the tank is full. Easy to lift to place in another room. Very, very attractive. So, all in all, if you are realistic in your expectations (NOT a full-on a/c...although my husband remarked that it seemed to be as cold as our old 8,000 BTU unit!), and you use adequate long-lasting ice packs that you purchase separately in combination with the water--not just ice cubes or refrigerated water that will get warm within minutes--you will have the up to 10° F heat reduction that many other reviewers noted.
Yes, all reviewers, including the negative ones, will be getting a small gift as Breezewell seems to be promoting this new product. For goodness' sake, they're a business; what's wrong with that?
| Brand | BREEZEWELL |
|---|---|
| Mounting Type | Freestanding |
| Controls Type | Remote |
| Reservoir Capacity | 1 Gallons |
| Included Components | fan,remote |
| Number of Speeds | 3 |
| Manufacturer | BREEZEWELL |
| Part Number | BZ1903 |
| Item Weight | 15.27 pounds |
| Package Dimensions | 35.51 x 14.41 x 10.5 inches |
| Item model number | BZ1903 |
| Item Package Quantity | 1 |
| Batteries Required? | No |
