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.
| Manufacturer | Whynter |
|---|---|
| Part Number | ARC-12SD |
| Item Weight | 71 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 16.5 x 20 x 34 inches |
| Country of Origin | China |
| Item model number | ARC-12SD |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Color | Multicolor |
| Material | Plastic |
| Power Source | Corded Electric |
| Voltage | 115 Volts |
| Wattage | 1100 watts |
| Installation Method | Window |
| Item Package Quantity | 1 |
| Air Flow Capacity | 188 Cubic Feet Per Minute |
| Special Features | Portable |
| Batteries Included? | No |
| Batteries Required? | No |
| Warranty Description | One year on unit and three year on compressor. |
