lwang wrote:Will you house implode or something? Or will the fan that pushes the air out of the hose just spin but no air actually go through?

No, your house will not implode... although if it were “air tight” it mean this unit would not work.

Since no house is air tight so the issue with a single hose system is it uses the cool air already in the house to cool down the compressor and then vents that air outside. While it doesn't sound like an issue it means the air being vented needs to come from somewhere…… which it does.... from outside through cracks in windows and doors. The air from other parts of the house (the attic, under doors, etc) is sucked into the room that has this unit to fill the void of the cold air that was vented through cracks. This means you are constantly pulling unairconditioned air into that room.

A dual hose system (a MUCH better design and woot.sellout did offer on in a Haier on May 24th http://sellout.woot.com/forums/viewpost.aspx?postid=5016375&pageindex=1&replycount=15) will suck in the air from the first outside hose, cool the condenser, and then vent the hotter air back outside. That is a 0 pressure system and works better.

That being said, it appears many people had issues with the shipping and “refurbness” of that sale based on the comments. Lots of missing pieces and broken units which were not fixed BEFORE they left Haier. Too bad as that is truly the kind of A/C unit you want compared to the single hose design.

I do look forward to see if anyone has similar experiences of beat up machines and missing parts from Sharp though so we can compare the two companies refurb processes (which apparently for Haier means reboxing the broken one without doing any checking and sending it back out. :-(

More reviews and even a video....

http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/view.2/app.detail/params.item.V31434.desc.Sharp-Library-Quiet-10500-BTU-Portable-Air-Conditioner

chgo wrote:They are noisy no matter what they claim and not as good as a window unit.

Window units are a pain much less maneuverable or configurable.

All A/C units will be noisy since the have a compressor.

It has already been mentioned that many places won't allow window units for aesthetic or safety reasons. You are far more likely to drop a 40 pound window unit out of a 4th floor window by accident if the whole unit balances in the window than something like this one which is housed inside and only vents inside. (which is one reason places won’t allow window units)

Another advantage is you can position this unit to face whatever direction you want the air to blow. The window unit blows air perpendicular to the wall… straight out. Sure you can turn the air a little with those cute little vents but perhaps only 15 degrees… ooh, ahh!! However, with this you could point right at your bed, or a wherever and not worry about the window location as much.

YES! never got that point either - plus you need to leave your window a bit open for the hose to stick out - meaning all the cold air you are blowing in front of the window gets outside ??? plus it takes up floor space

rag15 wrote:this AC unit needs an exhaust to outside. Seeing that this "portable" unit is more or less tethered to a window, why not just install a window unit instead? Window AC is far more efficient than a "portable" unit.

garylapointe wrote:But the manual clearly talks about how to drain it when it gets full. See page EN-26 of the PDF manual. Drain out water within the unit in the following cases.
• When the unit stops operating and the TIMER, AIR CON and MAXIMUM lamps are
blinking, the water tank is full and need to be drained.
• When the unit is not used for a long time

If I put this in the bedroom upstairs, draining it will be very difficult for me.

This is the only thing that concerns me and is stopping me from purchasing it.

Gary

I too have a portable unit ( not Sharp), but have to empty a 2 liter bucket every few hours. The flexible hose is not easy to position, so I'd be very concerned with the water pooling in the hose. It sounds very messy. Any insight on this?

tindios wrote:That being said, it appears many people had issues with the shipping and “refurbness” of that sale based on the comments. Lots of missing pieces and broken units which were not fixed BEFORE they left Haier. Too bad as that is truly the kind of A/C unit you want compared to the single hose design.

I do look forward to see if anyone has similar experiences of beat up machines and missing parts from Sharp though so we can compare the two companies refurb processes (which apparently for Haier means reboxing the broken one without doing any checking and sending it back out. :-(

Well I'll be able to report on this one and the Amana (Haier) I ordered on July 3rd (still hasn't shipped) Was hoping to have the one by now.

I sold my window units as I had all new windows put in. Wanted to try these floor units and it sure has been hot without them. So they best better be ready to go whenever they get here!

These units are sold at Costco for $399

I got one and returned it asap:

- the 410sq/ft area covered is a vast joke. It could barely lower the temp a bit in our 300sqft room.

- the 10500 btu rating is a joke as well. I've seen this unit rated at anything between 9000 and up

- Other joke: the noise ratings. It says 48 db, which might be the rating on fan only. Turn the ac on, and forget about hearing the tv for example. With this, you have your ac compressor with you, not on the outside of your window. Good luck with that.

- To add to all these joys - the fan is not powerful enough even on max.

- Best for last: unless you rig some sort of small hose (not included), you'll have to drain the unit of its condensed water at least once per day, about one and a half quarts of it, through a little opening located something like an inch and a half from the ground. We used a flat pan to get it out.

All in all - this will do the trick for a guest room on a one night stand. For anything more intensive - you will have to work around it. Plus, the thing is huge. And heavy. While i can not fathom the concept of using ac when camping, i'm sure it can be done, provided you have an industrial grade power cord and two freight elefants to load it and unload it. Also, i'm not exactly a tent specialist, but to be cooled a tent should be pretty well insulated.

On the nice side - the remote is nice. The lovers can be set to wave up and down.

PS: about the dual/single hose story: the unit (as well as most similar units) IS a dual hose unit. The second hose is just not included and the second hole is plugged with a cap.

KamikazeKen wrote:these are awesome for camping, if your campground has electrical hookups. A similar unit was very much appreciated when I was camping in central Ohio july 3-8....

I wondered if these could cool a big tent, or even my suburban with a generator or electric hook up. How does it vent out? WOuld it sit in the car seat? We camp inside our suburban and this looks like a great option.

mystery250 wrote:Does this pull too much power to be used with an extension cord?

has to be heavy duty cord. and not a long one.

Sounds like this is re-badged Chinese Haier, which I own.

The whole "bucketless" design concept is flawed. There is an inner tray which (supposedly) fills and then the hot air rushing over it carries the moisture outside via the vent.

It doesn't work, at least not in high humidity.

You will need to attach a small hose to the drain plug and then put that in a bucket or pan that is LOWER than the unit. Failing to do so will result in puddles under the unit.

Also, I thought ion-generation was found to cause lung irritation in some people and pets? All those "Ionic cleaners" vanished from the market some time ago, right?

Having said all that, the unit really helped in this old farmhouse during the recent 100 degree weather in the midwest.

I was able to roll it between the living room and kitchen, depending on where I was spending my time. It sucked a HUGE amount of moisture out of the air.

Hippster wrote:"Bucketless Design - No water tank to empty. The built-in condensate disposal system sends the water out of the exhaust hose"

I got excited when I read this feature, however, from the reviews on Amazon and inside the manual itself, this feature does not seem to be there. Anyone have any insight?


[MOD: Sharp site says it does. The reviews are for a 3rd party retailer. It's possible they're commenting on a different model.]

How wide a window can this fit into? My window is around 4 feet wide.

Used this same Sharp 10k btu unit back in the last home I had without central air about 3 years ago. Used it in a freakishly hot attic bedroom. This thing is amazing. It cut through even the most humid days and evaporated it all out that tube thing.

For comparison, I also had a Soleus Air portable unit that I had to empty a water tank from every now and then even though it was supposedly evaporative too.

I'd say well worth this refurb price. It's pretty quiet, but plenty of power. Won't do a whole floor, but certainly can handle any size room.

EDIT: The model I had which looks exactly the same was the CVP12LX 11,500 btu. It's possible this thing isn't anywhere near as good.

rag15 wrote:this AC unit needs an exhaust to outside. Seeing that this "portable" unit is more or less tethered to a window, why not just install a window unit instead? Window AC is far more efficient than a "portable" unit.

I just replaced our bedroom window unit with an LG 9000 BTU/h portable AC, because the window faces west, and the house that used to be west of us was torn down so now in the afternoon the sun beats down on the coils, making the window unit worthless at exactly the time I need it most. We went a few weeks with 100+F temps and it was just horrible before I put in the portable AC. Since its coils are inside, out of the sun, it actually got the room so cold my wife got a blanket out for the bed.

My office has a window unit on the west too, and if this Sharp were smaller, I'd be buying it today.

amorphousalias wrote:How wide a window can this fit into? My window is around 4 feet wide.

You don't put the AC itself in the window, just a rectangle to fill in the bottom few inches of the window that has an opening for the exhaust tube. My similar unit (LG instead of Sharp) came with four pieces of plastic that could be assembled together in various combinations to fit window sizes from 18" to 48". The specs on the Sharp say it'll work with 48" as well, so they're probably using similar window adapters.

xeju wrote:Is there any way to tell from the stats on this how big an area it can cool?

Looks like another heat wave is coming.

Depends on where you are, what you'll be doing in the space, how well your walls are insulated. But for typical arrangements in the southeast, you are probably looking at around 550 sf.

radi0j0hn wrote:The whole "bucketless" design concept is flawed. There is an inner tray which (supposedly) fills and then the hot air rushing over it carries the moisture outside via the vent.

It doesn't work, at least not in high humidity.

Thanks for the info! I figured it was some sort of fancy marketing spin. I'll pass on this unit!

It doesn't appear that this A/C unit is Energy Star certified. Any idea why that would be?

Energy Star is one of the requirements to get a rebate from my local utility. This is still a good deal though but a $25 bonus would be even better.

Does anyone know how long the hose is?

Just has one hose - so it will pull in hot air from outside!

I work in an unconditioned room that is about 24'x18', and has no windows (it's a training room). Is there any way to use this without an option to vent it outdoors?

My AC guy pretty much told me my AC is shot yesterday, and that because of the location/poor air flow (balcony closet) a new one wouldn't even be warrantied... so this initially looks like great timing! But I can't have water dripping out my window to the ground below. I'm not on the 1st floor.

melanieannemason wrote:I work in an unconditioned room that is about 24'x18', and has no windows (it's a training room). Is there any way to use this without an option to vent it outdoors?

Venting outdoors is how you get rid of the heat, so I doubt it.

DonFief wrote:If you live in a neighborhood with an HOA and aren't allowed to have these in windows that show, this is the ticket!! Just told my hubs tonight I want one for our room, it's my lucky night!!

Or His !!

Just in case anyone else hasn't pointed it out, Newegg is offering 15% off all Air Conditioners plus free shipping.
http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=718&name=Air-Conditioners&nm_mc=EMC-EXPRESS071412&cm_mmc=EMC-EXPRESS071412-_-EMC-071412-Index-_-MECH-_-AC-EB2#

Use code EMCYTZT1894 at check out.

That's what I was afraid of I'm looking for a miracle cure for the room getting up to 100 degrees during football season.

How would it install in a crank window? I can't picture how it would fit.

Kacia wrote:Venting outdoors is how you get rid of the heat, so I doubt it.

That's what I was afraid of I'm looking for a miracle cure for the room getting up to 100 degrees during football season.

To many pros, cons and problems. I think I'm going to have to buy local so that if I don't like it or if it has problems I can exchange it.

I'm bummed, I think this would really help with keeping the upstairs cooler while running the central air for the lower part of the house less. Thus, saving me dollar$

Gary

melanieannemason wrote:That's what I was afraid of I'm looking for a miracle cure for the room getting up to 100 degrees during football season.

You could cut a hole to the outside and install a vent dryer. The challenge is that this is most likely a 5 inch (I have one) and they only make 4 or 6 inch vents.

We have one of these made by a company called Windchaser, that is supposed to remove the water thru the vent tube.Thats not always the case and I ruined the downstairs bathroom ceiling learning that lesson. What we did was get a washer/dryer pan used for overflows and didnt remove any of the knockouts. We can just sop up any water that leaks out as well as monitor that aspect. This cost all of 20 bucks. They do make similar pans for overflows or leaks for these machines, I found them doing a google search. Just something to keep in mind. I did buy one of these units for a small bedroom, cant wait to get it.

garylapointe wrote:But the manual clearly talks about how to drain it when it gets full. See page EN-26 of the PDF manual. Drain out water within the unit in the following cases.
• When the unit stops operating and the TIMER, AIR CON and MAXIMUM lamps are
blinking, the water tank is full and need to be drained.
• When the unit is not used for a long time

If I put this in the bedroom upstairs, draining it will be very difficult for me.

This is the only thing that concerns me and is stopping me from purchasing it.

Gary

mtarget wrote:We have one of these made by a company called Windchaser, that is supposed to remove the water thru the vent tube.Thats not always the case and I ruined the downstairs bathroom ceiling learning that lesson. What we did was get a washer/dryer pan used for overflows and didnt remove any of the knockouts. We can just sop up any water that leaks out as well as monitor that aspect. This cost all of 20 bucks. They do make similar pans for overflows or leaks for these machines, I found them doing a google search. Just something to keep in mind. I did buy one of these units for a small bedroom, cant wait to get it.

ibmmccoy wrote:How long is the hose?

Its the width, not the length that really matters.

I installed unit in crank canopy window. Buy a piece of plexiglass. Cut ti the same size as your interior screen. Add retainer clips to fit existing screen retainer slots. Cut circular hole the size of vent. Install vent assembly in plexiglass. Install plexiglass insert into window. Connect AC exhaust tube to installed vent assembly.
You're good to go.
It took me about 2 hours to build.

goblinski wrote:
All in all - this will do the trick for a guest room on a one night stand.

Interesting...

El Marko wrote:I have this exact model. Excellent, reasonably quiet, plenty of cold air, no water to dispose of and not even a hint of moisture leakage. Love the remote control aspect. Use to cool down a big upstairs office that only has one tiny vent. Highly recommend it especially at this price. I paid $100 more.

I also have this model and on very humid days I dump about 5 gal of water, then the internal tank gets full the unit shuts off.

I use it to cool my Living room and kitchen.

Abcdef1234 wrote:I am looking to have one the units, replace central AC in the summer.

Even with fans on in summer, the weather is still hot.

Looking to replace AC, although, the reviews favorable?

after my central air went out and was quoted $2500 to fix, I picked up this and a window unit for $200 and have used this for the majority of the house and the window unit for the bedroom with no problems. I also used it while stationed in Mississippi in the summer and it worked just fine. I've dropped rolled, and knoicked this thing over and it still works just fine (minus one broken caster)

VanGray wrote:Can this unit provide heat to a room during the winter months?

if you had a room to put this in that you didn't mind getting colder you could in theory run the exhaust vent into a room you want to heat... but it wouldn't be the best method to do it...

ovel2clock wrote:You could cut a hole to the outside and install a vent dryer. The challenge is that this is most likely a 5 inch (I have one) and they only make 4 or 6 inch vents.

The area I'm wanting to air condition has no outdoor walls...it's in a school, and has rooms surrounding it. The custodians told me it would take thousands of dollars to get AC in the area. I was hoping to find something small to just help out...it gets incredibly hot in there. Any other suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Can anyone tell me how to use one of these in a basement with no windows? Thanks

w4jle wrote:Only one hose is needed as the heat is piped out of the room. All air conditioners work on the same principal. The gas expands into the cooling side and a fan blows room air over the cooling coils. The gas picks up the heat and is discharged in this case out the window as the fan blows over the heat side coils. The compressor sends it back to the cooling side to start all over again.

Thats the deal with these portables, you got all the hot parts that are usually hanging out the window on a window unit sitting in the room generating heat like the stove is on. You can get a cool breeze laying on the sofa, that's about it...cooling off the room, forgetaboutit, waste of energy. Cut a hole in the wall and get a real AC.