Amcor ALTL12000EH 12000-BTU Portable Air Conditioner with Heat Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased a NanoMaxA12000EH several years ago to cool a large bedroom of around 300 sqft. The equipment is advertised for up to 400 sqft. Presumably more than adquate for this application. Window units are sized at about 20 btu per sqft or in this case 6,000 btu. To be immediately noted is that it takes a lot more btu per square foot for this and other portable air conditioners to achieve the same outcome as a window unit half the size in btu.
So how did it work? Not well at all. On a hot day starting with the room in the mid 80 degree range with say 60 percent humidity it cannot cool the room down. It may drop the temperature 1 degree per hour. If we cool the room with a fan it can drop the temperature from say 78 degrees to 74 degrees in 2-3 hours. It of course provides comforting cool air if you focus on you.
A call to AMCOR support revealed that the technician thought I was definitely at or above the limit of its capacity at 300 sqft.
In use it is easy to see why it is slow. It adds considerable heat load to the room through the exhaust tube and in particular the large plastic attachment the connects the tube to the window vent. This plastic can be very hot to the touch and it is of course inside the room. The tubing is less hot however I have it as close to the window as possible (2 feet) to minimize the length the tube is played out. Presumably a long stretch of tube will also generate a lot of heat like a dryer duct. In sum, the unit is adding substantial heat load to the room severely compromising cooling efficiency. I addressed this issue by placing wet towels on the tubing and large plastic fitting. So long as they are wet they do keep it cool.
I also learned from the service rep you cannot operate the heating feature without also having the tubing installed in the window. Of course on a cold day you probably do not want an insert in your window.
Since the compressor, fans, etc. are inside the room it makes more noise than a window unit.
The filters (3) are white so it is easy to miss seeing that they should be cleaned.
On the plus side it is easy to roll around and install the vent in the window although I had to upgrade the insulation around the edge of the window insert to keep hot air that was vented circulating back into the room. I looks nice and it avoids having an unsightly window unit sticking out of a front window.
In sum, if you want cooling you are well advised to get a good window unit many of which are not that hard to insall. This unit would be best used in a room of 200 square feet or less.

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Ideal for average-size rooms up to 400 square feet, this portable air conditioner features a 12,000-BTU cooling and heating capacity. During the cooling process, its self evaporating technology extracts water from the air that passes through the unit. Most of this water then works to help cool the machine for more efficient operation. Approximately 65 to 70 percent of water condensed evaporates out with the exhaust air, reducing the hassle of constantly having to empty the water tank. For the small amount of remaining water, the unit provides a built-in water tank with a drain outlet and a water tube. When the tank fills, the compressor stops operating and the power light will flash to indicate that the tank should be emptied.
The air conditioner also comes equipped with two fan speeds for fast or normal cooling, an LCD digital temperature display, full thermostat control, and electronic controls with a remote control. Choose between continuous operation or the programmable timer, which can be preset up to 12 hours. Other highlights include a 62- to 90-degree F thermostat, moisture removal of 65 pints per day, a washable air filter, and an activated carbon filter, as well as adjustable louvers to control air flow, built-in casters for convenient mobility, and an extendable exhaust hose (up to 5 feet). A window and wall exhaust kit comes included, and the air conditioner must be vented via the included exhaust hose. Please note, if the room has a heat source such as direct sunlight or computer servers, the coverage area may be reduced. Weighing 68 pounds, the air conditioner measures 16 by 15 by 30 inches and carries a one-year limited warranty and a five-year warranty on the compressor.

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