Portable Air Conditioner Review: PAC1201W Koldfront Ultracool 12,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner

Review of the Koldfront PAC1201W Ultracool 12,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner

Our master bedroom is a finished room over the garage and is approximately 300 sq ft.

In the summer, the heat rises from the garage into the bedroom and our central A/C just can't keep up, so we purchased this EdgeStar single hose portable air conditioner to augment the cooling power.

When in use, we set it on the lowest setting: 62 degrees. I would estimate that within a half hour the temperature will drop from the mid-80s to the low 60s (Fahrenheit). Afterward, the compressor cycles on and off as necessary to keep the temperature constant per your settings. The unit is fully capable of freezing us out (a good thing) if left on for long periods of time.

My wife and I were concerned about aesthetics, so rather than hook the exhause hose to our bedroom window (which is on the front of our house), we vent the hose around the corner into the hallway and close the door against the hose so that most of the hot air stays out. This method works surprisingly well for us.

(Side Note: Portable air conditioners like this one are mobile, but NOT light weight. Before owning one, I had imagined it would be like carrying around a space heater or some household electronic device. Wrong. It weighs 68 lbs, so it is definitely more akin to lugging around a mini fridge. Use the casters to save your back!)

The sounds it makes are "white noise" -- mostly air blowing and a brief rumble when the compressor kicks in. I'm accustomed to sleeping with fans on, so it doesn't bother me to sleep with these types of additional sounds. However, we have young children in the house and it is hard to hear the baby monitor at night. We only use the unit for about 30 minutes right before bedtime to cool the room down, then we shut it off and use the ceiling fan alone overight.

Lastly, the unit has multiple fan speeds and one way to make it slightly quieter is to set it on the lowest setting. However, I believe it won't cool as quickly or evenly on a lower setting.
Best Uses: Bedroom Cooling, Efficiency/Studio Cooling

Overall Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

Portable Air Conditioner Review: PH1-14R-03 Soleus 14,000 Portable Air Conditioner, Heater & Dehumidifier

Review of the Soleus PH1-14R-03 14,000 Portable Air Conditioner, Heater & Dehumidifier

Installation was easy enough. The noise level though is extremely annoying. Forget talking on the phone in the same room with it. The worst part is it barely cools a room half the size it claims to.

I purchased it to help cool down a room that is less than 250 square feet. It is part of an upstairs that is centrally cooled but stays a little too warm because it sits over an uninsulated garage. This particular room stays about 10 degrees warmer than the rest of the upstairs. Because it is on the front of the house, we wanted to avoid a window unit.

With the size and power of this unit, after letting it run full blast all night the room should have felt like wakling into a refrigerator, instead, it was only a little cooler than the rest of the upstairs. By mid-morning, it couldn't hold the temperature even that much. We ended up purchasing a cheap window unit from a local hardware store that was a fraction of the size (and noise) and got the cooling we were wanting.

Overall Rating:  2.4 out of 5 stars

Learn more about the PH1-14R-03 Soleus 14,000 Portable Air Conditioner, Heater & Dehumidifier.

Portable Air Conditioner Review: PAC1401W Koldfront Ultracool 14,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner

Review of the Koldfront PAC1401W Ultracool 14,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner

We have a little, hot server room that needs to be kept cool 24/7.

On average, we replace these portable air conditioning units every 2 years. We have tried other manufacturers, but this Koldfront PAC is the coolest (temperature wise) unit so far. If you need to cool down hot equipment, this is the unit for you.

Best Uses: Office/Commercial Cooling

Overall Rating: 4.1 out of 5 Stars

Learn more about the PAC1401W Koldfront Ultracool 14,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner.

Portable Air Conditioner Help: Can a Portable A/C Be Used in a Room Without a Window?

Product Question: Can the Koldfront PAC8000S 8,000 BTU Ultra Compact Portable Air Conditioner be used in a room without a window?

The Koldfront portable air conditioner, and all portable air conditioners, must have a way to vent hot air out of the room via their vent hose. This does not necessarily have to be a window, however, the hose does have to be able to get the hot air out of the room it is trying to cool.

A window is the most common way to do this, and this Koldfront unit and most portable air conditioners come equipped with all the parts you need to vent out of a window.

When a window is not an option, others who have purchased portable A/C's have made a hole for the vent hose on an exterior wall, vented out a door or, on higher BTU units in an office environment that has a dropped ceiling, some have purchased a drop ceiling vent kit. Venting with the drop ceiling vent kit is only recommended for units at least 12,000 BTUs or above though.

Learn more about the PAC8000S Koldfront 8,000 BTU Ultra Compact Portable Air Conditioner.

Portable Air Conditioner Review: AP14001HS EdgeStar Extreme Cool 14,000 BTU Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner & Heater

Review of the EdgeStar AP14001HS Extreme Cool 14,000 BTU Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner & Heater

I had borrowed a neighbor's portable a/c 12,000 BTU and I liked it, but had to run the fans to move the air around the house.

The EdgeStar AP14001HS is 14,000 BTU and is much stronger than the other unit. It moves the air much better and cools the house without use of fans to help. It may be different in the summer time, as it is much hotter, but at this time it is great.

I would recommend to anyone.

Best Uses: Whole House Cooling

Overall Rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars

Learn more about the AP14001HS EdgeStar Extreme Cool 14,000 BTU Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner & Heater.

Portable Air Conditioner Review: AP14000W EdgeStar Extreme Cool 14,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner

Review of the EdgeStar AP14000W Extreme Cool 14,000 BTU Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner

The EdgeStar AP14000W is a great unit for an equipment room. The dual hose design is good for efficiency. The unit does not allow much control over where the cool air is blown.

Best Uses: Garden/Shed Cooling, Living Room Cooling, Bedroom Cooling, Efficiency/Studio Cooling, Kitchen Cooling

Overall Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars



Learn more about the AP14000W EdgeStar Extreme Cool 14,000 BTU Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner.

Portable Air Conditioner Help: What is the Maximum Window Height Acceptable for Venting?

Product Question: What is the maximum window height acceptable for venting the Soleus PE4-12R-03 12,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner with Dehumidifying Function?

Also, is a "window adapter" for venting available for a sliding glass door?

Answer: The maximum window opening allowed by the window vent kit for the Soleus PE4-12R-03 is 55". Currently, there is not an extended window kit made by Soleus to fit this model available.

Learn more about the PE4-12R-03 Soleus 12,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner with Dehumidifying Function.