Amcor PLM14000E 14,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner Review
Amcor PLM14000E 14,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner Review from Sheun Olatunbosun. A very personal account of using this unit, (This is a lengthy review which focuses on a personal account rather than the features of the unit itself. It should provide valuable insight for those of you contemplating a portable AC purchase).
PURCHASE REASONS
1. I live in New York, there are typically 3 months a year of hot, and sometimes humid, weather. I need to cool a 300 square foot room.
2. In my living room, I have only one window wide enough to hold a window ac unit. I would hate to have my main vista view window obstructed by an ac unit.
3. On some days, it’s better to have an open window and use a fan.
4. I want selective room cooling.
SUMMER 2006 EXPERIENCE
A week into the purchase, I was feeling elated (”wow, this unit cools really well and it’s 80F outside”). Then that feeling turned to frustration (”damn, this circuit breaker is way too sensitive”). And finally, after a month of usage, annoyance set in (”damn it’s 90F and humid outside, this machine keeps shutting off every two hours and getting on all-fours to empty the water tank is a pain”…. “damn!!! it’s 2am and I feel hot’n’sticky but I’ve got to empty that tank”). By the end of summer 2006, I was so disgusted by the underwhelming performance of the unit that I vowed to either improve its usefulness or junk it.
PROBLEM
When the internal water tank is completely full, the unit stops working. On a very humid day, that can mean less than 2 hours of continuous operation. Appalling. Alternatively, you can fore-go the internal tank and use continuous drainage. Unfortunately, the drain outlet is an inch from the ground which makes it impossible to use a hose and bucket (since any drainage hose must run downwards). There must be a really good technical reason why the outlet is located at near-ground level, otherwise it is an incredibly stupid design flaw. Furthermore, the exhaust outlet (for expelling hot air) is situated 1 foot off the ground. How many window sills start at 1 foot height? Stupid, stupid, stupid!
SOLUTION
I elevated the unit by two feet. I placed the whole thing on a sturdy table. Warning: this unit is heavy so you need a strong, rigid platform. It also has wheels (which I didn’t want to remove), so the unit needs to be stabilized. I bought some pvc hose pipe (1 inch diameter) from home depot and also bought two buckets from some random store (each bucket holds five times as much water as the internal tank).
SUMMER 2007 EXPERIENCE
Besides a couple of circuit breaks, I’ve had flawless operation. I’m glad I now have a truly usable unit (which doesn’t demand my attention in the middle of the night). However, it required a lot of effort to get there (including my strength to raise the unit onto an elevated platform).
IMPORTANT POINTS
1. I did my research before my purchase but still felt like I initially bought a turkey. Many net reviews are very inadequate. There is either too much regurgitation of the units features or superficial user experiences (”wow, this unit cools my space really well”). For example, a seasonal user in Boston may have a very different experience from an all-year user in LA.
2. Pay attention to the EER rating. AC units are power hogs and the electricity bill can sky rocket.
3. Consider buying a powerful fan to circulate the cool air. It can make a BIG difference.
4. Don’t gloss over the noise levels. These units are completely within the cooled room so they will be noisier than comparable window units. I now use headphones to watch TV.
5. Have a REALLY good reason for choosing a portable unit over a cheaper, quieter, (better performing?) less maintenance window unit.
6. Pay attention to where you buy from online. You may need to pay hefty courier costs if you need to return the unit.
CONCLUSION
Portable units are a great idea but they are still in their infancy. The technology needs to be seriously improved before they can be considered the default option (over a window unit).
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we always use General Electric circuit breakers at home because it is very reliable’-;