Whynter SNO ECO-FRIENDLY 13000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner Review

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List Price: $575.00
Sale Price: $535.49
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I ordered this unit thinking it was what I wanted for my upstairs bedroom because I wouldn't have to give up one of the two windows and then could move it to the extra room while sewing. I live in MA and it worked fine the end of June, beginning of July. It cooled the room in no time at all. We then had a cold spell and didn't use it til August when it became brutally humid. I woke up after 2 hours of use and it shut itself down. Found out that the reservoir filled up. I drained it (which isn't easy since the drainage hole is very close to the floor) it turned on by itself and then in 2 more hours did the same thing. I contacted the company.

This is what they said: "Thank you for your purchase of the Whynter SNO ARC-13W portable air conditioner. Can you please put a pan under the drain plug of the air conditioner and remove the drain plug at the back of the unit? Once all water is drained out, the air conditioner should come on automatically.

Please make sure that the exhaust hose is not blocked or bent and able to vent the hot air with moisture to the outside. It is common that the unit is not able to exhaust the moisture collected if your room temperature is low or if the outside is raining or extremely humid. Also, sometimes when you first start running an air conditioner, the self evaporating system may not function in full capacity.

Also, you may want to set up the air conditioner to have continuous drainage by inserting a drain hose to the drain spout if you live in a humid location."

In order to put a pan under it, I had to elevate it on blocks. The pan filled up every three hours so I had to set my alarm to empty the pan.

The company offered a drainage hose but because it doesn't have the capability of pushing out the water, I would have to elevate the unit above the bottom of my window as to put the hose out the window. I contacted them again.

This is what they said: "Thank you for your reply. In order to set up continuous drainage, we recommend to elevate the air conditioner. We can send you a continuous drainage hose which you can connect to the drain plug of the air conditioner. to drain out the moisture continuously."

That defeats the purpose of "portable" so I guess if you live somewhere where it is very humid, this may not be the unit for you.

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I've owned and used several portable air conditioners over the years and I'm truly surprised at the speed of innovation over the last several years. Now it has come to a point where portable units have moved beyond your functional clunky beige contraption to something that has been designed to subtly blend into the surroundings. After deciding between this and a Delonghi (yes, I've finally arrived now that I can afford high-end appliances!) I decided to go with the more compact unit that was at a more affordable price point. I've been using this for about a month now and have been completely satisfied with nearly all aspects. One little gripe that I have, is the absence of handles on the side, it definitely is heavy too. It does however churn out very very cold air, look extremely slick and is a snap to use. The remote control has a myriad of functions that I will eventually use one day but for now, I just need the icey relief from a hot spring day.

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Great unit, I bought it to cool off the upstairs hallway and bathroom. It actually cools off the whole second floor of my home which keeps the downstairs cooler. Most portables have to be emptied everyday but this unit doesnt need to be emptied for at least a week (I know hard to believe). I like that it has two intakes on both sides and they are easy to clean. It isnt as heavy as my other portable units. I didnt have any problems with shipping. I am really happy with the unit, as a matter of fact, I am buying another one today and throwing out the old one that leaks all over my floor!

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This is a great little air conditioner. I was skeptical about buying a portable A/C due to the many complaints I've read about them, but due to the restrictions in my NYC co-op prohibiting window air conditioners, a portable was my only choice. I bought this to supplement the mediocre central air in my apartment, which is both too weak for the space it's supposed to cool, and not activated in time for the season's first heat wave. This usually happens in late April or early May and forces me out of my un-air-conditioned apartment for a few days.

I was able to hook this unit up quickly. I had to cut the plastic window assembly, which was too long for the width of my window, which was easy to do with a metal ruler and a utility knife. I also had to seal up the edges where the assembly meets the window frame, which I did by cutting some foamcore strips to the right width, covering them in black duct tape, taping them to the top and bottom of the plastic window assembly, placing the assembly in the window, and sealing the joins with more black duct tape. Using duct tape that matched the black window frame made it look neat and seamless. Aside from buying the materials, it took around 30 minutes total to get this out of the box, hooked up and working.

This unit emits a steady stream of freezing cold air, taking my apartment down from the 73-76 degrees provided by the building's unit to around 65-68, which I find much more comfortable. So far I've left it on most of the last 3 weeks and haven't had to empty it yet. The cooling is most effective near the unit, which I keep near my desk and bed, and less effective across the apartment in the kitchen, which is closed off allowing less circulation, and has a refrigerator emitting heat into the room.

The unit emits about the same amount of noise as a large fan. I find this easy to sleep to. Whether or not the compressor is on or off, the noise level is about the same. This unit is one of the smaller portable air conditioners I've encountered, which should make it easy to store in the winter.

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Much can be said about this unit but I will keep it short.

It does what it's supposed to. There are plenty of features on it.

The weight is impressive. I read that it was heavy but for it's size, it's...heavy.

I was lucky that the unit arrived in good condition. Due to the weight, I believe it could be shipped with more protection and I can see how others received broken units.

This thing runs constantly. I live in a dry climate so I don't have to empty any reservoirs. It's still keeping things cool. The filters are easy to get to and clean.