Whynter Portable Air Conditioner 12,000 BTU with Dual Hose Dehumidifier & Cooling Fan for 400 Sq Ft Rooms, Includes AC Unit Window Kit Elite ARC-122DS (7,000 BTU SACC), Silver

7 reviews for Whynter Portable Air Conditioner 12,000 BTU with Dual Hose Dehumidifier & Cooling Fan for 400 Sq Ft Rooms, Includes AC Unit Window Kit Elite ARC-122DS (7,000 BTU SACC), Silver

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   LAguilera – July 18, 2024

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    Where to start? There is a lot to say about this portable AC unit. I would caution buyers to do their research before buying this unit.

   Pros:
   * Noise level, average to low, eventually becomes white noise in the background, you get use to it.
   * Cooling power, the unit cools an average size room well. I live in Palm Springs, CA and the temperature here can average 117 degrees mid summer. The unit does its job.
   * Overall, it’s an average unit, nothing extraordinary about it.

   Cons:
   * Fan speed, fan speed is low even at high speeds, which is probably what keeps the noise level down.
   * The AC unit, within a few weeks developed a loud rattling, like rustling noise, it turned out to be the loose carbon filter which flapped when the unit pulled air in, so the standard filter has to be cleaned regularly and the carbon filter securely placed or removed altogether. So far so good.
   * Water drainage and evaporation, this has proven to be a huge problem. The average temperature here in Palm Springs, CA is 117 degrees mid summer, humidity rarely goes over 40%. Over the last two days, this portable AC unit has stopped working every 50 minutes to an hour due to the auto shut off feature that turns off the unit when the water tank fills up. The water tank holds about 1 pint of water, about two cups. The AC unit will not turn on until the water is manually drained. The humidity was at 35% and the AC unit turned off every hour with the water tank full. Manufacturer says it recommends automatic water drainage via a set drainage hose. Here is the issue with that, 1. How can this AC unit produce so much condensation/water? Two cups every hour, a full tank? 2. The AC unit would have to be set on a high perch in order for the drainage port and draining hose to have the require gravity for the water to drain. Standard size drainage hose for portable AC is not included, I bought one and used a large bucket to have the drainage hose drain the water into it. The bucket is just under the water drainage port in height so it allows for proper position/gravity/incline to allow water to drain properly.
   * Just image the cost and the hassle to ship this monster back to the manufacturer, it’s large and somewhat heavy.
   * Overall, it would appear this unit is in need of much needed redesigning or is defective, it’s doesn’t seem possible for it to produce so much water, and yet it does.
   I would recommend to do your research before buying.

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   PAT – August 4, 2024

   Excellent

3. 

   Rated 1 out of 5

   Nick – September 4, 2024

   Very heavy. If you have stairs I would not buy. The window panel does not fit nor seal very well (I had to add duct tape). The hose fittings for attaching the hose to the panel are very difficult to remove, I broke one fitting trying to remove it. Cooling seem OK

4. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   That Tech Guy – September 5, 2024

   easy to install to any windows.
   powerful with 2 hoses.
   used in this summer. works great !
   noisy but acceptable as we do not operate it all night.

5. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   That Tech Guy – September 16, 2024

   This portable air conditioner works well except that the attachment to fit in the window is far to short and does not fit the groves in the window. I’ve had to duck tape the attachment in place, add cardboard to lengthen the window attachment and also use packing tape to close gaps to the outside.

6. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   LAguilera – September 25, 2024

   Before I get started, I’d like to say that I’m the type of guy who absolutely can NOT stand the heat. Anything over 80 degrees and I start losing my marbles. I get easily irritated, I get a bad temper, can’t focus, can’t work, and can’t think straight when it gets too hot at home. So when the recent heat waves were hitting California, I knew I had to buy a portable AC. I ended up purchasing this particular unit because it was slightly cheaper than the competition, and more importantly it had a dual hose setup which I wanted. Won’t lie, I had my reservations making this purchase, since so many things can go wrong with this type of product. However, when it arrived and I started using it, it’s been nothing but an icy blast thus far!

   So here we go with the details. The unit arrived, and I set it up myself without any issues. Took me about 30 min to get it all done. I noticed that the window board was pretty thin, so I put some extra foam behind the edges of the board to block some outside noise (kids playing in the courtyard). Additionally, I also put gorilla tape around the whole edge of the window board to prevent hot air from leaking into the apartment.

   After getting it set up, I let it rest for 24 hours (which you should always do with portable AC’s). I came home the next day from work and it was about 95 degrees outside. However, inside my apartment felt way hotter like a sauna/green room as it was baking in the heat with the windows closed all day. Immediately, I put this baby on blast at the highest setting, and set the temperature to 61 degrees which is the lowest. A short 10 minutes later, the apartment living room felt like it was livable again. An hour later, and I was in a cool paradise. I even set up a box fan that blew from my living room into my bedroom and to my surprise, this method actually cooled my room down to a sleepable temperature!

   The first two weeks I’ve had it I was super paranoid with the whole leakage situation. I would check back every 1-2 hours like clockwork to see if the AC was leaking water onto the floor. Part of my paranoia was caused by the dripping sound I hear within the unit. To my surprise, even after a month of use, I haven’t gotten any leakages! The self evaporating system seems to be working great thus far, at least in my humidity level. If you want to compare to your environment, just look up Culver City, California temperatures & humidity and you’ll be able to see what kind of environment my AC has been running on. Today is 86 degrees, with 53% humidity, and I usually have it running 6-10 hours a day. No leaks, and no drain pipe needed, at least not yet.

   There was one small issue I’ve had though. This is NOT a quiet unit. If you’re looking for something quiet perhaps for a baby’s room, this is not the one. It definitely runs loud. I don’t know the exact decibel level but when sitting next to it, it sounds like there’s a tiny lawn mower roaring next to me. I’m completely OK with the sound level, and it’s not loud enough to interfere with my discord calls, even when I’m sitting right next to it, so all is well. Plus, I’d rather my apartment be a little noisier but cool, than silent and hot lol…

   All in all, this was a magnificent purchase thus far and worth every dollar. It seems like each individual customer’s experience may vary, but mine has been great through this month of intense Cali heat. Would strongly recommend this product to anyone who feels like their soul is melting to the heat. Hope this helps!

   TLDR: Reliable unit so far, great cooling, easy assembly, no leaks, but LOUD!

7. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Yi Zhang – October 1, 2024

   I received the unit about a week ago and have already installed it but have not used it in a hot day yet. The air conditioner looks pretty good and is not too loud when working. My only gripe with it is that when it is not working there is noise like a fan and it is constant. I have it in my bedroom and it will be problematic. I have contacted whynter and I am hoping I can find a solution. I just don’t know if there is supposed to be a constant whinding sound even when the unit is off. I measured the power consumption when it is on standby and it showed 1.6watts. The remote is also nice but not intuitive and it doesn’t sense the air tempreture.