Eaton Tripp Lite SRCOOL12KWTE Spot Cooler Air Conditioner with Ionizer and Air Filter 13 000 BTU 3 8kW

I installed this Tripp Lite SRCOOL12K Spot Cooler in our 11x11 ft server room, which houses multiple servers, an NVR, several network switches, an alarm panel, and various physical access security systems. Our space was running hot, and this unit has made a significant difference. Pros: Cooling Performance: Impressive cooling power - dropped our server room temperature by about 11 degrees within the first 1-2 hours Installation: Setup was straightforward and manageable for anyone with basic technical skills Noise Level: Despite some older reviews mentioning noise issues, I found it reasonably quiet for a portable AC unit (and it does have a quiet mode) Build Quality: Solid construction that inspires confidence for long-term use Cons: No Included Network Monitoring: Lacks built-in SNMP/network monitoring capabilities, and the add-on card costs nearly 1/3 of the unit's price Exhaust Solution: The included ceiling kit works but could be more elegant for professional installations without restricting down the exhaust size. Installation Notes: The unit comes with an adequate exhaust hose and adapter for drop ceilings. While the included plenum adapter would likely work fine, I opted to cut a hole and route the exhaust hose directly through our drop ceiling into an open warehouse space. I'm planning to install a through-wall duct attachment later for a cleaner appearance. Power Considerations: Make sure you have a dedicated 15A circuit available - this isn't something you can just plug into any outlet when it's working hard. Additional Purchase: I invested in the 3-year extended warranty through Asurion based on previous positive experiences with their service, primarily to avoid dealing with manufacturer warranty processes. Bottom Line: If you need serious cooling for a small server room or network closet, this unit delivers effective results. The lack of included network monitoring is disappointing at this price point, but we're working around that with our existing environmental monitoring system. Overall, it's a solid solution for keeping critical equipment from overheating without going to the complexity or expense of a mini split. Read more

This air conditioner contains everything you need to cool a server closet. Before installing this unit the room that houses our IT gear would routinely reach 88 degrees, clearly not good for your equipment. After installing this unit the server room stays at a cool 67 degrees. Our server closet is about 200 square feet with one telco rack worth of equipment in it. It comes with all the necessary parts to vent the warm air and condensation to a dropped ceiling. Our dropped ceiling is about 12 feet above the floor, and there was still a few feet of pipe left. Do not install this unit without venting the hot air, your server room will overheat quickly! Once the exhaust vent is properly setup all you have to do is plug the unit in, turn on the power, set the temperature and wait a few minutes to watch the temperature drop. The other portable air conditioners I was looking at were not designed to vent to a dropped ceiling, this one is and it was exactly what I needed. Full disclosure, I have only been using this product for a few days. Read more

I purchased this in May 2016 to cool a small 14 x 6 server room that has two ThinkServers and a few switches -enough heat buildup to be a issue but not enough to expect cooling to be a major problem. The first unit died in about 3 months, and Tripp Lite support was kind enough to ship a replacement unit. This cost me $50 in shipping & a week without cooling but I did learn some things which may help you. First, while speaking to tech support, I found out that this unit is only designed to run 4-6 hours per day. That could be a problem when it's 100 degrees outside, the office A/C is off for the weekend, your servers are spewing heat, and the temp is set to 65 on the SRCOOL12k. Lesson: The office A/C is still going to have to take on the majority of the cooling work. Second lesson. I had the first unit set to "high" and the thermostat set about 4 degrees cooler than the office A/C. I assumed it would cool down & then run intermittently after that. I was wrong. It ran constantly. I believe the issue is that it exhausts so much air from the room that it is constantly sucking in warmer air from the office & can never get ahead of itself. I now have the fan set to low & it seems to be doing a much better job. Third lesson. If you live in an area where humidity is a problem, run the hose. We bought into the marketing that this would evaporate the humidity in the exhaust. It overflowed on the weekend & made a mess. After that we ran a drain hose & it's worked well since. Fourth lesson. The SNMP module for this thing made it a lot more complicated than it was worth. Even after you get past the fact that you need an old in-secure version of java to run it, it seems to get confused. Simple is better. I removed the SNMP kit & am just letting it run with the front panel controls. I'll find another gizmo to monitor the temp & alert. Last recommendation: based on the first one dying after 3 months, buy the extended warranty. I considered numerous residential/commercial air conditioning units but went with this one because it seemed to be designed for the IT environment. I therefore assumed that it would offer better reliability & better controls than the other A/C units, especially with the SNMP module. I was wrong. I have other Tripp Lite equipment that works well but this is tarnishing the brand. I believe I would have been as well off or better off with one of the $400 units from the big box home improvement store. Summary: When it works it works acceptably well. Documentation is average at best. Some best practices/scenarios would really have helped. Support was good. If you are cooling racks there is likely value in the tubing that they provide to duct air into the rack. If you are just cooling a room like me you can likely get more cooling for your buck with a standard air conditioner. *** Update *** The replacement unit died in September 2017. No one fixes them, the factory warranty was over so I filed a claim on the extended warranty. Kudos to Square Trade, they don't fix them either but they did issue a check for the purchase price. I bought another room air conditioner at the local home improvement store for a couple hundred dollars less than this unit. Frankly the new one is doing a better job of cooling. We'll see if it lasts longer. Read more