Compact, quiet, and cools the room
Just installed this air conditioner. So far, it's working great. I had to get this model because it required the least window height clearance of any quality conditioner that I can find. My older home has storm windows with high base frames, which are a couple of inches higher than the interior window sill. As a result, I had to raise the height of the interior window sill (3 boards nailed together) nearly 3 inches so that the air conditioner could fit over the storm window base frame. This doesn't leave much clearance room with a double-hung window, and this unit fit...just barely. A few notes: 1. The adhesive strip which applied to the bottom edge of the window is very sticky and very fragile. If you get any bit of it stuck on a fingertip, that part will break off from the main strip. 2. The manual has not been updated to match all features of the unit; e.g., it says that the remote control requires one battery. It requires two. But the main installation instructions of the manual still apply. 3. Make sure that the screws for the side panels are applied so that they're invisible from the inside. 4. The unit no longer comes with a drain . Apparently, newer air conditioner models have dropped this "feature." I'm not worried about this because I live in the relatively non-humid west coast. But if you live in a high-humidity area, you should be sure that the unit tips backward a bit towards the outside so that any excess condensation can drip out the back. 5. The remote control is basic. It would be nicer if it would provide a visual indication of temperature setting, fan setting, etc. 6. My window is about 40 inches wide, which exceeds the 35" expansion of the side panels. I covered the open spaces on each end with a piece of 1" thick Owens-Corning foamular (rigid foam insulation). In fact I filled the entire space between the window frame edge and the air conditioning unit (which completely covers the side panels). Cut the foamular a tiny bit bigger, and you can "force" the foam piece into the space with a little pressure; the foam will thus stay firmly in place and effectively block all the open spaces. If you don't want to buy an entire 4'x8' sheet of the foam, Home Depot sells a 2'x2' square for about $6. If you still have tiny open cracks around the foam, a little piece of masking tape will cover any gaps. 7. With the unit in place, my open lower window almost touches the top of the window frame. This means that there is insufficient room to install the included L-bracket as an added protection to prevent the window from being opened further from the outside (e.g., by an intruder). I simply drilled a hole completely through the front window frame and halfway through the back window frame, and then I pushed a big nail into the hole to prevent movement of the window. 8. Some reviews complained that the unit is too noisy. I, however, feel that it's as quiet as a window unit can possibly be. The compressor makes MUCH less noise than my 14,000 BTU Whynter portable air conditioner, which Good Housekeeping ranked in 2018 as quieter than other units on the market. 9. Outside sounds are now more noticeable when the conditioner is not running. This is unavoidable given since I can no longer close the inside window and the outer storm window. If the sounds of crickets bothers you at night, you're probably out of luck. Read more

















