NewAir AC-12000E 12,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner

I was being optimistic when I was looking at the favorable reviews for this. Sadly I had to send this back to Amazon who took it back with no questions asked. The air coming out never got cool at all let alone the room itself. This was one of the better looking ones too so I was hoping it could do the trick - no such luck.Portable Air Conditioners are far from perfect (or their window counterpart) but I expected a lot more from this unit.I highly recommend going with a two vent unit if you are going to purchase one. I ended up going with the Whynter 12,000 BTU Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner which so far seems to do the job. However the Whynter is massive compared to the NewAir but at least if works.On another note the NewAir produced massive amounts of water byproduct. The Whynter only seem to make a little so you are not emptying it every hours and a half. Also the Whynter seems to expel more humidity out the window exhaust ports.I hope to updated this more once I get more usage.

This was my first portable AC unit. It works great and cools the room very quickly (my old window unit did not). It is a heat pump, so there is only one vent to the outside, so...cooler outside air is of no assist at all in helping cool the unit and boost efficiency.It's only real problems would be as follows:The noise...but that is to be expected from moving such a large volume of air (but I wish it had one more lower fan setting, I never use the high setting). Its as loud as those units found in many motel rooms. NOTE: If you want a quiet portable AC unit I recommend the Honeywell MN10CESWW 10,000 BTU AC (may no longer be available ) but this is: Honeywell MN12CES 12,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner with Remote Control - Black/Silver Because of this I have set this Newair unit at 4 stars and the Honeywell at 5 stars.The vent hose is very sturdy and rigid and can be insulated if necessary (You can purchase a $12 mattress pad, cut it to fit the length of the pipe and wrap it around using GE silicone to glue it together.). The compressor is 60% of the noise of the unit, which is noticeable when the set temperature is met and the compressor shuts down. If you want to hear a TV over the noise be prepared to crank up your volume.The second problem is that a single vent out the window creates a vacuum in the house and the room...so it will be drawing in hot air through every vent crevice and pore of your house (I crack open the top of a window in another room as fresh the air intake). This venting can be an advantage for people like me who find air conditioned air stifling no matter how cool the room is, so I actually like that it is drawing in fresh air from outside and keeping the stale air condition at a minimum. Its definitely better air quality than a window unit.The unit being a China unit (likely sold domestically in great numbers), has no instructions on operation, but most of it is intuitive. Some of the features are standard sleep timer, auto mode (sets the fan speed), and fan only.One thing you will notice is that the unit has a plastic/Styrofoam smell when its new. Its interior is insulated with high density Styrofoam. The smell has been fading at a steady pace for the past month. I expect that this will dissipate totally in a few months.Features:The ionizer button seems useless, but my air quality isn't a thick gumbo of toxicity and soot like China's air (but who knows air quality does drop when the heat goes up).The sleep time is good and sets one hour of operation for each push...and then will run for that amount of hours and then shut off.It is a very small unit...much smaller than cheaper units you see in the retail stores. This was important for me as I plan on storing it in a closet for most of the year. Its about 3 ft high and 1.5 ft square.It has many washable filters that slide out of the units intake ports, but because its interior air they stay clean.So far I have not had to drain the condensation from the pan, because the unit uses this water to cool the compressor and then vents the humidity out the vent.Overall its a very good unit, and I hope it lasts for a long time.For heating and cooling version of this heat-pump reference the AC-12000H.UPDATE July 2012: Unit has lost all of it's Styrofoam smell. I have found that it works better at cooling a larger space than my 15 by 15 foot bedroom (the air gets a little too conditioned - see above). It continues to work very well, but will struggle to cool my large space of 15 by 45 feet when temps are above 90 degrees F.

I bought this unit while suffering through one of LA's worst heat waves in 2007. My 1100 sq ft apartment (built in the 50s) has no insulation, no A/C and the windows barely open. I've measured up to 90F in the main living area during hot summer days - and 82F at night! It's been 5 years since I purchased this "life saver" unit and it's still going strong - never even needed maintenance so far. It keeps my large living/dining/office area pleasantly cool during hot summer days and I'm always amazed, how fast the indoor temperature drops the moment the unit is turned on. Even a drop of only 5 degrees F makes a big difference between not wanting to move around and break into a sweat, or being comfortable enough to work in the office area. I also like the adjustable part of the air output, which can be moved up & down, as well as left & right. Back in 2007 I got a really great deal with this unit ($399.95), including free shipping and no tax. Even my power bill is barely affected by it. It is a bit loud, but I'd rather have a little noise for a while than suffering a heat stroke. I can't imagine a summer without it anymore!Update 2015: It's now 8 years later and this A/C is still going strong. Not a single maintenance issue since I purchased this unit in 2007. I vacuum clean the filter once a year, that's all. 2014 was the hottest year on record in Southern California and boy did I use this A/C. It handled the many heat waves really well and provided a pleasant environment during a sizzling hot summer and fall. This unit is a must-have in my apartment.