You get what you pay for with a refurbished unit
This thing is very heavy. They have that figured out though. You take the AC unit out of the frame, then mount the frame in your window, then install the big heavy guts of the system back into the already mounted window frame.
It's got a very basic Wifi remote, so you can control it from your smart phone. It's not however sophisticated enough to turn itself on in the evening, off at dawn, etc. At least not that i can figure out. No instructions whatsoever were included with my refurbished unit for using that Wifi featuer, but you can get it online.
The wattage figure is only approximate. it uses a little more than that when it first starts up, and then a little less after it gets going. Make sure you have enough current on your circuit to handle it. Plugging a 7 amp vacuum cleaner into the same 15 amp circuit is pushing your luck.
You might want to buy a heavy duty wall outlet to run this thing. The cheap builder grade units are likely to get a little warm pulling all the heavy current continuously. So build that into your buying decision.
If you're replacing an old air conditioner, it's reasonable to expect that ANY new air conditioner of the same approximate size is going to work much better, even at the same BTU rating. Those old units also get moldy on the inside. This newer unit was almost one SEER better than the three year old one that it replaced, so there is some additional incentive for you to buy a new one.
These high efficiency window units use condensation to help cool off the condenser coils. That saves energy, but also shortens the life of the system as the under water coils corrode faster. I got only 3 years out of my last LG, but it performed well during those years. I live in the deep south, so the unit is on much of the time for six months out of the year. I don't even bother to uninstall it during the winter, which I'm sure doesn't help extend the life.
The instructions for installing this AC unit are terrible. On the other hand no two window installations are going to be the same. I do however feel they could have done a much better job with the instruction manual. It's a very heavy thing, and required some extra screws to bolt the frame to my window sill. So now I have four new hols in my inside windowsill. Not what I was expecting!
The thing blows a lot of very cold air. I don't care what the specifications say, it seems to be as loud, or maybe even louder than my old 8,000 BTU LG unit. It also has some kind of VERY ANNOYING vibration problem that pops up in the middle of the night sometimes, and requires a good slap on the side to shut it up. I don't know what's going on there. These things naturally vibrate quite a bit during normal operation.
If you're on a budget, you can probably save money with one of these refurbished units. You get what you pay for though. It wouldn't likely be refurbished if the previous owner had a trouble free experience. Most every refurbished AC unit I ever bought had problems, but I can't afford new.
I'm a bit of a tightwad too. Even if you already have a good running central AC system, installing this in your bedroom, or any other room that you use frequently, could really help you take a significant load off your central AC system. This thing costs less than a basic service call for your central AC system. By the way, 12,000 BTU is considered one ton, so if your Central AC unit is for example 2.5 tons, then this 10,000 BTU unit will meet a third of your cooling needs. You can let it run all day to help dehumidify the air too, which works well in hot southern climates, especially in humid places like Florida.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Refurbished
