Efficient, Convenient, Noisy
Written: Jun 01 '00 (Updated Aug 21 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Doesn't overcool, saves electricity, compressor protection
Cons: When room is cool, fan turns on periodically in Power Saver mode, Noisy fan
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| gsearle's Full Review: Kenmore 70088 Air Conditioner |
Ok, now that I've lived with this unit for a while, I have to make a change: I added "Noisy" to the title, because I often have to turn it off when watching TV or talking on the telephone. This unit is the same size as the 5600 BTU unit, so to get more BTU's out of it, it has to have a more powerful fan. Where the 5600 BTU unit is very quiet, even on "High", this 8000 BTU unit is rather noisy, even on "Low". After a few months of use, the louvres have started to rattle. Squeezing 8000 BTU out of this size also reduces the efficiency to just slightly lower than average for its class. If you want quiet with power and better efficiency, you really need a bigger box.<p>
On the plus side, I just received my first summer electric bill, and I am very happy! With the two new air conditioners, the bill is much less than with the single, older model that they replaced.<p>
This is the way air conditioners should be!
You set the temperature, and the computer does the rest. No more guessing where you should set a temperature knob that's marked 1-10. The Temperature, One Touch, and Power Saver features save a lot of electricity, especially when combined together.
Also, Compressor protection keeps the compressor from being turned off and then back on too quickly. The computer will wait 3 minutes before allowing the compressor to turn back on. This prevents pressure buildup from causing the compressor to seize, which can blow your circuit, damage the air conditioner, or even start a fire. There is no warning in the manual about this, because it's taken care of automatically (unlike other air conditioners). I think this is a very important feature, and most computerized air conditioners don't have it. Addendum: If the compressor does seize up, the computer will detect this, shut it down, and try again about a minute later. It will not allow the circuit to be overloaded.
The Temperature control turns on the compressor (the machinery that cools the air) only when the room temperature is higher that the temperature setting. When the room cools off, it turns off the compressor. If the room gets warmer again, it turns it on. Yes, this is obvious, but the computerized control is much more accurate than the mechanical thermostats found in other air conditioners.
The One Touch feature automatically controls the fan speed based upon the temperature. If the room is a lot hotter than the temperature setting, it will turn the fan on high. As the room cools down, it will drop to medium, then low when the room temperature gets within a few degrees of the temperature setting. The Power Saver feature even turns off the fan when the room reaches the desired temperature. It will turn back on every three minutes to sample the air, then turn back off if the room is still cool.
The best part is that the room never gets colder than you want it to be. You can set the temperature to 81 degrees when you leave the house, then drop it back down to 73 when you get home. With other, non-computerized air conditioners you either come home to a 90+ degree room if you leave it off, or a 55-degree room if you leave it on. The "set it and forget it" functionality also allows you to leave it on at night and not worry about the bedroom getting too cold.
This particular model is quieter than the old air conditioner that it replaced, but the fan does whoosh, even on the low setting. If you want an ultra-quiet air conditioner, this one isn't it--look at the 5,600 BTU model, which has a very quiet fan. The compressor noise in both models is almost inaudible. The efficiency for this model is a little below average for models in its class.
These models recycle the waste water that others drip onto the sidewalk. Most modern air conditioners do this. When an air conditioner cools the air, it also condenses a lot of water. This process consumes a lot of energy, which is wasted when the water is drained. Think of it; this cold water is just being dumped outside, when it could be used to cool your house, instead!
New models (including this one) solve this problem by spraying the cool water onto the hot coils that are trying to get rid of the excess heat that is taken from your home. This water evaporates almost instantly, helping to cool the coils. Imagine taking a dip in a cold lake, then standing in front of a powerful fan. Brrr! This provides a great leap in efficiency over the "water-dripping" models. Note: this unit will drip on very hot and humid days.
A note on cleaning: Sears will try to sell you an extended warrantee that covers cleaning the unit. A technician will come to your home every warrantee year to clean it. Note what they don't tell you; the instruction manual tells you how to do this yourself. The manual is very thorough, covering installation, operation, maintenance, yearly cleaning, and even contains a complete parts list.
This air conditioner has a Timer function which will turn the air conditioner on or off after the set time passes. It is can be set in half-hour increments. If you set it while the unit is on, the unit will shut itself off when the timer expires. If you set it when the unit is off, it will turn itself on when the time is up. This is very handy during hot days and cool nights. I set the timer during the night to turn the unit back on the next morning. This saves a little extra power, because the unit won't be sampling the air every three minutes during the cool night. There seems to be a glitch with this feature, however -- it might forget your power-saver and one-touch settings when it turns back on. It might be programmed to do this if the room is very hot, but I'd rather it remember what I had set it to do.
I can't comment on the durability, because the unit is only a few months old. Hey, it's a Kenmore -- I'm not worried. I also can't comment on the cleaning, because this hasn't come up yet. The filter is very easy to get to, though. I forget the exact price, because I bought this one and the 5,600 BTU unit at the same time, and the total was around $500.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
gsearle
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Member: Greg Searle
Location: Nashua, NH
Reviews written: 27
Trusted by: 10 members
About Me:
Computer graphics designer and software developer with interests in technology, home improvement, and family life.
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