newer a/c units?

[spookiness]

I saw the earlier vintage a/c thread and thought I'd throw open a discussion of newer ones.

Anybody had any good experiences? The general consensus is new ones suck, but whats the lesser of evils.

I like Friedrich on paper, but they aren't available in my area.

I have a new 10k btu Frigidaire, a 5(?)yo 5000 btu Frigidaire, a 3yo 8000 btu LG, and a 5+ yo 5000 btu Gold Star.

10k Frig- VERY noisy, in living room. I wish I'd returned it when I still had time. Consumer Reports ratings mean nothing...
5k Frig- noisy but tolerable, my bedroom
8k LG- basement, fairly quiet. I should have tried a 10k LG instead of the Frig
5k GS- guest room, very basic, low-end with manual controls, probably the quietest one, but air flow seems a bit weak

My house (except for basement) does have central A/C, but it developed a vibration problem (its on the roof) and I'm not going to bother with it for now, because in a few years I need a new roof, and at the same time I would like to totally reconfigure the central a/c arrangement, which wasn't really done right the first time.

 

[jaytag]

New AC

Well in my opinion, I would look on CL to find someone selling something that is 5 yrs or older. Most every new AC comes from Korea or China. The only one left in USA is the larger model Friedrichs. Friedrich has started to source out their line of 5 k and up, they are more of a value line. I have been told the average life of a new ac is 3 to 5 yrs. I had a Frigidaire and sold it, you are right too noisey.

 

[autowasherfreak]

My roommate just bought two Haire 5K BTU's one for his bedroom and one for the living to help the Climette on very hot days. They are very quiet, but weak air flow. For some reason they put a vent on top on the outside and when it rains it fills up with water, and they don't drain very well either.

When I was living with my mother I bought us a Whirlpool 10K BTU in the early 80's and it was quiet, great air flow, and it would freeze us out of the living room if you set the thermostat at the highest setting.

 

[douglasdc6]

Sears

L&G makes window units for sears - I`ve spent many hours looking at reviews & they are up around 4 to 5 on the scale

I recently bought the following.

1. 1.5 ton
1. 1 ton
2. 5,300 btuh
2. 10,000 btuh

Very pleased with the performance.

Please keep in mind frigidaire uses foam dividers while L&G uses plastic .

We also drill holes in the pan to keep condensation from hitting the condenser coils - The pan & coils last longer this way .

 

[launderess]

Find Yourself a "Vintage" Friedrich

At least five or so years old, nothing with the newer digital controls. You cannot beat nor kill these units.

Our "WallMaster" from Friedrich was built in 1997 and is still going strong. About once ever two years or so it is pulled out of the wall and given a good cleaning, along with a few drops of oil in the motor. Rated at 10K BTU's it will cool a good sized room and drain off the humidity as well.

Our area has had a very humid/damp and sometimes hot to very warm summer and friends with newer ACs, even the new Friedrich's complain they cannot get their rooms cool enough. Some even with separate fans running cannot feel comfortable. Also notice many newer ACs being chucked out after about 2-5 years of service (if that), which considering NYC weather means they are only used three to four months of the year, that is saying something.

Search CL or fleaBay,there are always older ACs on offer.

 

[jetcone]

Two years ago I bought 5

of the little 5,000 BTU LG's! I LOVE THEM! They were $89/pc at HomoDepot!

Last summer I ran them continually and my electric bill jumped only $100 for the season, almost 3 months!!!

I start them ahead of a heatwave and I run the Hunter fan's with them which makes a huge difference in efficiency!

I'd buy them all over again!

 

[maytagmark]

No more USA made Friedrichs

I read a article awhile back about Friedrich moving their operations to Mexico,I've always liked Friedrichs,very good quality,made here in the USA in San Antonio, TX. Who knows better about heat? The fan motor went out on my '97 Quietmaster,No oil ports,it would still be working,So I bought a newer Friedrich that is a about two years old, I noticed the LG compressor but it has the same fan motor so if it dies the fan motor will go into the older made in USA tanklike unit with the full size compressor

View attachment maytagmark++8-21-2009-00-21-14.jpg

 

[steve1-18]

Emerson Quiet Kool

I remember when I lived up in NY [circa 1968] next door neighbors had an Emerson Quiet Kool window unit in their bedroom. The bedroom window faced our side yard and I was amazed how quiet it was. Could barely hear the buzz from the compressor and the fan was silent. I did a search for Emerson Quiet Kool and from what I could gather: Emerson Quiet Kool Corp was closed in 1993 after it was purchased by the Fedders Corp. Fedders still produces product with the EQK logo.

 

[toggleswitch2]

I got rid of my very modern ones for two 80/90s Panasonics with a side(interior) air discharge.

Quiet as a chuch-mouse.

Mother Toggle's newer GEs also have a side-air discharge and are quiet. I do recommend any units with a side discharge (As opposed to the majority which blow out "cold" from the top of the front).

Those $89 and up Chinese/Korean thingies now sold are horrendously noisy.

 

[steve1-18]

Korea or China??

I bought a Hampton Bay AC {at Builder's Square}[made in China] 22 years ago. It is a small 5000 BTU thru the wall unit that I had my builder install in the Master BR. After 22 years, it still runs fine.

I figured in spring and fall, I don't need the central unit and this was just fine for me. Additionally, I used to work nights and slept during the day, so I could keep the bedroom cool a lot cheaper than running the central unit.

 

[charbee]

We live and die by our AC units here. We have four separate cabins (approx. 500 sq.ft.each) and a small (800 sq. ft.) farmhouse (built in the 1920s) to cool. Each of the cabins has a big 220V unit installed in-wall to save window space, and the farmhouse has units in-window. In the last five years, we've had to buy four "new" units for the cabins, and we've gotten the 18.5k "LG" (or "Hampton Bay") units from Depot (they were $360 a pop, now $460!). The farmhouse has two smaller (10k) 110V units, one top discharge and one side discharge, of the same ilk. And even though 18.5k might seem "big" for a 500 square foot space, it's really barely adequate for our hideous summers.

All the "new" units are shoddily constructed...flimsy bottom plates that flex at the slightest provocation and cause the cheap plastic squirrel-cage fans to hit the cheap styrofoam that serves as the "inner case"...the compressors are pure garbage. Had to replace one already (only 3 years old) because the coils started to deteriorate and the compressor began to be so loud we couldn't stand it. The fan motors have NO oil ports, so there is no way to keep the motors oiled. Pesky "electronic" controls, too.

The only good things I can say about them are that they are lightweight enough that pulling them in/out of the wall for cleaning is fairly easy, and they "work" fine, but I can tell they aren't going to last 10 or 20 years, like a fine older unit. And yeah, the remote control is pretty nifty, but there will be no easy replacement of switches/thermostats.

In our kitchen cabin, I've got a magnificent old Sears that's one of the last of the "old style" units from the early 90s. Huge. Solid...the entire cabinet made of steel, and it dissassembles completely for cleaning/maintenance. It weighs as much as two of the "new" ones combined. I ordered a thermostat and main switch for it this year (thank you Repair Clinic!), and it's solid as a rock. As long as I can pull it out of the wall enough to oil the motor once a season, that thing will keep running until long after I'm gone. I guess it's to our credit that we're frugal enough with the settings that our five separate electric bills total less than most folks with a modest-sized "modern" house with central AC.

I guess it's difficult for folks "up nawth" to understand just how brutal summer is here. While y'all might need an AC for a month or two, we HAVE to have it running pretty much full-tilt-boogie for six months out of the year. Summer for us is like a harsh winter for y'all...you literally can't go outside for at least four months out of the year. We can open our windows and be comfortable with just fans about two months out of the year. Heaters here are an afterthought! We get by with those simple little all-metal "utility" heaters from WallyWorld.

This year has been particularly vile, and it's the second year in a row we've been dealing with it. No rain, and we just hit the 60th day of temps over 100 degrees since MAY. And this weekend it's supposed to be heat index of 109, no real relief in sight for us until October. All our biggest trees (50-foot tall shade trees we've depended on for decades) are dying. It looks like someone took a blowtorch to some of the plants we planted this spring, and with "water restrictions" in place and becoming mandatory, we can't even water things enough to keep them alive. There are "water cops" who go around and ticket people who are trying to keep their plants alive, and they are encouraging "neighbors" to turn in those who water.

So yowzah, we're more than a little envious of you folks who just experienced the "coldest July on record" !!!!!

 

[douglasdc6]

If the water cops are out.

Why not use wash water for watering youre plants .

I`m using the a/c condensate from my central a/c unit to water plants - I just fill up buckets with it.

Just a thought.

 

[yogitunes]

yeah....collect wash water and water from showers and use that water areas as much as needed....plants and grass love the soapy water...big time

even put a few barrels under the down spouts to collect as much as possible when it rains

every little bit helps

 

[launderess]

Summer Finally Arrived in NYC With A Fury

Past week has been a killer, and am that well pleased with my old Friedrich AC. Thing will cool down things nicely and remove much of the dampness. IMHO it does so far better than newer units including those on offer by Friedrich.

Am really sad that air conditioners like other appliances have turned into cheap tat, made to be disposed of in a few years. Tragic.

Wonder when the federal government will wake up and factor in to "being green", the cost of production for new units to replace the cheap ones that have broken, not to mention resources spent by consumers shopping for and shipping replacement appliances.

 

[charbee]

We've got rain barrels set up at the corners of the cabins and we do water with the wash water, so we do as much as we can to subvert the drought...it's just that we haven't seen this sort of extreme in over 20 years.

And yes, Launderess, it's indeed a sad fact that appliances have been turned into just another cheap commodity to be thrown away in 3 years...knowing how it used to be is such a double-edged sword...I'm torn between being grateful for having been alive when things like these were made with quality and a sense of purpose (and knowing what that means), and feeling as though that were a curse.