They sure don't make em' like they used to!

[dustin92]

This is mainly a rant about a new crap air conditioner I have; if this interests you, keep reading! I have a 5000 btu "Perfect Aire" (pretty sure it's made by the same company that makes Frigidaire a/c's) window air conditioner in my bedroom to keep it sub-zero (ok, maybe more like 65) while I sleep and to supplement our aging central a/c unit. It has worked flawlessly since I bought it in 2011 to replace a whirlpool that was crummy from day 1. It has been maintained, filter cleaned, condenser and evaporator washed every year, taken out of the window in the winter and stored in a heated basement. It has recently started getting noisy- the fan bearings are starting to roar, the compressor is getting louder, and the whole thing vibrates in the window. It's just sickening how much we spend on these things to have them wearing out in such short time! It wasn't a high end unit, but was still $99 on sale, and I expected it to last a reasonable amount of time. It still cools, but for how long? I recently gave a similar unit that was given to me last summer to a scrapper because it had lost all it's coolant- it worked so-so last summer, and when I put it in the window this summer, blew hot air. I remember when I was younger, we had an air conditioner in our kitchen window that just kept going, and going, and going. We must have had it 10 years until we moved to a house with central a/c, and sold it. I've had a couple vintage-ish units that worked perfect at 25-30 years old! When mine croaks, I think that's how I'm going to go, just scan craigslist for a vintage a/c. Anyone else have the same problem or care to chime in?

 

[wayupnorth]

Want a 60 year old Fedders? Still cools fine last time I turned it on but at that age is Freon, not the R2D2 stuff of today. Will work best in a casement style window, so it wont work here for me. Free to any AW member that can use it and wants to come and get it. My 1980 ish Frigidare still cools my bedroom just fine and from the looks of the forecast, we are not ending summer right thru even next week, so I will watch the electric bill go up.

 

[cfz2882]

vintage much better than the china junk

right now I have a 1984 monkey Westinghouse and a 1998 emerson"quiet kool"in use;the westy just runs and runs,but the quiet kool did require a minor repair-condenser fan slipped back on it's shaft and began rubbing motor-made a groove in the shaft and added a snap ring,has been fine since.Some of the recent china junk A/Cs make a 10year old haier or LG look like quality...

 

[dustin92]

I'd love it but it's a bit of a far drive I only need a 5000 btu, probably even less would work.

 

[yogitunes]

the newer styles don't seem to be cooling as well....

first I put in a newer Maytag 10,000btu in the bedroom, the digital only allows to go as low as 66, its moderately cool in the room, but I can't get it to chill....cool to relax in, but not cold enough if you were moving around as in cleaning or doing a workout in there....the compressor doesn't seem to stay on long enough...

so I swapped it out for an older Fedders 8000btu, manual/mechanical adjustments, and I can now seriously freeze the room....

I just prefer the older units, even from the 80's and 90's....non digital....colder air and better control....

I also liked when Whirlpool supplied Kenmore with units, powerful and yet very quiet....and seemed to run forever, built solid too, these new ones today are formed out of Styrofoam, you can see daylight through the vents, not to mention outside noise....

 

[tomturbomatic]

The new stuff is like they used to say about Timex watches: replaceable, not repairable. I bought two of the last 8K Friedrichs made in the US in 2003, but they went to pieces over time and the thin aluminum fins were going bad so fast that the efficiency went to nothing. The fan motor went in one and the second one lost its charge. When it came time to replace them, I could have replaced them with $600 Friedrichs or $179 Chinese machines AND I COULD NOT BE CERTAIN THAT THE FRIEDRICH UNITS WERE MADE ANY DIFFERENTLY THAN THE EL CHEAPO SHTICK DRECK MODELS. If the Chinese units last even 1/3 of the time that the 2003 Friedrichs lasted, I will consider the price a fair one

The one thing I will warn everyone about is the absolutely shitty filters that are put in these. That little plastic screen lets a lot of dirt get sucked through the filter and into the coils. I bought a nice thick cut to size filter at Home Depot. It is sort of woven on one side with a sponge layer on the other side which is the side that catches the air first. I put those behind the POS plastic things and the thick woven/sponge filters really catch a lot of dirt.

 

[washman]

What should we expect?

We all want cheap so guess what? you got it!

Better products will be made when cheapskates will be willing to pay for them. It is that simple.

 

[dustin92]

We tend to keep the house 70-72 during the day, but I like my bedroom COLD at night- I would guess somewhere between 60 and 65. I had to adjust the manual thermostat's stop so it could be adjusted cold enough. That was done about 3 years ago or the thing would be gone already- it would barely cool below 70, and that is most definitely not cool enough for me to sleep comfortably... I sleep with my window cracked all winter!

 

[washer111]

As it was said in the thread about modern Central A/C, one of the things they've done is put undersized compressors with oversized coils to increase efficiency without actually doing anything "costly" for the end user:
- Using refrigerants that actually work in hot weather
- Improving on the technology in compressors and fan motors to increase efficiency
What the coils supposedly do is allow the same "capacity" of cooling - but in turn, it seems that the system's ability to dehumidify (removal of latent heat, which is CRITICAL in cooling balmy areas) is decreased as a result.*

I'm not sure whether its the refrigerants used; it is said in the automotive field that car A/C just didn't work after the change to R-134 in the 1990s, whereas R-12 could create glaciers. Systems that are "converted" to newer refrigerants not matching the properties of what it replaced were the worst examples of this. However, I've been in more modern vehicles where the systems either freeze or roast you.
Toyota's seem to have the best A/Cs, for example. It may be they size the systems better, or run the evaporator at "better" pressures (to blow colder air).
Other automakers, like Ford Australia, were renown for ineffective A/Cs. Part of this is the large dash space, and the other part is factory undercharging.

How does automotive A/C relate to window-shakers? Well, the factory undercharging, at least in Australia, was done as a cost-reduction method by Ford to perhaps improve the marketability of an aging, fuel-guzzling car by cutting its production cost, and therefore the retail price, if only marginally. The same may be said for cheap window units. If they were never charged right, chances are they'll never work effectively, no matter how well you maintain them.
A solution I've *heard of*, but not seen, is getting an A/C contractor to connect up a charging valve on the system (This was done for home refrigerators, it seems), and see if they can add more freon to the unit. You might be surprised at the difference this makes, if it works out. For such small systems, I can't imagine the cost would be all that great, either.

My only suggestions are either buy vintage, and prepare to make your power-meter (and yourself) dizzy with the electrical consumption, find a way to divert more air from the central A/C to your room OR find a manufacturer that produces high-quality window-shakers, then see if you can get them (over)charged with refrigerant, if necessary.

* This was my reading of that thread. Please correct me if I'm wrong

 

[toploader55]

Tom,

I am right there with you on the Friedrich Crap.

I remember that Panasonic made a quiet A/C years ago. I went to the Panasonic dealer here on the Cape to be informed that they are no longer making A/Cs.

"But, we are selling Friedrich now". I knew of their reputation for being a pricey unit and made in the USA. I bought an 8,000 BTU. Not paying attention as they loaded the unit in my truck, I drove home and installed it only to realized after I had it in the window that it was "Made in China". I was furious.

Well, Season #1 was good. Cooled well and quietly.
Season #2... The unit started to develop annoying vibrations. By mid summer, I slid the unit out of the case and tightened every single screw that was visible.
Season #3... More Vibrations that could not be remedied. The compressor kicks on and vibrates the entire wall. The case that mounts to the window before you slide the unit in is now rusting everywhere. Twice this summer I almost removed it from the window to replace it with some vintage A/Cs I saw on CL, but didn't have the time to drive 2 hours to pick them up.
The Landlord was supposed to put in the Split Mr. Slim type units in this year but that didn't happen. I have a 1971 Chrysler Airtemp that still works but the window is not wide enough. (Imagine a 6,500 BTU Unit that is so heavy and big, it won't fit in the window. And I live in a studio so there is only one window.

Taking a real good look at my Friedrich it is nothing more than a little steel, but mostly Styrofoam and plastic. I thought I was buying the "Kuhl" series until I saw the over $500 dollar price tag.

I will keep on the lookout for a unit from the 70s-80s at the end of the year for next summer. Done with anything brand new. Would love to find a Fedders Weather Wheel, but I don't think it will fit in the window. I know the right Vintage A/C "will find me".

 

[goatfarmer]

You paid $99.00 for it, and it lasted at least 4 years. What do you expect? Is it running constantly during the summer?

 

[iej]

Freon is no longer used because it causes ozone layer damage.

My concern is these cheap, badly made air conditioning and refrigeration units are releasing more gasses into the air and causing potential problems because they're so cheaply built that they're breaking down too soon and too regularly.

The expectation that an air conditioner should only cost $99 is the problem. You're getting something that resembles an air conditioner but due to the cost target, it's so cheap it can't last.

We're wasting metals, rare earth magnets and using tons of nasty chemicals to produce these devices. Most of the pollution is just occurring in China and places with lax environmental laws, poor workers rights and low wages.

I think in 50 years time, when we're trying to deal with the legacy of this era, we'll be looking back at how stupidly shortsighted this generation has been.

Cheap now = expensive later.

 

[retro-man]

I picked up a GE 10,100 btu unit earlier this summer for the bedroom when the central a/c was out. Electronic controls, temp goes down to 63 degrees. A lot of Styrofoam where metal used to be, but the unit blows out very cold air and has no problem getting the temp down to whatever it is set at. Not the quietest unit but does the job quite well. My only gripe about it is that it has at least a 6 degree swing in the temp for the compressor to start and stop. Don't understand this since it is all digital. It was priced at $319.00 from home depot.

Jon

 

[arbilab]

Not sure how relevant this is; I don't even know the BTU of these things. But I have a hotel/motel thru-wall. This building has 4 generations of these, roughly 75 of the nasty things, all same size and capacity, variously branded.

First thing you notice, the 'digital thermostat' has very little to do with the room temperature. A 'setting' of 70 produces anything from 71 to 78, measured within a vertical foot of the outlet in the horizontal middle of a small room. Also, since the thing sits a foot off the floor the temp where your head is while standing is substantially higher. Like low/mid 80s. It's designed to be tolerated in a hotel/motel setting for a weekend, not a longterm solution.

It flatlines-- won't reduce temp at all-- at outside temps over 96. It gets 106 here, the machine continually loses ground as long as the sun is out then gradually catches up until the sun comes out again. Thus the thermostat is irrelevant except from 3am to 9am. Rest of the time it never stops.

Mine is quiet. A low hum and whoosh. Some are very noisy inside and out. Some are even louder than that, usually just before they quit altogether.

Do know what they cost, $800. So if you've got one for $400 which doesn't work any worse than that, you're a mile ahead.

 

[kenwashesmonday]

I ran a 1956 Fedders until the chassis completely disintegrated from rust in the late 1990s. It was quiet and cooled like new until the end. The fan motor even had oiling holes.

We now have 3 modern window air conditioners: a super-cheap Haier 5000 BTU in the kitchen, a Sharp 10,000 in the living room, and a Sharp 5000 BTU in the bedroom. I'm very impressed with the new Sharp air conditioners. They cost a little more than the Electrolux-built crap, but I feel they're well worth the difference in price. I put the $98 Haier in the kitchen figuring it would get trashed from cooking anyway, but it's been chugging along for 8 seasons now.

I do take my air conditioners apart every 2 years to blast them out with Formula 409 and the garden hose.

 

[toploader55]

Ken,

Too bad you didn't have a New Chassis made for the Fedders. Sounds like the same year as my parents.

 

It would have been great to throw a new chassis under the Original Parts and see how much longer it would have cooled.

 

[tomturbomatic]

We all want cheap

because the corporations are not paying the workers to be able to afford quality things so they cheapen things by taking jobs away from North Americans and transfer them to turd world countries so that they can be sold cheap here to people whose income's buying power diminishes each year. At least the thieves in charge realize that the masses have to be kept fed, comfortable and entertained while being fleeced or there would be real trouble. This is why Walmarts replaced traditional stores and Macy's looks like a shlock house instead of a department store. Much like air travel, shopping has declined to two levels: steerage for the masses and first class for the carriage trade.

 

[dustin92]

Sure, when I bought it I wanted cheap, but these things are supposed to last! Looking back, I'd have happily paid $200 for one that would last 20 years or more. Granted, mine *has* been run a *lot*, (I don't think it's been off 24 hours since I put it in for the summer, and I don't think it's been off at all in a week or more), but 4 years? I would imagine it will last the rest of this summer and maybe next, but I doubt longer. Yes, the old ones use more electricity to run, but they do their job as well or better and last longer.. They aren't ending up in landfills after 5 years because they don't work anymore. I doubt any of these plastic and styrofoam electronic contraptions will be around in 30 years, while there are 30 year old (and older) units still chugging away!

 

[warmsecondrinse]

For one very selfish reason I'm glad that there is a $99 option for 5,000 btu window a/c units: They're MUCH lighter than the older ones! For several family members I do all the physical work solo. I told them all that there'll be no more big units: Each bedroom wil have a 35lb., $99/5K a/c in the window and we'll add to living areas as I see fit. I explained about he 'more efficient' units not dehumidifying as well as the older and that got them all on board.

The funny thing is, I felt mildly guilty for exaggerating the dehumidification problem beforehand. I actually understated the problem. Growing up there was one 10K Norge that kept the 3 upstairs bedrooms (sheet hung at top of stairs) 72F and the downstairs under 80F. That was the case until I bought my 5800 Emerson Quiet Kool in 1984 for my bedroom. NOW there are 2 5000 Haiers and a 6000 Carrier upstairs as well as an 8000 Carrier downstairs. They all had to be on 24/7 to keep the house comfortable when I was up last and it STILL wasn't as dry as with the Norge alone.

As for a preference for El Cheapo over quality, I think one factor that encourages it is that the younger generation has learned through experience that paying more simply does not get you the increase in build quality, performance, or long life one would reasonably expect.