Alen Portable Air Conditioner - C535
by Alen
(Click here)
Product Summary
Manufacturer: AlenBrand: Alen
Model: C535
Color: White
Product features:
- 12,000 BTU
- Extendable exhaust hose (length: 5 ft).
- Power Consumption Cooling: 1350W
- Air Volume: 283 CFM
- Operating Current: 12.4 amps
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Alen Portable Air Conditioner - C535
Customer Review: Alen C535: Does What It's Supposed To
Summary: 4 Stars
First off, this is the only stand-alone AC unit I've ever purchased, and it's the only one I've seen in action, as far as I can remember. Of course, I'm sure I've sat in air cooled by such a unit before, but how often do you pay attention to what kind of air conditioner someone else has? Anyway, the point of this is, I will not compare this to other stand-alone AC units, because I can't.
The Good:
- The unit works with my building's terrible electrical system. Before ordering, I was worried about whether or not the C535 would cool my whole apartment, and whether or not my electrical system would be able to handle it. I live in an old studio in New York, with, of course, and old electrical system. I have to turn off the fans and the TV before I can use the stove or the circuit breaks. To my surprise, the C535 doesn't seem to strain my system anymore than my stove does. I can't have everything running at once, but I'm not sitting in the dark.
- The dehumidifier works splendidly. The main reason I got the air conditioner was to remove the stagnant, stale, and humid air. Within about 30 minutes of turning it on, I noticed that my throat felt dry and I needed a glass of water. My apartment is drier, cooler, and even smells better.
- The water tank fills rather quickly, so I have to empty it once a day. This is a good thing because it's just so easy to do. Pull a plastic handle, empty the reservoir, push it back in.
- I feel comfortable having a 1 year warranty from Alen. I haven't had anything go wrong with this unit, but it's nice to know I've got some worry free time.
- It's not very noisy. The unit is less noisy than my fan set to high level. It's definitely noticeable at first, but quickly fades into the background.
- Set up, aside from the horrible window kit (see below), is very easy. Just plug it in and push "Power". That is, of course, once you move this behemoth into place. It's around 90 pounds, so get a friend to help you lift it out of the box. There are built in handles and well oiled wheels to make things easy once the unit's on solid ground.
The OK:
- I don't know how long other units would take to cool my apartment. This unit does it, eventually. I've had it set to 64 degrees for about 20 hours. It's now probably in the low 70s in my apartment. It's certainly better than the humid 90s it would be otherwise though. I don't know if I just have hot air leaking in somewhere, or if the unit just isn't strong enough, or if I'm expecting too much from air conditioners in general. My apartment is less than the advertised maximum square footage, and has low ceilings, by the way.
The bad:
- The window kit simply sucks. Most of the pieces don't lock together in any way, and the one piece that does lock to its mate does it very poorly. I spent half an hour trying to get the window kit to sit in my window properly, but pieces became detached or the whole thing fell out completely every time I turned my back. I ended up just sticking the exhaust hose in my window and duct-taping it in place. Needless to say, this isn't what I would have preferred.
- The exhaust hose stretches to only 5 feet. A lot of people might think that this is more than enough length, but I don't. The reason that I bought this unit instead of a normal window unit is that I live in a basement apartment, and therefore my windows only open up by about 8 inches max. Also, my windows are up by my ceiling. A 5 foot hose means that I have to have the unit directly underneath my window in order to reach it with the hose, and there's no room to move it anywhere. I have had to rearrange everything in my apartment to accomodate it, and now I have a huge eye-sore right next to my bed. It would have been nice to have, say, a 10 foot hose that I could have some room to maneuver. I think that a lot of people who buy portable AC units do so because they don't have standard windows or something similar. As such, I think Alen should really have provided these people with a bit more leeway.
Description of Alen Portable Air Conditioner - C535
One of Alen's largest portable air conditioners, the AC-535 is the powerhouse of Alen's collection. Designed to cool and condition air in rooms up to 535 square feet, this incredible unit is the professional athlete of air conditioners. Not only does it move easily from from room to room, it's versatile and talented enough to cool and dehumidify any room in your home. And it does it all with hardly a sound! The AC-535 is quiet enough to use anywhere and the low profile design means that no one will know it's even there! But it gets better. The AC-535 has outperformed other models in its class, making this portable air conditioning powerhouse your best match! Two water drainage options: removable water tank or continuous drainage. Self evaporating technology. Standard plug for use in standard household outlets. Digital temperature display with full thermostat control and remote-control operation. Temperature display in F or C. Quiet, efficient cooling for any room, with no permanent installation. 3 fan speeds for fast or normal cooling. Washable air filter that collects large dust particles and prevents bacteria build-up. Casters for easy mobility. 24-hour programmable timer. Directional air discharge louvers. Warranty: One year limited. Not available for shipment to Mexico or Canada.Portable Tools
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