SPT WA-8070E 8000BTU Single Hose Portable AC

I bought the SPT 8000btu portable A/C several weeks ago. I am pleased with its performance and price so far in the hot 100 degree summer of Tucson, Arizona. It appears very well crafted and comes with a clear English instruction manual. This is a small unit and I suspect for many people it will be underpowered for their situations. It is underpowered for my situation as well but keeping my A/C bill down as low as possible while maintaining a modicum of reasonable comfort was my goal. I am not looking for frigid conditions. This unit does not do frigid unless you have it in a small enclosed room. To clarify, the air that exudes from the unit is indeed frigid but the volume emitted is limited by its size. The air output area is only 9.25x7 inches; less than the dimensions of a standard piece of office paper. This unit runs on only 900 watts; half the power of my Presto deep fat fryer. I have the SPT's thermostat set to shutoff at 84 degrees but it has never reached that temp and has never auto shut off. It runs until I manually turn it off. This indicates it is underpowered for my space but it does cool it down sufficiently for my needs. I recommend it be supplemented with fans as I do. My apartment has central heat/air but the vents lack louvers to open or close so all rooms are heated/cooled simultaneously whether you need it or not. This is most wasteful. Plus I have no idea how old, inefficient, or poorly maintained the central air unit on the top of my roof is. It's probably a rusty, inefficient, electricity guzzling relic. It does cool but at what price? I have a typical modest one bedroom apt in which the the small kitchen and living room is essentially one space, the square footage of which exceeds the specifications of the SPT unit. But I have it near my desk at the end of the living room and it cools nicely. The window kit extends sufficiently to fit the standard apt horizontally sliding aluminum window. The exhaust tube is like a compressed plastic slinky that can be stretched out but efficiency is best served by trying to keep it straight at its shortest,most compressed state (thirteen inches) by lifting the SPT onto a piece of furniture and placing it close enough to the window so the slinky does not have to be stretched (plus raising it is better since cold air sinks). Thus, there is only 13 efficient inches between the rear of the unit and the outside and less strain on the unit. It does exhaust a lot of hot air which I went outside to inspect with my hand. It is quiet and produces a subtle authoritative hum of quality when the compressor is on. My only quibble is that the connection of the slinky to the two adapters on each end (one on the unit and the other on the window unit) could use some improvement. It looks as if they screw on but they don't. The inside of the two adapters have two parallel ridges on which the ridges of the slinky catch as you push the slinky directly into the adapter. It took me a while to figure this out. So you have to wedge as much of the (slightly expanded) ends of the slinky into the adapter as possible, but there are no clicks or pops to indicate that the appropriate connection has been effected. It's kind of primitive and easily becomes dislodged. I used duct table on both ends to effectuate a better seal. I have yet to see my post SPT electric bill but am cautiously optimistic that it won't be drastically higher. So I recommend this if it suits your circumstances. If you need more cooling, you can opt for SPT's 10000BTU unit --- but your electricity bill may be higher.

My computers are in a 180 sq.ft. room on the second floor of my condominium. While my unit has central air, this room is always 4-5 degrees (F.) warmer than the downstairs. In fact, due to the design of the A/C air ducts, this room only gets about half the airflow that goes to another, smaller, upstairs room. In short, it has always been way TOO HOT, especially in the summer, and computers don't like heat. I bought this unit because of the rave reviews on Amazon, and while I am very pleased with my purchase, there are a few areas where my knowledge was lacking prior to my purchase. Originally, I planned on setting up this unit to use in two different rooms, at two different times of the day, but I soon discovered the casters are too small to safely move the unit with the carpeting I have (though the casters would work well on hard floors). Also, changing the window kit setup and the exhaust vent from one room to another would be way too inconvenient to do on a regular basis, so I quickly abandoned that idea. Here are a few more points to consider: 1. The unit is much bigger than I thought it was when I looked at the photo on Amazon. Be sure to check out the dimensions before you buy it (see photo). 2. If you have a window that opens by sliding the glass from side to side, and that window is recessed into the wall more than one inch or so, the four inch wide window kit that comes with the machine will not work without some modification. This is because the oval-shaped vent in the kit is about three inches wide, but it quickly flares out to a 6 inch diameter circular vent. In my case, I had to buy a 4 inch wide (1/2" thick) board to place in my window, just to the right of the window kit, along with additional weatherstripping, in order to make it fit in my window (see photo). 3. Whether the fan is on high or low, it is very noisy, especially when the unit is cooling. I could not even imagine sleeping in a room with this noise, unless the only choice was sleeping in a very hot room, then I'd have to get used to it. Keep in mind, however, that the fan runs continuously, whether or not the unit is cooling. It only goes off when you turn off the power. 4. The direction of the vent can only be adjusted vertically, not from side to side. 5. While the exhaust hose can be extended to a maximum length of 59 inches, the minimum vent height above the bottom of the machine is 12 inches, and the maximum vent height above the bottom of the machine is 47 inches (photo from the manual). Also, the vent should be free of any kinks. 6. The unit uses 900 watts of power (photo from corrugated carton). Nevertheless, with all of the above reservations, this machine really delivers the cold air and my room stays much cooler than before, and for that I am very satisfied with the purchase. In addition, the unit comes with a remote control with the same functions as those on the main unit. It is very convenient to use. One other note: there are two drain plugs on the back of the machine. The first one is located about 15 inches above the base of the machine. If you want to continually keep the machine drained, this is the only way to go. A one foot (approx.) clear plastic hose is provided for that drain, but it will also accept any 3/4 inch threaded hose (I used a 3/4 inch washing machine hose). I ran that hose into a large glass bottle by drilling a hole into the plastic bottle lid and inserted the hose's other end (very easy to do). Update: If you live in an area with low-humidity (as I do), you may be able to use the internal tank without it ever filling up. Unlike my instructions in the paragraph above, I no longer need to drain the tank as I am using the internal tank for the whole season without any problem. The other drain plug is located about one inch from the base of the machine. It holds the contents of an internal tank. You can use one drain or the other, but you wouldn't use both. If you use the internal tank and it fills up, the machine will stop emitting cold air, although the fan will continue blowing, and the display will give an error message indicating a full tank. This is what I am using now. If the unit ever fills up, I can easily roll the machine from my bedroom and take it outside to drain the tank. But if you have carpet, or if your machine is stationary, that may not be a good solution for you. I hope this review helps. Thanks for reading.

I spent a fair amount of time researching which portable AC unit to buy for my master bedroom and I decided on this SPT model. I have central AC but I wanted a unit that could keep my bedroom cooler at night than the rest of the house to save energy. It arrived on time and packaged so that it was easy to remove from the box. After you cut the plastic straps, the box lifted up and off eliminating the need to pick up the heavy unit. Set up was easy and the manual is well written. The only issue I had is that the exhaust hose does not lock in place all that well and I will probably add some duct tape for security. Operation is as advertised. It cools my 12' X 12' bedroom well, is reasonably quiet and the remote control makes operation easy form anywhere in the room. To assist in the distribution of air, I keep my ceiling fan on. As far as noise, it is about as noisy as any window AC unit with the slow fan setting adequately quiet. It has a nice sleep function that slowly raises the temperature of the room a few degrees while you are sleeping. I recommend this unit.

Purchase Date: 4/22/16 Review Date: 10/7/16 ☆PROS☆ When we bought this unit in April 2016 we were really impressed with how well it cooled the room. We had to fashion our own window seal/vent with a piece of plywood due to the plastic one that is included not giving us a tight enough seal. That wasn't a difficult thing to do and the vent works just fine. Our main reason for buying this rather than a window unit was for the seal. Window units let in outisde air, while this one wasn't supposed to. I have to say I am very impressed as it doesn't let in anywhere near as much outside air -- therefore working well for my extreme allergies. However, we still do have to turn it off if someone is cutting grass or burning a fire/grilling because if the wind in blowing just right it comes through. We've made a cover for the exhaust tube and once that's sealed everything is fine. I think for less sensitive people, this unit would be absolutely perfect. We primarily use it for our bedroom, but it has the ability to cool the hallway and living room if we set up fans to carry the cool air through our house. We live in the South and this unit kept us cool during even the hottest of days. I do wish there was an automatic shut off once it got to a specific temperature so when it's running at night we wouldn't wake up in an ice box, but again, not a massive issue. The noise, however, is. When it was brand new the noise level was tolerable.... That didn't last. Over the course of five or so months it has become increasingly noisy, rattling and vibrating, and sometimes becomes so obnoxiously loud that we've been forced to shut it off. ☆CONS☆ I wish the drain hole was easier to access. I have a very sensitive nose, so we're really good about draining it regularly because I can smell when the water is bad. Lately, however, we've noticed a musty smell coming from it (even while off) -- despite it not having old water in it, and despite the regular draining. Tonight we took the filters out and discovered MOLD growing at the top of the unit, away from the area where the water collects/drains. Upon closer inspection, it seems the entire unit has mold/algae in many spots. Many of those spots are impossible to reach and I don't know how we'll get it all clean. The tray where water collects isn't removable, and I'm concerned there is growth inside it as well. I am beyond disgusted. This explains why for the last two or so months I've been unable to keep my sinuses clear and why I've had constant headaches. I'm very allergic to molds (which is why we were very diligent when it comes to draining the unit), but it didn't even cross our minds to check the top/inside of the unit for mold. I don't know if this is a defective AC unit, or if all of these have been known to grow it, but buyers definitely should be aware of this! Five stars for great cooling and not pulling in outside air. Three stars for the noise and draining issues. Zero stars for growing mold.

The actual unit works great, buy saying the window fitting is frustrating to set up is an understatement. We had to saw off part of the sliding plastic part that adjusts to a window's width since our window is too narrow. All the foam and window strips do not seem to help much either, as we still have to use hand towels to seal the window up enough in various places (yes, the instruction guide - which doesn't have the best illustrations - was followed!). Do not expect to be able to easily transfer this from one window to another, unless you somehow purchase a separate window set for the second window. Otherwise, this puppy cools down our small apartment pretty quickly and is not as loud as I thought it would be. It does produce some sound as all air conditioning units do, but it's not an irritating sound. If you have even the slightest amount of humidity where you live, be sure to connect the drainage tube in the back and connect it to a large bottle or bucket. We live in Seattle which isn't *too* humid, but we get a lot of water runoff. Overall I like how well this cooling unit works, but the window adapter is a pain in the neck.

Ordered the SPT 8000 BTU Portable AC (with Single Hose) on 8/10/12 and with Prime got it next day Saturday delivery just in time for one of our hotter CA weekends so far this summer and glad we did. Set up was easy and was up and running in half an hour enjoying the fast cooling from this no nonsense portable. Installation instructions were clear, controls on the unit and the remote easy for us to understand. The one thing I wish they had on this is a "follow me" feature on the remote that sounds useful, but even without that extra we are very much enjoying our cool new machine (pun intended) and am seriously considering another one over a econo-window unit. The fan is loud on high (so you do have to leave the general vicinity to take a phone call or turn up the volume on the TV but I couldn't imagine any others not having the same affect) and just this side noticeable on low (very tolerable IMO), there is no in-between setting. Seems solidly built and practical for what you get and ion high this unit cooled a home office and bedroom (connected by a hallway) very well. The venting was straight forward, not sure about the draining yet for the condensation/water pan but it is fairly easy to access. Staying cool without too much fuss so this is highly recommended!

I'm very glad now I got this particular AC after LOTS of research. It cools nicely in a relatively small room (about 200 sq.ft.) I've been using it about 18 hours/day for two weeks without a problem. I don't think it's quite as loud as a window unit, but you have to turn up the TV some. I wanted a unit I could use in the living room during the day and my bedroom at night, so something really portable and easy to set up. Well this can be. The many complaints about the exhaust hose adapter not attaching well to the window plate are true. BUT, that one piece of bad engineering is easily fixed. There is no reason not to just glue the exhaust hose and adapter to the window plate. Follow the instructions to set up the unit. Once you've set the whole thing up to use the first time, just use some good glue, like GOOP, and permanently glue the hose and adapter to the window plate. The other end that attaches to the AC unit itself just slides in and out easily and securely. To move it to a new room (as I do each night), all I have to do is open the window, take out the window plate and glued on exhaust hose, slide the hose off the AC unit, roll it into my bedroom, put the extendable plate into the bedroom window and close the window, slide the exhaust hose back onto the unit and turn it on. Works every time, easily in five minutes. This AC does a very good job cooling down the room, but it's not instant. Takes a good half hour unless you're letting it blow on you, then it feels great immediately. I'd recommend it, plus the neutral color goes well in my house.

I was a little wary after some of the reviews because our apartment is large and open, with high ceilings, and I was afraid this unit would struggle to cool it. But I hooked it up with no problems. We're not allowed to put air conditioners or vents in the windows, and our apartment has only one window anyway, and then the whole wall of the great room/living room/dining room is plate glass with a sliding door. So I placed the unit in front of the sliding door and vented it out that way, with the sliding door open just wide enough for the vent apparatus. (You can buy kits separately for just the purpose of venting a portable air conditioner out a sliding door, actually.) I didn't put weather seal around it or make anything permanent, but it didn't matter. This thing works like a charm! To make sure I got good airflow I did place a stand fan in front of the air conditioner, at a 90-degree angle, and let it blow some of the cool toward the other side of the apartment. Within an hour we were cool and we've been cool since (over 2 weeks), even too cold a few times. We've been having super-humid 90-plus degree weather so I was surprised. I had expected this unit to maybe take the edge off but it cools the whole place like a charm. The only downside I can see is that my cat likes to jump up on it and change the settings, and that's more a failing of the cat than of the unit.