Whynter ARC-14S 14,000 BTU Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner, Dehumidifier, Fan with Activated Carbon Filter in Platinum and Black plus Storage bag for Rooms up to 500 sq ft

10 reviews for Whynter ARC-14S 14,000 BTU Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner, Dehumidifier, Fan with Activated Carbon Filter in Platinum and Black plus Storage bag for Rooms up to 500 sq ft

1. 

   5 out of 5

   B Bear – January 23, 2020

   We originally bought a different brand which was a single hose that worked for an hour, then we felt the vacuum effect of sucking in hot humid air so the house actually got warmer the longer it ran!So we bought this 2 hose Whynter and it works much better!The intake hose eliminates the vacuum effect, and the air temp i measured coming out of the ac was in the 50’s!We wrapped both hoses with Reflectix DW1202504 Spiral Duct Wrap bought on Amazon, and the exhaust hose temperature was reduced from 105 to 77! So that eliminated any residual radiator effect in the back of the AC unit!It seems none of these portables have a stong fan blowing out the AC, the Whynter is pretty good, but about 5 feet away you can hardly feel the draft, so we put a pedestal fan in front of the unit blowing the cold AC out farther into the room, and it improved the cooling immediately!So with a pedestal fan in front, and the 2 hoses wrapped in the back, this unit is working very efficiently!Will it cool down a whole house, not likely, but it should easily take care of a large bedroom, game room, etc. if you have any insulation at all!This is a review from a Florida buyer who’s seen a regular daily shade temp of 100 with high humidity this year, so we put this Whynter through a tough test!We also bought (and suggest) the extended warranty cause if we have any problem, we don’t want to pay for shipping (gotta be over $100.) this heavy item back to the company for ‘free’ repair! Just remember you need to save the original boxes the AC comes in to ship it back for warranty!Whatever your decision, if you go portable ac, buy a double hose one cause the single hose ones are useless!Update, 2nd year still going strong, no problems, and even with the Florida humidity we don’t have to empty out any water! We stored the unit in our attached garage in its cover that was included with purchase, keeping the unit clean!

2. 

   5 out of 5

   Michigan Dad – March 24, 2020

   Initial review:Received unit. Per others suggestions, I made my own window insert out of 3/4″ plywood with the holes further separated. I then used window foam sealer to fill the gaps to the window frame and I caulked around the holes cut for the hose inserts to the plywood to be airtight to inserts. I covered the hoses with insulated hose covers from home depot, and fitted an filter in the air intake from outside. Whynter provided a carbon filter for the air intake going into condenser from inside air which is exceptionally thin and folded in half. At first I thought I only got half a filter till I realized it was folded. So, unfolded and inserted. Unit ran flawlessly first few nights keeping room cool.Updated review after day 3:Purchased Whynter air intake filter which clips into the unit before the air intake hose and provides an added screen. This is when I realized the clip in areas allow air leaks. No biggie on air intake but air removal then puts heated air into the flow of air going through carbon filter and being used for room cooling. A little bit of duct tape solved the problem. With these mods units is solid, quiet and fully efficient. I was previously trying an LG single hose unit from the Orange Big Box Store (name omitted) and there is a big difference. This unit cools room quicker, is more quiet and kicks on the condenser less since it is using only inside air to recirculate through coils rather than pulling all the air in and pushing half outside causing room to need air replenish from other hot rooms of house which are warmer. Highly recommend. Can upload pics of mods if I get and replies that request it but they are straightforward. Thanks

3. 

   5 out of 5

   K. M. HongK. M. Hong – June 27, 2020

   We finally installed and turned on this baby for the very first time. San Francisco hit an unseasonably warm 80 degrees today. The window kit worked well for the most part. We had to cut out some Styrofoam to obtain the custom window fit we needed and also used window sealant to weatherstrip the small openings, but otherwise it was good to go.Bottom line? The unit delivers very cold, clean and filtered air conditioning in spades. We set the cooling thermostat at a very comfy 72 degrees. The unit had no problem reaching and maintaining this level, while also being relatively quiet in medium speed.Our living room and kitchen area was quite enjoyable and comfortable throughout the afternoon, while the outside was baking big time at an unseasonably hot 95 here in San Francisco on September 13th, 2019!!Overall , thus far, we are quite pleased with the unit’s performance. The Whynter 14,000 BTU AC unit delivered as advertised. We attached a few pictures of our unit in operation. Best regards.

4. 

   5 out of 5

   Alison L. Jones – June 27, 2020

   Works great! Our downstairs central air conditioning heat pump went out. While waiting on our new ductless replacement units to come in & be installed, we decided to give this 14k, dual hose air conditioning heat pump unit a try.In 95+ degree weather it is easily & effective cooling 750 ft2 down to below 70 degrees. We have now opened up the other 1300 ft2 of our downstairs & with the use of oscillating fans it has also dropped the temps from 95+ in those rooms to 81 degrees. I have no doubt that 2 of these units would effectively cool our entire 2050 ft2 downstairs to a reasonable level, if we decided to do that instead of the ductless heat pumps that we’ve ordered.I can’t yet speak for the effectiveness of the heating function.Not sure about how the cost of running this unit will compare to a more efficient unit, since we haven’t gotten a bill after we began using it, but the paperwork stated that the annual cost to operate it is estimated at $198, with an energy efficiency rating of 11.2. I’m not sure how this will translate to the utility rates in my area, but that sounds pretty good.At this point the only negatives about the unit that I can see are the noise & the ghetto appearance of the hoses. The appearance & noise are no worse than the regular window unit air conditioner that I had growing up. The noise rating is clearly stated in the description at <56 dBa. The dBa noise meter on my phone fluctuates between 55-58 dBa, sitting right beside it. We can easily carry on conversations & watch television in the room with it running. I always find it odd that folks will review a product & then complain about features that are inherent about the nature of the product, so understand that this is not my intent. I just hoped to provide insight for potential buyers.

5. 

   5 out of 5

   Brett Frazee – July 2, 2020

   Bought this as a means to cool my kitchen. Up until a few years ago we used a standard 8000 BTU window unit but when we got new windows they don’t open up high enough to even accommodate a low profile ac so a portable was the logical alternative. This was the second day of use and it does pretty well. My only beef is I wish it blew the cold air more outward instead of upward so the cold air would reach the dining area of the kitchen but that can easily be taken care of. The unit arrived very quickly and well packaged and no damage. Installation was pretty straight forward. I read several reviews where folks stated the window kit was flimsy. My take in that, I’ve seen much worse on some models. The only provision I had to make was to cut a piece of furring strip to length and place it under the window kit so the hose connections could clear the high lip of the inner sill. Bingo! Perfect fit and no having to cut the sliders. As for performance it definitely does blow pretty cold air…and a lot of it and fairly quietly. No louder than the window unit we used in there before. Something I found kind of neat about this machine is this. Since it’s a dual hose configuration, it actually has two independent blower motors instead of a single motor driving two blowers. One blower is on the cold side and the other handles the condenser side (where the hoses connect). That fan is tied in with the compressor so when the compressor cycles on and off as needed, that fan does too. Display is pretty easy to read and controls both on the front panel and remote are easy to work with. Appearance is nice too with it’s black front panel with silver side trim. The soft blue backlight in the display makes it easy to read and the fact the backlight goes out after a short time would be nice in a bedroom for folks who like total darkness for sleeping. I like the idea the place on the back where the hoses connect is angled upward rather than straight rearward make it nice when the window is higher in the wall and the hoses don’t need to bend as much. Filter access is pretty easily accessible for cleaning. Haven’t had to drain it yet so I can’t comment there although drain plug is easy to remove and drain. Final verdict, this seems to be a pretty decent machine. If well taken care of it should last a good long time. Would I recommend this unit? Yes I would.

6. 

   5 out of 5

   MikenzCO – July 12, 2020

   Update 6/27/2021 – over the summer months we had had three triple digit days and far too many 90’s. Consequently the unit has been running most every day since we received it. it has worked flawlessly over the past two summers and now in our third it is fantastic, never once a problem. to be honest it cools down better than any portable unit we have owned to date. i could not be happier with the performance! also should note a few those days were very humid and as expected all the condensation was blown out the air exhaust hose i.e. no internal/inside water accumulation problems. that said i still hate the bright blue led panel on the front of the unit that cannot be turned off or dimmed at night but nobody’s perfect.Update 7/11/19 – My most recent experience as follows. Yesterday for example outside a high 99F with dew points in the low to mid 50’s. Working from home in room approximately 150 sq. ft with a south facing window. The remote set temp to 77F with the fan set to low. I found the unit was keeping the room at a constant 76F, just off one degree. The condenser unit cycled on about once every 4-5 minutes, running for two minutes then off again. The fan of course runs the entire time in the background but the speed drops down once the condenser shuts down. But even with the compressor running you can stand right next to it speaking with no need to shout let alone raise your voice to be heard. Yes portables are a bit louder across the board but that is because unlike central air or window units all the noise making parts are inside with you not outside your walls.The rare ninety degree days i grew up with now are the norm. homes around here weren’t built for those temps, nobody has central air except in the newest homes. It was about 2005 when we finally purchased our first portable unit. were impressed enough we purchased another that year though from a different manufacturer. All told we have had four machines from three different makers, so a little more experience than most. This unit and the most recent both whynter models.The unit arrived very quickly, on our doorstep two days after ordering. I greatly appreciated the ups guy who carried it up our stairs. The air conditioner is shipped with more protection than anything I have ever bought in my life, think Russian nesting dolls. After removing the first box, the second, the third then inside that last box was a very thick layer of foam. There was yet another box too with assorted parts inside. The unit itself was even partly covered with a peel off clear plastic protective layer. No surprise ours arrived with in perfect condition.The Good –1 Dual hose! For fast cooling and efficiency compared to single hose models. Once we got our first dual hose unit we stopped considering single hose models because this type of design works better2 Least amount of noise from any portable unit we’ve had to date3 Rolls/moves around extremely easy. I was able to move it over a medium/high pile carpeted area as if it was a wood floor!4 Cools very fast. The spare room approx. 150sq feet, tested in at 84F to 75F after about 20 minutes give or take5 Easy setup, maybe ten minutes once out of the boxing materials6 Vent slider bar/insert will fit windows from 20” to 46” either vertically or horizontally7 Water all goes out with the hot air, no drain or bucket to be concerned about8 all the remote function buttons are duplicated on the front of the air conditionerThe Not So Good –1 The vent on the conditioner is not powered. That said you can manually adjust angle2 The remote is just a bad design, too small, not backlit3 The vent hoses can be tricky to line up with the ‘tabs’ and get snapped into place properly4 At nearly 80lbs or 100lbs with the box & packing materials can be difficult to move up stairs5 Front panel bright blue LED readout is very bright w/no means to dim or turn off if using in a sleeping areaOverall I like this unit better than any we’ve had before. It is much easier for me to roll around. The fan on high just blasts the room with cold air. I had no problems setting up other than getting the two hoses lined up so they’d snap in place correctly but a minor gripe. Though we do not use it for our whole home I have no doubt it could keep a couple medium sized adjoining rooms comfortable. As said it does cool well as i found out accidently the first week. I’d left it on by accident, came back later walked into an icebox so from that i know it will cool a room down to 65F.Regardless for myself the MOST IMPORTANT part is working without breaking down, reliability. The best air conditioner in the world is worthless if it breaks down. My expectations, if I don’t get some good use out of an air conditioner I won’t be a repeat customer. Our last whynter unit worked out well though it didn’t last quite as long as I’d expected. Nonetheless my overall impression that older model was favorable which is why we purchased this unit to replace it with.At this point I am very happy how things have turned out. Even on the hottest day this year 102F it worked perfectly. no drainage issues, no cooling issues, not a single problem. That being said reliability takes time to assess so once the summer has ended I’ll update this review and will continue to post updates for so long as it is working.

7. 

   5 out of 5

   JT – August 1, 2020

   Since I’m bending the rules on the practical use for this thing, I think a fair review is due. I bought this to cool off our 600 sq ft garage for a couple of reasons. (1) I didn’t want a window unit hanging out of our new home we built in Oct 2017. (2) We had a stray male cat take up with us a few months back and he’s not allowed in the house because our 17 year old female cat says…NO WAY. So “Cletus Ledbetter” the male cat comes in at night to his cozy little cat cave, aka the garage. We live on the coast in Southeast Ga and let me tell you it gets HOT and HUMID down here…ya’ll. So at 96 degrees and 85% humidity it’s a wee bit uncomfortable in the afternoons. (Meanwhile back at the review) This little unit actually keeps our uninsulated garage at a very pleasant temperature. I also have 3 small fans running 24/7 to keep the air circulated. Now granted it’s not going to drop it down in the 70’s but last I checked it was 82-83 when it was 94 outside. We normally turn it off late night and crank it back up in the mornings. With the humidity here I find it’s best to drain the holding pan every 2 days. The unit isn’t over the top noisy as some have suggested, but when I’m in the garage I have the music on anyway. Yep this little unit is doing OK. Cletus the cat is in from his morning hunt and stretched out in nap mode. So I guess it’s a keeper.

8. 

   5 out of 5

   AnthodiumAnthodium – August 13, 2020

   Dear Readers. We despise the recirculated air from our building’s overhead A/C system. We purchased this Whynter Air Conditioner to cool our small condominium. With Whynter dual-hose set up, the Air Conditioner pumps fresh air from the outside. When we first set it up, we were disappointed by its performance. The room temperature plateaued to 73F. Based on recommendations by AmazonITMan and Cal Blue, we decided to wrap the hose. We made some improvements to their designs. See our photos for more details.Supplies: Gorilla Duct Tape, White Reflectix FT210 2″ x 30′ Foil Tape Reflectix DW1202504 Spiral Duct Wrap Duck Brand Replacement Air Conditioner Foam Filter Camco 11400 Water Heater Pan Little Giant Removal Pump with 20ft. Tubing  (optional)Install the Water Heater Pan:Based on expert reviews, these Portable A/C units will leak water, sooner or later. Place Camco Water Heater Pan underneath the A/C unit.Install Foam Filter inside the Intake Window Vent:Intake Hose will suck outside dirt & dust into the Air Conditioner. This will degrade performance of your machine. To prevent this, cut the Duck A/C Foam Filter and place it inside the Intake Window Vent (shown on the right-side in photos).Insulate the Intake/Exhaust Hoses:Both the Intake and Exhaust Hoses transfer hot air. Cut Reflectix Spiral Duct Wrap into 24″ pieces. Tightly wrap each hose using Reflectix Spiral Duct Wrap pieces (with ~1-2″ overlap) and secure with White Gorilla Duct Tape. Be certain there are no holes where the hot air can escape. For cosmetic reasons, cover the Gorilla tape with Reflectix Foil Tape.(Optional) Install Condensate Removal Pump with TubingIf you live in a humid environment, you may need to constantly drain the A/C condensate reservoir. Install Little Giant 554415 Automatic Condensate Removal Pump. Split the tubing into two pieces. Attach one tube from the drain port to the Little Giant Pump. Then attach another tube from the Little Giant Pump to a faucet or window. Now, the Whynter A/C will automatically drain itself.Results:This installation took us about 2 hours. When we switched on the A/C, we immediately noticed improved performance. Room temperature dropped to 67F and was going lower (compared to 73F without proper insulation).

9. 

   5 out of 5

   Steve ReaSteve Rea – September 25, 2020

   So far so good But I did modify the exhaust and intake ports based on another really good review with a few differences. I also used some waterproof sealant around the port itself and duck tape around the connectors. I also went with the manufactures optional intake filter (but used it on both the intake and exhaust ports since I have no screen on the window.) Parts I used to make modifications are listed below.I use this AC unit in my home office which which generates a ton of heat due to my virtual server farm. (when it’s 70 outside my office is 90 (F) even with the Central Air running. This unit is doing a good job so far keeping that temp down to a nice 72 Whynter ARC-IHF Washable Intake Hose Pre-Filter for ARC-110WD, ARC-122DS, ARC-122DHP, ARC-12SD/H, ARC-131GD, ARC-14S/H, ARC-141BG, ARC-143MX 4″ WHT DRYER VENT WIDE MOUTH 2-PACK of DEFLECTO HS4W/18 Supurr-vent Replacement Vent Hood – White

10. 

    5 out of 5

    Jason – January 11, 2021

    I’ve been using this unit for about a year and a half now and I still love it. I sleep with it running right next to my bed. Took some time to accommodate to its hum, but it’s certainly quite enough and has a consistent enough sound that you can sleep with it running in the same room. It sits about four feet from my head while sleeping, for reference.Writing a review today because it’s over 90 degrees outside, the sun directly hits a large window and wall in my bedroom all day, and this AC unit has kept my room a cool 70 degrees all day. Note that I have it set to 67 degrees and 70 is measured by a thermostat on the other side of the room. This AC unit goes down to 61 degrees so I could absolutely make it even colder on this very hot day.I recommend an oscillating fan next to the unit on hot days. This greatly helps distribute the cold air evenly as the AC unit’s vents shoot the air in about the same direction (out and up) no matter how you adjust them. Others have complained about the air flowing out and up only, but I find that works just fine except on the hottest of days. Think about it, cold air falls and hot air rises, so the cold is is being pushed out and up before then slowing falling towards the ground and distributing itself throughout the room on its journey.The remote works fine but I wish it had a backlit screen and buttons for changing the temperature at night.If the power cuts out the AC unit will automatically restart with the same temperature settings when the power is restored. I take advantage of this feature by using an Alexa Plug to turn the unit on and off. This way I can remotely turn the unit on from my phone before I get home. If you do this, make sure to buy an Alexa Plug which can handle the high electricity draw of this unit. Most plugs are designed for basic things like lamps, coffee makers, etc.My Alexa Plug tracks the electricity which the AC unit uses. I live in California where electricity is a bit expensive (19 cents per KwH). I run this AC unit all night every night and part of every day (sometimes 24/7) and generally set it to 68 degrees. It costs $20-30/month to run. Very affordable in my opinion given how much I use it and how cold I keep my bedroom which doubles as my home office.Remember to wash the carbon filter to remove dust build up from time to time. I forgot about it and didn’t do this for the first YEAR. The unit didn’t work as well but was still doing the job. I realized my error, cleaned the massive amount of dust off the filter, and the AC unit went back to performing like new.Buy during the winter to save up to $200 (I paid something like $400-450). The price WILL be jacked up everywhere during Summer months.Overall, I couldn’t be happier with this product. My girlfriend on the other hand hates it because I always keep the bedroom super cold :) I’m a whynter not Summer person, what can I say?