BLACK+DECKER Smart Portable Air Conditioner, 14,000 BTU (10,200 BTU SACC) for Rooms up to 700 Sq. Ft., Smart Portable AC with Follow Me Remote and Window Kit, BPACT14WT, White

After doing quite a bit of research, I decided to purchase the Black & Decker 14,000 BUT Portable AC. This unit is fantastic. I bought it for use in my 12' x 14' office. The office has two persons (my wife and I) and many computer systems (7 large servers, a couple of desktop systems, numerous battery backup units, numerous monitors, etc). To make matters worse, the office unfortunately gets full sun for more than 5 hours throughout the day. Though we have a central AC, the thermostat is in the family room ... so either the office is comfortable and the rest of the house if 68 degrees ... or the house is comfortable and the office is 86 degrees. Moreover, cost goes way up if we keep the office cool ... even if we were OK with the rest of the house cold like the north pole.Before this unit------------------Before we received this unit, the office would run anywhere from 82 - 86 degrees many times higher during summer. With this unit, we were able to keep the office easily at 72 degrees (much colder if we wanted).Shipping & Packaging-------------------------Shipping was great. The unit arrived in perfect packaging and was free from any scratches, dents or any other marks. Unpacking was very straight forward. As a reminder, the unit needs to be upright. Per the documentation, they suggest the unit be left upright for at least 6 hours before use ... preferably 24 hours. I decided to wait the 24 hours since I did not know how the unit was handled during the shipping process.Operation------------The unit pushes some seriously cold air. Like all AC units, when it starts-up, cold air does not come out immediately. But within 30 seconds of starting, it was blowing freezing cold air. Within 5 minutes the room cooled down and during the day, it maintained the temperature with ease (we set it for 72 degrees). In fact, we did set it down to 65 degrees and it would run until the room reached that temperature ... that was just simply too cold for us.Quiet-------This unit was much quieter than we expected. Even when on video conference calls using speaker-phone, there was no issue. Others on the call could not tell the unit was running. I am not saying the unit is stealth quiet, but the noise level was surprisingly low ... on-par with the fans from my computer servers.Why Returning?--------------If the unit was so great, they why would I return it? Well there were two issues with the unit I did not like: 1) Placement and 2) SecurityPlacement----------------Based on the layout of our office along with the servers, desks, multiple monitors, etc ... there was no real convenient location to put the unit. So how did we know the unit works well? I temporarily moved desks / computers out of the way so I could mount the hose and pass-through to the window. Originally, I had planned on drilling a hole in the wall (this is a 6" diameter hose!!!) and putting a one-way flange & baffle with a fine screen mesh to ensure no outside critters could get in. I bought this with the intent of installing it somewhat permanently. Even with this in mind, where I could place the unit would not be close enough to the flange for the exhaust hose. I could buy additional hose extensions but because of the diameter of the exhaust hose, I just could not easily run the hose behind desks, etc. Keep in mind the hose does not make 'right-angle' turns either. Also, the exhaust hose is rather sturdy - which is actually a good thing.Security----------The window mounting assembly is actually quite easy and seemed to work well for the intended purpose. As a reminder, I only ran the unit for a few days so not sure what the long-term durability of the hose and mounting assembly would be like. In any event, I am very security conscious. I did not feel the window mounting option allowed me to secure the window effectively enough to prevent someone from pushing the baffles in and then getting inside the office and our home.Who is this unit for ?------------------------This unit works exceptionally well especially for someone that needs to cool down a reasonably large room quickly and quietly. This probably would work great for 2nd floor (or higher floors) homes where outside access to the window would be limited or non-existent.I have decided to order a Mini Split AC instead. It will allow me the flexibility of placement and will enable me to maintain the security aspect.

14,000 btu Black and Decker Portable ACStartUpdate :i missed One important aspect :This is a Single Hose unit ,thus , Air intake Must come from outside throughan open door or air leaks in the building or room .Inside a home or apartment,a Dual Hose system is definetely perfered .Update:EndBefore using , let unit sit upright for 24 hours,allowing oil to drain back into the compressor .( the same is true with a refridgerator that had been laid down )i kept the 4 blue tape strips on the unit .( the tape is there to seal the seams ? )unit works best in a window install .the Air dryer vent exhaust Didn't work good .in bedroom with door closed, this uniteasily cools the room and cycles on\off .with bedroom door open ,it is still able to cycle on\off.when compressor starts ,noise level does NOT increase ,Fan noise seems to be dominant .To me , total noise level is low .Remote Control minimun Temp setting is 64 degrees .exhaust tube gets warm,so there is some residual heat into the room .Window AC seeming will be more efficientbecause ALL the heat will be Outside .i put this on a clothes dryer exhaust vent tube.i used some of the thick foam to Seal around the tube.this tube is 5 inch diameter, the dry vent tube is 4 inch diameter.This units include hose extends to 5 feet( accordian )This unit installs best when the Vent on the back ofthis unit is in a straight LOSLine of Sight to the bottom of the window or dryer ventThis AC only requires window to be Open 7 inchesaccomodates window widths of about 20 inch to 59 inches wide .No heavy supports , for a window vent .Window AC , Portable AC units do use the Juice.This unit ,12 amps is 1,500 watts.Example electric cost at 17 cents per KWhthat's :25 cents per hour,6 bucks per day,180 bucks per month .yes,central AC is certainly more efficient .i can see this unit cooling1 room with door closed ,and being able to cycle on\offwhile maintaing the set temperature.remote control batteries NOT included( 2 AAA tripple A's )my observation in electric usage :1. Central AC , the best , lowest electric cost .2. window and portable AC units ( in 1 closed room )could be ok when used in a single closed room