12000 BTU Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner with Remote Control

A single hose portable air conditioner throws room air out of the window. That air has to be replaced, so it gets drawn back in through gaps under doors and around windows, warm and unconditioned. GE Appliances describes exactly this negative pressure effect.

The second hose takes the air the condenser needs from outside instead of from the room. With the make up air coming from outdoors, there is no pressure imbalance for the house to correct, and the unit is not fighting the leak it created.

The two ports on the back, and what each does

One port takes outside air in to feed the condenser. The other sends the hot exhaust back out. Between them the machine does its heat exchange without borrowing air from the room, which is what a single hose unit has to do. The rating is 12,000 BTU ASHRAE and 223 CFM of air flow across 400 sq ft.

Two hoses means two of several things

A 5.2 ft big hose with a 6 inch mouth, a 5 ft small hose with a 5 inch mouth, and an adapter and connector for each. The window kit takes both. Budget a little more time for the first setup than a single hose unit needs, and check the window kit reaches before you start.

Six controls, one of them a safety

A 1 to 24 hour timer, three fan speeds, the mode selector, a 90 degree auto swing, sleep mode and overflow protection. The last one shuts the unit off when the water tank is full rather than letting it spill, which matters on a machine rated to pull 76 pints a day.

Where it sits on the decibel scale

The scale in this photo puts the unit at 53 dB in sleep mode, between a library at 50 and conversation at 60. In that mode the set temperature rises 1.8 F every two hours and the fan is held at low speed, so it winds down as the night cools rather than cycling hard at three in the morning.

Condenser air comes from outside rather than from the room, which avoids the negative pressure a single hose creates.

Both figures are published. The 400 sq ft coverage is quoted against the seasonally adjusted number.

Also quoted as 36 litres a day, with a 9.8 ft drainage hose supplied for continuous running.

Low, medium and high, rather than the two speeds most of this category offers.

The louvre sweeps from up to down on its own to spread the air across a larger room.

The unit shuts off automatically when the water tank is full instead of letting condensate escape.

Effective to 16.4 ft, with a moulded slot on the cabinet so it does not disappear.

A standard Canadian household socket on a 6 ft cord. No dedicated circuit needed.

Ships from a Canadian warehouse. Free shipping on orders over $150. Some remote areas, PO boxes and surcharge regions may be excluded or charged extra.

Return within 14 days of purchase, unused, in original condition and packaging.

Covered directly by the manufacturer under their warranty terms for material and manufacturing defects.

400 sq ft of rated coverage with 223 CFM of air flow and three fan speeds, which is more than a bedroom sized machine can carry.

Where doors and window frames leak, a single hose unit keeps pulling warm outside air back in. Taking condenser air from outdoors removes that problem at the source.

76 pints a day is a serious dry mode, and the 9.8 ft drainage hose reaches a floor drain from where the unit stands.

What we stand behind

• Ships from a Canadian warehouse, with free shipping on orders over $150
• 14 day returns on unused items in original condition and packaging
• Covered by the manufacturer's own warranty for material and manufacturing defects
• Both exhaust hoses, both adapters, both connectors, the window kit, a 9.8 ft drainage hose and the remote are supplied

Is a dual hose unit really better than a single hose one?

For efficiency, yes, and manufacturers say so plainly. GE Appliances explains that a single hose model pushes room air out of the window, which creates negative pressure and pulls replacement air in through cracks around doors and windows. A dual hose model takes its make up air from outside, so no pressure imbalance is created.

Does that make it harder to install?

A little. There are two hoses, two adapters and two connectors instead of one of each, and the window kit has to seat both. It is still a tool free job that one person can do, but allow more than the five minutes a single hose unit takes.

Which BTU figure should I size my room from?

The SACC figure, 8,000 BTU, and the 400 sq ft coverage quoted against it. ASHRAE 12,000 BTU is a fixed laboratory measurement, and Danby notes SACC comes out lower for the same machine because it reflects real cooling season conditions.

Does it need a special outlet?

No. The manufacturer specifies 115V at 60Hz on a 6 ft cord, which is a standard Canadian household socket. Give it a dedicated outlet rather than sharing a circuit with other heavy appliances.