Small AC window unit

[Chris J]

I'm going purchase a small (5,000-6,000 BTU) window unit for our utility room.  Was wondering if any of you have had good luck, or bad luck, with any particular brands.  Frigidaire, GE, & GoldStar are the brands that I've looked at.  I'm hoping to set up an area where I can work on some of my saws, & maybe do some light woodworking as well.   I should be OK with the wife as long as the laundry doesn't smell like oil & gas  :D.

Wish that I could figure out how to send some of our heat in exchange your cool weather.  Some rain would help, too.

Thanks in advance for your input!

[Part_Timer]

     I work in a paper mill.  We run several of these in the small offices scattered around the mill.  Normally we get about 2 years and then they all fail.  We run them 24/7 365 stays 95 degrees in here in the dead of winter.  We do not shut down except for short maint. outages.  So they run all the time.  We purchase what ever we can find that is cheapest at the box stores.  I've never noticed that brand makes any differance only keeping the coils clean.  Been here 10 years

Hope that helps

[Roxie]

I don't even know if they still make them....but my Emerson died this year after over 20 years of service.  The poor thing doesn't owe me a dime, and I only hope I can find one half as good.   

[DanG]

Scratch the Goldstar from the list.  They just don't put out as much cool air as some of the others.  These things are so cheap now, the price difference from the cheapos to the better brands is only a few bucks.

[SwampDonkey]

Mucha_Nada,

Can't help ya on the air conditioner, but I can see why the wife don't want diesel and grease on the overalls. Someone in a laundry mat was washing overalls with diesel and grease on'm and the washer blew up taking half the wall out as well. No one was in attendance at the time, so no injuries. ;) 

[Roxie]

I WISH that was my only laundry problem!   :D :D :D  There are incidents that I don't even let Cowboy Bob past the garage.....I keep a plastic clothes basket out there, and I've got to hose them off before they go near my washer!   :

[beenthere]

Roxie
Might that be when he was throwin' the bull around? ;D

[Roxie]

 smiley_bull_stomp  Cattle Revenge

[rebocardo]

Buy the one rated the best by Consumer Reports. When I need a big ticket item, I join, then buy the best recommended brand of whatever.

[D._Frederick]

Go with GE, I have had good luck with there products. They last up to twenty years, very good value for the dollar.

[beenthere]

D_Frederick and rebocardo

You both have vastly different experiences than I do with either GE or with Consumer Reports.    But, those are just my experiences and I avoid both at all costs. Sorry to not be supportive here.  :-\ :(

[jerry-m]

I don't buy GE Products unless they are 25 cents on the dollar...  Went to used A/C dealer years ago to buy refurbished large AC..  He said They taught  their engeeners to make the units to last just beyond the guarantee and he will not take any GE product in trade...

Later on I bought a GE Refrigerater because it was the only one we could find with the inside arranged the way my wife wanted.. I knew we shouldn'd but you can't argued with a woman : It lasted 45 days past the warranty... Call GE repair and tried to get it warrantied any way, but no way... Finaly they agreed to replace the compressor for $200 and give me $200 gift certificate toward another major GE product :( :(, yea right  :  The service guy replaced the compressor with one that he said would last... It did but never would get cold enought in the hot texas summer...

Later Sam's club marked down a GE window A/C 23000 btu with remote control for $125.00. The remote was missing... I bought it anyway. thought I would give GE another chance... Ha Ha. The coil fan came apart in little bitty pieces within the first year... Cost me $60 + tax for a better made replacement that I installed myself... So now $185 later It is still running and cooling my house for going on 4 years...

This year I went looking for a 5000 btu unit and found that all makes were made in China... Settled on Fedders... Very noisey for my bed room but I am so tired that it doesn't seem to matter...

Good Luck on whatever one you choose,  Jerry

[D._Frederick]

We replace our GE washer the end of last year that was bought in 64, it never had a service call in all those year and was used 4 to 6 times a week.

We have 2 GE upright freezers that have been in service since 72, have to tie the door close since the door gasket is shot. The service parts place wants $75 for a replacement, not worth it on this old of a unit.

Are GE refrigerator lasted 12 years, it was still cooling but the defrost system quit.

For the dollars spent on GE products, we have not found anything any better quality.

[Tom]

I didn't know that the door gaskets were that expensive.

[DanG]

We have 3 window units....a 5k in each bedroom, and a 10k in the living room.  The Sharp 5k puts out almost as much cool air as the 10k Whirlpool, and easily twice as much as the 5k Goldstar.  The Sharp is the oldest of the 3 units, by a couple of years.

I personally think they are monkeying around with these BTU figures, like they do with "Horsepower." : :  The figures mean absolutely nothing anymore.  My 16hp lawnmower doesn't cut a bit faster or better than the 10hp one it replaced, or the 8hp mower before that!  I remember when I was a kid, we had a 3.5hp push mower with a 25" deck.  It would cut anything you could push it into.  Now, they gotta have 8hp to run an 18" deck, and it'll choke on a doggie pile! >:(  Never did have nuthin' to do with the power of a horse, though.  Mine will get her 1600 pound carcass, along with my 200lbs from 0-40 in about 3 seconds.  Show me another 1hp engine that'll do that! ;D : :D :D

The soapbox is now available. :

[Gary_C]

Jack Welch (retired CEO of GE) changed GE from a quality product company to a company that made money and JUNK. Bought Black and Decker and turned their products into junk while making money. Then resurected the Dewalt name (which they bought) and started making better quality products and made a lot more money.  The story goes on and on.

Bought my wife a GE dishwasher because she wanted a GE. When I took it out of the box, I felt the box was made heaver than the dishwasher. Soap dispenser was junk and never worked right and so it never did wash the dishes well. Two years and it got thrown out and I did not need an appliance cart for that piece of plastic.

Don't buy GE!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SwampDonkey]

We had a COOP brand fridge and stove for over 30 years. I got a Kenmore 3 years ago and it works great. Are there Kenmore AC's from Sears? They usually stand behind their product line even if it's a little more costly.

[Chris J]

First of all, thanks for all of the replies!  I wasn't leaning toward GoldStar much, & I've heard lots of bad things about the newer GE products.  I'll check for Emerson; have to admit that I've always associated them with cheap audio equipment.  No doubt that they're all made overseas somewhere.  I'm close to a couple of large book stores, so checking out Consumer Reports Buying Guide should be easy enough.

I'm really big on Maytag, have their WM, dryer, DW, & elec oven.  Have been told that Maytag is one of the few companies that uses metal motors, not plastic ones that are engineered & made to fail after X number of hours.  And I've been told that Maytag will occassionally put their name tag on an inferior product (I believe that it was their Atlantis WM, but I'm not certain).  A fellow on another site, similar to this one, worked for Maytag & posted that Maytag stressed getting it right over just putting out a product.

I seem to recall that when I was a kid our little 3.5 HP mower revved like crazy & would cut some pretty tall grass.  My 6.75 HP fancy smancy Craftsman sometimes requires that I cut the back yard twice.  Of cource that might have something to do with the full sun & dog fertilizer  :.

Thanks again, & y'all be careful.