5 star50%4 star23%3 star7%2 star10%1 star10%See all 146 customer reviewsQuiet and ColdDefinitely Worth the MoneyNice & QuietDual motor, very quiet! They need to improve quality control though!UPDATE (March 2014 originally purchased in 2012): I have removed the annoying beeper! It is very easy. All you have to do is remove a few screws, and the top of the beeper just pops off. Comment below if you need assistance. I will post pictures eventually.*********************************************So what made me spend 3X as much as I would have for a window AC of this BTU rating?I bought this unit because another reviewer pointed out that it has TWO motors inside (one for the inside fan, and one for the outside fan). What this means to me is that the inside fan can be optimized for quietness, and the outside fan can be optimized for efficiency (i.e. it doesn't have to slow down when the user selects a low fan speed for the inside fan). It also means that there is no motor-shaft sharing of the outside fan motor which means there is one less space/gap for outside air to get inside, carrying humidity, bugs and allergens with it.

So is it quiet? But it isn't as quiet as I expected based on some of the reviews. I wish they used even more dampening for the compressor because I can still hear the hum (maybe it's because the unit is so quiet overall, but I still wish it was quieter). I have experience with several other window ACs rated at 5000, 7500, 10,000, and 12,000 BTU.The inside fan is VERY QUIET on the low setting. As you increase the fan speed, you hear more of a continuous "tone" from the fan (I prefer white noise to a tone). I've experienced the exact opposite in another AC I've owned (as you increased the fan speed, the tone went away). BUT don't get me wrong. When the compressor and outside fan are running, the noise they produce is MUCH louder than that of the inside fan at any setting. BUT, this is STILL quieter than your standard window AC. This also means that it's possible for Frigidaire to make it even quieter on the inside by blocking more of the noise from the compressor and outside fan.After running the unit for a while, I noticed a little bit of the "raining on an aluminum tent" sound that others have noted on other window AC units.

This only occurred for a few minutes and then went away. It's not too loud. It is very minor, but I wish it wasn't there. I think I'll just get used to it. Some suspect it is caused by the condensate, but it seems more like a refrigerant sound. wall unit air conditioner ratingsWhatever it is, Frigidaire, please design it so that I don't hear this noise in your ACs! air handling unit canadaUPDATE: I've used it for several days, and I haven't noticed that sound again.window ac unit capacityOther observations: I noticed that when the inside fan is on low or medium, the compressor & outside fan shut off once in a while. My guess is that the inside coil is getting so cold (due to the low/medium inside fan speed) that the compressor needs to shut off to prevent the freezing of the condensate on the inside coil.

So if you need maximum cooling, make sure you choose the "high" fan speed, otherwise the compressor will cycle.Notes about the econ mode. In econ mode, it shuts off the inside fan when the outside section isn't running. I see it as more of a marketing feature because the inside fan uses virtually no power compared to the compressor, but I like that the fan can be shut off when the compressor isn't running so that less condensate returns to the air. I've also noticed that the temperature needs to be set about 3 degrees cooler to maintain the same room temperature probably due to the placement of the temperature sensor. The sensor is located directly in front of the inside coil. This coil is cold, so if air isn't circulating over the temperature sensor, it thinks the room is colder than it actually is. I might eventually move the temperature sensor off of the coil because I like the idea of the inside fan shutting off when it's not needed.Notes about the packaging of the unit: I received it with a HUGE BULGE on the side vent (not a dent, but a bulge).

There was no serious damage to the box, so it must have been dropped. I did not want to bother with the hassle and waste of returning the unit (even though I wouldn't have to pay out-of-pocket), so I just pushed the bulge back in. The metal is incredibly thin (too CHEAP for such an expensive unit!)!The fins on the back are not protected by a grill, and there were some MINOR BENDS (nothing that would impact its operation, purely cosmetic), so I tried to straighten them with a fin straightener. Robinair 18403 Fin Straightener You could also use a small screw driver or a piece of plastic. Frigidaire, you need to be more careful not to bend the fins when installing the radiators into the units! Note that this issue isn't specific to this brand.My overall impression of the quality of craftsmanship of the unit is that it is just OK to poor and certainly not to the level of the premium price it's commanding. I paid less for a 12,000 btu GE unit that is of very high quality (but slightly noisier).

Also, at this price point, how come I don't get a temperature sensing remote? That would solve the problem of the fan not running in econ mode. It would also be nice to be able to see the temperature, mode, and fan settings on the remote especially since it is difficult to read the top-oriented display when you're across the room.The unit makes REALLY LOUD BEEPS whenever you change any settings. This is so annoying! Why can't we have the option to disable this beeper? I will eventually open up the unit to remove the beeper.I will update my review as I gather more data. I also plan to come up with my own method of sealing out the outside air and possibly noise by making wood panels to cover the side screens that come with the unit. I've never been satisfied by how cheap and poor these screens are, and the ones that come with this unit are no exception, possibly worse. A unit this expensive should come with something better, but I guess the cost savings have to come from somewhere.I will most likely use an external thermostat to control this unit (using a method similar to this product Lux WIN100 Heating & Cooling Programmable Outlet Thermostat If I do that, I will definitely have to remove the beeper because it beeps loudly when power is applied.