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Looking for an Energy Star 5,000 BTU window AC unit. Just curious if anyone knows for sure that any are made in USA (not optimistic but I thought I'd ask).
It's a perpetual question (do a quick search) and the answer appears to be "no."
One of those things people want cheap, not good. I do find it interesting that it's assumed a US-made one wouldn't have the problems that... nearly every small AC I've ever seen has, things integral to small, underpowered units with fragile components.
I mean, really... would a US-made unit have no condensation drainage?
It's a perpetual question (do a quick search) and the answer appears to be "no."
Yeah, I did a quick search and the answer did appear to be "no", but it never hurts to do one last search via C-D.
I've had good results with GE Energy Star-rated units so I think I'll stick with them. Nice and quiet.
Oh yeah, we also have a Frigidaire that I had to drill holes in the cabinet to drain condensation! Probs made in Mexico or China (I used to not care about country of origin, but I've decided to pay more attention).
U.S.-made AC's started to go out the window back in the 80s, when Sharp, Panasonic, and other Japanese makers came out with superior units.
Now probably most of them are made in China, with maybe some U.S. nameplates still assembling Chinese and U.S. components in Mexico just to keep up.
GE's appliance division is now owned by Haier, a Chinese company.
We bought a Kenmore from Sears about 6 years ago because Consumer Reports rated it well; it still works, but the remote died a year or two ago and has been impossible to fix. The display was terrible - gray on black - almost impossible to read. Ditto the remote; we had to put bright tape on it just to remember what damn button to push. Piece of junk, probably designed and made in China then they slapped the Kenmore nameplate on it to give it more prestige and higher price. Never again.
We fave an Emerson Quiet Cool 10,000 Btu,cools our 950 sg ft home real well from China under #300.
When temp reaches 77,compressor turns off,very quiet.Very friendly remote with 6' cord with GFCI on plug.
Oh yeah, we also have a Frigidaire that I had to drill holes in the cabinet to drain condensation! Probs made in Mexico or China (I used to not care about country of origin, but I've decided to pay more attention).
I meant that there are bitter complaints about "crap imports" that pretty clearly have nothing much to do with the place or quality of manufacture. Some people seem unaware that AC units in almost any climate generate condensation runoff, so it must be Chinese corner-cutting. Or maybe their ol' Murrican one in Arizona didn't but this new crap in Joisey does.
As for things like displays and remotes, those elements are bought as bulk universal devices and then little more than 'trimmed' to the application, meaning the same remote might be found on a TV, an AC unit and a toy, just with different (teeny, unreadable) labels on the buttons and no thought of user efficiency.
Transfer the functions to a good universal remote and toss the original... in a drawer.
We have eight of them. We currently only use three. We have only lost one in over 14 years. Not all of them are that old. We started with fewer and added some.
Some of them were given to us by other relatives, so they are older. Many of them no longer work as well as they used to but they function.
When it is humid, water literally pours our fo the back of them. That is how Air conditioners work. They are basically the same machine as a dehumidifier.
There are some good alternatives to window a.c. these days. Look into through-the-wall Mitsubishi's for example. Very quiet and energy efficient, and it gives you back your window.
Also, portable A.C.'s. Costco usually sells them this time of year, typically around $300 or $400 for a low end LG or Haier. Made in China. We have an LG, about $400, that sits behind the sofa all winter, then we put a tube into the window and it cools the living room all summer. It's not as good as a window AC or through-the-wall, but it's good enough and works with a narrow window which is why we got it. Also can be easily wheeled into another room.
There are some good alternatives to window a.c. these days. Look into through-the-wall Mitsubishi's for example. Very quiet and energy efficient, and it gives you back your window.
Also, portable A.C.'s. Costco usually sells them this time of year, typically around $300 or $400 for a low end LG or Haier. Made in China. We have an LG, about $400, that sits behind the sofa all winter, then we put a tube into the window and it cools the living room all summer. It's not as good as a window AC or through-the-wall, but it's good enough and works with a narrow window which is why we got it. Also can be easily wheeled into another room.
Those portable ones do not work well at all. You still have to vent them through a window.
The Mitsubishi mini-splits are really neat. They do require quite a lot of ugly equipment inside your room, and we would need several of them. For us, ti was insanely expensive.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Actually, all of the Whirlpool appliances are made in the USA, and their Window AC units are available at Home Depot. We have their Stove, refrigerator and dishwasher. We also have3 window AC units, all made in China by different manufacturers, and none has ever given us any problems, the biggest and oldest bought in 2004. On the other hand, we only need to use them from July 5th to about September 5th so they have "low mileage."
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