If you are looking for an affordable portable air conditioner that will cool and dehumidify a room, the Danby 12,000 BTU portable AC is a great choice.
This portable HVAC unit has three operating modes: cool, dehumidify and fan. You select the mode on the unit’s control panel or on the included remote control.
Keep reading to get our full review of the Danby 3-in-1 portable air conditioner.
If this unit is not quite what you were looking for, check out our other recommendations in our portable AC buying guide.
Pros
- Easy to set up and use.
- Multiple modes.
- Powerful cooling capacity.
- Powerful cooling capacity; ideal for mid-size and large rooms.
Cons
- No display on the remote control.
- A bit loud.
- No heating function.
Best Features
12,000 BTUs Cooling Capacity
Regarding power, the Danby AC is on the higher end when compared to other portable ACs. With its 12,000 BTUs, it can cool a room of up to 550 square feet.
This is quite big and covers all kinds of rooms in most homes.
You can set it up in an open plan living area or use it in your bedroom to cool the room down as you sleep.
It’s also great for home offices, garages and baby nurseries.
3 Climate Control Modes
This portable AC has three main climate control modes.
Cooling is the primary mode.
You can select a target temperature anywhere between 64F and 90F using the arrow buttons on the control panel or the remote control.
If the house is feeling a bit too humid, switch to the dehumidifier mode. The AC will collect moisture from the air and exhaust it outside along with the warm air inside the house.
Note that you cannot select a target humidity level because the AC doesn’t have a humidistat.
There is also a fan-only mode which is handy if you just want a gentle breeze on a moderately warm day or night.
It’s a great way to save energy when it isn’t too hot. You can change fan speed (maximum, medium or low)depending on how strong you want the breeze to blow or how quiet you want the fan to be.
Self-evaporative
You don’t always need to connect a drain hose to the AC or drain it over a bucket.
In most cases, it will direct moist warm air collected inside the house outside through the exhaust vent.
But on extra-humid days there might be too much water for the AC to exhaust adequately. If you see an FT error code on display it ,means that the tank is full. Connect the drain hose to remove the water.
If you live in a high-humidity area, it might be just easier to keep the drain hose permanently connected.
24-Hour Timer
You can set the AC to switch on or off automatically after some hours. Timer settings run up to 24 hours
Easy Installation and Portability
Everything you need to install the Danby portable AC is included in the package. This includes the slider kit, vent hose and adaptor and foam seal.
The manual has detailed installation instructions.
Looking at customer reviews, it seems most people had no trouble installing the AC. You just need half an hour or less to set it up.
The venting kit fits well and securely in a wide range of window sizes.
Once you’ve set it up, it’s easy to use. The control panel has buttons for various settings and modes plus a display to show you the current settings.
The remote control has no display of its own to show you what temperature or time you are setting.
But the LED display on the unit is big and bright enough that you can see it from afar.
If you need to move the AC, caster wheels make it easy to wheel the fairly heavy unit from room to room.
Limitations
This is not a year-round air conditioner. You’ll have no use for it during cold weather since it does not have a heater.
That means going back to your energy-guzzling main AC during winter.
Another issue is the noise.
When the fan is set at the highest speed, the AC makes quite a bit of noise.
There’s nothing you can do about it if it’s hot and you want the room to cool down quickly.
But at night when it is cooler select the lowest fan speed to make it quieter.
Specs
Room size: 550 square feet
BTU rating: 12,000
Drainage: Manual and automatic
Price:
Summary
The Danby 12,000 BTU portable AC is an easy and affordable way to cool or dehumidify a mid-size to large room. It brings the temperature down quickly without spending as much energy as a central AC.
It's also one of the least expensive 12,000 BTU portable air conditioners selling today.
