The 8,000 BTU Friedrich portable air conditioner provides year-round functionality with both cooling and heating modes.
It can also dehumidify a room, removing around 3.5 pints per hour.
Installation is a little more tricky than some other units, but it is nothing you can’t handle.
Once you’ve set it up, this Friedrich super easy to use.
You control it using either the control panel + LED display on the unit or via the included remote control, which has its own LCD panel.
Keep reading to get our full review of the Friedrich portable AC.
To see how it compares with other top portable air conditioners, read our portable AC buying guide.
Pros
- Includes heat function.
- Multiple modes including dehumidification, sleep, and fan..
- Great for small rooms..
Cons
- Problematic installation.
- The heating function is not very powerful.
Best Features
8,000 BTU Capacity
While not the most powerful portable AC, the 8,000 BTU Friedrich AC is powerful enough to cool a room of up to 200 square feet (10' x 20').
This means it is perfect for cooling and heating bedrooms, dens, nursuries, small living rooms, offices and dining rooms.
Using the remote control or the control panel, you can set a target cooling temperature between 63F and 86F
Heater Mode
You can use this portable AC all year round thanks to the bonus heat mode.
That said, the heating is not that powerful and works best in smaller rooms.
To enable the heating mode, use the included heat clip and turn the AC around so that the hot air outlet faces you. This changes air flow, preventing warm air taken from the room from escaping outside and redirecting it back into the house.
NOTE: You do not need to vent the AC when heating.
In heating mode, you can set the target temperature between 59F and 77F.
Flexible Settings and Scheduling Options
This Friedrich portable air conditioner offers several different modes to meet almost any heating or cooling need:
• Cool style – the primary method for cooling the room. The available temperature range is 63-86F.
• Heat mode –a bonus heating mode that’s great for smaller rooms. You’ll need to snap on the heat clip before activating this mode.
• Dry mode –the AC dehumidifies the room, removing up to 3.5 pints every hour. Ideal for humid climates or in hot moist weather.
• Sleep mode –the AC lowers fan speed to reduce noise and varies temperature to create a comfortable sleeping environment.
• Fan mode –only the fan will work in this mode. It’s ideal when you only need mild cooling. You can change fan speed to reduce noise or change cooling level. Fan speed options include low, medium, high and auto. The auto mode automatically varies fan speed depending on the ambient room temperature.
• 24 hr timer – you can schedule the AC to turn on or off automatically at a certain time.
Partially Self-Evaporative
In the cooling mode, the AC automatically vents collected moisture outside along with the hot air.
In drier climates, you will not need to drain the water manually nor install a drain hose.
However, if the humidity is high in your room, then the AC may not be able to exhaust all of it and the drain pan will fill. In which case, you’ll need to drain the water.
Friedrich recommends connecting a drain hose whenever you use the heating or dehumidifying feature.
Antimicrobial Filters
This portable AC unit is fitted with two antimicrobial filters to capture particles and bacteria from the incoming air.
These filters help keep your indoor air clean and can be washed and reused several times.
Note: The filters on this unit are not enough to completely scrub your indoor air of microbes. If anyone in your house has allergies, asthma or other respiratory issues then I recommend getting a dedicated HEPA air purifier. There are many affordable options.
Limitations
Lots of verified customers online claim the window connection kit is awful. For one, the vent hose is too short for most windows. And when you do manage to connect it to the slider, it keeps coming off.
Additionally, the connection between the hose and the AC is not that secure. It can fail and blow some of the warm exhaust air back into the room. Fortunately, this issue is easy enough to fix without having to buy a whole new kit.
I suggest using tape around the joint between the hose and AC and worm clamps to secure the hose to the window connector.
If your window is high up from the floor, then you may also need to buy an extra vent pipe to connect to the existing one, which runs a bit short.Specs
Room size: 250 square feet
BTU rating: 8,000 BTUs
Drainage: Manual and automatic
Dehumidification: 63.4 pints a day
Price:
Summary
Other than a few easy-to-fix installation nags, the 8,000 BTU Friedrich portable air conditioner is a year-round air conditioner, heater and dehumidifier that's really easy to use.
You will love the many modes, the remote control and its scheduling option - and the price is right, too.
