Is the Figidaire 5000 BTU window air conditioner the best?

[rebar]

Hello folks.

My home's split AC compressor went to ground last summer, and then my utility bill jumped 20 bucks over night so i decided I'd rough out the summer in the basement, like the last few months of summer last summer.. But I had a few hot days the basement got up to 79. But upstairs was 89..

I noticed 5000 btu window AC's aren't that expensive, and I do have a window in the basement.. Plus I figured Id do the "hack" one day too..

Who makes the most reliable window AC? Is it Figidaire?

Thanks

[H.A.]

Dunno if they are ”best”. Nothing is best without firm critera...
Anyway, I have four 5k BTU Frigidaire window air conditioners in my rental houses.
Several years now, they’ve been working fine.
Offhand, I cant say what model number they are... and one was purchaced about a year after the others. That one is slightly different than the others. Regardless, they work fine.

Hello folks.

My home's split AC compressor went to ground last summer, and then my utility bill jumped 20 bucks over night so i decided I'd rough out the summer in the basement, like the last few months of summer last summer.. But I had a few hot days the basement got up to 79. But upstairs was 89..

I noticed 5000 btu window AC's aren't that expensive, and I do have a window in the basement.. Plus I figured Id do the "hack" one day too..

Who makes the most reliable window AC? Is it Figidaire?

Thanks

[rebar]

Dunno if they are ”best”. Nothing is best without firm critera...
Anyway, I have four 5k BTU Frigidaire window air conditioners in my rental houses.
Several years now, they’ve been working fine.
Offhand, I cant say what model number they are... and one was purchaced about a year after the others. That one is slightly different than the others. Regardless, they work fine.

If you ask the HVAC group on FB which brand is best, most of them will say they are all the same now, and how they perform is up to the installer.. I imagine window air conditioners are similar.. All of them probably use copeland compressors yada yada..

I was hoping one of the manufactures stood head and shoulders over the others as far as build quality reducing noise etc..

Thanks!

[working on it]

* Just to add my two cents: I have used many brands and sizes of window units over my lifetime, and considered Friedrich the best (at least they were, 40-50 years back, when all parts ere made in USA), followed by Fedders, GE, Amana, etc. Didn't get a Frigidaire until 15+ years ago, so I don't know where they'd rank on my old-time list.

* I bought two 15100 btu units, and one 10000 btu unit from Frigidaire, all 110vac units, to cool my house after the central air unit failed (they wanted $7-11000 to replace it, due to the fact that my former house had sunk on it's base, and there was no crawlspace underneath). The primary feature I bought the Frigidaire units for was that they used remote temperature sensors and a remote control. I also bought a LG 8000 btu unit for the back office; it had a remote, but not a remote temp sensor. All three Frigidaires cooled well, and the remote Temp sensors enabled me to cool the house by "zones", which cut my electic bill by 80% from previous summers. But I had peripheral problems with them.

* The two big units were mounted in front windows, far apart from each other, in dining room and living room, but sitting on stands I made to support their weight, atop my "wooden/treated/painted deck/veranda"; they produced so much condensate that over a 5 year period, they rotted the deck (unseen below the painted surface), that I had to rebuild it (partially). The small Frigidaire unit also dripped copious amounts of condensate, which just watered the plants below the bedroom window. However, even though I covered all three units with insulated winter covers (the big units also were covered by a large steel deck awning), the small unit (partially-covered by a steel window awning) had the fan motor rust-up and squeal when used, and developed a Freon leak on the first day of the new summer's operation. I replaced it with another, identical unit, as it was very hot, and the warranty-repaired unit is now in my storage shed (two 10k btu Frigidaires and the 8k btu LG reside there, unused, because the new house has central air). The Frigidaires cooled great, but be prepared for lotsa water dripping from them.

* About LG air conditioners: after using the 8000 btu unit in my wife's office for five years, with zero problems (despite being exposed on the north side of the house, with no awning, and just an insulated winter cover) , and no excess condensate, I decided on a 5000 btu LG manual-control unit for my trailer. Though I fabricated a drip pan and hose to drain away any excess condensate from my 4x8 trailer (all wood and the A/C is totally inside the rear cabin/galley space), there has never neen any water to catch. The LG never drips, but cools just as good as the ones that do drip. After 10 years of use, the LG in my trailer has worked perfectly for me. I don't know if the others would've done so well.

[Shadow Catcher]

We upgraded a 12000 to a Midea inverter AC, it is much quieter and the compressor is variable speed and it is reportedly 30% more efficient. Having said that I used a Frididaire 5000 btu with our tear, the good news they are cheap.

[rebar]

Thanks..

I just ordered the cheapest model Figidaire 5000 BTU window air conditioner I could find for the basement.. I think the window AC will work out well considering I'm single and have the house to myself.. And I only need to drop the temperature 5 degrees down stairs on the hottest days.

I wonder how much I can save not running a 3 ton split AC all summer here in Iowa..

And when I do the hack with it, I'm going to take your approach Shadow Catcher..

Mike