The hOmeLabs 14,000-BTU portable air conditioner is in a league of its own. Not only is it easy to wheel around from room to room, but it provides a heavy-duty blast of treated air that will refresh any room at any time of the day in hardly any time at all. So join us as we take a close look at what hOmeLabs’ 14,000-BTU portable AC model is all about.
600-square-foot Capacity
The first thing we need to talk about is how large of a room the hOmeLabs works in. The optimal room size for this portable air conditioner is anywhere between 400 and 600 square feet, though some customers have talked about getting above-average cooling results in rooms as large as 800 square feet. The hOmeLabs could make an awesome cooling solution for dorm rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, and even basement hobby rooms.
Built-in 100-Pint Dehumidifier
But cooling a room down isn’t all that the hOmeLabs is made to do. This handy piece of equipment can also dehumidify a room. It can remove up to 100 pints of moisture per day on its highest setting, and any re-condensed moisture particles are gravity fed through the included drain hose and out of a window or into a sink. This portable air conditoner does not have a built-in pump so in order to make use of the auto-drain function, the drain port needs to be level with a window or sink.
35 to 85% RH Range
The ideal relative humidity (RH) range for households during the summer time is between 40 and 50%, but it needs to be considerably lower than that during the winter. The hOmeLabs lets you choose how humid you want your room to be by giving you the freedom to set it anywhere between 35 and 85%.
The great thing about this is that since it touches on the 35 to 45% range, you won’t need to place the machine in storage during the winter. Turn the dehumidifying feature on when it snows and your home will have crisp, moisture-free air throughout the winter season.
No Water Collection Basin
The dehumidifier function relies solely on the continuous drainage port to get rid of all accumulated water particles. There is no catch bucket which can be both good and bad. You won’t have to worry about a bucket overflowing and ruining your hardwood floors or carpets, but you also can’t run the dehumidifying feature without access to a drainage facility since it just end up pouring water onto your floors.
Easy Installation
Like most portable air conditioners, the hOmeLabs is super-easy to install. To get started, just connect the hose to the included window slide adapter, plug the air conditioner into the nearest available wall out, and you’re all set! When the cold season comes rolling around, detaching the hose and window slide adapter is as easy as 1-2-done.
Washable Filter
The hOmeLabs portable air conditioner uses a washable filter to trap airborne particles from entering into your home. The filter isn’t anything too magnificent, and you may end up needing an air purifier to keep your home’s air as clean as can be.
But as an air conditioner filter, it works rather well at preventing most particles from getting into your home’s air. hOmeLabs recommends washing the filter once every two weeks, though it depends on how dirty it gets within that time frame.
Full-Feature Remote Control
Most portable air conditioners require you to manually get up from the couch and walk the distance from your couch to the device to turn it on, off, and change temperatures. Not the hOmeLabs! It comes with a full-feature remote that lets you send instructions from a distance.
All you could ever need can be done by pushing a few buttons on the remote, including setting the desired temperature and switching between different cooling modes. And to sweeten the deal, the unit already includes a fresh pair of batteries to power your remote straight out of the box.
Almost Whisper-Quiet
Portable air conditioners are notorious for generating a ton of noise when activated, but this isn’t a problem with the hOmeLabs. This device, on its highest setting, produces roughly 50 decibels of noise – about the same volume as normal conversation tones. Now, this isn’t exactly “whisper-quiet” by any means, but compared to most of what you’ll find out there, this portable air conditioner is among the quietest.
Verdict
After taking a look at what the hOmeLabs has to offer, it’s pretty safe to conclude that this is one impressive contraption. The fact that it doubles as a dehumidifier only makes it that much sweeter, though for extremely humid parts of the globe, you may need to rely on a standalone dehumidifier.
There’s no question about this device’s cooling abilities – if you need an AC for your home and don’t have central cooling, the hOmeLabs 14,000-BTU portable air conditioner is one of the finer options to choose.
