Friedrich ZoneAire PH14B Portable 4-In-One Air Conditioner/Heater/Dehumidifier/Fan with Reverse Cycle Heat Pump | 13,500 BTU, 115 Volt

I purchased this because it has the ability to heat and cool and dehumidify using a heat pump. I plan to use it as a very powerful dehumidifier that I can use to occasionally heat / cool my basement. I got the portable unit so I could unhook it and take it to other homes to help with dehumidifying carpets after steam cleaning and flooding.I was hoping that the unit could be permanently installed and that I would never have to deal with the hoses again but it turns out that for the functions to work correctly you need to connect the hoses differently.For each mode there are different ways to hook up the hoses in the back.a. For air conditioning mode - both hoses are attached to the window adapter plate.b. For fan mode - it doesn't matter how the hoses are connected.c. For dehumidify mode - both hoses are removed from the unit and you need to install the provided covers on the window adapter plate.d. For heating mode you should disconnect the input hose and put the provided cover over the window adapter plate. I think that if the temperature outside doesn't get below 50 degrees that you could leave the input hose attached and that the unit would perform well.As a result of these hose hookups the efficiencies gained by having 2 hoses only apply to the cooling mode. The heating mode will only use one hose and as a result create negative pressure in your home and pull colder outside air into structure - if the home gets drafty it might be a good idea to open the lowest window in an unused room (basement) in the home a little bit to counter-act this pressure.Where I live the temperatures fluctuate a lot so I can see myself switching the hoses around frequently in the spring and fall.The hoses that run from the back of the unit to the window are about 5 inches in diameter and with the appropriate 5 to 6 inch adapter you can hook it up to longer pieces of 6 inch flexible HVAC tubing.Here is where it gets interesting for use as a tool... This is a very powerful unit. When you put the unit in a 70 degree room and put it in Heating mode the exhaust hose pumps out air that is about 42 degrees. And when you put it in that same 70 degree room and turn on Cooling mode the exhaust hose puts out air that is about 140 degrees. If you connect HVAC tubing to the exhaust pipe you suddenly have the ability to focus a huge amount of very hot or very cold air on a specific spot or space.The heat function does generate some condensation. there is a pump and a small tube to help remove the condensation. This pump works best if the unit is on a completely level surface. This is a great feature that keeps you from having to constantly drain the unit while it is in heating mode.When it arrived it was obvious that it had been handled roughly, the box was dented on the bottom, one of the casters on the bottom was broken and two screws inside were broken off and rolling around in the base of the unit. I think this was the delivery company's fault and since none of the screws seemed to be in critical locations and I had an extra caster I decided to just let it be and I fixed it on my own. There are stress marks in the plastic on the bottom of the unit but it does not leak. I did not complain or try to contact anyone yet. I simply don't have time to deal with this and I just see this sort of damage as result of having big products shipped. I did have to disassemble the unit to retrieve the broken screws and it looked to me as if everything inside was thoughtfully laid out and connected.

Five year update, still no issues.For five years this AC unit has kept my home cool in the summer with the placement and circulation method posted below. Still staying with four stars however due to the noise level.One year update, no issues.---------------------------Just missed being rated five stars due to the compressor noise level. Im no fan of portable AC units but this one actually performs but as mentioned the operating noise levels are on the extreme side. The trade off is its performance is right up there with wall mounted units. This unit not only froze my kitchen but cooled the living room, dining room and three bedrooms, its cooled the entire house over the course of three days during an abnormal LA heat wave of 100+ temps. It did take about twelve full hours to drop temps by ten degrees but you have to comprehend this isnt just cooling air but EVERYTHING inside the space its installed (sofa, cabinets, tables...). Ive read people complain about poor performance but I question realistic expectations and actual proper operation. Set it, and forget it. If your going to turn it off during the day, its back to cooling everything again from scratch. Its an AC unit, not a magic box.First off many factors play in any AC units performance including ceiling height, windows and coverings (single pane, curtains, wooden frames...), insulated walls, carpet vs wood/laminate flooring, floor plan and so on. The higher the ceiling to more heat will be trapped. Believing a stand alone portable AC unit will cool your entire house is foolish. Realizing this model did just that for me is astonishing. The only hack I did was run a ceiling fan in the far room and a squirrel cage fan down the hallway.Even though the unit arrived with its packaging so damaged, and to be honest it was destroyed on one corner of the bottom to the point it didnt want to stand upright, the unit itself was undamaged.Due to its noise level I decided to run the unit out of the kitchen. The exhaust hose radiates a decent amount of heat so be forewarned if you have window fixtures or decorations nearby.Installation was basic, no instructions needed.Rolls on its wheels like butter.Adjustment of the cool air vent is near nothing. Just a series of flimsy plastic slots that rotate up or down. I suspect this was done to help cool the compressor by ensuring a portion of cool air would constantly cycle inside the housing.The remote is basic as well but this is a set it and forget it unit. Unless your going to turn it off or adjust the fan speed, its not needed to operate the unit. All controls are on the unit itself.Ive read others mention breakers being tripped. Not sure of any model variations but a GFI is built into the actual plug itself. This should trip before any house breaker. If your running other power hungry devices (coffee maker, hair drier, microwave, blender, audio unit...) think twice or at least question the performance of your home breaker box. Im using a surge protector. No issues at all with breakers tripping for me.I was shorted a plastic adjustable window section so I simply cut a sheet of plastic to fit.For the money this unit should be much quieter but it does indeed perform. Ill update soon to verify its continued performance. Thus far it took twelve hours to drop the room temp by ten degrees and twenty four hours to drop the room temp by over twenty degrees. Again this unit isnt cooling just one room but my entire three bedroom house. Outstanding.