Friedrich SS08M10 Reviews

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $1,099.00
Sale Price: $726.73
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Friedrich SS08M10 -7900 BTU window air conditioner

This is my second Kuhl. I purchased the original one from M&M Appliances in Washington, DC, but took it back because it was damaged compressor ripped from the mounts and refrigerant lines bent and the backup battery was dead on arrival. Second unit seems to be in much better condition. It was not damaged and the backup battery is not dead. Friedrich also mailed me a new backup battery (see their website for the form to fill out for a free battery).

Installation was a bit time consuming and required more tools than you'd expect for a window a/c install. The hardware that comes with the unit is excellent. It is sturdy and well built. Installation is definitely intended to be semi-permanent. I will not be removing this unit every winter like I have with previous window units.

Unit cools very well and is very quiet when compared to bargain brands at many stores. Discharge air temperature with R410a seems to be lower than most previous air conditioners that use R22. Depending on temperature and humidity in the room, the unit will sometimes blow visible fog from the vents.

This air conditioner is very well built. Sound dampening could have been increased the unit makes a bit more noise than I'd like for the premium price tag. Friedrich should consider insulating the compressor in order to keep noise down. Compressor makes an oscillating sound at a frequency of about 2 3 hertz. Fan noise is minimal, which I attribute to the large vent design. The most irritating sound is the water splashing on the condenser fan. This problem could be solved by more sound insulation or by a condensate drain (although I understand that the condensate splashing on the condenser increases efficiency). Still -VERY QUIET when compared to most alternatives.

All features work well except for the auto fan mode (energy saver), which cycles the fan too frequently to "test the air temperature." I leave it set for continuous mode, which I prefer anyway. I do have a gripe about the remote control it doesn't sync with the unit's control panel, so if you make a change on the unit and then go to the remote, the remote still has its previous settings. Would be nice if the remote was RF instead of IR so that it didn't have to be pointed at the unit and it could auto-sync whenever settings are changed at the unit.

If you buy one of these, definitely read the instructions. Some parts of the install are not intuitive, and there are many features that you'll want to familiarize yourself with.

Some people have complained that the unit does not display the accurate temperature. This can be adjusted under the *temperature offset (TO)* section of the menu, along with a number of other settings.

I hope to get many years of trouble free use out of this unit.

PROS:

Sleek design with optional front cover colors

7 day scheduler

Fresh air & exhaust air control

Digital display

5 temperature sensors to monitor unit performance and temperature (Supply Temp, Return Temp (room temp), Outside Temp, Evap Coil Temp, Cond Coil Temp)

Remote Control with digital display

Very quiet

Well built

Made in the USA

Good warranty

Excellent air filter

Great customer service

11.7 SEER, great efficiency for a window unit

CONS:

Long install time (2 3 hours)

Large overall size

Damaged during shipping, glad I bought from a store instead of online!

Expensive (I hope I end up getting what I paid for)

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I just have no idea why this A/C costs $800. Rich (read pretentious) look apart I haven't found a single advantage over an A/C with the comparable output you can pick up in a home improvement store for $150.

I was looking for a single most important for me function a quiet operation and I was willing to pay 6-X price for it. Good thing I decided to test it before putting in into the window. When running "fan only", it makes reasonable noise, not much quieter than a "regular" cheap A/C. The disappointing part there is only 3 fan speeds, no variable speed and/or super-quiet mode.

But when I switched it in cooling mode and the compressor kicked in, I literally jumped first the loud click and then the droning noise, so loud I thought I dropped a screw driver into the fan. After a few second the sound went down a little but it still was way over the acceptable level, and definitely louder than a cheap A/C makes. I thought the unit was defective, the dealer sent a technician, who told me that's the normal operational sound. Now I just hope the dealer won't give me a hard time when I return the A/C.

So for the price of 6 regular A/Cs you will have:

bulky heavy unit, requiring quite laborious installation process

lack of important features like variable fan speed and super quiet night mode

bunch of bells and whistles you most likely won't care about, like 7 days programming and external thermostat connector

a lot of noise

very nice looking front panel and ipod-styled remote.

You decide, but I'm returning mine.

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The compressor makes a loud throbbing noise which makes it too noisy for a bedroom. The unit is also heavy & bulky, which made installation difficult. Other than that it cools well, but so do a lot of less expensive, smaller, equally noisy a/c's.