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Portable air conditioner guide

BLACK+DECKER BPACT12WT 12,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner

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A room with a window 26.5 to 49 inches wide and a grounded outlet the unit can have to itself

A single-hose 12,000 BTU (ASHRAE) portable air conditioner with Cool, Dehumidify and Fan modes, four fan speeds, a remote, auto water evaporation, a 24-hour timer and sleep mode; the manual covers app control and the listing adds voice control. Its SACC figure differs between sources, and the manual asks for weekly filter cleaning.

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Published specifications

  • Maker: 12,000 BTU ASHRAE; brand page 5,950 BTU vs listing 8,000/8,350 SACC
  • Manual: window opening 26.5-49 in; single exhaust hose; 3.3 ft drain hose
  • Manual: operate at 64-95 F room temp, 30-90% RH; 3-minute restart delay
  • Manual: 12 in all round (safety) vs 80 cm around, 50 cm above (install)
  • Manual: grounded outlet, no adapter or extension, no other appliance on it
  • Manual: 1 yr labour and parts, 5 yrs compressor; warranty sheet shows 1 yr only

Fit and limits

Strengths

  • Auto water evaporation, with draining described as an end-of-season job
  • Continuous drain through the supplied hose, with a separate Dehumidify outlet
  • Manual and brand page both give five years on the compressor part

Caveats

  • Lower capacity rating differs by source: 5,950, 8,000 or 8,350 BTU
  • Filter needs cleaning every week of operation, per the manual
  • Refrigerant is labelled R410a on the page but R32/R290 in the manual

One ASHRAE rating, and three different second numbers

BLACK+DECKER's page gives 12,000 BTU ASHRAE and the listing gives 12,000 BTU. The second, lower rating is where the sources split. BLACK+DECKER's own product page titles this model 5,950 BTU (12,000 BTU ASHRAE). The Amazon title says 8,000 BTU SACC, and the listing's first bullet and details table say 8,350 BTU SACC. The manual pages we read give no capacity figure.

The sources we read do not say which lower figure applies to the unit shipped today. The listing's room-size claims are also split, up to 550 square feet in its bullets and 500 in its table, with no stated test conditions.

The listing's first line calls this a smart unit, and the manual on the listing is titled Smart Portable Air Conditioner; its app pages call for a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network. The listing adds voice control through Alexa or Google Assistant. BLACK+DECKER's product page does not mention Wi-Fi at all.

Single hose, and the window kit's real limits

This is a single-hose unit: the manual's parts list shows one air exhaust hose with inlet and outlet adapters, a window bracket, a foam seal, two locking screws, a 3.3-foot drain hose and a remote. The hose is connected in Cool and Dehumidify, and removed in Fan mode. The manual says to keep the hose as short as possible.

The manual gives window openings from 26.5 inches (67.5 cm) to 49 inches (125 cm). The listing's table shows two other ranges, 20.5 to 59 inches and 26.5 to 48.4 inches.

The manual lists the tools needed to fit the window kit. It also says two or more people should lift and install the unit, and that the floor must be able to carry up to 110 pounds (50 kg).

Clearance: twelve inches or eighty centimetres

The manual contradicts itself on space. Its safety guidelines ask for an air path of at least 12 inches all around the unit from walls, furniture and curtains. Its installation page says the required distance around should be at least 80 cm, about 31 inches, and at least 50 cm above. The manual does not reconcile the two.

Power rules are clear. Use a properly grounded three-prong outlet, and never an adapter or extension cord. The manual says not to plug other appliances into the same outlet, and describes the unit as rated under 15 amps on a nominal 120-volt circuit. The plug is an LCDI type that the manual asks you to test before each use; it is not an on-off switch.

It must not be used near a bathtub, shower or wash basin, or in a combustible or oily atmosphere. After the unit has been on its side, the manual says to wait at least six hours before switching it on, with 24 hours recommended. Always turn it off with the power button, not by pulling the plug.

Modes, the 64 to 95 degree range and the three-minute wait

The panel offers Cool, Dehumidify and Fan, with fan speeds Low, Medium, High and Auto; Auto can only be chosen on the control panel. In Dehumidify the fan is fixed at low, and the exhaust hose is recommended but not required. The manual's heat mode is marked for the separate BPACT12HWT model only.

The manual lists an operating room temperature of 64 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit for Cool and Dehumidify, and a relative humidity range of 30 to 90 percent. After the unit is switched off, the manual says it cannot restart for three minutes.

The remote needs two AAA batteries that the manual says are not included, and it works within about 23 feet. Brand features include a 24-hour timer and sleep mode, and the app can schedule timer on and off times.

Auto evaporation, E2, and three ways to drain

The manual describes auto water evaporation and says to drain the unit at the end of the season. When the tank does fill, the display shows E2 in Cool or Dehumidify and the unit shuts off until it is drained.

The manual describes an occasional drain through the bottom cap over a floor drain or a drip pan, which is not included, and continuous draining through the supplied hose. Dehumidify mode drains from a separate cap at the back centre, and the manual says the hose must not rise above the outlet.

Other codes point elsewhere: E0 is the room temperature sensor, E1 the condenser sensor and E3 the evaporator sensor, and the manual sends all three to customer service. For cleaning, it says to use a damp cloth on the cabinet and never to saturate it.

A weekly filter, the refrigerant labels, and two warranty versions

The filter sits in the intake grille and releases with two tabs at the top. The manual asks for it to be cleaned every week of operation and says never to run the unit without it.

Refrigerant labelling is inconsistent. BLACK+DECKER's page and the listing name R410a, while the manual's safety section refers to flammable refrigerant R32/R290 and asks that the unit be stored away from continuously operating ignition sources. The brand page also gives a weight of 12.1 pounds, against 28 pounds in the listing, and an application line of 'Heat or cool' for a model the listing sells without heat.

The manual's warranty, issued by W Appliance, covers the original purchaser for one year labour and one year parts, plus a total of five years on the compressor part only. The brand page repeats that. The separate warranty sheet on the listing lists only the one-year terms. Both exclude transferred units, refurbished, second-hand, as-is or final-sale purchases and commercial use; keep dated proof of purchase and the serial number.

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Primary sources

  1. BLACK+DECKER product page for BPACT12WT
  2. BLACK+DECKER smart portable air conditioner manual naming BPACT12WT, supplied on the listing (PDF)
  3. Limited warranty sheet supplied on the listing (PDF)

Primary sources checked .

Compare with

Side-by-side pages, this model next to: Whynter ARC-1230WN NEX Inverter 14,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner, BLACK+DECKER BPACT14HWT 14,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner with Heat.

Keep comparing

Use the portable air conditioner guide index to compare other models, or read the full buying guide for category-level advice.