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Real BTU Check product guide

Frigidaire FHPC082AC1 8,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner

A small room where 31.5 inches can stay clear front and back

A compact single-hose Frigidaire rated 8,000 BTU ASHRAE and 5,500 BTU DOE for up to 350 square feet, with Dry and Sleep modes, a 24-hour timer, R-32 refrigerant and a washable filter. The manual wants 31.5 inches clear front and back, a window between 26.6 and 52.5 inches, and a garden hose and drip tray you supply yourself.

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Published specifications

  • Maker: FHPC082AC1, 8,000 BTU ASHRAE and 5,500 BTU DOE, up to 350 sq ft
  • Maker: R-32 refrigerant, 52 lb, 27 in H x 12 in W x 13.75 in D, Prop 65 label
  • Manual: 31.5 in clearance front and back, 19.7 in each side; upright 1 hour before use
  • Manual: window kit 26.6-52.5 in, screwed to sash and stool; hose 15-59 in
  • Manual: operating range 60-95 F; filters A and B cleaned every week of operation
  • Manual: garden hose for continuous drain and drip tray both sold separately

Fit and limits

Strengths

  • Frigidaire publishes both the ASHRAE and DOE ratings for this exact model
  • Two drain outlets, a 24-hour timer in half-hour steps, Sleep mode and auto restart
  • Compact 12-inch-wide cabinet at 52 pounds, with caster wheels and a carrying handle

Caveats

  • Needs 31.5 inches clear front and back, far more than its footprint suggests
  • Continuous-drain hose and drip tray are not in the box, and Dry mode needs one
  • The manual filed on the listing is a Wi-Fi and PureAir version's guide, not this model's

Both ratings are published, and they are unusually far apart

Frigidaire titles this product "8,000 BTU (ASHRAE) / 5,500 BTU (DOE)" on its own page, and the Amazon description repeats both figures. Showing both figures makes clear how much the two tests differ: the DOE figure accounts for the heat the unit itself adds and for the air a single-hose design pulls back into the room. The two are not interchangeable and there is no conversion between them.

The room claim is up to 350 square feet. Amazon's table reproduces that as Maximum Coverage Area, while a separate Floor Area field on the same page says 150 square feet. Frigidaire's own figure for this model is 350. Given a 5,500 BTU DOE rating, 350 square feet is the maker's ceiling for a well-insulated, shaded room rather than a figure to build a plan around.

Electrical figures do not agree either. Amazon's spec table says 970 watts and Amazon's own product description says 830 watts, both at 115 volts. Frigidaire's page does not settle it. The manual points you at the serial plate on the side of the cabinet for the complete electrical rating, and that is what you should use when checking the circuit.

What it is and what it is not: no heat, no Wi-Fi, one hose

This is a cooling, drying and fan unit. Frigidaire's feature list is a two-speed fan plus a dehumidifying Dry mode, a washable dust filter, caster wheels, a programmable 24-hour on/off timer in half-hour increments, a remote control, a Sleep mode that lets the temperature rise a few degrees over the night, and automatic restart to the previous settings after a power cut. There is no heat mode and no smart control.

That last point matters because of which manual you are given. The Amazon listing files a Frigidaire manual, document 13326050000227, whose control panel has a WIFI button and a PureAir button and which refers you to a Quick Start Guide for connected operation. Frigidaire's own support page for FHPC082AC1 publishes a different Complete Owner's Guide, document 13326050000216, whose panel has a Filter Reset button and no Wi-Fi at all. Use the one Frigidaire publishes for this model number; the listing's copy describes a more featured sibling.

The accessory list in the correct manual is a remote control with two batteries, a window kit set, an exhaust hose with connector A and hose connector B, adhesive foam seal A and non-adhesive foam seal B, two safety-lock bolts, a drain hose, and screws in two sizes. The exhaust hose starts at 15 inches and extends to 59 inches, and the manual asks you to keep it as short as possible with no sharp bends or sags.

It wants more than two and a half feet of clearance front and back

The installation section asks for a minimum of 31.5 inches of clearance in front of and behind the unit, and a minimum of 19.7 inches on the left and right sides. For a cabinet Frigidaire lists at 12 inches wide and about 13.75 inches deep, that is a much larger footprint of free space than the machine itself, and it rules out corners and narrow gaps beside furniture.

It has to sit on a flat floor within reach of a single-circuit outlet, and close enough to a window for the exhaust to run outside in Cool mode. The manual asks that the unit stand upright for one hour before it is first operated, and gives an operating range of 60 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit, with performance reduced outside that.

Size figures are transposed between sources. Frigidaire's key specifications give 27 inches high, 12 inches wide and 13 and three-quarter inches deep at 52 pounds. Amazon's table gives 12.17 deep by 13.78 wide by 26.8 high at the same 52 pounds. In other words the two swap width and depth. If you are fitting it into a defined gap, check both dimensions against the unit on arrival.

The window kit fits 26.6 to 52.5 inches, and gets screwed down

The window slider kit covers openings from 26.6 inches to 52.5 inches, in either a double-hung sash window or a sliding sash window. Below 26.6 inches the manual says to cut the adjustable panel to fit. Above 52.5 inches you are on your own for the extra span.

This is a more committed installation than a kit that simply rests in the track. The manual has you screw the kit down with two half-inch screws into the window sash, then secure it to the window stool with three-quarter inch screws for a wooden window or half-inch hex head cap screws for vinyl-clad. It then has you fit a right-angle sash lock with a half-inch screw to hold the lower or sliding sash in place, and notes that vinyl-clad windows are hard to lock this way so you may have to use the window's own lock. Adhesive foam seal A goes on the window and stool, and the non-adhesive foam seal B closes the gap between the top and outer sashes.

If you rent, or if drilling into the frame is not an option, plan for that before ordering: the kit's stability in this design comes from screws rather than friction.

Drainage: two outlets, and you supply the hose and the tray

There are two drain points: a continuous drain outlet and a bottom drain outlet. In Dry mode the manual says you will need a garden hose, sold separately, connected to the continuous drain outlet and led to a drain lower than the unit. The drain and any section of hose must not sit higher than the outlet or continuous drainage will not work.

In Cool or Auto mode, Frigidaire recommends the opposite: put the drain cap back on the continuous outlet for maximum performance, because condensate is otherwise being thrown away rather than used to cool the coil. If you take the garden hose off while the unit has been running in Cool or Auto, have a drip tray ready, because water will come out. The drip tray is not supplied either.

If P1 appears on the display, condensate has to be emptied. For that, and for winter storage, you put a tray under the bottom drain outlet, pull the rubber stopper, let it empty, and tilt the unit slightly up at the front to get the last of it, refilling the tray as often as needed. Other codes are AS for a failed room temperature sensor, ES for a failed pipe temperature sensor and E4 for a display-to-control communication fault, and all three send you to an authorised Frigidaire service centre.

Two filters, a flammable refrigerant, and a one-year warranty with teeth

The listing describes a single washable dust filter with Clean Filter alerts. The manual says this unit has two filters, A behind the grill of the back panel and B pulled out from the right side of the back, and that both should be cleaned every week of operation with warm water and liquid dishwashing detergent, or vacuumed instead, and dried thoroughly before refitting. For winter storage, drain fully, clean and dry the filter, remove the remote batteries and store the unit cool, dry and out of direct sunlight.

The refrigerant is R-32 and the manual carries the full flammable-refrigerant set: do not pierce or burn, no continuously operating ignition sources nearby, keep ventilation openings clear, the refrigerant may have no smell, and only certificated people may open the refrigerant circuit. Electrically the rules are firm: a properly grounded three-prong receptacle protected by a time-delay fuse or breaker, no extension cord, no adapter plug, no cutting the ground prong, no modifying the cord length and no sharing the outlet with other appliances. The cord carries a current-detection device with TEST and RESET buttons which must not be used as an on-off switch. Frigidaire's page also flags a Prop 65 label on this product.

The warranty is one year, and the wording is specific: a limited one-year warranty for functional repairs only, with Electrolux paying parts and repair costs in that year when the unit is installed, used and maintained as instructed. After one year you pay diagnostic, labour, parts, removal, transportation and reinstallation. Exclusions include product transferred from its original owner, products purchased as-is, commercial use, and service calls to correct installation or explain how to use it. On a marketplace offer, the seller and the stated condition are part of whether that cover exists at all.

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Primary sources

  1. Frigidaire product page for the exact model FHPC082AC1
  2. Frigidaire Complete Owner's Guide published for FHPC082AC1
  3. Frigidaire product support page for FHPC082AC1, listing its manuals and documents

Primary sources checked .

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