Description
My review of the General Electric AEL05LQG1 5,050 BTU window air conditioner with mechanical controls from 2012.
I don't take much of any interest in modern air conditioners at all. The overwhelming majority of the ones I've tested are usually obnoxiously loud, don't dehumidify well, or have poor temperature regulation. The loudness is often just from a lousy fan design.
The only flavor of modern air conditioner I will entertain using are the small 5,000 BTU models with mechanical controls. All capacities 6,000 BTU and larger seem to be mandated to have electronics controls.
These GE branded units are often made by Haier. Despite the seemingly countless brands slapped on these machines, there's really only a few OEMs behind them all such as Midea or TCL.
I've seen these units come with a few different fan designs over the years, some better than others. This is one of the better ones. The fan is nowhere near as quiet as vintage units as it favors smaller size over quieter operation, but it's reasonable enough on a budget. It has a pretty impressive temperature delta even on a hot day which results in good dehumidification. The mechanical thermostat can be calibrated to adjust cooler than it comes from the factory. The compressor starts up pretty smooth which is favorable for use at night, but there will be a sudden reduction in noise when it stops which will bother some people while sleeping.
My only main complaint with these units is the lack of an automatic / energy saver fan setting. When the fan runs without the compressor, it tends to put a lot of moisture back in the air from the wet coil. Turning off the fan with the compressor prevents this from happening, resulting in much better humidity control in the room. Fortunately it's easily rewired to operate this way since it's mechanical controls.
These are relatively economical to operate, even on a hot day it only tops out around 500 watts. The calculated real-time EER is about 8.5, which is around average. There some units that will achieve a little more, others that will achieve a little less. The efficiency of this style and form factor of machine has not changed much over the decades.
These are easy to take apart for cleaning. The fan motor is ball bearing, which is best. I pick up a lot of these units off the curb every Summer and the majority of the time they're just too dirty to work well anymore or smell bad. These tend to last a decent amount of time, even when not taken care of. A drain hole drilled in the bottom to let the moisture out and yearly cleanings should keep one of these going probably for decades. There are certainly better vintage machines out there, but on a budget in today's market, these are an excellent value, especially for free on the curb.