Frigidaire FHPC142AA1 Review

Initial Analysis

The Frigidaire FHPC142AA1 is a 14,000 BTU portable air conditioner according to older ASHRAE guidelines for measuring cooling capacity.

It’s a 10,000 BTU air conditioner according to newer DOE guidelines for measuring Seasonally Adjusted Cooling Capacity (SACC).

In our cooling tests the Frigidaire took a little bit longer than most 10,000 SACC BTU competitors to cool our test room from 86° F down to 72° F.

In the first test, at an outdoor temperature of 83° F, it took the Frigidaire 22 minutes to cool the room from 86° F down to 72° F. The Whirlpool WHNP141AW (10,000 SACC BTUs) took only 18 minutes and the LG LP1025WHSM (10,200 SACC BTUs) took only 20 minutes.

After getting the room down to 72° F we let each unit continue to run until it cooled the room for one full hour. The Frigidaire got the room down to 68.4° F, the Whirlpool got it down to 66.9° F and the LG got it down to 67.3° F after full hour of operation.

In our second test, at a higher outdoor temperature of 89° F the Frigidaire took 33 minutes to lower room temperate from 86° F down to 72° F. It got the room down to 70.5° F after one hour.

In this second test the Whirlpool took 36 minutes and got the room temperature down to 70.7° F after one hour. The LG took 29 minutes to lower temperature in the room from 86° F down to 72° F and got the temperature down to 70.2° F after one hour.

In a third test, at an even higher outdoor temperature of 91° F, the Frigidaire could not lower room temperature down to 72° F so we don’t have a time for it cooling from 86° F down to 72° F. The Frigidaire only got room temperature down to 72.7° F at this higher outdoor temperature (91° F) after one full hour of operation.

In this third test, the Whirlpool took 56 minutes to lower room temperature from 86° F down to 72° F. 72° F was also the final temperature of the room after test completion – after one hour.

The LG took 46 minutes to lower temperature in the room from 86° F down to 72° F. It got the room down to 71.6° F after one hour.

As you can see the LG was the best performer, overall, in our tests, which is to be expected since it has 10,200 BTUs of seasonally adjusted cooling capacity vs 10,000 BTUs for the Whirlpool and Frigidaire.

Note though that the difference in performance between these three models, especially after one hour of operation, is not very significant.

Even in our third most challenging test – at an outdoor temperature of 91° F – the difference in final room temperature after one hour of operation was minimal between all three models.

The LG was only able to get the room about 1° cooler than the Frigidaire after one hour in this test.

We see much more of a discrepancy in performance between models with significantly different SACC BTUs.

For example, the top rated 12,000 SACC BTU Midea Duo got the room down to 65.7° F in one hour in this third test.

The top rated small unit – the 5,100 SACC BTU Black+Decker BPACT05SM only got the room down to 76.6° F in one hour in the third test.

The bottom line – the Frigidaire was third best cooling among the 10,000 SACC BTU models we tested, but it wasn’t a significantly worse performer than any 10,000 SACC BTU competitors.

All three 10,000 SACC BTU models did perform significantly worse than 12,000 SACC BTU models though, and significantly better than small portable AC units.

All three 10,000 SACC BTU models we tested have a very similar combined energy efficiency ratio (CEER). The LG once again has a slightly better rating (7.9), though, than the Whirlpool (7.8) and Frigidaire (7.8).

Our own energy test results perfectly align with these manufacturer energy specifications.

In our testing the LG (1393 watts), Whirlpool (1370 watts), and Frigidaire (1371 watts) all have very similar power draw, but the LG cooled faster than the other two models, so we can also say that it (the LG) has slightly better energy efficiency than the other two models (the Whirlpool and Frigidaire).

Again, the difference in energy efficiency between these three models is minimal.

12,000 SACC BTU models have much better energy efficiency, though. The top rated Duo, for example, has a CEER of 12.3. It draws even less power (1269 watts) than the Frigidaire (1371 watts) and cools much faster.

Small portable AC models have sub 7.0 CEERs and are much less energy efficient than the 10,000 SACC BTU models we tested.

The Frigidaire FHPC142AA1 is the quietest 10,000 SACC BTU portable AC unit we tested. It was measured at 58.4 dB on low and 60.7 dB on high fan speed.

The LG was measured at 61.6 dB on low and 62.8 dB on high and the Whirlpool was measured at 58.2 dB on low and 62.3 dB on high.

The top rated Duo can get quieter on low (52.5 dB) but is louder than the Frigidaire on high (63.2 dB).

Top rated small AC units are very slightly quieter. The Black+Decker BPACT05SM for example was measured at 57.2 dB on low and 60.2 dB on high.

The Frigidaire FHPC142AA1 has much of the same functionality and features as competitors like the LG LP1025WHSM and Whirlpool WHNP141AW, except that it cannot heat like the LG.

Otherwise, though, as a portable AC unit it functions much the same. It can cool, dry (dehumidify), or be run on fan only mode. It has a similar set temperature range. It can automatically “swing” its louvers up and down, and so on and so forth.

The biggest advantage for the Frigidaire over its 10,000 SACC BTU competitors is price. It usually retails for only (approx.) $400. The LG and Whirlpool usually retail in the mid $500 range. The cool only (non-heating) versions of these models retail for a similar price.

So the Frigidaire is significantly cheaper than its main competitors.

To assess value we like to look at SACC to $ ratio. The Frigidaire’s SACC/$ ratio is 25, which is the best ratio, period, of any portable AC unit we’ve tested. For comparison, the LG has a ratio of 18.9 and the Whirlpool has a ratio of 18.2. The top rated 12,000 SACC BTU model, the Midea Duo (19.7), and the top rated small AC unit we recommend, the Black+Decker BPACT05SM (18.2), also have significantly worse ratios.

Pros and Cons

Conclusion

Because portable AC units are inherently inefficient appliances we generally recommend you buy the highest SACC BTU model you can afford.

The best highest SACC BTU model we’ve tested is the Midea Duo, which has a seasonally adjusted cooling capacity of 12,000 BTUs.

That being said, the Duo is very large, very heavy, and quite expensive.

A reasonable compromise, if you don’t quite have the budget for a 12,000 SACC BTU unit, is a 10,000 SACC BTU unit.

And among such (10,000 SACC BTU) units we’ve tested, we think the Frigidaire is the best option.

The Frigidaire is not necessarily the “best” 10,000 SACC BTU portable AC unit.

But, it is significantly cheaper than other 10,000 SACC BTU competitors – at least $100 to $150 cheaper. And it doesn’t perform significantly worse than those competitors – at least not in our testing.

So, the bottom line – if you’re not budget constrained, definitely go with a 12,000 SACC BTU model (we recommend the Midea Duo). Even in a small room (our testing was conducted in only a 100 sq. ft. room) you’re going to get significantly better performance out of a 12,000 SACC BTU model than a 10,000 SACC BTU model.

If you are budget constrained, though, the Frigidaire FHPC142AA1 is a terrific more affordable alternative to 12,000 SACC BTU options.

Additional specifications and notes

Number of Window Panels – 3 (primary panel with hose cutout + two extension panels)
Minimum Window Width (one panel) – 18 9/16” (length of primary panel)
Minimum Window Width (two panels) – 28” (primary panel + one extension)
Maximum Window Width (two panels) – 51” (primary panel + two extensions)
Weather stripping included – 2x adhesive hard foam (long), 2x adhesive soft foam (long), 2x short thick foam

Notes

If your window’s width is between 18 9/16” (length of primary panel) and 28” (minimum length of primary panel + one extension) you will have to cut off part of the extension.

The LG LP1025WHSM has a slightly worse window kit than the Frigidaire. It only comes with two panels (vs three for the Frigidaire) and it can only fit into a window with a maximum width of 39 15/16” (vs 51” for the Frigidaire).

The Whirlpool WHNP141AW has a slightly better kit than the Frigidaire. It also comes with three panels but one of the panels is very short, so you can fit it into any size window between 19 7/8” and 48 1/8” (which covers most window sizes) without needing to cut any of the panels.

End Adapters – pre-installed? – no – adapter has to be installed onto window kit side of exhaust hose
AC Side Hose Connection – pre-installed
Window Kit Side Hose Connection – push into place
Hose Length Min/Max – 13 to 63"
Hose Diameter – inner diameter was measured at 5.25”

Notes

Frigidaire FHPC142AA1’s exhaust hose is slightly longer (63”) than that of competitors (60” for the LG and 49” for the Whirlpool).

The Frigidaire’s exhaust hose also comes pre-installed on the back of the AC unit. On competitors you have to manually install the exhaust hose onto the back of the AC unit.

Modes – cool, dry (dehumidify), fan
Set temp range - 60 to 90° F
Fan speeds - low, med, high, auto
Swing – yes
Smart – yes

Notes

The FHPC142AA1 has standard features and functionality for a portable AC unit. One advantage it has over the Whirlpool, in particular, though, is that it can be controlled remotely via an app while the Whirlpool cannot.

Dehumidifier mode pints/day – 98 pints/day
Drainage options - 2x drain outlets – the “top” drain outlet halfway up the back of the unit is used to drain on “dry” mode. You can connect a garden hose or the included drain hose to this outlet.

The “bottom” drain outlet at the bottom and back of the unit is used to drain condensate collected on cooling mode. You should only need to drain the unit from this outlet for storage. Otherwise, it should be able to self-evaporate the collected condensate (without your needing to drain it through this bottom outlet) on cooling mode.

Drain hose – included

Top filter (over evaporator) - very easy to remove – pull up and out of unit
Bottom filter (over condenser) – very easy to remove – pull to the side out of unit