The BLACK+DECKER BPACT08WT is a portable air conditioner that has its ups and downs (thankfully there are far more goods than bad). In terms of cooling capacity, this portable AC can be quite limited, but the versatility of this 3-in-1 machine should be tantalizing enough to catch your attention. To give you an idea of what we mean, take a look at our in-depth review of the BPACT08WT.
100 to 150-square-foot Cooling Range
The BPACT08WT is rated at 5,000 BTUs and can cool rooms as big (or small, depending on your point of view) as 150 square feet. For single bedrooms, dorms, apartments, or home office units, the BPACT08WT would be a handy portable air conditioner. However, if your goal is to cool multiple rooms or large spaces like basements or living rooms, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
Easy Movability
This portable air conditioning unit sits atop four caster wheels that slide gracefully across smooth and carpeted surfaces. There are integrated carry handles that make transporting the unit up and downstairs easy to do. However, the dry weight of the unit is roughly 50 pounds so please be careful when moving the BPACT08WT between floors.
Easy Installation
Anyone who ever owned a portable air conditioner will tell you that setting one up is as easy as one-two-three. It is also true with the BPAC08WT. Inside the box, you’ll find all the types of equipment needed to get her set up and running within 30 minutes. The window kit includes two pieces that slide together measuring about 20-1/2 inches in width.
If your windows are smaller than 20-1/2 inches, you can cut the piece to the correct size. Be cautious when doing so since these pieces are made of metal and require special tools to cut perfectly. At max, the window kit can cover a maximum of 59-inch wide windows – anything wider and you’ll have to use makeshift window covers (Styrofoam or wood panels cut to size).
AC, Dehumidifier, and Circulating Modes
The BPACT08WT is a 3-in-1 device that not only cools a room down but dehumidifies and circulates indoor air. The dehumidifier has the power to extract up to 50 pints of moisture per day. By no means is this the most powerful dehumidifier out there, but for a 3-in-1 machine, this is more than reasonable. The circulating function is just a fancy way of saying “it blows air around like a fan.”
Bucketless Design
On dehumidifier mode, re-condensed moisture particles do not drop into a removable catch bucket or tray but are drawn out through a drain port. The 5-foot drain hose needs to be fed through an open window, door, or placed in a sink to prevent water damage on your floors and carpets.
Please make sure that the drain hose is connected efficiently and that it is placed away from your floors since, without a catch bucket, water will continuously drip to the ground. There is no built-in pump in the BPACT08WT so water will not drain vertically.
Remote Control for Extra Convenience
As you can imagine, getting up and manually pushing buttons to change temperatures and switch between modes can be a hassle. That’s why we’re happy to report that B+D has included a handy infrared remote that allows users to control their BPACT08WT from the comfort of their bed/couch/gaming chair. It isn’t anything fancy since most modern portable ACs have their remote controls (or even receive commands via a smartphone app).
Uninsulated Exhaust Pipe
Here’s something that customers should be aware of. Any heat that enters the room can render an air conditioner useless, but the worst thing is if heat is generated by the device itself. Sadly, this is the case with the BPACT08WT. The exhaust pipe – the pipe that needs to be fed through a window or another room where heat is not an issue – is not insulated. We recommend wrapping the entire exhaust pipe in a blanker or a specially made material to insulate the pipe so heat doesn’t bleed into the room the portable AC is cooling.
Not Very Quiet
Those looking for a portable air conditioner for your bedroom, heed this warning: the BPACT08WT is not whisper-quiet. The compressor isn’t exorbitantly loud when it kick-starts to life; it’s the fan that creates too much of a disturbance. Unless your snores can drown out the noise of the BPACT08WT’s fan, you’re pretty much out of luck in the sleep department.
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Verdict
After reading this review, you should have a good enough understanding of what we mean by “more goods than bad.” The BPACT08WT by BLACK+DECKER isn’t a bad portable air conditioner – in fact, it also works exceptionally well as a dehumidifier during the scorching summer season – but there’s definitely room for improvement. That being said, if you need a portable air conditioner for single rooms, then the 5,000-BTU BPACT08WT should suffice.
Our Recommended Portable Air Conditioners
Last update on 2023-06-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
| Best of the Best! | For Large Spaces | Budget Pick |
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| Whynter ARC-14S | hOmeLabs | BLACK+DECKER BPACT08WT |
| • 14,000 BTU • up to 500 sq ft • 16 x 19 x 35.5 in • 80 Lbs | • 12-14,000 BTU • up to 600 sq ft • 17.9 x 15 x 30.7 in • 72.3 Lbs | • 8,000 BTU • up to 150 sq ft • 16.5 x 11.5 x 26 in • 52.9 Lbs |
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