Frigidaire FFRE1533S1 15,100 BTU
Greetings ladies and gentlemen and welcome to RefrigerantHQ! Today we will be doing another one of our product reviews. Over the past few weeks our sole focus has been on everything window air conditioners and I can assure you that today is no different.
The featured product for today is Frigidaire’s FFRE1533S1 15,100 BTU window air conditioner.
Depending on where you are in the country window air conditioners could be an unnecessary tool or it could be a lifesaver. Our climate is so different depending on the state. For me, a Kansas resident, air conditioning is a must. We routinely have summer days that break over one-hundred degrees. On particular bad weeks we may have an entire five to seven day spread of straight one-hundred degrees temperatures. The majority of people cope with this heat by using their traditional split air conditioner system at their home. But how do the people who have older homes without central air or people who live in apartments with no air conditioners cope? Well folks their best option is window air conditioners. They provide a cheaper alternative and an easy installation to allow all of us no matter where you are to enjoy the nice cool air during a hot summer day.
But the question now is what window air conditioners are the best? Should you get the Frigidaire FFRE1533S1 15,100 BTU unit? Or, should you be looking at a different product? A different size? Or even a different brand? Well folks, let’s dive in and find out exactly what you need!
Frigidaire
Now before I get into the actual details, Pros, and Cons of a product I always like to take some time and look at the company behind the product. After all, the manufacturing company can say a lot about the quality of the product. Brand names have power. Don’t believe me? Just ask Coca-Cola or Toyota.
The Frigidaire company was my runner up for best brands in window air conditioners. If you haven’t heard of the company Frigidaire before I have to ask where have you been? You’ll see this brand name all over your house. I don’t care if it’s on your refrigerator, your dishwasher, or your laundry machine. These guys are into every home appliance you can imagine.
The Frigidaire company knows exactly what they are doing with air conditioners and refrigeration units and have been around for over one-hundred years. Frigidaire was a pioneer in the refrigeration and cooling industry. They invented and began commercially selling the first self-contained refrigerator all the way back in 1916. Think about that for a moment. Over one-hundred years ago and Frigidaire was around and selling refrigerators. In fact one of their principal investors was William Durant, a founder of General Motors. GM went on to develop the first ‘Freon’ refrigerant in the 1930s while they were partnered with DuPont. This company has a solid history in the air conditioning and refrigeration industry. I can assure you that you are getting a great product when you purchase under the Frigidaire brand name.
Product Features
The Frigidaire FFRE1533S1 is rated at 15,100 BTUs. BTUs are the traditional measurement unit of heat. In the air conditioning world BTUs are a measurement of the cooling capacity of your window air conditioner. The bigger the number of BTUs the more powerful and the higher cooling capacity of your A/C unit. As a standard measurement an air conditioner needs around thirty BTUs for each square foot of living space that you wish to cool. In this case 15,100 BTUs is rated to cool around eight-hundred square feet. That could be the size of a large master bedroom, a living room/kitchen, or a full sized apartment. This unit is also rated to dehumidify at 3.8 pints per hour.
This unit comes with a one-hundred and fifteen volt plug in. While this may seem like an odd thing to mention it is worth noting that larger BTU window units make as witch over to a two-hundred and twenty volt outlet. These types of outlets are the ones you find in your home for your oven or your dryer. With this one-hundred and fifteen volt outlet you are good to plug it in in any room without worry. The power cord on the FFRE1533S1 extends to six feet. That should be more than enough space to reach the nearest outlet, but worst case you can always use an extension cord.
This window air conditioner will fit windows between twenty-eight inches up to forty and a half inches in width. While the height doesn’t really matter as most windows are taller than the air conditioner this unit comes in at eighteen and a half inches. Please be sure to measure your window before purchasing so you don’t accidentally buy the wrong sized product. It also comes with side curtains and insulation strips to prevent any leaks or air from coming in from outside. It does come with an outside mounting kit known as a ‘Pleated Quick Mount.’ (Excerpt from Frigidaire’s official website.) Please note that this unit weighs in at one-hundred and two pounds. You will most likely need assistance when installing.
This unit uses the HFC R-410A for it’s refrigerant. This is a VERY common refrigerant that is found in most offices and homes across the country. If you do need a repair down the road you don’t have to worry about finding or paying an arm and a leg for a refrigerant refill.
The FFRE1533S1 comes with a cool and economy mode. The cool mode does just that, it cools the room to your desired temperature. The economy or ‘econ’ mode will cool your room to the desired temperature and then turn on again when the temperature begins to rise. This is a great feature to have for those of us who go to work during the day and want to come home to a nice cooled room.
Pros
The most satisfying part about this Frigidaire unit is the price point. As I write this the price on Amazon is in the four-hundred dollar range. (Prices are subject to change at any time.) That is quite the bargain especially when you look at other 15,000 BTU units on the marketplace today. You also get the Frigidaire brand name that has a century of reputation behind it.
Something else to take into consideration when it comes to air conditioners is if they are Energy Star Certified by the Environmental Protection Agency. When a product is Energy Star Certified it means that that product has met strict energy efficiency guidelines set fort by the US EPA. A Energy Star certified unit will have higher seasonal energy efficiency ratios as well as having improved energy efficiency ratios. The FFRE1533S1 is Energy Star Certified with the EPA. On top of that it is also rated at 11.8 for it’s Energy Star Efficiency ratio. In order to meet the Energy Star requirements a unit must be rated at 10.0 EER or higher. This unit is at 11.8 and is exceeding expectations. Lastly, this unit’s Energy Guide estimated cost is set at one-hundred and fifteen dollars a year. That’s pretty cheap for a year round window unit.
The FFRE1533S1 comes with basic settings such as sleep mode, twenty four hour on/off timer, a remote control that comes with two triple a batteries, varying fan speeds, and cool/econ/fan only cooling modes. While most of these modes and options are pretty standard I am going to point again to the price point on this unit. For an 15,000 BTU with these features at this price you are saving a lot of money while getting all the standard features.
The last Pro I’ll mention on this Frigidaire unit is that it comes with a one year manufacturer warranty. This is a great insurance policy if for whatever reason your new unit doesn’t last the year. There are always outliers out there and having this warranty to back you up ensures you that your investment is protected.
Cons
As far as the Cons on this Frigidaire window unit there really aren’t that much to go through. There are few main things that I want to make you aware of before you purchase. A lot of these are ‘bad luck’ type of situations but I would be amiss if I didn’t make you aware:
- First and foremost please know and realize that this unit is BIG at over one-hundred pounds and you will need a few people to help you install it. While it does come with a support bracket you may want to purchase one of your own separately just in case. Also, please be sure to measure and measure your window again and again to ensure that this unit will fit correctly. The other option is to cut a hole out in your external wall and have the unit mounted that way.
- This is an 15,100 BTU window air conditioner. I mentioned this above in our product features section but you should be aware that this unit is rated to cool a eight-hundred square foot room. If your room is bigger or smaller than that then you should look at getting a larger or smaller BTU unit. If you are unsure of what sized unit you need please check out our window air conditioner buyer’s guide which can be found by clicking here.
- When buying things online there is always risk of damage from the transport carrier. This is moreso when you are dealing with a machine with a lot of moving parts like an air conditioner. While most people who order this item receive it in fine condition there is still the risk of the unit arriving to your home damaged. If this does happen then I would recommend filing a complaint with Amazon on your order. If you aren’t having any luck in that avenue then you could file a claim on Frigidaire’s website under their one year warranty.
- The last complaint that I have found in my research is that through usage and the passage of time the fan can become loosened and begin rubbing up against other components of the unit. While this isn’t a big deal mechanically it does result in a larger noise when the air conditioner is running. So, if this happens to you you may have a noisy unit to contend with. While this may not matter during the day it may make it difficult to sleep with if the FFRE1533S1 is in your bedroom.
Conclusion
Overall, I would say that the Frigidaire FFRE1533S1 is a definite buy if you are looking for a price point air conditioner to cool your apartment or living room/kitchen. The reviews on Amazon.com are overwhelmingly positive and as I said above the only negative complaints that I could find throughout my research was related to shipping of the product. If you are interested in purchasing this unit please click here to visit Amazon.com’s product page.
If you find that your room is too big or too small for this unit then I would recommend checking out our official RefrigerantHQ Window Air Conditioner Buyer’s Guide by clicking here.