FRIGIDAIRE FFTA1233S1 AIR CONDITIONER REVIEW IMAGE: SOURCE

Frigidaire was founded one hundred years before the writing of this review. A frontrunner in the air conditioning industry. If you review the most successful, highest quality units on the market today, it is near-guaranteed you will see the name ‘Frigidaire’ crop up at least a few times. Because of this, when we get the opportunity to review a Frigidaire product, we are understandably eager. However, this places a substantial amount of pressure on the company. How long can they stay on top, and is this unit going to further their reputation, or collapse it? Well, read on for our full Frigidaire FFTA1233S1 wall air conditioner review to find out.

Frigidaire FFTA1233S1 Air Conditioner Review

Retailing for high enough of a price, this in-wall unit is not cheap by any means. However, we wouldn’t storm off just yet, as there is quite a bit more to this unit than meets the eye.

Cooling Performance

With a BTU cooling output of 12,000, this unit is reasonably powerful, and effective up to an estimated area of 550 sq. ft. As an added bonus, the Frigidaire FFTA1233S1 will also remove approximately 3.3 pints of moisture from the air per hour. This is a formidable dehumidifying capacity, and should not be dismissed. We would recommend this unit for use in medium-large sized living spaces.

Efficiency / Certifications

With an Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) of 10.5, this unit would be widely considered to be quite efficient, what with the industry average lying at 9.7. With a maximum airflow of 286 cubic feet per minute, moving air bout your home will not be an issue either. This means that the Frigidaire FFTA1233S1 is capable of circulating air quite quickly, thus cooling the room at a faster rate. With a high EER, it comes as no surprise that this unit comes Energy Star Qualified; meaning that the Frigidaire FFTA1233S1 will not consume very much energy, making it better for the environment, and your bank account.

Other significant certifications this product boasts are the AHAM certification, and a UL-Listing. This means that this product has been tested thoroughly (UL), and results have shown that it will not negatively effect the air in your home. On top of this, AHAM have examined this device as well, and can assure us that the figures given with this product are accurate, and it performs to the same level that Frigidaire claims.

Convenience

With a wireless remote control, this device can be issued orders from across the room. On a sticky, sunny day, this is an invaluable addition to any air conditioning unit, as the last thing you want in such a situation is to be required to move across the room in the sweltering heat, simply to tweak a single setting on your AC unit.

Further, a 24-hour programmable timer is also built-in to this device, allowing the user to input information regarding which hours of the day they would prefer their unit to function. This is yet another invaluable feature, as it allows you to program your unit to switch on before you get home from work, to ensure a cool environment greets you at home.

The Frigidaire FFTA1233S1 also comes with a number of built-in functions, such as Fan Mode, Energy Saver Mode, Sleep Mode, and Auto Mode. Fan Mode will circulate air in the room without cooling it, which is perfect if you simply want to get the air moving. Energy Saver Mode will do exactly what it says on the tin, and operate at a reduced capacity in order to consume less energy, so that your bills aren’t the subject of nightmares when they come due. Sleep Mode, enables your unit to slowly allow the temperature of the room to gradually increase throughout the night, so that you remain comfortable in bed, and energy is saved. Auto Mode, perhaps being our favourite of all, allows your unit the ability to maintain a set temperature. This means that should temperature drop, or rise above your desired level, the unit will adjust its functional capacities to match the change in temperature, ensuring that your home is always as comfortable as possible.

Design

Weighing 76lbs, this unit is by no means light, so as always, proceed with caution during installation. If this device is too heavy for you to carry on your own, we advise you to seek help. One big advantage of this product is its low decibel rating. Coming in at 56.4dB, this unit is quieter than the average human conversation (60dB), which means you won’t be disturbed by this device when it’s in operation.

With an Air Filter, and 4-Way directional air louvers, the user is allowed peace of mind, knowing that their air conditioner is filtering large pollutants out of their air, such as hair and dust. The air louvers allow air to be funnelled in a particular direction, so the bulk of the units cooling power can be placed on the areas you need it most. Frigidaire recommends that the air filter of this unit be cleaned once a month, however this is not an overly difficult task as it simply requires a gentle wash with liquid soap.

Help & Support

Backed by a 1-year appliance warranty, and a 5-year compressor warranty, this unit follows industry standard in this regard, which is understandable. However, given Frigidaire’s track record, there is every possibility you won’t even need this safety blanket, as Frigidaire products tend to be quite robust.

As far as help & support are concerned, Frigidaire representatives are available via email, and live chat, which is an incredibly useful feature. Furthermore, a detailed FAQs and user manuals are accessible on the Frigidaire website.

Verdict

Our verdict? They’ve done it again. Yes this unit may be a little pricey, but its energy efficiency is so significant that you will likely save money down the line. It’s understandable, but ill-advised to take a units price-tag as the whole measure of the impact it will have on you financially. In fact, upkeep can be a huge drain over the years when it comes to HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) technologies.

If you’re in the market for an air conditioner unit, you absolutely must make note of it’s EER, as that is the spec that’s really going to punch a hole in your wallet. Frigidaire understands this, and so they have optimised the Frigidaire FFTA1233S1 to counter expensive upkeep costs. Providing most of the modes we could ask for in such a device, forgiving the lack of a dehumidify only mode, we’re still big fans of Frigidaire, and for good reason.