Dimplex DAC12005/9005

Extremely happy – Had mine 9 years and has worked faultlessly. Reasonably quiet for an indoor unit, although when the thermostat kicks in it will make a clunk. Over this period it's been economical and without fault.. We use it in a medium to largish open plan lounge kitchen area and meets our cooling needs fine. Being in an inland environment I havent had to… Read more

empty the tank as humidity is not an issue.

While the initial cost was high, the value over time is top class.

This is perfect! Can't live without it – I have never had a problem with mine and I have had it for years. It would not be any good for a large room or open plan. (Do your research people for goodness sake) I could not make up my mind to get an aircon for the bedroom or computer room, so got one of these. I got a hole cut in each window as we have wind out, it was the only way. Yes it is… Read more

noisy, I cool down the bedroom before sleep then put the fan on. I also close the doors and my rooms are not all that large. On a very hot night if I run it, I end up having to use a blanket. Cools fast and it fitted my requirements, would not be without it. It is large and best only moved short distances, I would not like to be dragging it up and down stairs. Then you have to find a place to store ot.

Nice little unit, provided you have a small space to cool – I've had this unit for more than a decade, so feel I've got a little experience to share. First; don't bother with this unit unless there's a very small area to cool, and the ceiling and walls are insulated. You'll be bitterly disappointed otherwise. The first thing I've noticed is that how quiet the unit is for an indoor unit - Dimplex seem to… Read more

have made subsequent models louder and louder (I also own both a 3.5kW and 5.3kW inverter unit from them). The 2.6kW unit has a very soft click when the compressor cuts in and out, unlike the 3.5kW that has a massive clunk and tends to wake you up!

It's quite cheap to run - around 800W/hour. The R22 refrigerant will likely help (much more efficient than R410a and R134a) The controls are simple and bulletproof. Much of its early life was in a humid region, that only caused the water tray to be drained more frequently. You can attach a little plastic pipe instead that will allow the water to drain away. Later Dimplex models allowed the humidity to be ejected via the snorkel out the window. I'm now in a dry area and it works admirably without ever requiring to be emptied. Only issue I've noticed that if the ambient temperature is 35C or higher (like today) the refrigerant can't condense properly and the condenser refuses to operate.

In short - it's a good, but not great model. In the 2.6kW class you can choose from many models now, back a decade there was only one or two options. In a small space such as a study it's perfect, just don't be disappointed when it doesn't cool your living room! Cheap to run. Inexpensive. Robust. Reliable. Quiet. R22 refrigerant. Very small output, anything more than a janitor's closet it will struggle. Gives up in very hot weather. Frequent water removal required in humid areas.

OK – Some had trouble with the noise: it is a portable so what can you expect? the compressor is in the room with you (on wall/window mounted units the compressor is outside); the noise-insulation is quite good and I find its only a little noisier than an evaporative-cooler, but much more effective. The exhaust hose blows the heat from the compressor… Read more

outside but the hose still radiates some heat into the room, defeating the purpose: I wrap the hose in a blanket to insulate it.

I also recommend that you insulate the room completely from the outside environment: in a wall/window mounted unit the cooling is all done outside, but with portables air is sucked out of the room, over the compressor and then outside - this causes a pressure differential in the room (that expelled air has to be replaced and come from somewhere) - better to come from another room as a draught under the door, than from the hot outside.

This unit uses water to cool the compressor: on wall/window units the compressor is outside and radiates heat away. THIS UNIT DOES NOT COOL PROPERLY UNLESS IT HAS WATER! - in humid conditions it gets water from the air, but once the room is dehumidified (after about an hour of operation) the unit uses its reserves and runs out within the hour (800mLs - 1L is its capacity and that lasts about an hour in dry conditions).

There is an indicator light for water over-fill but none for water empty (you have to listen for a gurgle noise - no gurgle = no water). The water inlet is badly located - I bought a length of hose from the hardware shop and stuck that in the inlet so I can fill it conveniently.)

With these minor adjustments and difficulties in mind, I still think I got a good deal: it was cheap; it does cool my study very well (I live in western Sydney and its a godsend in +40 degree heat); I have, and do, move it from room to room, and house to house, and that is fantastic for a renter. Price - was pretty good; portability - I've moved once since I bought it and it easily moved with me; IT COOLS A 24 SQUARE ROOM quite well (in 42 deg. Celsius heat - that's worth everything)! Water requirements and exhaust hose.

What a piece of junk! – Accurate facts? Make some products that work and that last more than a week. Bought a heater, used it for one night, carked it, had to return in and they replaced it with a new one and a stupid grin on their face saying it won't happen again. Used the new one just the other night for an hour, and it's dead again. Dimplex, what a horrible company. Ripping people off. Your heaters are [censored word removed].

Good – I read all the reviews here before I bought this product so I think it helped that I knew what to expect. It is not an alternative to ducted air conditioning but we didn't need fully ducted air conditioning or to cool the entire house, just some relief at night on those extra hot days. It definitely provides that. I also wanted something we could… Read more

store in winter, because I'm quite happy with my gas heating. I only paid $400 for this product which I think also moderated my expectations. I don't know what else I would do on a 40 degree day! It works if you use if in a small space and close off the room properly. I use it to cool the room down before sleeping and then move it to the next room. Noisy and cumbersome and heavy to move around. You need a conveniently located window.

Excellent – I have had two other brands in the past and this is the best unit by far for cooling capacity and over all colling power/efficiency! I don't understand some of the negative comments on here unless they are from a competitive company. I have never had any problems with this product and I couldn't see our summers without it! Highly Recommended!!!… Read more

Don't know how we could live without this unit on a hot day! There is nothing really I can say against this product, maybe a little heavy but it is what you would expect in a good unit.

OK – Amazed at people who state that a piece of electrical equipment 'needs to be dismantled annually and cleaned'. There isnt an airconditioner in the world, including integrated, ducted systems etc, which does not require regular maintenance, especially gear with moving parts and filtering air. Buy an el cheapo Chinese number (plenty on eBay)… Read more

and see if it lasts more than a couple of days, if it works at all! Great coooling None really, although really inconvenient with the hose out of window requirement

Good – It is great for renting and those really hot days when you need to sleep. This unit cools smallish room (4 x 5 m2 I think) when all doors closed. There is a larger unit that claims to heat a larger area and would be more suitable for living areas. Is noisy but what air con unit isn't? ( or fan, or evaporative cooler) Really does cool… Read more

(smallish room, say a bedroom) when doors shut. Portable - we have used in different bed rooms, down at the beach house when inbuilt one failed and could not get anyone to repair it. Only suits sash type windows and for a very small bedroom, can take up a lot of space given you need space in front and it has the piping out the back.

Good – A great portable aircon, better to have than just one of those air coolers that you put ice in. Cheaper than the common branded aircons. Strong fan for a medium sized room, cools instantly, light for its size you can only adjust the air flow breeze from left to right, cannot adjust it up or down so means the air is only blowing upwards. Show reply

Terrible – Very disappointed. WARNING. Do not buy. This is the second unit we have returned because the refrigeration doesn't switch on. The air pipe that leads outside should be hot, i.e. extracting the heat; not ours though, it's simply a fan. It's now been 2 units that don't work - same model not working and counting. We will never buy Dimplex again, it… Read more

seems we're not able to return the item for replacement now - so it's going on the tip - a waste of $770.

Just bought a new house too and looking to put in full aircon ducted - too bad Dimplex. Design OK Faulty refrige switching

Terrible – I don't usually write reviews, but I came online today to warn all other potential Dimplex air conditioner customers about the extremely poor & rude reception dished out from Dimplex's service department. I have a Dimplex aircon which has failed twice now. I called Dimplex today who were initially extremely helpful and told me that I would receive… Read more

a replacement unit on my aircon which is 6 days out of warranty. They were having difficulty getting parts and so their policy was to replace rather than repair. Also on my particular unit, they were offering warranty repair up to 3 weeks after the warranty expiry date, because of the problems they were having with them. With this knowledge, I drove the 1.5 hrs to the specific Harvey Norman I originally purchased the unit from (mandated by Dimplex). When I got there the sales person called Dimplex and this is when Dimplex's helpful facade began to crumble. They wanted to replace my unit with an out of date unit without a warranty (what happens when this unit fails again - there are no parts!!!) but wouldn't give the sales person a reference number for the claim. I questioned this with the snooty woman at Dimplex and was then immediately forwarded to the service manager. I thought "great, I'll finally get some help here" but his firsts words to me were "we are not going to help you". According to him I had made up the story about the warranty replacement. Also Glen Dimplex only started looking after Dimplex in Australia in September 2008, so they are not responsible for honoring warranty repairs before that time. Also apparently my airconditioner was brought in by another company under Dimplex's name (It says Dimplex on the front and back, as far as I am concerned it's a Dimplex aircon!!!) and therefore they weren't going to touch it. Great, I wasted 3 hours of my day to have someone speak to me like trash. This is a $1200 piece of equipment for goodness sake! For all their great marketing and spiffy looking goods, they can't hold up the other end of the bargain. When goods fail you, as a consumer you expect to be helped by the parent company, instead I was called a liar and was rudely spoken to. I will NEVER EVER EVER buy from Dimplex again - BE WARNED!!!!! Powerful, cool air, easy to use. Unit worked well WHEN it worked. Two failed fans, will never buy from Dimplex ever again because of their poor service. Be warned!

OK – We had this given to us so didn't pay the retail price, I am really glad we didn't as it had so many problems with the water. If you can get that part sorted out it seems like a pretty efficient unit though. It did cool a small room really well and cooled our caravan once we figured out a way to vent the heat to the outside. Was easy to move… Read more

around when on a hard floor. It leaked water and we constantly had to empty it. Wouldn't use it on carpet as you would be sure to end up with a puddle. Very heavy unit.

OK – its more like a bigger spot cooler and only does it by a few deg if that. it does have an auto shut off but because it doesnt cool as big a room as it claims it immediately comes back on when it reaches desired temp. it is also very very noisy, expect to turn the tv up very loud when its 40 deg i love it loud, doesn't cool as large a room as it claims

OK – Probably a great addition for renters as we are at the moment, but probably a very expensive and impractical option if you own your home. The unit is big and cumbersome with the exhaust pipe and electrical cords, and also difficult to empty water tray. Am a shift worker so it cools the room enough to sleep during hot summer days in a small North… Read more

West facing room. wheels are great for easy moving and exhaust hose etc scrunch up to pack neatly away in winter. The tiny window adaptor for the exhaust air to sit in, very noisy so have to sleep with ear plugs in, big cumbersome unit takes up heaps of space in the size room it's designed to cool.

Terrible – Personally, I would stay clear of this air conditioner. I bought it due to the attractive price and the convincing sales person. However, if you want any chance of it cooling a room, it needs to be switched on hours before you wish to frequent that room which is often not possible, the pipe is very thick and needs to be fitted to a window which… Read more

is difficult, it is noisy and to top it off, it is ineffective in its cooling operation. Overall, just a terribly intrusive unit which I managed to return for a full refund. Ducted or wall mounted is the only way. Nothing. I bought one of these units to cool my bedroom and it failed. For the space that it is designed to cool (that is a bedroom), it is too big, complicated and much too noisy. I cannot even remember it blowing any cool air at all.

Terrible – Dac12005 is a dehumidification unit. The fact is dimplex can call it an air-conditioner simply because it removes humidity. When a customer thinks air-conditioning they think cooling. Dimplex and im sure other band play on this. Misleading customers into buying their products. Manual notes: - The machine operates in the cooling mode but it… Read more

does not lower the room temperature.

This is clearly just sad.

Fair trading act needs to be changed to force companies to state what their product does. So that customers know before purchasing such a unit.

Shame on dimplex. Nice design. Noisy, no room cooling, power hungry, no waste water pump, Window kit too Small.

Good – As someone who sells these and other electrical products, I find the biggest problem is that sales people often lie about what portable air cons do. IF in the CORRECT sized room for the unit, it WILL work fine, not as good as a split system air con, but still pretty good. THEY WORK PEOPLE BUY THE WRONG SIZE UNIT FOR THEIR ROOM

Excellent – Very good invention especially for people who are renting. Will definately recommand to someone who cannot stand very hot nights. It is a best invention ever for Renters. Bought it last year and very happy with it. I bought for my bedroom and leave it on for an hour before we go to bed, by that time the room gets very cold. Bit expansive