deals
If you're new to hunting for deals online, you'll start seeing all these funky acronyms used as shorthand. Here's some of the most common ones and what they mean:
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repair
Reader F.'s air conditioner was broken, so he called the company that installed it when the house was built. They came out, charged him $100, and told him that he could repair the unit for $3,000 or replace it for $5,000. It's a good thing he got a second opinion, because the second repair guy fixed the problem for $250.
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ratings
Portable air conditioners are good when you need to cool only a single room in your home, or when you live in a studio with a crummy wall unit and no central heating/
ac, or when you go camping. They also free up the view out your window. On the downside, they recycle "inside air," require a drainage tube or a bucket, can be noisy, and make it look like you have a dorm fridge in your living room. Slate
reviews five mid-range portable units (between 9,000 and 12,000 BTUs, or
enough to cool between 350 and 550 square feet).
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Consumerist
