NewAir Model AF-350 Portable Turbo Swamp Cooler SANTA ANA California

I purchased the NewAir model AF-350 portable swamp cooler from the Air & Water Inc., and I have no problem with the company "Air & Water" that I purchased it from. I got a great deal. The unit was on sale, I received an extra 7% off for internet orders and I received free Fed Ex ground shipping. I received the unit quickly. When I received the box from Federal Express, it came in great condition, no problem.

When I opened the box, the unit looked brand new and I thoroughly read the instructuctions carefully before I operated the unit. The I ran the unit for one hour and the unit worked great! The remote worked as did all the functions. I did notice that the powerful fan was blowing moisture through the louvres and the floor and side of my bed was moist. I didn't know if this was normal and I called Air & Water on it, and they said that a little condensation was normal? But this seemed more than "a little". I will admit that my bedroom wasn't very hot as I was only testing the unit to see if it worked and how well. I will say that the fan worked great "powerful" and cool air was blowing hard through it.

The problem is that it worked great fo 1 hour, then I turned it off for 2 hours. When I returned later to test the unit one more time, it made a loud humming noise, the fan was stuck and not spinning! Something was immediately wrong. Then I saw a puff of smoke, and the on button popped off. This all happened before I could reach over and turn the unit off myself and unplug it. That's it, the unit was broken!:(

After I searched the internet and found a similar report to the NewAir company on one of the models I purchased, I was going get an exchange and try the Model AF-340 but apparently the same person had problems with that unit also. I decided to just ask for a refund. The units are made in China, and that wouldn't bother me if the thing would just be built right and work!

Today I sent the unit back after Air & Water sent me a prepaid return Fed Ex shipping lable that you print out via the internet. I will be refunded my money minus a 15% restocking fee. If if the unit is not restockable "broken" they charge you this fee, which I guess is pretty much paying for the shipping to return the unit. But as I said earlier, I received free shipping when I ordered the unit.

I hope this helps somebody out there. I sure would like to know of a company that makes a good portable swamp cooler with the same great features as the NewAir.

~Chris

Chris
Mountain View, California
U.S.A.