Apartment Advice

Everything You NEED to Know about the Arctic Air Ultra

Last updated: Sep 8, 2023

When summer is close, you can feel it. Literally – the days get warmer. Chances are, you’re looking for creative ways to stay cool without breaking your budget or overworking your AC unit.

We get it!

Nothing more frustrating than a dying air conditioner on the hottest day of the year. Whether it’s an entire HVAC system or a room unit, the result is the same: hot, miserable, waiting until it gets fixed.

But what if you could have your own personal space cooler to pull out anytime you felt too warm? And what if that little air conditioner was affordable, so you didn’t have to worry about expensive repairs?

Sound too good to be true? Well, it’s not!

The Arctic Air Ultra is a personal air conditioning unit that is portable, affordable, and air purifying at the same time. With a list price of around $40, it’s an all-in-one cooling system you don’t want to tackle another hot summer without!

What is the Arctic Air Ultra, Anyway?

Ontel makes the Arctic Air Ultra, a company frequently seen all over the market with “As Seen on TV” products, such as toys, fitness equipment, and household items. Ontel has made a name for itself as a leader in products that offer “innovative solutions for your everyday life.”

You can see this goal is met when you look at the Arctic Air Ultra. Ontel’s first release, the original Arctic Air, was met with tepid reviews. The company then redesigned its product, gave it twice the cooling power and better features, and released the Arctic Air Ultra.

The Basics

You should know that Ontel did not design this product to be an air conditioner. It won’t cool your whole house. It’s a portable, personal evaporative air cooler intended to help you fight the heat wherever you are.

The Arctic Air Ultra uses the warm air around you, pulling it through the evaporative water filter and cooling it. It doesn’t use a lot of power because it’s not trying to cool the whole home, only where you need it the most.

This portable device cools, humidifies, and purifies at the same time. While a fan takes the hot air in an area and circulates it, the Arctic Air uses that same air and makes it refreshing. And its air purifier improves the quality of what you’re breathing in.

A perfect wishlist item for kitchens, offices, bedrooms, and living rooms, this small air conditioner helps you combat the summer heat. It can even turn a hot, humid picnic, sporting event, or other outdoor activity into a cool, relaxing day.

Features of this product include:

A digital thermostat lets you choose the temperature you want
A water-based filling system that runs up to eight hours per water tank fill
Hydro-chill technology with double the cooling power of the original Arctic Air
Remote control operation
An evaporative air filter that purifies and humidifies the air that it pulls through it
Two power options, including a USB adapter and standard outlet plug
A multi-directional, adjustable air vent air circulator
Three fan speeds for low, medium, and high-intensity cooling with quiet operation
A soft night light
No replacement filter needed – simply wash and dry its filter occasionally to reuse it
Protection plan: 30-day return policy for a full refund; 90-day warranty on all parts

Instead of running your air conditioner unit all day or dealing with stagnant heat, using an Arctic Air Ultra is the cheaper, most accessible alternative. You can stay comfortable and refreshed, breathing in clean, pure air, at a cost that equals, as the marketing ad says, “pennies a day.”

Is Your Current Unit on its Way Out the Door?

Running your air conditioner on the hottest days spikes your electric bill enough as it is. But when it’s running while there’s a problem going on, it can substantially increase how much power it uses to cool your home.

You’re probably wondering how bad the hit to your wallet is going to be to fix an HVAC unit. A/C repairs can be inexpensive and straightforward, or they can be complicated and pricey.

If your unit is acting up, you may need to replace it if:

It’s struggling to cool the room. When you can feel the difference in the lack of cool air in your home, there’s a problem. If your air conditioner isn’t sending out cold air within a minute or two of running, there’s likely a clog somewhere in your unit.
You see a leak around the unit. Your vents should not have standing water building up around them. If they do, there’s a refrigerant leak, which can be a danger to your unit and health. Moisture that sits for too long becomes a magnet for mold and mildew growth.
You hear your unit running unusually loud. Air conditioners are noisy by nature, but by now, you’re used to what yours sounds like when it kicks on. If you hear other noises, like grinding or high-pitched squeals, your unit is probably on its last legs.
Your power bill spiked seemingly for no reason. The warmer months will bring higher utility bills naturally as your air conditioner works harder. But if your bill is higher than you usually see this time of year, your HVAC unit may be working too hard.

Any of these problem signs are warnings that your AC unit needs help. You can choose to call a technician and pay the hefty repair bill. It’s costly and troublesome if the warranty expires.

What then? You can buy a new Lasko or Honeywell for hundreds of dollars, Or you can look into getting an Arctic Air Ultra and see if it keeps you cool and saves you money!

The Benefits of an Arctic Air Ultra

icy air snowflake

The Arctic Air Ultra does the job of all the different machines you might have been using to cool, humidify, and purify your air.

Main Features

This portable evaporative cooler has a filter that pulls the warm air through it. It then sends that stagnant air through a filter that chills, humidifies, and purifies simultaneously. The result is crisp, cold, clean air that surrounds you.

With three variable fan speeds and a multi-directional air vent, it circulates this air throughout the room where you want it most. You control the temperature with the digital thermostat, so the air is not too hot, not too cold, but just right!

Size and Sound

Since its portable design is lightweight and whisper-quiet, you can take it anywhere with you. The soft, white noise is popular with those who like a little background sound to help them sleep. And the barely-there nightlight guides you to the unit if you need to make adjustments in the dark.

Is it Energy-Efficient?

If you are concerned about the heavy electric use of a regular AC unit, you’ll be glad to know that the Arctic Air Ultra is eco-friendly and energy-efficient. It’s also freon-free, saving the environment and your pocketbook.

While your air conditioning unit draws a lot of power to cool your whole house, the Arctic Air Ultra barely uses any. It can run off a standard outlet or a USB plug.

How Does it Work?

The patented hydro-chill technology works by pulling the hot air into the machine through an evaporative filter. The filter then cools the air down and sends it out to the small space in your room.

At the same time, the filter is purifying the air, so what you breathe in is clean and refreshing. Simply add cold water to the easy-to-use tank and turn the machine on. The cool breeze is your reward!

Why You Should Worry About Indoor Air Pollution

open window on a breezy day

The scary thing about pollution is that most of it is invisible. We breathe everyday pollutants all the time unknowingly, and sometimes we’re the ones introducing the problem into our own homes!

Pollutants can enter your house through natural factors, like wind and open windows. But they can also be carried in by you in your clothes and on your skin.

When you’re in your home, you’re releasing pollutants, too. If you pet your cat or dog, dander floats into the air. If you burn your food, the smoke releases toxins into the air. If you use perfume or any other spray product, you guessed it — pollutants.

Think your air is already clean enough? Think again!

Here are common air pollutants in the home:

Unventilated rooms: If you keep your windows and doors closed all the time, your home might not be getting enough ventilation to get rid of impure air. Opening your windows when the air is cool but not cold gives you a cross-breeze and cleans the stale air out of a room.
Cigarette smoke: Even if you aren’t a smoker, anytime someone smokes in or around your home exposes you to secondhand smoke. This is dangerous to your health and the lungs of those around you.
Indoor appliances: When you cook, fumes enter the airway. Use your exhaust fan to minimize pollution. When you use your dryer, the vent sends lint and other toxins through its system. Make sure the vent opens to the outside air if possible.
Pets: Any kind of pet from scaly and aquatic to four-legged and furry can produce pollutants. Keep your pets bathed (when appropriate) and their tanks or beds regularly cleaned.
Walking into the house: Wearing shoes in the home is a common way of polluting the air. Make a “no shoes” policy in your home to prevent tracking in excess toxins. At the least, put a doormat down to reduce the problem.

It’s easier than you might think to pollute your air. Even if you try to cover up odors by using candles, air fresheners, and carpet powders, you’re adding to the problem instead of eliminating it.

But a fix as simple as using the Arctic Air Ultra to clear the pollutants out of the air around you can help your breathing and improve your overall health.

The Importance of Humidifying Your Air

Unless you live in a low or high-humidity area, you probably don’t think about how the water in the air affects your body. But take a trip to an environment like Arizona or Nevada and watch how quickly you notice your skin and lips drying out.

How Low Humidity Affects You

Too much or too little moisture circulating in the air impacts your body in different ways. However, the Arctic Air Ultra acts as a humidifier, too.

This doesn’t mean much to you if you don’t know why the correct humidity level is essential to your health. Once you understand the impact it plays on daily living, though, you’ll want to make sure you have the right level in your home.

Keeping your home at an optimal humidity level protects you and your family from viruses that flourish in dry environments or bacteria that love moist places. If a household member has respiratory conditions, like allergies or asthma, a perfectly humid room helps control their symptoms.

When the air is overly dry, it causes your skin to react adversely. If you have dry skin, dry hair, or are frequently itching, you may have too little humidity in your home.

Sleepy? Fatigued? Having a hard time concentrating? Your humidity levels could be to blame. Excessive dryness means oxygen may not be circulating through your body as it should. You also might not be sleeping restfully, causing you to feel blah and drag through your day.

What are Proper Humidity Levels in My Home?

The best humidity level is between 40 – 60%. While you’re sleeping, this can go down to 30 – 50%. A humidifier or humidification system is one way to control your home’s humidity, but these can be expensive. The Arctic Air Ultra does the job for you at a fraction of the cost.

Conclusion

The Arctic Air Ultra may not be an air conditioner, but it does so much more.

If you need a way to keep cool while saving money, this portable unit may be the answer to just about any home improvement problems!