How Long Do Portable Air Conditioners Last?
Worried about how long your portable ac will keep you cool? Don't be. In this guide we show the averages and best practices for long air conditioner life.
Read MoreI hate leaks.
They’re annoying, unannounced, wet, and sometimes smelly!
Of course, I’m talking about leaky portable air conditioners.
No offense, my green friends.
Especially when it comes to my portable air conditioner, finding a leak will really put a dampener on my day.
In response, I dove into a few hours of research. I’ve consulted dozens of articles and forums to find all the potential causes and solutions to a leaky portable AC. And I’ve put all of them together in this simple guide.
Fix a leaking portable air conditioner by finding if it’s an overflow or a fault. If the leak is from an overflow, get the portable air conditioner level and check the float. If the leak is structural, contact the air conditioner manufacturer.
A leak in your portable air conditioner can mean many things. None of them good! It can be as simple as needing to empty the basin more often, to giving a faulty performance. And costing you more in energy bills each month. So let’s figure out how to tackle it together.
For those not in a rush – read on and I’ll walk you through each issue and solution one by one.
Before we go any further, it’s important to understand the two drain types.
Dehumidifying is a vital part of any air conditioner. If hot and humid air is cooled but no dehumidified, we just end up cool but clammy. It feels pretty horrible! So air conditioners all work to take moisture out of the air as they cool. And that moisture needs to be drained somewhere.
Any portable air conditioner will either be a manual-drain, or an automatic-drain.
Manual means that the water flows into a basin, which you need to empty regularly. Often the air conditioner will refuse to dehumidify any more if the basin gets full. If the weather has been super-humid, the basin will be filling quickly and need emptied more often. Alternatively, an automatic-drain is connected to your utility system via a drainline. Any water flows down the line and shouldn’t need worried about.
Make sure you know which one you have – because the tips below cover both!
So You’ve Found A Leak. What Now?
Let’s take things step by step. Starting from the moment you notice a damp or wet patch around your air conditioner.
1. First, let’s drain it. If the AC is a manual drain, then unplug the cap and fully drain out of water. Make sure to have a container ready to collect the waterfall!
2. Inspect the unit. Look for any rust, excess grimes, and structural holes. Check the float detector in the water container. Is it obscured? Does it look like it’s working properly?
3. Assess. Leaks are either caused by overflow (super humid conditions, faulty float detector), a clogged drain, or a structural fault (rusted holes, structural cracks).
Now let’s go through each type of potential problem, and how to solve it.
Manual Drain: It Could Be Overflowing.
Want some good news? This is the easier problem to deal with.
Overflow can be from a few reasons. Including
Automatic Draine: What About The Drain Line?
If you have a model that drains automatically, the problem could be with your drain line.
There’s a few common issues here. Some are easy to solve, others aren’t…
Structural Damage
One of the worst cases is a real structural leak. These can be caused by:
Other Causes
Last up are two more miscellaneous faults than can cause water issues.
A leak in your air conditioner is never a good sign. It means you’re probably not getting the most from your air conditioner, and potentially paying extra in energy bills.
I hope this quick guide has helped give you some ideas about what might have gone wrong, and solutions to try.
Wishing you and your air conditioner a leak-free future!
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Thanks for reading, and have a great day 🙂
Craig