How to Drain easily Portable Air Conditioner Without a Hose
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
- We found a much easier and safer way to drain our portable air conditioner without buying a hose, without lifting it, or moving it outside.
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I wish ALL other companies would provide instructions like you have, being that they make it so impossible to get their directions online!
You are a lifesaver! Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.
Hi Isabel, - Thank you for your very kind words! We're glad we can help. We are in the same situation as you and others - consumers. We thought that sharing some tips that we discovered would help others to save some time and hassles. Thanks again!
Thank you! I bought my Pinguino AC on Craigslist. After about 2 weeks, it started making a "sloshing" water sound. Read the manual, but the drainage knob wasn't a knob, but a pipe. Saw your vid, figured it out. I drained out about 4 of those take out containers, full. No more water sound, and I could swear it's working better. Thanks again!
Hi Ms Tuliplady, This is a nice surprise! When we started reading your comment, we thought you were going to report a disaster, but instead it seems like everything turned out well. Thanks for sharing your story with us, and glad we could be of some help. Stay cool!
Thank you for this! Just bought my first portable air conditioner, and I was stressing over how I’ll drain it.
You're very welcome! We are glad our video was helpful. Stay cool!
I live in a humid climate, and my portable a/c is constantly telling me to drain it, I was using towels but it was not very efficient, then I was rolling the portable a/c to the bathtub to drain it and that was frustrating as its heavy. Thanks to you now I am able to drain it without much stress. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Judy - What a relief! We're so glad that we were able to help with a simple and safe way to drain. We would also suggest to keep your filter clean, because dirty filters cause more water to collect. Thank you for watching and your kind words. FYI, here is the link to our video on how to clean the filter - ua-cam.com/video/q7APzY39Vn8/v-deo.html
Great idea! I just finished elevating my unit after watching your other video. If I decide to take it off (which I probably will because its sitting on a piece of wood on top of a rolling dolly and isn't too sturdy and I don't want it to roll off) I'm gonna find a lid like you did and try this. Thank you so much for your videos. It made a big and positive difference in my day today.
You're very welcome Charlene! We're glad that you found the videos helpful. We agree 100% that it's much better to have your unit on the floor for safety's sake. A little added info on draining without lifting: when draining the bottom tank it's helpful to have a cookie baking pan with low side walls to catch the water. Just be sure to keep a bucket nearby so you can empty the pan without spilling. Thanks for watching our videos and your comments. Stay cool!
You saved me a lot of energy by not having to get this unit outside to drain the lower section; thank you!!
You're very welcome!
Thank you so much for providing a practical alternative to the scary videos from vendors who tell us to LIFT the whole unit on a stool or other to be able to drain the water out !
Hi Djamel, You made us laugh, because those "scary vendors" were us! :)
We were looking for a better alternative, and that's how we came up with the "no lifting" video. Glad you found it!
Thank you... So much for sharing this my son and daughter have been so... "Mad" cause the both of them have been taken the unit to the tub an draining it for me!!! An since I have seen this... Thank you so very much! Things are back to normal for now! Thank you...✨🙏🏽✨
Hi Michelle, - Thank you for your lovely note! We are glad that things are going better and happy that we were able to help. All the best to you and your family!
Thanks so much for making this video. I love the plastic food container cut to fit, and the aluminum foil ideas. They have made draining so much easier!
Thanks for watching and your kind words. We are glad that our simple way of draining was helpful. Stay cool!
I’m kind of concerned now. I bought a Hyundai portable unit a couple of months ago. Have only used it maybe 6 times so far but have never drained it yet. I live in Australia (SE QLD) and humidity is very high as we’re going into summer. The drainage outlet is floor level which is kinda silly. Glad I came across your video. Thank you!
Hi Hoptoit! Glad to hear from you in Australia. It sounds like you have a self-evaporative unit, which evaporates most or all of the water in the tank. You might try pocking a pipe cleaner into the drainage spout just to see if it is clogged, but that would be very unusual if you only used the unit 6 times. We checked the Hynday manual and saw that their ACs will beep and show a code "FL" when it's time to drain. So if you haven't heard the beep or seeing the code, that helps confirm that you don't need to drain it yet. Hope this is helpful, and stay cool!
I've had my portable ac for years and never drained it. It works amazing, I wonder if I should give this a go.
Hi Joanna, - Thank you for watching and your comment. Some portable ACs are self-evaporating, so you may not need to drain yours. But feel free to give it a try if you want to check.
@@ZLhow2 hi, thanks for the reply. I did some research and it is self evaporating. Phew.
how did you have it never drain and I got a portable one it's beeping even when the water is Not tank full 🤔 ( and I can't llift ) saying it is we have to drain ours a lot I guess it matters how much you use it and how much humidity you got that fills up quite often
Hi Karen - We feel bad to be writing just now, after a year. Your comment didn't show up in our in mail box a year ago, possibly due to a system malfunction. We just noticed it today. Most likely you've already resolved your issue with beeping, but as for lifting the unit, we've made a follow up video that shows how to drain your AC without lifting - much easier and safer! Here is the link: ua-cam.com/video/q7APzY39Vn8/v-deo.html Hope this is some help.
@@ZLhow2 is this supposed to be funny? My name isn't Karen.
So simple and obvious thanks I've been searching for a solution for days now lol
Hi, - Glad this was helpful. Hope you're cool and dry.
You did a excellent video.
I love the use of plastic lid container with cutout to conform to bottom drain.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🥇
Glad it was helpful! And thanks for watching.
This is so much better than draining with the hose they provide because it’s so low to the ground you can’t get good water flow with the hose. Thanks for your help.
Hi - We agree that it's easier this way because you don't have to deal with the hose especially on the bottom tank. We're happy that we could help. Thanks for watching and ...be cool!
Thanks so much for the aluminum foil idea....works like a charm!🙂
Hi Thomas, - Glad you like it! We were also very happy when we came up with the idea. We'll soon be posting another aluminum foil application to use elsewhere in the home. Please stay tuned or, if you wish subscribe to our channel.
Thank you for this! It took me so much time when i haven’t had watched this yet
Hi Joyce, - Glad that you found our video, and your hassles are over :) Thanks for your note!
Good information right to the point
Thank you for sharing. I live in a third floor condo and have been worrying about water seeping to the unit below. I have all set up to do a seamless draining of my A/C.
Hi - We understand your concern, and it seems there is no solution that would work perfectly. But we would suggest to put at least a plastic sheet covered with a towel under the unit. If there’s a leak, the towel will soak up most of it (and there shouldn’t be much water anyways, especially if you have a partially or fully self-evaporating unit). We have a partially self-evaporating AC, and we drained it the first time using a large container. The water we had that time was the most ever - since then we’ve had very little water or none. If your AC is new, we would suggest checking it every day for a while to see how much water is accumulating. Pretty soon you’ll get a sense of how often to drain it, and also watch for the code that would indicate a full tank. Hope this helps. Thanks for watching and your comment.
best idea ive seen so far
Hi upyourz69, and thanks for your comment! We are glad that our video was helpful.
What?a simple but great idea using the aluminum..thanks
Glad you like it! Thanks for your comment and stay cool!
Extremely helpful!
Do you have any suggestions for making the plastic plate thing that the hose is attached to stay in the open window?
Mine came with this garbage plastic slide that has gaps and doesn't stay in there and I don't want to drill holes in the woodwork. I used that blue tape and it took the finish off of the windows I just redid when I removed it last year and if you look at it sideways the whole thing falls out.
Hi Kate - We have an idea that might allow you to use stronger tape without harming the finish of your window frame: place some medium weight paper over the window frame, just touching the glass, wherever you want to use tape. Then use some tape that stronger than the blue tape, possibly clear tapping tape, and go from the plate over the paper to the window. That way you get more adhesive power without touching the frame. Hope this helps. Thank you for watching our videos and your questions.
Thank you sir, it gets really hot cause my room is in the attic and I didn’t want to bother my parents. Really appreciate it!!
You're very welcome! We are glad that we could help!
I like your McGuyvering of the food container top to dran the bottom. I used a Soffers micowave container wich is lower and didn.t need the altering of the rim. It.s not so much humide here unless we get a monsunal flow from the South, but otherwise my unit drain nicely and keep the filters clean every two or three weeks. Thanks for the tip on the bottom drain and thinking outside the box.
You're very welcome, and thanks for your kind words! Glad we were able to help. Thanks for watching!
I can’t thank you enough for showing us how you solved draining the lower outlet. My Tourette’s is cured!!! Thanks friend.
Hi, You're very welcome! Glad we could help you feel better.
Wow, creative. It's much easier/better than the tube. This takes away the need for a stand also. Great video pal! :D
I use the same strategy for the bottom water drain outlet (a tray with a little cut out gap). The tube is used on the top, but it kinks quite easily. The foil is so much easier.
Hi again - We're glad to hear that you watched the second video for draining AC without lifting the unit, because it does make the process much easier and safer. Thanks again!
I elevated mine on a dolly and put a deep tray underneath for the lower drain as it’s too humid here for that small tray.I wonder if you could just drain the upper one with a hose into a milk container? Would be easier to handle to dump.
Hi Karen - You certainly could run a hose from the top tank into a milk container, just be sure you check it often enough to avoid an overflow. You might also want to try continuous draining if you can run a hose out the door or out a window. If the hose needs to go up to get out the window, you can purchase a condensate pump to push the water out. Thank you for watching and your question.
Z L Than you again,I’m going to look into that,it’s worth a try. I’m always Leary about over flow.
You're welcome, and good luck with it.
Thank you so much for this video! It's been really helpful. I haven't drained my AC for about 3 years now as never knew how to do it. Do any have any videos on how to clean the filters too? If not please do videos for that, as I have no idea how to clean the filters and haven't cleaned them out for like 3 years either
Hi Misty, - Thanks for your nice comment, and we do have a video about cleaning the filter. Here is the link: ua-cam.com/video/sBNkEtdXkJs/v-deo.html
Thanks for watching, and stay cool!
Thank you! I was about to lug my heavy thing into the bathtub lol I wasn't sure how much water to expect. I know it'll be more than what you had there but this video helped!
You're very welcome Jennifer! Glad we were able to help. Thanks for watching and your comment. Stay cool!
Please help, I'm going crazy and asking everywhere and nobody can help me. I have a portable AC with two drain holes just like yours. I'm trying to set up continuous drainage from my top drain hole while using the AC. In one of your previous answers, you say that the top tank only collects water when in dehumidifier mode and the bottom collects when it's in AC Cool mode. That seems to be the issue. Have the tube attached to the top one but the water is not draining through there when using AC Cool mode. It is still shutting off when full and then I have to manually empty through the bottom hole. If I put the tube on the bottom port, it's obviously too low to drain into a container so I'd have to elevate it onto something (which I don't want to have to do). Last but not least, it says in the manual that it's suggested NOT to use continuous drainage when in AC cool mode to ensure there's enough water, etc. This defeats the purpose because I'm having to drain into a pan every other hour at times and I can't make it through the night. So frustrated.
Hi, Here are our thoughts on your question: "Have the tube attached to the top one but the water is not draining through there when using AC Cool mode." That's correct because "Cool" mode drains through the bottom spout. If that's where most of your water comes from, you could drain by a tube that goes out through a door or window; you can use a condensate pump to move the water up over a window seal. Since your manual says do not use a hose for cool mode draining, you should contact your manufacturer's customer service first to discuss this. If your unit is new and it's not Self-Evaporating (which gets rid off much of the water without draining), you might want to look into returning it and getting a Self-Evaporating model. Hope this is helpful.
@@ZLhow2 Thank you! Yes,! Yours is the only answer that has been helpful so far! It makes sense. Unfortunately I live in a 2nd floor apt and so I can't drain it anywhere outside; I was planning on letting it drain into an empty plastic gallon. Unfortunately it's also way too heavy for me to return to the store (I had enough trouble arranging for someone to help me get this one). The manufacturer is also unresponsive! Very frustrating, all of it. I'm thinking of elevating it onto a platform so I can use the bottom drain port to drain. Thank you again!!
Sorry for the delayed answer. Here is another option you can consider: keep your AC on the floor; drain it, with a hose and condensate pump if needed into a large container. When it's time to empty it, scoop some water into a small bucket and dump it in the sink. It's much safer than putting your unit on a platform, and won't need to do any heavy lifting - neither your AC, nor a large container. Hope this works out well.
@@ZLhow2 Thank you again for your response. Unfortunately the drain port is much too low to the ground to drain into anything more substantial than a baking tray, which will fill up pretty quickly and I'd still have to keep an eye on it. I've thought of it all, believe me, lol.
@@kippy1313Kippy, you’l need to find a pump to pump the water into something. You can find them really cheap online. We pump ours outside of a window.
This was really helpful because I just bought one of these. So simple. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
I have this same unit but I don't have the manual or any idea on how often it has to be emptied
Use a washing machine hose, cut it to the length you want, Put the cut end side inside a 2 litter bottle. Washer hose hookups and A/C drain output is the same size
Hi Orange County714 - Thanks for your comment. Sounds like a great idea if you're going to use a hose.
What a great idea!
This idea works like a charm.
My unit came with a hose that fits the drain super snug, so I cut it to the right length and drilled a hole in the cap of the bottle.
Just made sure to drill the hole smaller than the hose and kept expanding it until the hose could squeeze through without leaving a gap.
Now all I have to do is twist the bottle off of the cap and empty it in the sink.
Do you know if I can install one of these portable ac’s even if my window closes side ways ?
Hi Ruiz, yes you can. In our first video (Part 1) we show how to install the AC unit in a horizontally-sliding window. Thanks for watching.
Or you can just put an empty water bottle onto the drain opening.
Hi - That seems like a good idea. Thanks for sharing.
Good common sense
@ZLhow2 when u do the draining, does the AC have to be on or off?
Off.. The unit should be unplugged. I drained mine in the bath tub or you can use a shower stall.
We did this (gallon jug) and it filled up extremely quickly, so be careful! 😮 The more humid the quicker it filled up. It became maddening emptying it that often so we attached a hose that went outside.
I thought the upper drain is for setting up a continuous drain and else the lower drain (where i presume the water tank is) is what will get fulled up if you do not have a continuous drain set up. So how are you able to drain the tank from the upper drain after its full?
Hi Daz30 - The two tanks are separate, and they have separate purposes. The top (in our model) is for "Dry" mode / dehumidifying . The bottom tank is for "Cool" mode. If your unit is self-evaporative, most of the water will evaporate on its own without draining. If your unit is not evaporative, or if you live in a humid area, we suggest checking both tanks every day until you get a sense of how often it needs to be drained. As for the continuous drain, we never use it because you can get into complicated issues getting the water out of your home without causing damage. And in our video we show how to drain the top and bottom tanks.
Please help. I have a commercial cool 12000 btu portable air conditioner. I lost the set up instructions and yours appears similar to mine. Could you please share the steps you took to set up your ac. Also could you explain where the water is coming from? Are we suppose to put water into the cooling pan or is the pan collecting condensation from the use of the machine and that’s why we drain it? How often should we drain and how do we know when to?
Hi NeishiaLee - Thanks for watching and your questions. Regarding setting up the AC, we would suggest to watch our video; It was our very first video and sometimes the quality is not the best. Here is the link ua-cam.com/video/JdOF7W9qmVg/v-deo.html For your other questions the best way is to download the Owner's Manual which can be found in the manufacturer's website. Also, since you have a commercial AC, we are not familiar with those, and you may want to look through the whole manual - it covers a multitude of issues that can arise. Thanks again and hope it helps.
@@ZLhow2 Thank you. I will watch your video. Unfortunately there is no website for this manufacturer and no manual for my exact model online. hopefully your video will help.
Tysm for posting this! This has been a pain in the butt. Especially because I have to do it every couple days. But not anymore ty again 🙂
Hi Chrystal - You're very welcome! We are glad that you found this way of draining to be helpful. Thanks for watching and for your kind words.
Thank you and GOD bless from Canada!
You're welcome! Glad you found the info helpful.
You are genius!
Thanks Vitaly! Glad we could help.
BRILLIANT - Thank you for making this video
You're very welcome! Happy to be helpful!
*Great and Easy to instal **Fastly.Cool** Low noisy*
Thanks!
Great idea! Thank you so much for the tutorial! Very helpful! 😊
You're very welcome Traci! We much prefer that people don't lift their ACs. Thanks again for your kind words.
Is it ok to keep this drain lid/cap open for ever that water drain automatically always?? Or
Is it necessary to close that lid and drain water every time by own your own??
Hi Wajid - Thank you for watching and for your question. If you want continuous draining, you should use a hose that runs either to the outside or into a bucket large enough to hold all the water. If the water needs to go “uphill” (for examples the hose is going out a window that’s higher than the tank) you can get a compressor pump to move the water along.
Thanks again, and hope this is helpful.
Your idea of the lid is good, my solution for you instead of having to constantly stop to empty the water is to use hand towels to lay on the lid to absorb the water and replace as they get wet. Dry and reuse the next time.
My solution was to purchase a large boot drying tray and place the unit in that when using my towel to absorb the water. A bath towel is big enough to absorb all the water in one go.
My problem is that now after a month of use, the vent hose keeps coming out of the sliding panels, and the clips are not held anymore. It happens randomly and if I'm not home, hot air blows into the house! Any suggestions?
Hi , Sorry for the delayed response, we just saw your question yesterday. We have the same sliding panels, but our vent attaches to the panel with a tongue and groove connection. It's hard to suggest a remedy without seeing the clips that you have. We tried to google and we saw different types of connections, and since we don't know which clips you have, we would suggest that you check the clips online. Perhaps that will give you some useful ideas. Also, your suggeston with towels is a great solution in that situation!!
@@ZLhow2 Thanks so much for responding!
I guess they are not "clips" even though they attach to the panel. You said tongue and groove is a better description. They slide onto the panel piece and perhaps the vibration loosens them, even though in the beginning they were extremely tight.
I hate to jinx myself, but my solution has worked for 5 days since I first wrote you! I redid the entire panel by removing the exhaust tube, and heating up my trusty glue gun, re-attached the tube to the panel, and glued the heck out of the connection, lol! I also "re-bent" the tube to relieve the pulling pressure on the joint, and now the height is supported by boxes.
I'm sorry this is so long; thank goodness it's working, and I hope it's easy to understand without seeing it!
My towel method is working out well, thank you!
Have a good weekend and thank you again for your time!
It's great to hear that you devised a working solution for the vent hose. It seems like the glue will take care of the situation for a good long time. Congratulations!! And have a good cool weekend too.
@@ZLhow2Thank you so much! Everything is still connected, thank goodness, and this heat wave will ease a bit this week...I've had enough, lol! Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
I was thinking either a thin tray or an empty water bottle. 😆👍 Subscribed too.
Thank you for the sub! Great idea with an empty water bottle!
Thank you for this video! My AC is good again! 👍
Glad it helped!
Stupid design my the manufacture. Thanks for this hack.
Fantastic idea. Thank you very much. I subscribed to your channel.
❤️❤️❤️
Thanks for subscribing, and stay cool!
Hi, we just got a new portable AC unit (looks very similar to the one in the video but a different brand). We used it for one hour and then it cut off with the "water full" message. We emptied it completely but still getting the "water full" error which stops the unit from working.
Any ideas on how to fix it? We'll probably return it if we can't figure it out.
Hi Elly, sorry for the delayed response. If you haven't returned your AC yet, we would suggest unplugging the unit which may reset the tank level sensor. If that doesn't work, you may want to contact the manufacturer's customer service department before returning it - they may have some ideas. Hope this is helpful.
How often do you need to drain? Can someone tell me every 2or 3 days? I think that's too often right?
Hi, How often to drain depends on the type of your air conditioner. If you have a Non-Self-Evaporating AC, then the best way to tell when to drain is to check the tanks every day. After a while you'll get a sense of how often to drain. Or, you could simply wait until the unit shows the code that says you need to drain it. Many portable ACs use code P1 indicating a full tank, but you should check your Owner's Manual for your unit's draining code.
If your AC is Fully or Partially Self-Evaporating, then it evaporates most of the water in the tank. BTW, we made a follow up video on how to drain without lifting - it's much easier and safer. Here is the link - ua-cam.com/video/q7APzY39Vn8/v-deo.html Thanks for watching and stay cool!
What is the difference between the top and bottom drain hose? If i am just using the a/c function am I still need to drain from both hoses?
Hi - Thanks for your watching and for your question. On most ACs the top tank collects water when the air conditioner is in "Dry" mode which is the dehumidifier. The bottom tank collects water when the AC is in "Cool" mode. So whichever mode you use more will collect more water. It's good to check both tanks every once in a while to see how much water is in there; if you find that one tank or the other almost never has water, then you can check less often. Thanks again, and stay cool!
I have a similar unit to yours but I have a slight problem. It won’t cool. When I set it to cool the cooling system turns on briefly then turns off. What can I do in that case ?
Hi Cristian, - we found online a few possible issues: a clogged or dirty filter; air-intake obstruction; exhaust hose obstructions; Any of these should be cleaned. If none of those work you could check further online, or with your manufacturer's customer service number. Good luck with this.
How often to you drain unit?
Thanks for videos
Hi Bernard - How often to drain depends on the type of your air conditioner. If you have a Non-Self-Evaporating AC, then the best way to tell when to drain is to check the tanks every day. After a while you'll get a sense of how often to drain. Or, you could simply wait until the unit shows the code that says you need to drain it. Many portable ACs use code P1 indicating a full tank, but you should check your Owner's Manual for your unit's draining code.
If your AC is fully or partially self-evaporating, then it evaporates most of the water in the tank. Hope this helps, and stay cool!
Mine has two spots to drain it from. I only ever drain it from the bottom. Does that get all the water out?
Hi, sorry for the late reply. If your unit has one water reservoir , then it's yes to your question.
thank you sir you saved my day
You're very welcome!
Hello I have a question. If my portable ac is saying that water chassis is full but when I go to drain it nothing comes out. Should I buy a new one?
Hi - It sounds like you may have clogged drainage spouts which can be cleaned and your AC will keep working fine. We would suggest gently pocking a pipe cleaner into the spouts to dislodge any debris. Be sure to have a bucket underneath the top spout to catch any water, and a shallow pan underneath the bottom spout. You might also cover any vent openings beneath the top spout with plastic wrap to prevent water from getting into the unit. We would also suggest checking your filter and coils. If they are dirty, you need to clean them, because they can cause water to get trapped inside the unit. Check our videos on how to clean the filter - ua-cam.com/video/sBNkEtdXkJs/v-deo.html , and the coils - ua-cam.com/video/87agpQfojrk/v-deo.html
Thanks for watching and hope this helps.
Ingenious!! Thank you
You're welcome! Glad it was helpful.
I have a Pelonis unit that is a heater/AC combo. There are 3 drains connections at the rear......top, middle and bottom.Manual says top
and bottom are for AC and middle is for the heat pump. I don't like the idea of emptying buckets so could I just run hoses from all 3 connections to a hole in the floor? There is gravel underneath the room edition as it is not built on a slab but stick built up in the air.
Hi John, we think you could be inviting trouble by drilling holes in the floor to the outside. It would make it easy for small creatures to get in. . If you really want to do it, make sure the holes are a tight fit for the drain hoses and put caulking to seal any gaps. You might want to check with a carpenter for a more expert opinion. Hope this helps.
Hello, thank you for this! Ours is the same, but its not been throwing cold air now. We played around with the settings, we opened it and cleaned it, and nothing works. Has this ever happened to you, where the air is not cold?
Hi Alexander - We have had our unit since 2017, and it's been working fine. We checked online about your problem and found a site which might be helpful with your issue (check under the headline "Low refrigerant levels".) solvitnow.com/what-to-do-if-your-ac-is-not-blowing-cold-air/
Best of luck on this!
@@ZLhow2 THANK YOU! I appreciate it!
YOU'RE VERY WELCOME! Hope this helps.
Awesome ideas, very helpful!!!!
Glad it was helpful!
I have a Costway portable a/c. During the air conditioning mode, the upper drainage hose usually pours water into a bucket which I then have to empty. The unit stopped draining water at all recently and is not cooling the room as it used to. I vacuumed the filters and checked for a clog in the drain hose but there wasn’t any. Why is the unit not cooling or draining water like before? It’s only about a year or two old.
Hi, Thanks for watching and your question. We searched online and found this site that might be helpful in your situation. Here is the link medium.com/@apollodigitalstudios/how-to-fix-a-portable-air-conditioner-thats-not-cooling-5-solutions-5d4984828b5b
Hello i was wondering how often should you have to do this . I live Oregon. Thank you for your time..
Hi - We would suggest checking every day or so. After awhile you'll develop a sense of how often to drain. Our unit generates little or no water to drain, but we still check it once a month and more often when the weather gets very hot or humid.
Thanks for watching and stay cool!
Hello so no cold air was coming out and it said P1 so I did what you said but no water came out not even a drop then it worked yes! cold air again why didn’t mine have water?
Not sure if you rge answer to my question. I have a similar air conditioner with the sane tubes for draining. It has been crazt humid recently maybe only one or two days this week. I have had to empty both drains everyday as I have water on the floor underneath the air conditioner everday. The drains drain a lot of water daily. It was barely humind, I just had air conditioner mainly to cool the room. Anyways any ideas why there is so much water daily? It could be leaking from somewhere. Someone said it could be clogged. I tried to unscrew the back, but unsure how to even unclogged the two drain spots or check without taking it completely apart. Any ideas?
Hi, sorry for the delayed reply. First we would suggest to check unit's filter and coils.
Oftentimes leaking problems occur when they are dirty: a dirty filter blocks the airflow, causing the temperature of the evaporator coils to drop below the minimum setting. As a result the coils will freeze up and your AC will shut off. The ice on the coils will then melt, and the water will fill up the tank very quickly. If the coils are dirty, then even more ice will form, resulting in more water in the tank. If your unit has dirty filter or coils, we have videos on how to clean them, here are the links: for filter- ua-cam.com/video/sBNkEtdXkJs/v-deo.html and for coils - ua-cam.com/video/87agpQfojrk/v-deo.html
If the cleaning doesn’t help, then you may have more complicated issues such us Freon loss or condenser problems. Research thoroughly before deciding whether to make these kinds of repairs - the repair costs may be higher than the cost of purchasing a new unit. Hope this is helpful.
I have a condensation pump setup for both of my A/C units... the top ports on my units drip through a hose into condensation pump, it then is pumped out through a hole in exhaust plastic panels... 1-year w/ no issues...my pumps empty every 60-75 minutes while the A/C units are on...
Hi - It's a good idea to have a condensation pump, especially if you live in a humid area and if your units are not self-evaporating. Our unit is partially self-evaporating, so we check our AC every 5-7 weeks and we find little or no water. Thanks for watching and your comment.
@@ZLhow2 one of my A/C units is self evaporative, but the efficiency of cooling is like night and day after installing the pump...
That's good to know that using a pump would make such a difference.
I do have a hose (brand new unit), but the manual sucks. It makes it sound like the water will be kind enough to wait for me to plug the hose in (at the bottom) and put the hose over a bucket, before flowing, rather than just make a pool on my floor.
Hi, you might want to drain a bit of water out before inserting the hose. Just have a shallow pan underneath the drain spout.
Hi ! Do the top & bottom spout drain different tanks or is it all one? I ask because it possible I’d prefer to only use the bottom.
Hi Pat - Thanks for your watching and for your question. On most ACs the top tank collects water when the air conditioner is in "Dry" mode which is the dehumidifier. The bottom tank collects water when the AC is in "Cool" mode. So whichever mode you use more will collect more water. It's good to check both tanks every once in a while to see how much water is in there; if you find that one tank or the other almost never has water, then you can check less often. Thanks again, and stay cool!
@@ZLhow2 That makes sense on why you can hook a hose up to the top one. Dehumidifying results in a ton of water collection.
Hi Kevin - That's a good idea to have a drain hose if you have a non-self-evaporating unit. If the unit is fully or partially self-evaporating, it will not accumulate enough water to justify using a hose. Our unit is partially self-evaporating and the only time it built up any amount of water was when it was brand new and we drained it for the first time. Since then we've had hardly any water even when using it for 10-14 hours in very hot weather.
I appreciate this video, it's all I needed to know!
Happy to be helpful! And thanks for your comment!
Good luck w that take out pan my ge unit in western n.y. (not NYC- not all of ny is a city I'm in the sticks.) Lol. Mine pukes about 4 gallons of water a day
Hi Mathew, It sounds like you have a Non-Self -Evaporating AC. They build up the most water. Self-Evaporating unit (like ours) evaporates almost all the water even in hot humid weather. If your unit is putting out so much water, you might look into a hose drain if you can get the hose out the door or out a window. If the hose has to go upwards to get out the window, you can look into condensate pumps to move the water along. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for taking the time to share your great ideas!
You're very welcome Pamela! Glad we helped.Thanks for your comment, and stay cool!
Thank you this was very helpful :)
Hi Bee, - You're very welcome! Glad it helped!
Brilliant! I have an Arctic King, but it's the same set up. Thank you so much
P.S. Sounds like you're from Mass, like me :)
Thanks for watching, and always good to hear from a fellow Mass native!
Thank you! I had no idea I had to drain my aircon or how to do it so this helped a lot
Hi Rachel, - Thanks for your kind remarks! Glad this was helpful.
thank you for your videos. they are very helpful! Question: does it matter if the exhaust hose has 2 90degree bends? when I have the unit on the floor. it has to have bends to reach the window outlet. I can lift the unit up onto something to get a direct straight line on the exhaust hose.. if i do lift it for a direct exhaust method..then the unit is actually kinda high up and much closer to the ceiling.. not sure how much cool air comes down at that point. any suggestions would be so very helpful. Thanks again!
You're welcome, and thanks for the kind words. Also, you're probably right that you wouldn't get much cooling from the AC so high up. It also seems problematic for two reasons: having a free-standing AC perched high up is dangerous. Also, having any angle greater than 45 degrees in the exhaust hose make it difficult for the warm air to get out. This can cause back pressure on the unit which cuts down on the cooling effect.
But we thought of two possible strategies: if your window is big enough, end high enough above the ground, you might consider whether a window AC could help. Otherwise, if you're in an above-ground unit, and you are the owner, you might consider putting a hole through the exterior wall for your exhaust hose. Be sure to check first with your city or town to see if any permits are required. Hoping that you find a good solution.
@@ZLhow2 thanks for your kind reply. I had a window unit.. and it does ok.. but with the fire smoke it is no longer an option. i rent so i cant make a hole through wall. oddly with the unit on about an 18" tall table it has (not good with angles) much more open that 45 degrees actually with the unit elevated it is almost a straight shot through to the window vent kit.. when i have the unit on the floor then i have to have 2 90 degree angles.. I have a kenmore 12k btu..the hose comes straight out of the back of the unit. odd design. also the drain hose is at the bottom.. i have a clear tube that i can connect and just let it drain into a bucket. Which i have to empty about 1x a day.. funny because it is really dry here where i live. . so the only option i have is to keep it up 18" and have more direct exhaust and easy to drain.. or put it on the floor and have two elbows in the exhaust and then somehow find a very flat large pan that will fit underneath. thankfully it doesn't get to 120 here! I appreciate the support and brainstorming ideas! thank you~ ! another question if you wish. do you think attaching a intake hose is helpful? thanks again!! I appreciate your widsom!
Good to hear back from you! Very sorry to hear of your situation with the fires, we hope for an improvement soon.
We did some further research today, and came across some units that had the double 90 degree angle setup. As we mentioned before It may reduce the cooling effect somewhat , also it may use more electricity, but you could try it and see how it works.
Regarding the issue of draining into a shallow pan, we did a video on that topic, you may want to check it out. Here is the link - ua-cam.com/video/q7APzY39Vn8/v-deo.html
As to your intake hose question, could you tell us more about what you have in mind?
Stay safe!
@@ZLhow2 Thank you ZL it seems to cool ok when the temp isn't that hot outside.. however I believe when the unit is not on..there is smoke air coming in through the exhaust hose.. darn! I wonder it if pulls air in from outside when it is in the "fan" mode? I couldnt find much information at all on the instruction book. I did see your video on draining the lower hose.. i am not sure i have a pan the right size to do this with. the hose on my machine is only maybe an inch off the bottom of the floor. Here is an example of attaching an extra intake hose. I really appreciate your support. I have to find a way to keep the smoke from coming in. maybe NO air conditioning is the answer. looking forward to hearing any ideas you may have. thanks again! and Stay Safe ua-cam.com/video/LlX-iKldMY8/v-deo.html
Hi - It looks like you put a lot of work and thought into solving this issue. We've tried to find other solutions, but this seams beyond our level of experience. You might want to reach out to a reputable HVAC contractor. Best of luck with this.
Hello. There is two parts for draining. one in a top and on at buttom. do i have to use both for draining? or one on top is ok?
Hi Niko, thank you for watching. There are two tanks, and you never know which one has more water. So it's a good idea always to check both.
Yo tengo varios aires portátiles todos surrey de mismo modelo y hay 2 q no me tiran agua por ka salida superior si por la inferior ,cual puede ser el defecto ? Revise q no este tapada ya. Son nuevas las unidades 2022 2023 . Asi q no se q hacer
De pronto del puerto superior el agua se evaporó y solo drenaría en ese caso por el puerto inferior
I have this exact same AC and it's not blowing out cold air have you done a video or do you know anyone that has a video on this particular ac? How to fix
"The most common cause of ( window) air conditioners not blowing cold air is a lack of adequate air flow which can be caused by dirty/clogged air filter or coils." Here is a link to a site which gives more information on that issue - www.fix.com/repair/appliance/air-conditioner/does-not-blow-cold-air/ If you need information on how to clean your filter and coils, here are links to our videos on those topics: ua-cam.com/video/sBNkEtdXkJs/v-deo.html and coils: ua-cam.com/video/87agpQfojrk/v-deo.html
very helpful . Thank you
You're very welcome Lynda!
Hey Z, nice video what would happen if I only drain the top and not the bottom ?
Hi Carlito - Thanks for your watching and for your question. On most ACs the top tank collects water when the AC is in "Dry" mode which is the dehumidifier. The bottom tank collects water when the AC is in "Cool" mode. So whichever mode you use more will collect more water. It's good to check both tanks every once in a while to see how much water is in there; if you find that one tank or the other almost never has water, then you can check less often. Thanks again, and stay cool!
@@ZLhow2 My AC Is so heavy to empty that bottom drain is a lot of work lol
Hi Carlito - Maybe we are misunderstanding you, because in this video you can drain both tanks without lifting the unit, so it shouldn't be difficult at all. Hope this helps.
Does the exhaust hose need to be still attached /places out the window in order to use Heat mode?
Hi - Thanks for your question. Unfortunately we don't have any experience with portable ACs as heaters. The only thing we can suggest is to contact your seller's customer service for more information.
Thanks for the help video
You're very welcome!
Do the single hose units cool ok? I heard that the 2 hose are better?
We have had our single hose unit for three years now and it works just fine for us. It cools our 325 sq.ft. living room fast, and we only need to drain occasionally. Some say that dual hose units are better. If you want more information on the comparison we found a link that could be helpful - learn.compactappliance.com/dual-hose-vs-single-hose/
Good luck!
Do you have to open both drain holes or can you open only the one at the top
Hi Mikey - It depends on the weather, and which mode you use. On most ACs the top tank collects water when the air conditioner is in "Dry" mode, which is like a dehumidifier. This mode is used in hot and humid weather. The bottom tank collects water when the AC is in "Cool" mode , and it's used in hot but less humid weather. So whichever mode you use more, that tank will collect more water. It's good to check both tanks every once in a while to see how much water is in there; if you find that one tank or the other almost never has water, then you can check less often. Thanks for watching, and stay cool!
My cap from the bottom got destroyed the last day. Is it necessary to get one or can i leave it open with a lil bowl under it? I have a different machine. It a DeLonghi PAC N77 but looks exactly the same and it came a bit water out when I opened it. I use it since weeks regularly (abt 5-6 hours a day).
Hi, if you're looking for a cap, a simple google search will give plenty of suppliers with images. If you want to leave it open, test it to find out how much water it generates, but we would still suggest that you get a spout because most pans will be too shallow to hold much water.
Is it necessary to use both spouts instead of just the bottom one?
Hi mel2k, Please see the reply to your previous post. That should cover this one as well.
I have a Toshiba and the p1 comes up and doesn't cool well for short time. Manuel says water needs to drain. I take both knobs off and no water comes out? Had it a year and just started doing this recently.
If your unit is not cooling well, there are many reasons for that issue. Before calling a professional help, we'd suggest checking your filter and coils. When a filter is dirty, or coils are dirty and frozen , they can restrict airflow and a portable AC won't cool the room. Cleaning them may solve the problem. We have videos on how to clean them, here are the links: for the filter - ua-cam.com/video/sBNkEtdXkJs/v-deo.html , and for the coils - ua-cam.com/video/87agpQfojrk/v-deo.html . If none of these approaches work, we 'd suggest calling an HVAC technician. Hope this helps.
@@ZLhow2 its beeps 8 times and p1 comes up. Its changes to like fan air then after awhile ac kicks back in again. My manuel says 8 berps and p1 means water in tank. But i will watch about cleaning coils. I cleaned filters but even tho air got cooler it still beeps and goesbto p1 at times.
Hi Linda - Here is an excerpt from Toshiba Manuals regarding your issue: "When the water level of the bottom tray reaches a
predetermined level, the unit beeps 8 times. The digital display
shows “P1.” At this time the air conditioning/dehumidifi cation
process will immediately stop. However, the fan motor will
continue to operate (this is normal). Carefully move the unit
to a drain location, remove the bottom drain plug and let the
water drain away. Reinstall the bottom drain plug and restart
the machine until the “P1” symbol disappears. If the error
repeats, call for service". Hope this will help. Here is the link to the Manual (see page 10) - d3gqasl9vmjfd8.cloudfront.net/1d9ab98a-ff7d-406a-bc88-a57d8c0f8228.pdf
@@ZLhow2 thank u but when i remove both knobs no water comes out. Im not sure i can afford the service
Hi Linda - Try to reset your unit: turn it off and unplug it, wait 10 min, and plug the unit back, then turn it on. If this step doesn't help, then you have to call for a professional help. Good luck!
I have a TCL portable, it is similar to this one in the back .How often should I drain it?? Thanks
Hi Roxy, _ Thank you for watching. How often you should drain depends on the heat, humidity, and how much you use the AC. The more hot and humid the weather, the more often you need to drain. You can drain any time you want, or wait until the indicator light on your unit comes on. Hope this helps.
El mío de ayer para hoy no agarra el dicto para el frío
Solo echa aire y en ocasiones sale caliente por las rejas
Pero por donde va el ducto no gira no hace nada
Hi Alejiitho, Desconocemos la marca de su aparato de aire acondicionado. Le sugerimos que se ponga en contacto con el servicio de atención al cliente del fabricante.
Hi Alejiitho, we don't know the brand of your AC. We would suggest contacting the manufacturer's customer service department.
Why is it that no water comes out from the drain hole On my portable AC?
Hi - You probably have a fully or partially self-evaporating AC. These types often evaporate most or all the water in the tank without the need to drain.
@@ZLhow2 thanks for your reply but my soleus AC says water bucket is full. Its heavy and you can tell its full of water
It sounds like you may have clogged drainage spouts which can be cleaned and your AC will keep working fine. We would suggest gently pocking a pipe cleaner into the spouts to dislodge any debris. Be sure to have a bucket underneath the top spout to catch any water, and a shallow pan underneath the bottom spout. You might also cover any vent openings beneath the top spout with plastic wrap to prevent water from getting into the unit. We would also suggest checking your filter and coils. If they are dirty, you need to clean them, because they can cause water to get trapped inside the unit. Check our videos on how to clean the filter - ua-cam.com/video/sBNkEtdXkJs/v-deo.html , and the coils - ua-cam.com/video/87agpQfojrk/v-deo.html
Hope this helps.
A cookie sheet works great! Just empty the cookie sheet before it gets too full or you'll spill it on your way to the sink.
Great tip!
@@ZLhow2 Thanks! 👍
You're very welcome!
Hi
I live in Australia and summer is hot and dry. I wanted to buy a portable air conditioner. I want to know whether I would require to drain water during cooling as its dry and not humid here where i live. Thanks
Hi Jamyang - Thank you for watching and for writing. In your dry climate, you may almost never need to drain, especially if your unit is a self-evaporating one. But still we suggest checking every day for the first few weeks to see if there is any water build up, if so , how often to drain. Thanks again.
PS. You're our first Australian commenter, welcome!
I’m having issues with mine draining all over the floor to the point where it’s ruined my floors.. any suggestions?
Hi Nicole, very sorry to hear about your issue. It’s sounds like you may have a leak, and this could be caused by a number of factors. First, you should shut off your AC and completely drain it to prevent further damage. We did a search on your issue and found a site that may be helpful. Here is the link www.cooltoday.com/blog/why-is-my-home-air-conditioner-leaking-water-inside-faq
This should give some ideas, but you may also want to check with your seller or manufacturer to determine the exact cause and fix it. If it's past the warranty period, you could check with an HVAC service center.
We wish you the best on this.
GRT IDEA..THANKS ‼️👍🏽
Hi Adriene,- We are happy to be helpful! Stay cool!!
Is their a hose that would fit to use and just put on a bucket and if their which one in particular and how often is this recommend to do?
There are hoses available for most air conditioners, please check with your manufacturer for the right size. Drain it as soon as you see the indicator light, if you have one. Thank you for watching and hope this is helpful.
@@ZLhow2 thanks for your response
You're welcome Franco!
Why Deloghi does not evaporate the water anymore
Hi Yvon - Thanks for watching and your comment. We think the issue may be a dirty filter and or dirty/frozen coils. Filters and coils are crucial to the evaporating process. So we would suggest to check them and clean them if they are dirty. If you don't know how to clean them, here are links to our videos on those topics - for filter- ua-cam.com/video/sBNkEtdXkJs/v-deo.html and for coils - ua-cam.com/video/87agpQfojrk/v-deo.html If they are not dirty, or if cleaning them doesn't help, then we would suggest that you contact your manufacturer's customer service department. Hope this helps.
Very helpful great idea! Love your accent too :-)
Hi Susanne - Thanks for watching and your kind words. BTW, which accent?! ; )
Hello . How do you clean behind the air vent where the cool air blows out. I have black sludge on the pre filter behind the air vent . But I cant get to it. Can I spray the air vent to get to it to clean it??? Hope you reply !!! Thanks!!!!
Hi Humble Beginningz - Thank you for your note. Our unit is fairly new, so we've only had to clean the filter. We did check online and saw that some people use a cleaner spray, but we are not sure what type and how you use it. We would suggest that you check with your manufacturer's customer service department on those questions. Hope this is helpful.
@@ZLhow2 thanks. I took it apart today and clean the inside. Running better than ever now!! Thanks . Have a good one
Great news! Glad you found the solution and it's working better. Thanks for getting back to us.
Will this work for a 12,000 btu cool living portable ac unit? Its beyond terrible out being 100+° i can hear the water shake in the inside
Hi, It should work for any portable AC. Hope the heat will go down. Stay cool!
Do you fill it with water before using it or does water automatically generate while using it??
Condenaation gets collected inside of it.
Is this a Frigidaire AC? I have one and it has a little orange light that says “clean” which I assume it’s saying that we need to clean it. I tried cleaning the air filter/nets which actually helped with a smell that was coming from the AC, but the light is still on. Is there something else I need to clean?
Yes, our unit is Frigidaire. To clear the light try to reset your AC's filter: under the Fan Speed button there is a fine print. It says hold 5 seconds for filter reset. Hope this helps.
@@ZLhow2 thanks!
You're welcome!
My old portable AC was self evaportative and I never had to empty it for five years. The compressor died and I replaced it with another brand- and while it cools better, after less than two days running it stopped and needs to be emptied. I am worried about the unit switching off while I am out and my dog over heating on a hot day. The manual says when in "Dry" mode you can use a tube continuously dripping into a bucket- but is there a way to continuously empty in cool mode?
Hi - Thank you for watching and your question. There are a few ways to continuously drain the bottom tank, which we assume is for your “Cool” mode. You could either run a hose out a window, or into a large bucket. But in both cases you’ll probably need a compressor pump because gravity alone will not push the water out in these situations. Hope this is helpful.
@@ZLhow2 Thanks! I did get some tubing, since I was already out looking for a condensate pump, and I think it is worth it for people to pick up- it cost 4 bucks (the tubing, no the pump, the pump was 44 bucks). I found that when I attached tubing to both top and bottom drains and ran the tubes into buckets, and then ran the unit on Cool, after an hour, no water had come out of the bottom drain at all, but the top drain had been continuously releasing drops and filled up about 1/5 of a 3 gallon bucket. It was only when I plugged the top drain that water began to drain from the bottom drain- so it appears the two reservoirs in my unit are partially connected. If people attach tubing to the top drain and plug the bottom, then run the tubing into either a pump or a bucket, they can probably run the unit in cool continuously all night without it shutting off, and without having to raise the unit since the top drain is high enough off the floor as is. But since the top of the condensate pump is higher than the bottom drain, and I wanted to run my tube out of the bottom, I ended up having to raise the unit up on a milk crate (I first seated the unit back in the bottom bit of foam it was packed in, with a hole expanded for the bottom drain, just to keep it stable). The pump works great though.
Saw this and all the replies mentioning a compressor pump. Do you have any suggestions? Is it basically the same as a fish tank water pump? I'm using an evaporative unit but the humidity has been brutal. Keeps freezing the lines and having water come out the front.
Hi Rob - We don't have a condensate pump, and (not joking) we don't have a fish tank. We tried searching online for information on condensate pumps, but all we found was advertisements. You can try that search on your own, because some of the ads also contain useful information. Regarding the frozen coils, we think that your issue might be caused by a filter and /for coils that need cleaning - these are often the cause of frozen coils and spitting out water. Here are links to our videos on cleaning the filter - ua-cam.com/video/sBNkEtdXkJs/v-deo.html and the coils - ua-cam.com/video/87agpQfojrk/v-deo.html Hope this is helpful, and stay cool.
@@rob_agau5827 Mine is made by Drummond and is called a “condensate removal pump”. I purchased it from Harbor Freight Tools. There was also a similar automatic condensate removal pump made by Little Giant that was sold at Lowe’s but the Drummond was cheaper. My issue was with a brand spanking new AC unit so I knew it wasn’t dirty filters or coils.
Can you set this on carpet or does it have to be a hard floor?
Hi Lisa - If your floor is carpeted, we would suggest getting a sturdy piece of flat plastic to set your AC on. This helps to prevent wheel marks on the carpet, but it would also help protect in the case of some minor drips. Thanks for watching and your question.
What does the big tube attached to the air conditioner do? Can you use the airconditioner without it?
Hi - That exhaust tube is for sending the hot air from the room to the outdoors. If you don’t use the exhaust hose, then your portable AC will not cool your room, instead it will just dehumidify your room without cooling it.
@@ZLhow2 yes, just imagine how many people have them running in room with zero exhaust of hot air 🤦♀️