Leakage is one of the most common complaints I hear from portable AC users.
When warm air is made cooler, moisture is removed from the air. Water must then be removed from the air over time. If you don’t set up a good system for cleaning the unit, it will leave a puddle on your floor.
Most portable air conditioners leak because they don’t seal the drain hose properly or because there is too much humidity inside the room that overwhelms the drainage capacity of the unit (or drip pan)
Know whether your portable air conditioner is self-evaporating or requires manual draining. Each type uses a different system to keep your home cool.
Self-evaporating portable ACs exhaust hot air out through the exhaust hose. You don’t need to drain them most of the time.
However, if too much humidity is in the air, the condensation will accumulate in the AC and build up in the emergency panel, usually near the drain hole.
Some units have an indicator, usually ‘FL’, to let you know when the emergency drain pan has filled up.
You’re then supposed to either place the air conditioner over a drain or connect an external drain hose. If you close the drain plug with a cover, consider using one.
There’s no indicator, so just keep an eye on where the floor is. If you notice any leakage, it’s time for you to drain it. If you’ve capped the drain plug, then you’ll know when the water collector has reached capacity because the unit won’t be able to function anymore.
Unlike evaporative cooling units, manual drain air conditioners drop water vapor into a drain pan (traps), which need to be emptied; otherwise, they will eventually overflow.
You will need a manual way to empty the water from the unit’s tank or install a separate drain line to send the water out.