We’ve split our troubleshooting steps into two sections: basic troubleshooting for major problems that keep a portable air conditioner from working at all, and performance troubleshooting for air conditioners that don’t cool as well as you need them to. What are you expecting to happen, and what is happening instead? Answering those questions can often point you toward the answer. The first step in troubleshooting is always to clearly define the problem.
We’ve been testing portable air conditioners for five summers, and while we’ve had good luck with the reliability of our test units there are still plenty of simple things that can go wrong.
Troubleshooting an appliance can be daunting, but we combed through service manuals and manufacturer troubleshooting guides to compile the following steps will help you find the source of your trouble.
