Can I fix it? Portable Air Conditioner Repair (spoiler: Yes, I can!)

Portable air condition stops making cold air. Everything else was working. Could it be a refrigerant leak, bad compressor or a burned out part?
- Update: The faulty part is now available on Amazon. It turns out this relay is a very common failure item in portable A/C's.

[@neilyaremchuk6798]

Why can’t I have this guy as my neighbor?

[@jessicar929]

Same.... I took mine completely apart,.cleaned it, looked for damaged wires, ext and it's still not kicking on. Makes me so angry, because I know it's an easy fix. I just can't figure out what the problem is

[@madinamakeba2742]

i know right 😀

[@CarlosTorres-ow9qr]

DIY

[@emchannel4160]

cuase he doesnt want you as his neighbor ...lol j/k

[@amenhotep7704]

Lol

[@kjrey9878]

Please know this, for someone like me with ADHD and LOVES diy fixing my appliances (mostly because I CAN'T STAND buying another of something I technically already own) this was the perfect video! It was concise, informative, had zero unnecessary filler, and resulted in a satisfying conclusion where I was cheering when I heard your condenser kick on. You get a smooth 10/10 from me my guy!

[@barb452]

Yes 1 hours work and $5 part but you forgot to mention your impressive knowledge of the electrical board..that was awesome to watch I envy you..I really want to learn how to do things like that

[@heidi.a.thomson]

For such a simple fix just imagine how many people are throwing out their air conditioners and spending another $500+. Thank goodness for repair shops popping up to keep things out of the landfill.

[@JK-iy9xc]

No kidding. I was going to throw mine out until I saw where my unit is now $590!

[@richlamparski4222]

Great video, straight to the point, yet showing everything clearly, no extra mumble jumble, not to mention this man actually posses the skills required... Nice work.

[@HectorGarcia-xc8en]

I just fixed my unit. Same LG unit, same exact issue. I was ready to buy a new one. You saved me! Thank you.

[@freelectron2029]

very good video mate. clear, to the point. no long monologues about what your GOING to do. just jump cuts and continuouos progress. excellent video format and linear progression of your thought process. 10 stars.

[@redneckoriental]

Thank you for the truly inspiring words and recognizing the difficulty in making these videos.

[@50hellkat2]

You must be some kind of electrical genius. This is way beyond my abilities. I do not have the tools either. Wish there were small appliance repair services still.

[@Hannelore7]

There are small appliance places to fix .

[@IROOKLYN]

The best part of this video is you share your knowledge and did it your self for 5 bucks

[@Apexracingbr]

lol

[@JayakrishnanNairOmana]

Excellent video, I like how you show your thinking process.

[@j.p.marion5377]

Thank you for the inspiration! I'm going to take mine apart tomorrow to see what the problem is. Hopefully it is something like this that can be replaced and not a coolant leak.

[@jessicah3450]

4:50 a heat gun or a hair dryer on high would have worked here too if you don't want to take a lighter to your unit. Great video!

[@user-sn1jf8up8e]

Me too. I would love to learn to fix more things

[@mimilong3817]

Great job! Thank you for the demonstration! Last time I took mine apart, when I put it back together, I had 4 screws left. 😆

[@redneckoriental]

I don't know what's worse, having extra screws left over or not having enough screws (dropped one in the turbocharger?) Lemme tell ya. Last month I removed the heads off my Chevy Tahoe's engine to replace the lifters. Then I reinstalled them, only to find 2 extra bolts on my cart. They go under one of the heads. Pulled the head back off, had to get a new head gasket and head bolts.

[@emberN]

it's like out insignia!!!!!! and it wasnt only buying and your effort..your expertise of this is always GOLD! i might not be able to duplicate whatever you did but im glad there are people like you. TY for the video!

[@matejovich]

Dude I love your name. Superbly hilarious. Anyway, THANK YOU for the time you took to put this all together. It may have taken you 1 hour to repair but it likely took 25 hours to shoot and edit this video. Your video is perfect. It shows your thought process well and I know it will help me fix a brand new LG Model LP1419IVSM because it would be a shame to have this unit chucked into the trash heap. I'll keep you posted on if i can fix it or not. I am determined!

[@surreyhub7108]

Loved that very satisfying to see the compressor kick in after a perfect relay replacement well done I will check mine now to see if that’s the issue with it blowing hot air

[@planetstake]

Top quality repair job. Like your work !

[@artemisarrow9545]

This was awesome, thanks. Not only did you save $500 but a giant waste of Freon and garbage in a landfill. Nice.

[@flowerchild777]

Nice👍 Thanks for going through the motion, out loud where we could actually see and hear the progression. It's much appreciated.

[@_CAT-lg4sr]

Good diagnosis and repair. Cheers! If the same thing happens again, you could upgrade the relay to a contactor which can handle higher current. The only caveat is the contactor would be remote mounted with wires soldered to the board to run to the contactor.

[@magikdust2095]

This was really helpful. My 14,000 btu LG air conditioner stopped working, and since no one has air conditioners this time of year, and it's only two years old, I'm hoping to fix it. The compressor takes awhile to kick in, and shortly after it shuts itself off. Seeing you taking it apart, and showing us the pieces inside, was really helpful. I haven't taken mine apart yet, but it's really hot over the next week, so I think I'm going to have to, to see if I can fix it. Your video was really great, and informative 👍

[@SA-rz7fw]

Magik Dust have you fixed it?

[@magikdust2095]

@@SA-rz7fw yes, it is fixed, but I didn't really do any of the stuff on this video. I just opened the drain spout at the bottom, on the backside. There was absolutely no water to drip out, or anything, but ever since I've done that is worked fine. I think the drain plug must've been pushing on some wire, and making it so it wasn't connecting properly. Otherwise I don't see any reason that that would've fixed it...

[@marvinegreen]

I just disassembled my 10,000 btu LG unit. Same problem and symptoms as yours - and I too found a burnt connector on the relay switch. Already bought a new unit, but nice to know you nailed.

[@joeozzie1]

Loved the video, excellent diagnostic approach, except for the flame, you should edit it out, or say "Do not do this" Use a heat gun.

[@redneckoriental]

Thanks. Heat gun takes too long. I have no patience.

[@josephbuckley3619]

Dude, that was awesome! I gotta try that to mine. I bought one a few years ago and the exhaust hose came off because i didn’t do a good enough job affixing it to the funny windows in my trailer. I’d appreciate all the input and encouragement as possible. Thanks,

[@tariqhussainrashid4583]

I am thankful to you for uploading this video. It benefited me allot. My Akira Portable AC is now working fine.

[@mrkereokee806]

I love it! Great video & only proves that a wise man knows his own limitations. Come to St. Louis, I have a number of pieces of equipment that need to be repaired!!

[@TobiasDeml]

You're like the Primitive Technology guy with a soldering iron! Awesome video.

[@danielmorris6523]

Cool video! I had a similar problem with mine where the compressor wouldn't click on. It turned out to be the capacitor which was all swollen as well. I struggled to get a capacitor online but found an electronics shop which just happened to have the same one (not exactly but I used a multimeter to make sure the readings were all the same). So satisfying when you fix something yourself and save yourself money!

[@JoJo-et5np]

Wow! Finally a really excellent to the point video from someone with incredible skills. Thank you.. and yes, I wish you were my neighbour too!

[@beef539]

A big thumbs up on your video. Great troubleshooting and tracking down the problem.

[@syedzeeshan4668]

Love your work bro , i just followed your steps , everything seems to look alright , so after clearing & poking some switches it started working . ✌️✌️

[@TheJoetuffguy]

I see it like this, you get the satisfaction of fixing it yourself, saving money, keeping it out of the landfill, and denying LG a sale 😉👍🏻

[@Solomonamagache]

One of the best video out there, thank you so much for doing this.

[@Kidd-nq4fg]

Great job! I really enjoyed this, very good fix!

[@holywells]

Heat shrink tubing....always useful and a nice finishing touch!!

[@brianrose6989]

Adding solder sucker to my birthday list. Good video.

[@BlaziNTrades]

Thanks for this. I'm going to tear mine apart tomorrow. As you said, it's garbage unless you can fix it anyways!

[@imcoolishsoyea8481]

Wow! Super helpful. Had the same problem thanks man

[@loriadams584]

Your information is so helpful

[@ybor363]

Damn, finally a good video with an almost identical machine and it's a different issue. My compressor kicks on just no cold air. The refrigerant probably leaked out somewhere :/

[@teriipearson5331]

My unit quit after 1 year. Thank you for the video. I will check the relay.

[@juliansdiamonds]

EXCELLENT !!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH !!! ILL TRY THIS IN THE MORNING !!!!

[@healer378]

Genius. Thank you.

[@NikLFpv]

Nicely done!

[@jal1sco]

My issue was a burnt 6uf capacitor. $9 at amazon. Part CBB61 on a KUL portable A/C. Thanks for the vid👍

[@PsychoSiKS]

Very nice work.

[@sunnyl5200]

Great video. Mine(I paid $500+) was working OK for 2 summers but not cooling this summer. It's clean (many video saying about good cleaning) and not sure why it's not working. Perhaps mine has the same issue as yours. I am not dare to do what you did but it's very impressive to see how you fixed it.

[@welder9163]

Thanks for the walkthrough and knowledge!!

[@yjrrjy]

Thank you so much, so helpful video, had the same problem on my Frigidaire portable ac. God bless you.

[@edross641]

That part costs 10 bucks on Amazon now, mine had some burns, wanting for solder sucker so I can finish the job, thanks

[@chrisfoxwell4128]

Ugh....now i have to take mine apart....

[@danthompson4879]

Anybody order a solder sucker after watching this vid? I did! Great job, man! New subscriber!

[@CarlosTorres-ow9qr]

Thanks for the video

[@uphapop]

Well I know what I'm doing tonight but thanks man... Mine is doing same thing I thought compressor might be gone but it's still cooling while heating In back and tripping breaker but didn't think so if still cold.r Worth a try and..you reminded me of my dad a little in his younger days anyway but especially when you said "might as well not do it half-assed" he would say the exact same thing - and with that I'm taking it as a sign to get this done and u forget the min i split unit I was thinking about & stay out of debt for now. Thanks again guy!

[@rq1716]

Outstanding video 🥶👌

[@AntonioBanderasTheKing]

Thank you! Mine didn't look like yours but the moment I touched the two spades, the compressor fired right up and didn't trip the outlet. The moment my compressor kicks on, the outlet trips immediately.

[@mishu0102]

Liked and subscribed! 👍 I have a similar portable A/C unit that doesn't blow air at all, even in the FAN mode. I will try fixing it now..

[@CARMINE_YT]

This is a great tutorial! I looked into mine and it doesn’t not have a burnt relay and the compressor seems to kick in but the air isn’t getting colder. I’m thinking the next thing to check is recharging the refrigerant.

[@gnryushi]

This is impressive work.

[@ph_ml_nguyen3889]

Hey great analysis and plan of approach! Very clear and educational aswell any chance to make a video to lower down the noise of the "old" airco unit? many thnx in advance

[@inhibited44]

No cooling on mine either. First thing I did was pull off the filters. They were clogged. I cleaned them under water. Put them back. Still nothing. Evaporator is on top in mine. It's supposed to have some moisture on it and ice forming , but there's nothing. Thanks for showing us the insides of your ac unit. I took a class in it 30 years ago, but never could find work in the field as a rookie. I will listen for the compressor and report back.

[@inhibited44]

compressor works too. No cooling. I will have to take the plastic housing off.

[@luvdriven540i]

Nice job!

[@ijj984]

Great video !

[@ramongabbycortes5754]

Thank you, for this Video... very hopefull I will replace the capacitor arriving Friday we'll see if it fixes the problem.

[@ashwinprasad8158]

Awesome video.

[@hyugatoni.]

That's the same exact part that burned up on my Rollibot Cool310 AC. Two days ago my AC stopped blowing cold air so I took it part and found this same issue. Except I didn't find this video until just now after I already dropped $100 on a board replacement because I couldn't find parts.

[@edross641]

That part fixed my ac, thanks for your help

[@redneckoriental]

Cool. I'm surprised how many people are having the same problem with that relay.

[@smestel]

Nice JOB!!!!

[@heatseekerbus]

that's awesome. i have the same problem . taking mine apart now.

[@Kwikasfuk636]

Great video. Awesome.

[@Nele_BiH]

this is what right to repair is all about instead of scraping it

[@spencerkim4755]

You're my hero

[@amylokers4942]

Definitely makes it look easy

[@XxrajoxX]

Subbed from this one video, nicely done

[@LokiNorse2011]

Good job 👍 wonder what the amp draw was on the compressor

[@jeremiah4887]

Awesome video

[@voidprism_studios666]

Damn, my ac suddenly stopped blowing cold air yesterday. It still turns on and is clean. I don't have the tools for any of this. I have yet to open it, but I hope my solution is much faster and easier. ugh. Great video though

[@josephbraun7798]

I don’t even have this type of air conditioner or any issue like this😂 but this is a good video.

[@the4hunters]

Amazing man thank you

[@thomasschreiber9884]

Opened up mine today to see what was wrong, i discovered that the ac actually works but only at the begining. After 2-3 min the compressor then shuts and the fan is the only thing going. I also found out that the cooler element was only cold at the bottom of it, i can see theres a termometer conected to the element on the top of that element do you think thats why it shuts the compressor from going and i have to refill my pipes?

[@jarikinnunen1718]

All that on floor level! The table is invented. Next thing is light. More is better, when looking fails. The electrical fails are often smelly, so nose is handy.

[@Johnny-zd6vg]

Awesome…. Now I’m going to operate on my LG… comp kicks on… but sometimes cold, most of time hot air for the past 2 seasons… i think I need to pump the 8itch with some gas…😉🤷🏻

[@rikmiles6531]

You have a good video and yes, those are expensive. You probably should already know that you can ruin a capacitor by doing that. Set your meter to microfared and it will read it and discharge it at the same time. Capacitors are the main fail for most ac units. Relays can also burn out if time delay is not checked . Good job though.

[@russelldevane5434]

Doing that does nothing to a cap. It will not hurt it in anyway. Who ever told you that was wrong.

[@cvilsack1]

Excellent

[@benjaminfigueroa5142]

Great Great video man! I've looked and looked and couldn't find nothing remotely close till I seen this one... we have same issue same fan however I found out the the bottom fan that spins when condenser or compressor kicks on which gives the cold air, actually can't spin becuz its bar is so low the its sitting on the plastic unable to rotate so it's just hums. How can I tighten that bar and wheel up so that it hangs again and able to spin? For the life of me I cannot pry the housing apart or get wheel off even after removing nuts and screws.. can u help me?

[@davidcosine]

Most effective video. Like and Subscribed.

[@ajenjohnson7413]

Your LG module has the same design as my Clarke air portable ac. I really like your video, good job. But my ac has one problem. It gets quit noisy when the compressor kicks in. But my suspicion is that the fans may be in need of grease, what is your advice?

[@freesoul9324]

Good Job

[@floatingclouds1]

I have a portable AC that I suspect may be leaking refrigerant. Any tips on how to check? Also what would the smell be like? It’s R410A refrigerant. Thanks in advance!

[@rantingraven9998]

Mine is making a little buzzing noise. Definitely pinpointed the area making it. What could cause the buzz? This is 2nd hand, so we don't know it's history, but judging from the internal cleaning we did, it was ran hard and 24/7. About 2 gallons of pet hair and grime. It's in good shape otherwise. Tiny bits of green on copper coils.

[@new-knowledge8040]

My window air conditioner began to make a squealing sound. The two felt pads located in the motor bearings that are there to hold oil, had both dried up. But that can be fixed. You just have to tilt the motor, and in my case add electric shaver oil to the motor shaft, and do so while manually spinning the shaft. The oil runs down the shaft and just keeps on disappearing into the motor bearing until the felt pad is once again fully drenched with oil. Of course you do this to each shaft sticking out each end of the motor. Bingo, it was now as good as new again. The conditioner is now 19 1/2 years old, but works as good as the day I purchased it. I also repainted the outer chassis, and that too looks as good as new.

[@redneckoriental]

Isn't it a great feeling when you fix something yourself and save a lot of money? I obsess over fixing things often, even when it's not worthwhile. Hedge clipper with a broken handle, $2 reading glasses, flip flips with a broken strap... Sometimes after spending hours on something, I realize it's just not worth fixing. But it's times like these where everything just works out right that keeps me doing it. I guess it's like being addicted to gambling. Good thing I don't gamble, at the casinos that is.

[@new-knowledge8040]

@@redneckoriental Exactly. I have also repaired my home made 1978 speakers. They each contain one 15" woofer, two mid-range drivers, and four tweeters. I had to rebuild the woofers since the outer foam rings had each turned to dust due to age. Repair cost was $27. And I repaired my 1978 HEATHKIT audio power amplifier after a few transistors had blown. Again just a few dollars to fix it. Plus I repaired my 1987 DENON DCD-900 CD player since it was skipping tracks. All it needed was a few drops of electric shaver oil on the slide mechanism that moves the LED across the CD. Then I repaired my microwave oven by picking up someone else's oven which was tossed onto the curb for disposal. All the electrical parts I needed to repair my oven were perfectly good in this trashed oven. Then years later on the oven turntable was not working. So I took the motor apart and fixed it. All it needed was a couple of drops of glue to stop the donut shaped magnet from spinning without spinning the gear that is supposed to be attached to it at the same time. And I repaired my electric shaver after the power adapter kicked the bucket. I replaced the adapter with another old adapter that I held on to from years ago that just needed a few modifications. Despite these items going back as far as 1978, they are all working as good as new to this day. But I also repaired my SAMSUNG TV which would simply not turn on. All it needed was for me to jiggle some internal connectors to remove oxidation, and bingo, it was up and going again. And I repaired both my DEVIL vacuum cleaner and my BISSELL carpet cleaner. In both cases, just a little mechanical know how was all that was required to fix both. And last but not least, I repaired my old Black&Decker coffee maker. It would only spit out 8 cups of coffee rather than the proper 12 cups, and even then it took forever. A few mechanical fixes for no cost, and boom its up and going as good as new even today. I love repairing, and of course saving money.

[@new-knowledge8040]

@@redneckoriental You are not going to believe this. It was a negative situation, but I was laughing my head off. The first thing I said to myself was, "I should have kept my mouth shut", concerning having mentioned all the repairs that I have done over the years. Anyhow, after watching several YT videos, I decided to watch a YT video concerning the last 3 months worth of videos and pictures taken on Mars. But my back was bothering me, so I switched from my computer monitor on over to my SAMSUNG TV such that I could watch it from my couch. But the darn TV would not turn on. It was not a connector problem this time. It was a defective electrolytic capacitor. This is a typical problem these days with today's TV's. If you check the top of the big barrel shaped electrolytic capacitors, and you see that the top is bulging, then it needs to be replaced. In this case it was a 1,200 uF 25vdc capacitor. I did not have one around, and since it is an old TV, I took a chance and soldered together two 1,000 uF 25vdc capacitors in parallel which adds up to 2,000 uF, and used that to replace the defective capacitor. Those two capacitors were from something I built back in about 1989, so some capacitance will have faded anyway. So the capacitance value won't be too much higher than 1,200 uF. Anyhow, it worked. Yippy !

[@ongv2491]

Now you come to fix mine, haha

[@RichPrivate_PAR]

Not sure if you have the chance to answer back but I got the same issue as you did but what kind of solder and wire connection did you use again

[@andrewskater8813]

interesting to see what these look like inside.

[@Fahnder99]

use a resistor (any) to discharge the capacitor, or you could damage it when full. good work! the relay is dirt cheap and probably just died of age.

[@BobbyZataTv]

Nice sharing....

[@teriipearson5331]

I was about to purchase another ac unit for the apartment. Ill peek into the down unit and check it out before dropping more $$.

[@Klote3241]

Just so you know in many countries your not allowed to do any maintenance on airco units unless you are F-gases certified. this is due to those gasses being HIGHLY damaging to our ozone layer if they escape the unit.

[@redneckoriental]

The restrictions on servicing refrigerant systems yourself are a result of the HVAC industry lobbying to pass laws that benefit their businesses. I have an EPA license by the way; had to get one go buy refrigerant. That license, again, is nothin but a money grab. You pay $35 and they give you a certificate. There's no learning, tests or qualifications involved.

[@Klote3241]

​​@@redneckoriental maybe in the US or even in your specific state. But not so in Europe. In my country you need a BRL 200 certificate which includes exams. You can't just buy them. Also wouldn't blame this on lobbying either. There is solid scientific reasoning behind it to have certified people working with these gasses.

[@nicksolo8861]

I have an Amcor PCMB10000EH Portable Air conditioner. I turn it on turn temp to lowest setting and compressor won't kick on since nothing is coming out of back exhaust. It also has a heater on the ac. i crank that to 90 degrees. compressor still doesn't kick on. it only blows room temp air on cold and on heat temps. it' not using the compressor just the reg fan is all that is engaging. My question is does this machine have a relay switch and where will it be located. and does it have a fuse and where is it located? I'm having issues. Please help me so my machine compressor can start working. Would low coolant, cause a compressor to not kick on? I have tools. I just need help please. I can't find tech support anywhere.