Do portable home window air condtioners have to be charged up.?

Question

I have four portable window air conditoners. I bought three new ones last year and one new one this year. I have noticed that the new one is much colder than the three I purchased last year. Do air conditioners have to be charged every year and if so can I do this myself.

Answer 1

They are a sealed system and should never leak.Try to clean the older ones,and no you can not charge them yourself.

Answer 2

Shouldn't need it unless there is a leak.

Not a do it yourself project.

More than likely it just needs the coils cleaned out.

A/C's collect heat in one coil through the refrigerant and release it in another coil where the heat is discharged through an airstream to the outside, so clean coils is the key if the refrigerant hasn't leaked out.

There are no access fittings provided in the unit, they are sealed from the factory.

Answer 3

They are a sealed system and shouldn't need recharging. They could need cleaning though. Take them out side and take the covers off to expose the coils and clean them out good. With a water hose if necessary. Do it in the morning and let them sit for the day in the sun to dry before putting them back. Just in case you got some of the wiring wet

Answer 4

No they do not...if it is not working to cool down the area then it may be defective and have a slight leak.  The prices of new ones are very good now-a-days, it may be just as cheap to replace it then fix it...however it may have a warranty if it is fairly new.

Answer 5

If it's been leaking refrigerant, it could be repaired by an a/c service specialist, but it would probably cost more than it would be worth.  They have no valves, so the technician would have to cut the tubing and install service valves.  Then there's the matter of locating and fixing the leak itself.

If it's not cooling as much as the others, check to see whether it's a smaller (btu rating) unit.  But if it's giving up on you, give up on it and replace it.