Fixing a DeLonghi PAC L90 Portable AC - Possible?

Prius_Cub · 07-23-13, 07:21 PM

Hi everyone, I just picked up a free DeLonghi PAC L90 portable air conditioner off Craigslist today. It was described as non-working, so I assumed that either it was a matter of condenser/evaporator coils caked in dust or perhaps a faulty thermostat. Got it home, cleaned out the condenser coils which were caked with dust (still a bit of work left on them). Plugged it in to test it out and the fan ran fine, then after 2-3 minutes the compressor kicked in. No cold air but the compressor isn't cycling on and off like I would assume a low charge of R-22 would cause.

The first few inches of the high side line exiting the compressor get hot but I feel no warmth at the condenser coils. Any ideas or is it probably just low on refrigerant? I would like to make this work since it supports the dual hose setup for exhaust and cooling intake for the condenser and replace my window unit with it, but I'm not handy with refrigerant or soldering copper or anything like that, nor do I have the tools to vacuum the lines out. But would it be possible to put in a low-side tap of some sort and charge with a compatible refrigerant?

Forgive me if I'm ignorant on the subject but if I can get a yes or no on this and if it's something I could do easily, can someone point me to a thread or how to for this? If not, I'll give up on the folly of the idea and just salvage any good electronics for other projects and recycle the rest.

I've included photos of the unit with the casing off.

07-23-13, 07:21 PM	#1
Prius_Cub Lurking Renovator Join Date: May 2013 Location: Radford, VA Posts: 9 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Fixing a DeLonghi PAC L90 Portable AC - Possible? Hi everyone, I just picked up a free DeLonghi PAC L90 portable air conditioner off Craigslist today. It was described as non-working, so I assumed that either it was a matter of condenser/evaporator coils caked in dust or perhaps a faulty thermostat. Got it home, cleaned out the condenser coils which were caked with dust (still a bit of work left on them). Plugged it in to test it out and the fan ran fine, then after 2-3 minutes the compressor kicked in. No cold air but the compressor isn't cycling on and off like I would assume a low charge of R-22 would cause. The first few inches of the high side line exiting the compressor get hot but I feel no warmth at the condenser coils. Any ideas or is it probably just low on refrigerant? I would like to make this work since it supports the dual hose setup for exhaust and cooling intake for the condenser and replace my window unit with it, but I'm not handy with refrigerant or soldering copper or anything like that, nor do I have the tools to vacuum the lines out. But would it be possible to put in a low-side tap of some sort and charge with a compatible refrigerant? Forgive me if I'm ignorant on the subject but if I can get a yes or no on this and if it's something I could do easily, can someone point me to a thread or how to for this? If not, I'll give up on the folly of the idea and just salvage any good electronics for other projects and recycle the rest. I've included photos of the unit with the casing off. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by Daox; 02-10-14 at 09:16 AM..