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I have a Whirlpool portable air conditioner, model number PACF29CO W, production date 02/03/2022 Recently it seems to have developed a fault

The air conditioner has a main fan (blowing out cold air out the front), and a separate cooling fan at the back for the compressor. It has begun to occasionally turn off the cooling fan for the compressor, while leaving the compressor and main fan running. I can then hear the coolant starting to bubble as the compressor overheats and rush to switch the unit off.

It only does this occasionally, maybe once every hour or so, and the rest of the time it works perfectly, with the compressor fan and compressor working together whenever the compressor kicks in. It’s annoying as I’m unable to leave the unit unattended or run it overnight.

Does anyone have any ideas what it could be? Also: am I right to rush and switch the unit off. I'm assuming bubbling coolant is bad and that the compressor will seize, or the system will burst if I leave it running without the compressor fan

Thanks for any help!

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    The fan motor is failing. I doubt these units are economical to repair.
    – Tiger Guy
    Commented Jul 3 at 14:41
  • If this unit has a start-run capacitor separate from the motor, then you could replace that. Failur of this capacitor is common with the standard split A/C. I do not think it is good for the unit to run it if the condensing coil fan is not running. It will overheat and this cannot be good for unit. If the condensing fan is shutting off but the compressor is still running, and you would do nothing does the fan come on after a while or does the commpressor shut off from internal overheating?
    – Jim Stewart
    Commented Jul 3 at 22:57
  • Some modern a/c units have a continuously variable speed compressor. I suppose it is possible that some of these save energy by shutting off the condenser fan when the thermostat says target temp is reached. Read the instruction/user manual for this a/c and see if you get any insight. If the unit has a standard mode and an eco mode, be sure it is in the standard.
    – Jim Stewart
    Commented Jul 3 at 23:15
  • blocked hot air exhaust
    – DIY75
    Commented Jul 4 at 1:23
  • @JimStewart Thanks for your reply. My compressor isn't variable, so I don't think the hotside fan is switching off because it's not needed, though it was a good theory! The Whirlpool machines have a routine where when the compressor is needed, they start the hot-side fan first for a few seconds, then the compressor. When the compressor stops, the hot side fan runs on for a few seconds after. I'm wondering what internal component controls the on/off command to the hot-side fan and the delay between the fan and the compressor, and if I can change this part. Would it involve the capacitor?
    – Adam
    Commented Jul 4 at 12:17

1 Answer 1

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  1. There is very little chance you can hear the coolant bubbling (in fact, it does bubble all the time when the compressor runs, but it is usually audible in much quieter appliances, e.g. a kitchen fridge). On the other hand, it is pretty much possible to hear the condensed water dropping from the evaporator. This is normal.

  2. How can you be sure that the compressor runs while the cooling fan doesn't? For an A/C machine, it is normal to cut off the compressor AND the hot-side fan when the temperature in the room reaches the thermostat setting. The cool-side fan is usually left running, improving the comfort and allowing the thermostat to sense the temperature around.

  3. A failing fan usually fails to start in the first place. Stopping while at working rpm is possible, but rare to happen and when it does happen, the fan is gone for good. It generally won't start anymore.

In short, what you are telling is an air conditioner working normally.

What's more, modern (e.g. made after ~1995) a/c compressors have internal overheating protection that prevents really bad failure modes. It won't burst.

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  • Hey Franxious. Thanks for the response, I'll try and answer the points you mention: 1. Once the hot-side fan stops, the sound from the compressor changes. An unfamiliar 'bubbling' noise begins, which I assumed to be associated with the coolant overheating since the compressor is still running without the hot-side fan.
    – Adam
    Commented Jul 4 at 12:03
  • 2. I can hear the compressor still running once the hot-side fan drops out. The Whirlpool machines have a routine where the start the hot-side fan first, then the compressor. When the compressor stops, the hot side fan runs on for a few seconds. I'm used to this routine, so when the hot-side fan stopped with the compressor still running, I immediately noticed something was wrong. I can confirm the hot-side fan has stopped as there is no longer any hot air being expelled through the exhaust hose, yet the compressor remains chugging away.
    – Adam
    Commented Jul 4 at 12:03
  • 3. This is what's confusing me. I feel it's likely the fan motor is fine, it's the commands to turn it on or off that are a problem. Since the machine has the ability to start the hot-side fan first, then the compressor, the fan is clearly not powered by the same command as the compressor. I'm wondering if it's a logic/motherboard issue, or if there is some kind faulty fan-switch, or fan delay I can change?
    – Adam
    Commented Jul 4 at 12:03
  • Many thanks for the reassurance about the overheat proetction. I had a previous twin-hose portable AC seize its compressor when the air intake hose became blocked, so I assumed that would happen to this one!
    – Adam
    Commented Jul 4 at 12:04
  • I am not saying that you cannot damage an A/C compressor by blocking the cooling. I just say that this won't happen immediately at the first mild overheat. The fan or its controlling circuit could still be broken in one way or another. It is unlikely that you can change the power on/off sequence of the compressor and the fan, unless you are versed enough in embedded programming (but if this is the case, you won't ask the question in the first place).
    – fraxinus
    Commented Jul 4 at 19:19

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