Drain a TCL portable AC: full-tank code, manual draining and continuous drainage

How to empty the water

When the internal tank fills, a TCL portable stops running and shows Ft (full tank). TPC-KA units may show P1 instead. To clear it on a TPW or TPC-HA unit, switch the unit off with its power button, wait a few minutes, unplug it, put a shallow pan under the lower drain, take out the drain plug and let the water run out. Refit the plug firmly, plug the unit back in and switch it on. TPC-KA units have two drain outlets and need a slightly different routine, covered in its own section below.

If you run the unit in Dry mode for long periods, attach a drain hose so the water runs away continuously. Which outlets you use depends on the model family, so check the label on the back or side of the unit for the model number first.

Find your model family

Before you start

• Switch off with the button, then unplug. TCL says never to turn these units off by pulling the plug. The TPW and TPC-HA manuals say to press the power button and wait a few minutes before unplugging, and all their drain procedures start with unplugging. The KA manual’s draining steps don’t mention power, so we apply its safety rules instead: don’t stop the unit by unplugging it, and turn it off and unplug it before cleaning.
• Have a container ready. The pan or drip tray isn’t supplied. It has to be shallow enough to fit under the drain outlet, and you may need to empty it several times.
• Keep water away from the plug and the controls. Don’t tip water over the unit. The KA manual says that if water gets inside the unit, unplug it at once and contact customer service.
• Don’t drink the drained water. Pour it down a drain or outside.

Drain a TPW or TPC-HA unit by hand

1. Press the power button to turn the unit off, wait a few minutes, then unplug it.
2. Put the pan under the lower drain plug at the back of the unit.
3. Remove the lower drain plug. The water runs into the pan.
4. When it stops, refit the drain plug firmly.
5. Plug the unit in and turn it on. If Ft still shows, see the last section.

On TPC-HA and TPW08CR19 units, TCL says the tank is more likely to fill in Dry mode, or when cooling in very hot, humid weather for a long time. If that happens often, use continuous drainage in Dry mode.

Drain a TPC-KA unit

The KA manual uses two codes for the same problem: its fault-code list says P1 means the water collection tank should be full, and its troubleshooting table says Ft. Either way, the fix is to drain the tank. The KA manual’s draining steps are written for end-of-season storage, so expect to empty the tray more than once.

1. Turn the unit off with POWER, then unplug it. (This step comes from the KA manual’s safety rules, not its draining steps; see Before you start.)
2. Put a drip tray under the continuous drain outlet and unscrew its drain cap. Let the water run into the tray. When nothing more comes out, screw the cap back on.
3. Move the tray under the bottom drain outlet and pull out the rubber stopper. Empty the tray as often as needed.
4. To get the last of the water out, tilt the unit slightly by lifting the front a little until no more water comes out.
5. Refit the rubber stopper and the cap on the bottom drain outlet.
6. Plug the unit in and turn it on. The troubleshooting table says to reset your settings after draining, so check the mode, fan speed and temperature.

If P1 keeps coming back after you’ve drained the unit, TCL says to contact an Authorized TCL Service Center.

Set up continuous drainage

TCL recommends continuous drainage when you run the unit in Dry (dehumidify) mode. You’ll need a drain hose or garden hose, which isn’t supplied. The TPW and TPC-HA manuals give the size as ½ in. (12.7 mm).

1. Turn the unit off with the power button, wait a few minutes, then unplug it.
2. Have a pan ready, then unscrew the drain cap from the outlet your manual uses for the hose. On TPC-HA, TPW08CR19 and KA units it’s the continuous drain outlet (on KA units, not the bottom outlet with the rubber stopper); the TPW06CR19 manual calls it middle drainage. A little water may spill.
3. Connect one end of the hose to the outlet.
4. Lead the other end to a floor drain or bucket that’s lower than the unit. No part of the hose may rise above the outlet, or the water won’t drain.
5. Plug the unit in and turn it on.

When you go back to Cool (or ECO on KA units), the TPC-HA, TPW08CR19 and KA manuals recommend taking the hose off and refitting the cap, so the unit performs at its best. Water can come out when you remove the cap or hose while the unit has been running, so hold a drip tray under the outlet.

If it doesn’t drain or the code comes back

• Little or no water comes out of the hose: check the hose runs downhill all the way and isn’t kinked or raised anywhere along its length.
• Ft appears again soon on a TPC-HA or TPW08CR19 unit: that can happen in long humid spells, in Dry mode, or in Heat. Use continuous drainage in Dry mode.
• The code won’t clear after a full drain, or P1 repeats on a KA unit: stop there and contact TCL’s customer service or an Authorized TCL Service Center. The manuals give no other user fix.
• Water inside the unit or on the controls: unplug the unit and contact customer service, as the KA manual says.

Before storing the unit for the season

• TPW and TPC-HA: with the unit off and unplugged, remove the cap on the condenser drain, let all the water run into a basin, then put the cap back. Clean the filter and let it dry completely before you put it back in.
• TPC-KA: drain the tank completely as above and leave the cap and rubber plug out until no more water comes out, then refit them. Clean and dry the filter, take the batteries out of the remote, and store the unit somewhere cool and dry, out of direct sunlight.