TCL portable AC error codes: Lt, PF, Ft and AS, ES, P1

What your TCL portable’s code means

Two of these codes are things you can deal with yourself: Ft (and P1 on KA units) means the internal water tank is full and needs draining, and Lt means the unit is protecting itself from frost and will restart on its own. PF, AS and ES are sensor failures. TCL’s manuals give no user fix for those: contact TCL’s customer service or an Authorized TCL Service Center.

Which codes you can see depends on the model family, so check the model number on the label on the back or side of the unit and use the matching table.

TPW and TPC-HA units

For the TPW06CR19, TPW08CR19, TPC-08C/HA, TPC-10C/HA and TPC-12C/HA:

Code	TCL’s meaning	What to do
Lt	Low temperature: the frost-protection device is stopping ice from building up. On heat-pump units it also shows during automatic defrosting in Heat mode.	Nothing. The unit starts again by itself when defrosting is complete. In Heat mode, changing noises during defrosting are normal.
PF	Probe failure: a sensor is damaged or malfunctioning.	Contact TCL customer service.
Ft	Full tank: the internal safety tank is full of condensate, so the unit has stopped.	Turn the unit off, unplug it and drain the water.

TPC-HA and TPW08CR19 units have a self-evaporating system and normally shouldn’t need draining, but TCL says the tank can fill in long humid spells, in Dry mode, and when heating on heat-pump versions.

TPC-KA units

For the TPC-08C/KA, TPC-10C/KA, TPC-12C/KA, TPC-14C/KA, TPC-12E/KA, TPC-14E/KA, TPC-12E/KAB and TPC-14E/KAB:

Code	TCL’s meaning	What to do
AS	The room temperature sensor has failed.	Contact an Authorized TCL Service Center.
ES	The pipe temperature sensor has failed.	Contact an Authorized TCL Service Center.
P1	The water collection tank inside the unit should be full.	Drain the tank. If the code keeps coming back, contact an Authorized TCL Service Center.
Ft	Listed in the troubleshooting table: the water collection tank is full.	Drain the tank, then check your settings again.

On the unit’s segment display, AS and ES can look like “A5” and “E5”; the manual spells them AS and ES.

The KA manual uses both P1 and Ft for a full tank, in different tables. It doesn’t say whether a given unit shows one or the other, so treat either as “drain the tank”.

Drain the tank (Ft or P1)

1. Press the power button to switch the unit off and wait a few minutes. TCL says never to switch it off by unplugging.
2. Unplug the unit.
3. Put a shallow pan or tray under the drain outlet, remove the drain plug or cap and let the water run out.
4. Refit the plug or cap firmly, plug the unit in and switch it on.

The drain outlets differ between families. KA units have a continuous drain outlet and a separate bottom drain outlet with a rubber stopper, and you may need to empty the tray several times. If you run the unit in Dry mode for long periods, attach a drain hose so the tank doesn’t fill.

Before you call for service

For a sensor code (PF, AS or ES), the manuals offer nothing for you to fix. Don’t open the unit. Note the code and the model and serial numbers from the label on the back or side of the unit, and contact TCL.

Some things on the display look like codes but aren’t faults:

• dh is what TPW and TPC-HA units show in Dry mode.
• Two dashes on a KA unit just after it’s plugged in mean it’s in standby; press POWER to start it.
• A number of hours right after you press Timer (with half-hour steps and an h on KA units) is the timer setting, not a code.

Also check these before assuming a fault:

• The unit won’t restart for about 3 minutes after being switched off: the compressor safety delay is normal.
• A TPW or TPC-HA unit won’t come on at all: TCL says the internal safety device may have tripped. Check the power supply and plug, wait 30 minutes and try again. If it still won’t come on, contact TCL customer service.

Common questions

Is P1 the same as Ft?

On TPC-KA units, yes: the KA manual uses both for a full water tank. On TPW and TPC-HA units, the full-tank code is Ft, and P1 isn’t listed.

My TPC-HA unit shows Lt in winter. Is it broken?

No. On heat-pump units, Lt appears while the unit defrosts itself in a cold room. It may take a few minutes before warm air comes out again.