My new air portable unit is supossed to be self evaporating it is not working i have to drain it every hour

The unit is supposed to be self draining and it does this by using the condenser coils to raise the temp of the condensate that drains off the evaporator coils. Unfortunately there is a limit to how much moisture it can deal with and high humidity can cause the water to overflow into other areas of the base. They are also not user friendly to disassemble and clean.

My unit was working fine for a couple years but now it won't evaporate. It still cools fine but it also collects about 16 ounces of water every hour and then shuts itself off until I drain it. I'm wondering it the evaporative mechanism it broken some how.

Remove the rear cover and clean the unit throroughly. Use a can of air duster with the little hose to carefully clean the drain holes in the drip tray under the evaporator (upper radiator) let the unit fully defrost, drain the unit from the bottom plug. Clean the fins wth a toothbrush and windex if needed. Reassemble and run the unit in fan mode for an hour to let it dry out.

12k BTUs will condense a gallon an hour easily, sounds like the problem is with a probable self-evaporating portion of the condenser. If so either the inner workings of that unit are dirty/malfunctioning or the exhaust duct is not getting proper airflow. If you're mechanically inclined I'd recommend pulling the unit apart and cleaning the condenser parts. If not perhaps try attaching a permanent drain hose to the drain plug. Definitely check the exhaust duct either way.

Self Evaporating Technology - During the cooling process, water is extracted from the air into the unit. Most of this water is then recycled and used to cool the unit and make it run more efficiently. Approximately 65 to 70% of water condensed is evaporated out with the exhaust air, reducing the hassle of emptying the water tank constantly. This unit has a built-in water tank (not removable) with a drain outlet, and a water tube. When the tank fills, the compressor stops operating and the power light will flash. This indicates that the tank should be emptied.

It appears to me that because of the small size of your condo, you are just recirculating the humidity in the apartment. The unit is condensing the moisture in the air and then reheating it in the pan causing it to evaporate back into the air. The unit is working properly but the humidity level in your apartment continues to rise. You really need to add a drain from the pan of your portable air conditioner.

You have to connect the drain hose to any outdoor location . If it is a plate type condensor it is self evaporating. Or if the drain pan is on top of the compressor then you have to drain it out now and then.

I had the same issue of filling up after a couple hours but mine started making some pretty loud noises as well just before shutting itself down and lighting all three lights. The top drain valve would no longer work and the only way I could drain it was through the bottom (gravity) drain valve. I took the unit apart and found that the simple water pump that is used for draining and the evaporating process had lost the thin filter screen on the bottom and the screen became lodged in the impeller of the pump preventing it from spinning. I removed the worn and broken plastic screen, carefully pushed the impeller back up on the shaft until it bottomed out, and cleaned all the built up sediment off the entire pump. After reassembling everything, the ac unit runs like new again and the noise is completely gone. Cost? $0
I imagine you can just order a new pump from sharp and save the time and effort of cleaning the pump.
Hope this helps!

Is it leaking or shutting off on the overfill?
If it is leaking you have a stopped up drain inside the unit.

jim

Self absorbtion means that the water is evaporated by the blower blowing air over the condensation. On very humid days there may be too much water to evaporate. There should be a drain outlet on the back and it may be blocked. Clean it if you can find it.