Those midea units are not supposed to have drain holes. Read the manual the came with your unit

If they're not supposed to have drain holes, I suggest nobody buy one as they are destined for failure. I've worked as an aircraft mechanic for a major airline for the past 20 years. One of the many things we do when we inspect an airplane is to look for corrosion. That's especially necessary at an airport that is right next to the ocean and is exposed to the salt water "mist" that comes from it. .............I removed my air conditioner after one summer as I usually do each year and I could not beleive the amount of water that was still in the bottom and the amount of corrosion that was there. .............The copper tubes carrying the coolant pass through steel brackets that supports them...............If kept dry, this would probably last for ever but put in a situation where it's constantly exposed to water because of not having properly located drain holes. (Which should be at the lowest point, in other words the back of the unit) will set up dissimilar metal corrosion. I could not beleive the amount of corrosion that was present on the brackets where the tubes passed through them. If left unchecked, it might not eat away at the copper, but it would loosen up the steel's grip on the tube, allowing the tubes to vibrate. If corrosion doesn't destroy the tubes, vibration will. They should have used a better quality steel, maybe stainless steel at the low points of this air conditioner. @@turbospeed08

With the phone app it is somewhat easy to schedule the Fan Mode for 2 hours when the AC is scheduled to be off anyway.😊

I just called the company and they told me that we can drill a drain hole on it, no problem. If a licensed technician does it, the warranty won't be void. I called them again to confirm this with another customer support representative.

I live in Florida, my current window unit pulls a gallon of water a day. I made my own drainage port on the current old fashioned window unit and even at 1/4" I need to check it weekly to keep the gunk from filling it in. I'll have to do the same for this unit as well, I really don't want to risk having water run down the siding or worse have it come into the house.

GG numb nuts you just screwed up the AC unit if you drilled a hole in it haha don’t you think if it needed one it would have one. Slowmo

Rain water is part of the problem I have found. It seems to collect a bunch for me. I'm in a dryer climate though.

Enlarged hole to about 3/8". One drop every 1/2 second but noticed another hole in bottom of 8k Midea 1" from window where 1 drop/sec is dripping on wood window frame and then onto brick ledge (not acceptable). Also water is dripping from left side of ac near window due to condensation from inadequate insulation. Expect shortcomings from a China made ac.

Hey I just got the same unit but it's a 6000btu, I had a 5k diff brand unit that was dieing in me, I grabbed this midea for 100$ new in the box from someone 2nd hand who didn't need it. Legit opened it all my self. I noticed the water is splashing on the condenser in the back of the unit outside. It's set to the 3 to 4 degree angle it calls for. It's causing a lot of racket and seems ti be slowing the fan. If I tip it forward some the racket stops on the fan but there is a lot of water inside the unit. What should I do?? Should I do the drain hole. It says it doesn't need one tho. I don't Wana mess it up. I'm a car technician, and a pc repair specialist. I'm more then knowledgeable to do it hands on, but will it mess uo my unit in the long run, I seen u said you can test it over time and it's been about a month, please let me know, thank you.

Mine was also making a lot of noise from the fan blade hitting the water. This noise stopped after I drilled the hole. While I got away with drilling a hole w/o taking the side panel off, I would take the side panel off before drilling the hole so you can tell how close you are to the refrigerant lines. On mine, after summer I'll remove the side panel and see if I can use a Greenlee punch to enlarge to hole slightly with a smooth clean cut (my hole is probably only 5/16" now as I didn't punch the bit in all the way for fear of hitting freon lines). Lastly, I will not test the unit for energy consumption as I've gotten lazy. I used to have a multi channel system installed for all circuits in my house but removed it several years ago. Take off side panel before drilling.@@TheOGstriker

The new ones have a plug.

I have only had my Midea 2 weeks and in a room not used often. Ran it a total of maybe 16 hours. That was a week ago, and there is still water standing in the back of the unit. No way that is a good thing, and rust and gunk will be on the way. Drain hole for me, but undecided if I will plug hole while using.

I live in Florida, my 5,000 btu GE model pulls a gallon of water out of the air a DAY... I don't know where that water will go if there's no way to drain it, so unfortunately I'm gonna need to have a drain hole. Absolutely splashing water on the condenser will make it transfer heat better, but I don't want water pouring into my house or down the wall and rotting my window out.

My recently purchased unit has a blue plug in the rear corner that is removable so you can drain it for storage. You can remove it permanently if you wish. I plan to remove the plug and drain it once a day.

​@jetjazz05 OMG that's the problem I'm having and everyone thinks I'm insane or installing my AC inorrectly. It doesn't have a proper drain hole so it's dripping out of a different spot and into my window.

@@socrates2706 Where it goes is down the side of the building or inside of the wall due to the very poor location of the overflow drain. I had one dripping down the siding and the other pooled up and got into the wall - had to remove some drywall and dry it - luckily I caught it early so no mold growth but it ruined the window casing. Both are tilted downward to the outside very well (nearly a full bubble worth on the level) so this should not happen. The newer Midea's come with a drain plug so I just removed that on one but the other I did have to drill a hole to allow it to drain. If the overflow drain was in a better location this wouldn't be an issue - or if it included a hose for the overflow drain. We have had very high humidity at 90f+ over the last week or so.

Yeah, I’d like to know too.

It still jamming and no rust... The only negative is from peeps who say Don't do it!!! Seem to struck a nerve with HAVC crowd @_@ hm²

@@HonestMike ... this seriously a health and safety issue. My unit was disgusting.

Just so you all know... even a/c's with a drain have mold problems. If it's bad enough, they all need cleaning. I had a GE window a/c from the 90's with mold growing on the Styrofoam on the air outlets inside (where your louvers are). Like I said, they ALL get mouldy/mildewy. I had to clean mine every 2 years.

​@Paul Alvarez evaporation causes a significant temperature change.

Krylon Paint & Primer :) hm²

I've also noticed bugs in the room after this unit and I see bugs in the back part outside the window. I suspect there is a path for them to get inside.

I live in Florida, my current window unit pulls a gallon of water a DAY from the air, for me I'm afraid it's not about pros and cons but about not turning my house into a swimming pool lol.

I have some plants below so that's where mine drains too :) Honest²

Mine has condensation forming underneath the unit to the right - when looking from the rear. My unit built in 2022 has a drain hole and lots of water comes out - 18 quarts per day. I like the unit but the condensation underneath and over the sill is a hard problem for me to solve.

@@bibo3373 Yup. I live in Florida, just bought one of these, have seen pictures of sweat forming under the unit... my plan is to cover it with a sheet of some kind of insulating foam and hope that'll stop the cold metal from causing condensate. Also going to have to drill a nice big drain hole... kind of a bummer they didn't consider any of this when the unit was made.

Hey I just saw your post on FB! Go drill that AC Carefully :) Honest²

@@HonestMike what kind of bit would I need?

That's why I'm on here reading this I'm getting ready to buy four of these units and I don't want maintenance issues in all of my bedrooms. As far as I'm concerned all this stuff is on the guy pile. I think I'm going to buy these units and drill the hole before I install them in the windows I live in Florida

@Ruben Garza where is the drain hole? I thought there was not a drain hole on this unit.

THANKS MY BROTHER!!! I tested my AC & had a 1º difference. So I drilled it... collected 3 cups of (funk) water. Ran it / Tested it dry. Felt like a dork poring back 3 cups of water to retest but had to be done. All I did was got out another bug! Hahahahaha Let the non believers breath in the funk @_@ Honest²

Interesting, I am struggling with this 8000BTU unit keeping humidity under control and have seen water in the pan getting rusty already and I bought this unit January of this year.. I think I will drill mine too. Worst case I just plug the hole if it causes any kind of unwanted issues..

@@mattolsson8816 Mine is the 8000 too... Drill it & be prepared to have everyone to say "BLAH BLAH BLAH you need the water for efficiency" BS to you :) Honest²

@@HonestMike o

Smart move George... Crazy how many people defend the slime :P Honest²

@@johnz8886 Ehh, something your not considering. A clean condenser coil.... I'll give you my example. I have an 8k LG window ac. Had it for about 4 years. I live in New England with humid summers. First few years the condenser coil would completely plug up halfway through the summer with crap from the water being slung onto it. The stuff is like concrete and trying to remove it totally sucks. At that point the unit would barely cool the bedroom I have it in. Every year I'd go through the same BS until I decided to drill a hole, not on the bottom but on the back edge. The hole is raised ever so slightly off the bottom pan. The result? The condenser coil now stays dry and clean and the refrigerant lines stay submerged under a very thin layer of water, helping with cooling. People in humid climates really get screwed with the slinger ring. The water never has time to evaporate and just causes problems. I'd bet a clean flowing condenser coil is more efficient than one that's plugged up with muck from the slinger ring.

@@johnz8886 So what is the maintenance Oh wise one

The manufacturer states that there is an alarm and if the unit fills up with too much water an alarm sound will happen followed by the unit completely shutting off. So yes the unit can flood and make it stop working. Also in Florida you cannot allow all that water to sit in the unit or you will breathe in mold.

I haven't installed mine yet but, position of brace can make a big difference in how it drains? Some video suggest level but, I'm making mine to tilt backwards towards compressor and little towards where the hole will be for drain...makes more sense to me that way.

Id check how level yours is and make sure it’s not sloping towards the house

Won't the T-Shirt Material get moldy?

I find that it cools a lot less with the hole therefore the unit is turned longer and more water drips

But... Who the hell wants to hear that shit, while trying to sleep? Chinese made JUNK

What if I live in Phoenix, where it gets to 110 outside regularly for like 6 months with little rain. Any water will dry out, right? I'm getting the musty smell and I can't figure out what's wrong with this sh"t.

You can have both. Use a plug for the hole and pull the plug to drain it each day.

Oops, meant to type, water was splashing out of the top of the unit

concur 100%, the ac is over engineered and the water drain and the bracket were neglected!

@@todbnla No... no drain is part of the design as is the long bracket...it is longer so as to be able to move the unit during install or maintenance.

They do. Unfortunately I have a very wide window sill (6 inches) and the holes are draining into my window sill.

Dude, that makes me feel good! This was my 1st How To Vid... was nervous.... but a nice "Thanks for the Info" made my day (9 months later DOH!) Honest²

The AC was blowing 50-51.5ºf with or without water! I put tape over the hole & ran tests. Looks like the lower basin can hold near 3 cups of water. When full of water I don't see where it is helping with cooling @_@ Honest²

​ @Honest Mike You'd probably only notice a difference if you're in a dry climate, and there was a big temperature disparity between indoor and outdoor. The water on the external radiator will definitely help eliminate heat from the system more quickly, but if you're somewhere wet then it's mostly just going to collect extra moisture. In theory, even at 100% relative humidity weather, the external coil should be hotter than ambient and so it should still be able to vaporize, but it'll be slow.. and in high humidity, the interior is going to be generating a lot of moisture. The alternative for someone who wanted to keep the efficiency gain but to make sure the overflow happens in a consistent spot, would be a hole higher up on the side to get rid of excess water above a certain level.. but if it's regularly overflowing then you're probably doing the right thing just letting it drain completely. It definitely seems like a maintenance tradeoff to me. It'd suck for that bucket to just be a constant mildewy, buggy, tepid pool so nice vid.

The fan…the fan is the main thing cooling the condenser, not the water flinging all over (that just helps a bit).

@@travisevans2549 Yes... My post was about conditions where the vaporization would be more noticeable. It makes more of a difference in dry climates.

@@chronosemagram Thanks for the reply! Was worried making my 1st how to vid... Never thought To Drill or Not to Drill would get so political @_@ Honest²

You know... That means alot... I appreciate that :) Honest²

I used a step drill bit in case anyone else is wondering

I came to this video with the same question about my unit. Seems like there is conflicting opinions about if we should "drill-baby-drill" or "splish-spash take a bath". I'm thinking about drilling, but am also thinking about using a very short drill bit (one that sticks out of the drill no more than the thickness of the metal encasing) to avoid puncturing any of the compressor tubes (it's worth sacrificing a drill bit to avoid ruining such an expensive unit)

FYI just punctured my coil, thought I was being so careful, it’s trash now

You should should a step up bit. More expensive, but will save you from a drill bit pulling your drill up into the coil after you puncture

I don't run it daily... Actually only run it when it's 100º+(F) Honest²

Is the what the Midea techs or design crew said?

@@pattimichellesheaffer103 Did you read the manual?

This is true for dry climates, but when the humidity in your area is +90% drainage is very necessary

​@@HonestMike you might include that info in your video.

This is interesting because my Midea U which is fairly new is already having rusty water in the pan.. I live in a hot humid climate (South ALabama) and this unit seems to have issues with keeping humidity under control.. I wonder if this condensate sitting in the back could possible affect that in some way.. But the fact that it's already rusting inside seems to be a quality issue..

@@mattolsson8816 Just got mine today. The second I picked up the unit and felt how light it was for 12,000 BTU; I knew straight away that the alloys they were using were too cheap to last very long without rust. They have to be using either cheaper metals or a lot of plastics. I doubt there's much copper.

Lol, it seems like modern window units purposely let that water pool and fling it all around on the condenser…and wherever else it happens to fling. It is to increase efficiency they say. Down sides are noise (random annoying splattering/popping noise), rust and mold. Up side is efficiency. I will pay the extra bit on my electric bill and drill the hole. You can’t drill blind into these units though, be careful.

WHOA!!!! Good share @_@ I wonder who else has seen this • Honest²

@@mattolsson8816 WHOA!!! Drill it... you can always Gorilla tape it after ;) That's what I did during my TO WATER or NOT TO WATER Test :) Honest²

I was nervous cuz I figure I would get some blowback. To Drill or Not to Drill... That is the question! It's fun to drill things ;) Honest²

Drill!!! Rust is an air conditioners worst enemy by far.

NOPE!!! My ac is clean & fresh!!! Others without the hole can't claim that @_@ Honest²

I was just gonna comment the same…. It’s true, look it up people before making this mistake.

I have several air conditioners that seem to lack drain holes. I get what you are saying but that standing water really helps all the metal screws, lower coils and lower chassis rust.

Drill the hole. The reason for having a sealed case and this water splashing design is to promote the energy star junk units that only last a couple years. Drill the hole

Why? the water is to cool condenser i hope u didn't void the warranty

@@cheatermustdie00 if you don't drill, it will rot out in a couple years, then you're at the store buying a new one... it's called planned obsolescence.

Drill it :) Carefully • Honest²

Nope... its to keep em in buisness @_@ mine running fine • hm¹

@@HonestMike I know yours will run fine. I didn't say it wouldn't work without it... But guaranteed your machine is running hotter I've already done the test... YOUR AIR CONDITIONER WILL FAIL PREMATURELY VERSUS IF YOU DID NOT DRILL A HOLE.. But you might get lucky... But you're still wrong.. You are a thousand percent wrong. I even have a close friend in the business. Who showed me and explain the whole thing.. You couldn't be more wrong.... As a matter of fact I still have a 14-year-old 1200 BTU air conditioner that I've never drilled a hole in the back.. How much longer do you need an air conditioner to last 🤣 You know you can literally hose down the whole inside of an air conditioner in those spots with no problem and clean it even the coils!! AS I DID AFTER YEARS NO PROBLEMS NO ISSUES. Sorry dude you're creating a new type of dumb spreading complete lies to good people.. KZfaq should actually take down this video... It's really sad..

Correct. Left them a comment as well. Lots of people overheating compressors with this mod. Unit will run fine until the compressor burns out. Suggest a plug for anyone who has already drilled a hole. They can call it the cleaning/service hole lol.

@@mattb6514 Yeah if you notice old air conditioners used to have a drain plug.. That's not to take the plug out That's to drain your AC at the end of the season when you store it or put a cover over it. They took that plug out in my opinion because just as you mentioned it can damage the compressor if things don't stay cool enough It's part of the system. So what was happening is people were draining the water and leaving the plug out not putting it back It was causing damage to the air conditioners THEN IT BECOMES A WARRANTY PROBLEM.. So they figured people are just stupid we will protect them from themselves THEY DON'T GET IT. SO THEY GOT RID OF THE DRAIN PLUG COMPLETELY.. Just amazing how people speak and create new types of dumb when they don't know what they're doing.. 🤣

@@mattb6514 what do you think will overheat a compressor fastest a clogged up condenser or no water getting slung up on it. The water helps its efficiency. It doesn’t cool the compressor. The compressor is cooled on the suction side, the cold side. As the refrigerant exit evaporator it is returned to the compressor. Enough said. It’s starting to get technical now lol.

DRILL IT WITH CAUTION :) Then, after you drain it... spray it with bleach & and refill with water to get that funk out. Paint & monitor your drill hole for Rust • Honest²

I don't follow the mantra about the water in there.... I believe the drainage holes got plugged when they painted &/or powder coated em. TIME WILL TELL WHO AC WILL LAST>>> The ones who drilled... or not drilled @_@ Honest²

Coming from a collector of vintage ACs, the ones with a drain hole are almost always mint on the inside, the ones that are not are usually rusted very severely. Drill a drain hole!

All I know is there's nothing more dangerous for your health than mold inside your unit. There's nothing more gross than a bedroom air conditioner that smells like mildew. Washing those air filters does not get rid of the mildew. This is a huge problem in cheap hotels and in houses from Atlanta to key West. Drill the holes!

I just put my AC units in my upper floor since both of my Central airs went out a week apart. I purchased one new unit because they were both 21 years old and the old gas is not around. Had to purchase a new furnace to be compatible with the new freon gas. Anyway, I think instead of drain holes you may be able to drain away the water with a wick sitting in the pan area and hanging outside the case lower than the pan.

yeah just drill a hole using a very stubby drill bit a size smaller than any rubber plug you have and you have a simple removable plug if you want.

Matt, do you have one of these u shape units? There is a design issue with it that causes the condensate to foul up the evaporator and squirrel cage with mold after a few months' usage. Also the condenser clogs up due to the excessive condensate that the unit can't get rid of. Over an inch of condensate is too much. Your theory is sound but this Midea requires this mod or you will live with lung infections. Midea knows about the flaw.

@@nobaddog1 I have no issues in Alberta Canada using it on a square footage room that can satisfy set point with 10,000 btu’s. Design may not be able to handle your locations humidity and or room size.

​@@nobaddog1 no issues with mine in West Texas.

@@mattb6514 I should have added that I live in New Orleans where the humidity is always 100% so I get a ton of condensate water it just overwhelms the system. The little unit works good though it’s always got a stream of water coming out.

I ran test... SHOWED 1°(f) DIFFERENCE WITH or Without water. Held about 3 cups of water... the super cooling is BS. How did the water get there??? Condensation! Or do selll it with 3 cups of water in the basin??? NOPE! I only did it because a guy for an Facebook forum Thought he had Covid...Traced it down to funk that was growing in the basin of the Midea AC. BTW i found some dead bugs in the water when draining out... Aaaaahhhh Nope! Dont want to breath in dead bug funk • Honest²

The fan grabs the water thats pooling in the bottom of the unit. The water is there for Sub Cooling. It helps cool the Condenser coil and lessen the strain on the inverter compressor. Don’t put a hole in your very expensive air conditioner. Midea designed it to work how it should. Modifications like this could easily fuck up the unit. Worst case scenario you try and drill the un necessary drainage hole in the bottom of the catch pool. Your drill bit is going into the coil and straight into a refrigerant line. Once that pops. You’re fucked and your unit is garbage. Do yourself a favor people. Don’t modify your Midea U air conditioner.

@@kesslerfox9858 thank u 💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾 well said .. 👏🏾

@@HonestMike Its not that it won't cool as cold but you just reduced the efficiency of the unit during certain conditions.

@@kesslerfox9858 BTW the unit uses R32 refrigerant, which is flammable. It's not going to go boom, and is supposed to be difficult to ignite, but as a believer in Murphy's law that'd give me pause before I went drilling next to a line.

I couldn't get the panel off on mine and just blindly drilled it in a moment of extreme frustration. Water came pouring out, but I don't see any obvious sign that I punctured the coil. It's running and blowing cold. What happened when you punctured yours and how long did it take to see something was wrong?

@@mandyperkins4415 i had 2, first one did whats urs did, alot of water came out and works fine. second one tho is where i messed up. i think it hit the coil and a loud hissing/blowing noise started with a bunch of water pouring. i could tell the second i drilled into there was a problem.

No slime problems over here... NOW it's a test of survival. The DRILLER & the UnDRILLED... Which will last @_@ Honest²

What kind of condensation tablets?

Thank you I was wondering if that was designed to do that.

Can you please identify specifically where this3/4" opening is located? I have a neighbor below that is complaining that the water is dripping on to him below...and I need to install a water diverting drain tube...

So far So good! No Rust just some DUST!!! Hahahahaha!!! I always check it before I use it. Been up all year. Time will tell who will last.... the DRILLERS or NonDriller @_@ Honest²

And a certain amount of water just stays there. If you are in a dry area it may evaporate. I'm in the south and haven't run the unit in over a week, it is hot as hell down here and there is still water standing in the unit. Humidity is just to high for it to dry out. It will be an algae haven and rust in a short time like this. Maybe a drain hole with a plug may be the best arrangement, if I can just remember to drain the unit...

Big Taco is laying down some Truths!!!! Now gonna see who AC lasts the longest... The Drillers or NonDrillers @_@ only time will tell • Honest²

​@Honest Mike so which is it ?

Thanks for that link. I am joining this group so we can share experiences with these units.

@@mattolsson8816 RAD dude :) Honest²

Ha ha yeah that's some nasty stuff but all a.c. Can do that, everyone I owned has. A/C needs.yearly cleaning for sure. Ain't that the stuff the evolution folks say we are made from ? Can't harm us then.

Damn that's nasty. Any idea where the low part of the unit is? When I saw the sitting water today, I got out the level and from the top the unit was tilted exactly the same on both left and right (facing the unit from the outside). Then placed the level on the bottom under the condenser coils and the unit had a substantial tilt from left to right. So it appears from the outside anyway, that the back right corner may be the low point. But some say it holds several cups of water so maybe not? I am not going to let water just sit in this unit when it is not being used.