LAST EDITED ON Sep-06-17 AT 01:31AM (MST)[p]Alright, I'm not officially an HVAC guy. But I do have some experience and training that translates, and a significant amount of cross-training. Jagerdad knows the details, but I won't elaborate further here.
Cleaning the filter is always good.
These things have a cycle, whether it is the unit you're talking about, or the system in your hunting truck, or the system in your home, or the massive unit that cools a hospital or a shopping mall. They don't all use freon, but this one probably does use R-134A. The very large units use Lithium-Bromide.
There is one kind of system that is entirely steam driven. That system uses steam to draw a vacuum on a chamber. Water inside that chamber boils and removes heat from another water system that then circulates through coolers at ~40 degrees.
The whole point of it is to find a way to make something boil at basically room temperature and remove HEAT from some other medium (air, water, etc.) When you do that, you cool that something to LOWER THAN room temperature. Then the heat energy that is removed by the coolant must be exhausted somewhere.
The first step of troubleshooting is always to verify that power is available. I assume the unit is plugged in and is making enough lights, noise, etc., to convince you that main power is on. But there are likely several things that need power, and have you checked all fuses and circuit breakers to verify they are providing power to the compressor, and to any fans? If you don't have a manual for it, do an Internet search, and I'm sure you will find one for download that will tell you all the things to check:
http://www.whynter.com/user-manual/ARC-10WB-Whynter-Eco-friendly-10000-BTU.pdf
Here is also a troubleshooting list for this model:
https://www.whynter.com/troubleshooting/
I'm looking at a photo of this thing on the mfr website and it occurs to me you said your wife's SALON. Have you removed all the hoses and vacuumed the entire unit out to remove any buildup of HAIR clippings that is very likely inside of it? Just make sure it's unplugged when you do that. I would love to get a good look inside of it because you may find heat exchange surfaces caked with stuff that has been sucked in and stuck to moist surfaces, or even to dry surfaces if it is not run very much but is always in that room.
The next thing I would check is the means by which heat is exhausted from the unit. Where does that go? An air conditioner is a heat exchange machine, and that removed heat energy has to go somewhere. There is always a component called a condenser. In your car, it is an aluminum radiator looking component in front of your engine coolant radiator. Shopping malls have fairly large cooling towers with large fans inside to move cool air in from the bottom and warm air out at the top. This portable device of yours will have some kind of hot air exhaust hose. Is that connected? Where does it discharge? Is it blocked or kinked? Have any birds or critters taken up residence in that discharge on the outside and are blocking the exhaust flow of the hot air trying to go outside? If the hot air cannot get out, then you will get no cooling.
If it discharges into the same space you're trying to cool, then you achieve little more than getting cool air to blow in the face of someone sitting right in front of the thing, but the temperature in the space overall will never change. In fact, it will certainly get hotter due to electrical and mechanical inefficiencies in the machine that show up as additional heat generated (i.e., heat GAINS to a confined space).
Next, there is likely to be a lot of condensation from these cooling coils--especially inside a salon where there is always hair being washed and dried, putting lots of moisture in the air. Where does that condensation go? There must be some kind of drain tube that goes to a sink, or a container that has to be dumped occasionally. You see this condensation under your car when the A/C is running, and you see it from your home unit being occasionally pumped to some kind of drain like a sink. If that area fills with condensation, you will get no cooling.
If you have an actual coolant issue, then I can only recommend that you get a real HVAC technician to check the high and low side pressures. This things PORTABLE, so you should be able to take it to them if needed. At least get an estimate! Even if he has to evacuate the system, repair a leak and recharge it, that will likely be cheaper done in their shop than buying a new one.
Hope this helps!
