Port A Cool APEX Series User manual

SERIES
OWNER’S MANUAL
PACA05001A1
PACA07001A1
PACA12001A1
PACA20001A1
PACA40001A1
PACA65001A1
Portacool_APEX-Manual_Cover.indd 1Portacool_APEX-Manual_Cover.indd 1 1/4/24 9:32 AM1/4/24 9:32 AM

1
CONTENTS
ENGLISH
Safety 2
Introduction 5
Overview 7
Quick Start 11
Display Functions 13
LED Status Icons 16
Alert Codes 20
CoolSync™ App 25
Maintenance 26
Troubleshooting 28
Warranty 31
ESPAÑOL
Seguridad 32
Introducción 37
Generalidades 39
Inicio rápido 43
Funciones de las pantallas 44
Iconos de estado LED 47
Códigos de alerta 51
Aplicación CoolSync™ 56
Mantenimiento 57
Resolución de problemas 59
Garantía 62
FRANÇAIS
Sécurité 65
Introduction 68
Vue d’ensemble 70
Guide de démarrage 74
Fonctions de l’afchage 75
Icônes d’état des LED 79
Codes d’alerte 83
Appli CoolSync™ 88
Maintenance 89
Dépannage 91
Garantie 94

SAFETY
OPERATION WARNINGS
1. Not for use by children. Children must be supervised so that they do not play with the device.
2. Not for use by persons with reduced physical, sensory or mental capabilities
3. Not for use by persons who have not read the evaporative cooler’s instructions, owner’s manual and labels
thoroughly before use
SAFE OPERATION
To reduce the risk of electric shock, re, or injury:
• Do not operate any evaporative cooler with a damaged cord or plug. If the power cord is damaged, it must be
replaced by the manufacturer, its authorized service agent, or qualied personnel in order to avoid a hazard.
• Do not run power cord under carpeting or cover with throw rugs, runners or similar coverings. Arrange power
cord away from trafc areas to avoid tripping hazards. Before using the evaporative cooler, carefully review the
manual and label to understand its features and functions fully.

3
SAFETY
• Remember to unplug the evaporative cooler before servicing.
• Do not plug in the evaporative cooler unless all parts and media are securely in place.
• If you have a special safety outlet (GFCI), it’s important to test it once a month to ensure it’s working correctly.
This is a quick check to keep you safe.
• Always pull on the plug, not the cord, when unplugging the evaporative cooler. This prevents damage to the
cord over time.
• Keep your evaporative cooler away from anything that has open ames or may cause sparks.
• When cleaning your evaporative cooler, make sure the unit is off and unplugged.
• Do Not Use This Fan with Any Solid-State Speed Control Device.
• Do not use an extension cord with this product if used outdoors.
• If used indoors, extension cords are okay to use but not recommended. If you must use one, ensure it meets
the cord requirements.
◦ Use properly grounded 14 AWG or greater for APEX 500 through APEX 4000
◦ Use properly grounded 12 AWG or greater for APEX 6500
◦ Extension cord must not exceed 50 feet (15.24 meters) in length
◦ Extension cord must be properly grounded
• Be careful when moving your evaporative cooler with a full tank of water; only transport it on all four caster
wheels, and do not tilt the evaporative cooler forward or backward.

SAFETY
• Evaporative coolers should not be modied in any way (other than repairs made by qualied individuals with
Portacool replacement parts).
• If the evaporative cooler is damaged or malfunctions, do not continue to operate it. Refer to this
owner’s manual’s warranty, troubleshooting, or FAQ sections and call Portacool, LLC. Customer Care at
[phone] or [phone], or email [email protected].

5
INTRODUCTION
CONGRATULATIONS!
On your new Portacool Apex series evaporative cooler purchase! Get ready to take your cooling experience to new
heights. Here are some valuable tips for you to ensure an unparalleled cooling journey.

INTRODUCTION
Evaporative coolers are not air
conditioners. The key difference is
that they cool the air naturally and
efciently by adding humidity to the
air stream. Water will circulate over
the evaporative cooling media. As
the fan pulls air through, the water
evaporates, unleashing incredible
cooling power!
It is important to position the cooler
in a well-ventilated area with plenty
of access to outside air for optimal
cooling performance. Suppose you
are cooling a shop or a semi-enclosed
area. In that case, we recommend
placing the back of the cooler to allow
warm outside air to pull through the
cooler while a constant source of cool
fresh air is pushed into the space.
For the proper amount of airow, be
sure to leave a door or window open.
Don’t forget to take the power
of evaporative cooling with you!
Evaporative cooling can transform
many spaces, such as patios, sports
elds, garages, campsites, and
outdoor events.

7
OVERVIEW
Handlebar
Control Panel
Serial Plate
Airow Direction
Louvers
Up/down (manual adjust)
Left/right (automatic)
Evaporative
Media
Locking
Casters
Models:
PACA05001A1
PACA07001A1
Cord Wrap
Manual Water Fill
Power Cord with GFCI
¾” Garden Hose
Connection
1-1/4” MNPT Drain

OVERVIEW
Manual Water
Fill
1-1/4” MNPT
Drain
¾” Garden Hose
Connection
Cord Wrap
Power cord
with GFCI
Evaporative Media
Control Panel
Serial Plate
Molded in
Handles
Heavy Duty
Casters
(Rear Locking Casters)
Models:
PACA12001A1
PACA20001A1

9
OVERVIEW
Models:
PACA40001A1
PACA65001A1
PACA12001A1
PACA20001A1
PACA40001A1
PACA65001A1 Control Panel
Serial Plate
Molded in
Handles
Heavy Duty Casters
(Rear Locking Casters)
Evaporative Media
Manual Water Fill
1-1/4” MNPT Drain
¾” Garden Hose
Connection
Cord Wrap
Power Cord
with GFCI

OVERVIEW
For more product
information, visit
our website,
www.portacool.com,
or scan the QR code
below:
Note: Product data is an estimation and may be updated without prior notication.

11
QUICK START
1. Position
Position the cooler on a level surface
while in use. Lock the caster wheels.
3. Plug In
Be sure to plug it into an appropriate
outlet. A dedicated 15A or 20A circuit is
recommended. Avoid the use of exten-
sion cords for best performance.
4. Press the power button
Pressing the power button on the cool-
er will begin a pre-soak function for the
media. During this pre-soak, the fan will
run at low speed (the LCD screen will
display a countdown timer).
2. Fill with Water
Fill the tank or attach a water hose. We
recommend using the hose attachment
with an automatic shut-off valve.
5. Adjust Fan to Desired Speed
After each Pre-soak stage, the fan will
return to its previous speed setting.
Use the speed buttons to increase
or decrease the fan speed if desired.
Outlet air temperature will show in the
upper right corner of the screen.
6. Shut Down
To shut down, press the power button
once. If necessary, the fan will remain
ON to dry the media, then automatical-
ly turn off and return to Standby mode
when complete (the LCD screen will dis-
play a countdown timer).
7. Lock Screen Feature
To lock the display screen, press
both menu arrow buttons simul-
taneously for 5 seconds. To un-
lock, repeat the button and hold
for 5 seconds.

DISPLAY FUNCTIONS
Models:
PACA05001A1
PACA07001A1
PACA12001A1
PACA20001A1
PACA40001A1
PACA65001A1
1. Power/Mode Button
2. Fan Speed Buttons
Menu/Status
Indicator Lights
5. *Airow Direction
6. Timer
7. Alerts
8. Wi-Fi
Connection
9. Cooling Mode
10. Schedule
11. Settings
Menu Scroll Buttons
Menu Select Button
Water Empty
Indicator Light
3. Cooling Mode Button
4. Water Level Indicator
Fan Speed Indicator
*FEATURE ONLY ENABLED ON MODELS WITH AIR LOUVERS: PACA05001A1, PACA07001A1

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DISPLAY FUNCTIONS
1. Power/Mode Button
Press this button to start up and
shut down your evaporative cooler.
• After the cooler is plugged in, the
control will automatically go into
Standby Mode.
• To turn on the evaporative
cooler, press the power/mode
button. The cooler will start
circulating water to pre-soak the
media for optimal cooling. The
fan will run at low speed during
the pre-soak process until the
cycle is complete. Once the pre-
soak cycle is done, the fan and
cooling modes will automatically
return to their previous settings.
Note: Pressing the fan speed buttons
will exit the evaporative cooler from
pre-soak mode.
• Press the power/mode button
once to shut down your
evaporative cooler. If the media is
wet, the cooler will automatically
dry it, and the shutdown timer will
begin. Once the timer is complete,
the cooler will return to Standby
Mode. If the water system is
not running, the cooler will go
directly to Standby Mode without
following the drying process.
Note: to bypass the automatic
media drying, press the power/
mode button again to go directly to
standby mode.
• Press and hold the power/
mode button for 3 seconds to
turn off the evaporative cooler
and control panel. Once turned
off, the LED will also turn off.
Note: when in OFF mode, the cooler
cannot be directly controlled from the app
and will not run previously congured
schedules unit it is returned to standby.
2. Fan Speed Buttons
Press the +/- buttons to increase or
decrease the fan’s speed.
• There are ve fan speeds, and
the blue light bars indicate the
current speed setting.
3. Cooling Mode Button
Press to manually turn the water
system on and off or to change the
cooling mode.
• Pressing the cooling button once
will turn on cooling to the previous
mode. Use the < > arrows in the
menu to change the mode on the
LCD screen if desired. Note: it is
unnecessary to toggle the cooling
mode button once it’s set to your
preference.
• There are three cooling modes:
◦ Max cooling (recommended)

DISPLAY FUNCTIONS
−The cooler automatically
optimizes the water ow rate
to deliver maximum cooling
and temperature drop based
on surrounding air conditions.
◦ Eco − Use this mode if you
are in a very hot/dry climate
and are willing to sacrice a
little cooling to consume less
water. Water ow rate and
consumption will be reduced.
◦ Manual − This mode allows
for precise water ow rate
control to dial in your preferred
cooling experience. Settings 1-5
correspond to water ow rate from
low to high. It is recommended
for experienced users only.
4. Water Level Indicator
These LED indicators display the
reservoir’s water level and give
warnings when the level is low.
All ve indicator bars will be blue
when the reservoir is full. As the
water level drops and it’s time to rell,
the last bar will illuminate yellow.
However, the system will continue
to cool. When the water level goes
below the minimum operating level
for the pump, the water empty
indicator light will illuminate red, and
the power supply to the pump will
be shut off. Relling the reservoir will
allow the cooler to continue normal
operation.
5. Airow Direction
This feature allows for automatic air
direction control to customize your
cooling experience. Note: APEX
500 and APEX 700 models only.
• Navigate to ‘Airow’ on the LCD
screen menu and use the <
> buttons to choose from one
of 3 Airow direction modes:
◦ Sweep – The vertical louvers will
oscillate left to right to provide a
sweeping range of airow. The
blue Airow direction light will
remain illuminated in sweep mode.
◦ Narrow – The airow is
channeled towards the center
for maximum velocity and reach.
◦ Wide – The louvers move outwards
to diffuse the air, providing a wider
coverage area of steady ow.
Note: You can customize your
cooling experience with precise
louver control by using the
CoolSync™ App!
6. Timer
Allows you to set an automatic run-
time duration.
• To set a timer, navigate to the
‘Timer’ option on the LCD screen

15
DISPLAY FUNCTIONS
menu. Then, use the < > buttons
to choose the desired duration
for the timer. After the timer is
complete, the cooler will return to
Standby mode and automatically
dry the media if it is wet.
7. Alerts
This feature noties you of potential
issues with operating your APEX™
evaporative cooler.
Navigate to ‘Alerts’ on the LCD screen
menu and use the < > buttons to
view any active alert codes. See the
“Alert Codes” section of this manual
for more details. The Alert icon will
illuminate yellow for warnings and
red for critical alerts.

LED STATUS ICONS
The following table gives a summary of the LED light
status indicators for the control
# Button/Icon Color LED Status Cooler status
1. Power/Mode Button Yellow
Green
ON (Solid)
Blinking
OFF
ON (Solid)
Blinking
Cooler is currently in Standby
Cooler is currently Drying Media
Cooler is currently OFF
Cooler is currently Running
Cooler is currently Pre-Soaking Media
2. Fan Speed Buttons Blue
OFF
ON (Solid)
OFF
Light bars represent speeds 1-5
Fan is OFF

17
LED STATUS ICONS
# Button/Icon Color LED Status Cooler status
3. Cooling Mode Button Blue
Green
OFF
ON (Solid)
Blinking
ON (Solid)
Blinking
OFF
Max Cooling Mode or Manual Mode Enabled
Max Cooling Mode or Manual Mode is en-
abled, and cooler is pre-soaking media.
ECO Mode is Enabled
ECO mode is enabled, and cooler is
pre-soaking media.
Cooling mode is OFF
4. Water Level
Indicator Blue
Yellow
Red
ON (Solid)
ON (Solid)
ON (Solid)
Blinking
Blue light bars correspond to an estimate of
the amount of water remaining in reservoir
(5=100%, 4=80%, 3=60%, 2=40%, 1=20%).
Water level is below 20% and should be refilled soon.
Water reservoir is empty or below the
minimum level required for pump opera-
tion (cooling mode).
Cooling mode is enabled but the water level
is below the minimum, so the pump is dis-
abled. Rell to resume normal operation.

LED STATUS ICONS
# Button/Icon Color LED Status Cooler status
5. Airow Direction
(APEX 500/700)
Blue OFF
ON (Solid)
Blinking
Airow Direction is set to narrow or wide mode
Airow Direction is set to sweep mode
Airow Direction menu is selected
6. Timer Blue OFF
ON (Solid)
Blinking
No timer is active
Timer is on and there is a countdown timer
Timer menu is selected
7. Alerts Yellow
Red
ON (Solid)
Blinking
ON (Solid)
There is one or more warning messages active
Alerts menu is selected
There is one or more critical alerts active
8. Wi-Fi Connection Blue ON (Solid)
Blinking (slow)
Blinking (fast)
Cooler is currently connected to the Cool-
Sync Cloud
Cooler is attempting to connect to the
Wi-Fi network
Wi-Fi menu is selected

19
LED STATUS ICONS
# Button/Icon Color LED Status Cooler status
8. Wi-Fi Connection
Cont. Yellow
OFF
Blinking
OFF
Cooler is connected to the Wi-Fi network
but can’t reach the CoolSync Cloud
Wi-Fi is disabled
9. Cooling Mode Blue
Yellow
OFF
ON (Solid)
Blinking
ON (Solid)
OFF
Cooler is running on a schedule pro-
grammed with the CoolSync APP
Schedule menu is selected
There is an active schedule programmed
with the CoolSync APP
No schedule is programmed
10. Schedule Blue Blinking Settings menu is selected