The summer heat in many regions of our country brings new surprises every year, and already the inhabitants of the middle bands thought about installing air conditioners, although until relatively recently there was no such need It was. But why do we need technological progress, if we do not use its fruits? Forced cooling of the air in the house is a real salvation for people who, due to age or health conditions, are having a hard time with peak increases in air temperature. So the cost of buying this, in general, an expensive device is more than offset by the ability to sleep without suffocating from the heat and avoid heat stroke. Today we will talk about how to install the air conditioner with your own hands. There is nothing impossible in this.
Read in the article
- 1 Do I need a permit to install an air conditioner?
- 2 Where to install the air conditioner
- 3 How to install an air conditioner with your own hands
- 3.1 Materials and tools for installing a split system
- 3.2 Air conditioner installation procedure
- 4 The most common mistakes when installing air conditioners
Do I need a permit to install an air conditioner?
The answer is not as clear as it seems at first glance. Especially for those who live in an apartment building.
The Housing Code of the Russian Federation may consider the installation of an air conditioner as a refurbishment and even reconstruction of a building. Management companies are required to ensure that extraneous stretch marks, signboards, awnings and other devices that are not provided for by the architectural solution are not attached to the walls of the house. So it turns out that in order to fix the outdoor unit of the air conditioner, you need to obtain permits, but from whom?
According to the same Housing Code, decisions on the reconstruction and repair of a common building are made by a meeting of apartment owners, such Thus, in order to obtain permission, it is necessary to submit such a request to the general meeting and obtain a protocol in which such permission will be received.
But in practice the situation is fundamentally different from what the law requires. There are no federal regulations specifying from whom the apartment owner must obtain permission to install an air conditioner. There are no clear legal requirements, so the requirement to obtain a permit is a very controversial fact. Moreover, the installation of the outdoor unit of a household air conditioner does not fall under the concept of reorganization. Industrial - yes, domestic - no.
Problems can only arise if someone from the occupants damages your outdoor unit installation. For example, water will drip from this block onto their balcony, and noise will be heard when the windows are open. So, when planning the installation site, it is better to think about all the possible consequences in advance.
Can the management company remove your air conditioner for some reason without your knowledge? Definitely not, because it would be regarded as damage to property - and if they have no legal basis for such actions, you can safely sue them.
Summing up, we can say that there are no clear legislative standards for installing an air conditioner, so if you respect the interests of your neighbors, you can install it without any permits.
Where to install the air conditioner
The place of installation is an important factor in the efficiency of the device. The split system is a construction of two parts: indoor and outdoor units. The optimal place must be sought for each of them and at the same time take into account the technical requirements.
What is important to know about installing the indoor unit:
- from the walls on the side, the distance should be at least 30 cm;
- from the obstacle opposite - not less than half a meter;
- to the ceiling - at least 20 cm.
So in most cases, a balcony or space under the window is chosen as a place for it. For the lower floors, it is logical to place the block higher, for example, not under, but above the window, in order to avoid misunderstandings and childish pranks.
If we are talking about a private house, then the bearing capacity of the wall must be taken into account, additional supports may be required in order to firmly hang a rather heavy box.
When you plan the location of both blocks, it is necessary to take into account that manufacturers set the minimum and maximum distance between the blocks. Moreover, this indicator may depend on the brand. It is worthwhile to first study this issue in the technical data sheet of the product. The maximum distance can be up to 6 m. If for some reason you need more, then the system will have to be additionally refueled with freon, and this is not a cheap pleasure.
How to install an air conditioner with your own hands
The split system itself is a rather complicated and expensive household appliance, and its installation is also a costly process. Specialists will vying to offer you their services, but in principle, you can do it on your own. The problem may be only in the vacuum pump, but many "shabashniki", moonlighting in this business, do just fine without a vacuum pump.
Materials and tools for installing a split system
But some equipment is still required. You will definitely need a puncher in order to make a hole in the wall for laying the hose and wires.
In addition, you will need a drill for installing wall mounts, a grinder for cutting pipes, a file or sandpaper, and a flare for copper pipes.
Of the consumables, a 4-core power cable with a cross section of 2.5 mm² is useful. It is better to take a cable with a margin. You should also buy special pipes for air conditioners made of copper in two different diameters. The length of these pipes is equal to the length of the route with a margin of about 25 cm. The peculiarity of copper pipes for air conditioners is their softness: they easily provide tightness. It is important, when buying in a store, to close the openings in them on both sides before transportation so that dust does not get in. But in principle, store sellers know about this and most likely will already prepare such packaging for you.
You will also need a piece of rubber insulation for pipes equal to the length of the route, a drainage tube (polypropylene hose), brackets for mounting the outdoor unit with a margin of bearing capacity of about 4 times to compensate for wind and snow loads.
Air conditioner installation procedure
In any case, before starting installation work, be sure to read the installation instructions in the product data sheet. You will probably find some special requirements in it, like block spacing, so study it carefully.
First thing. If you have decided on the location of the blocks, examine the walls for hidden utility wiring. It is easy to damage them, and then there will be no trouble.
Installation starts from the inside of the system. Measure the location and install the fasteners.
Knowing the location of the indoor unit, you can already determine the place for laying the route and drill a through hole in the wall for it. The route should run at a slight angle so that the condensate does not rush inward, but outward. The hole will have to be made quite large - at least 5 cm in diameter.
After preparing the route, brackets for the outdoor unit are mounted. This is a very important stage, taking into account the fact that the block will hang outside, possibly at a great height and above the heads of passers-by. All fasteners must be installed according to the instructions, the best option is 10 × 100 mm anchors. It is also very important to observe the horizontal level.
The outdoor and indoor units are interconnected by communications - this is a power cable, two copper pipes and a drainage route.
First, copper tubes are laid, they are cut to the required length, the ends are cleaned of burrs so that the sawdust does not get inside. Keep an eye on this, because small metal particles can be a serious hazard to the device's compressor.
Prepared tubes are threaded into a hole in the wall so that debris does not get inside.
Following the tubes, an electric cable is threaded into the prepared route and connected in accordance with the diagram indicated in the instructions for the device.
The last in this set of communications is a drainage tube. An important point in its installation is the obligatory slope towards the street, this is necessary for the proper removal of condensate.
All parts of communications are combined into one bundle and wound with tape. If possible, the track inside the room is hidden in a niche in the wall. If not, they hide it in a box that matches the color of the interior decoration.
There should be no problems with connecting communications to the blocks: the diagrams in the technical documentation are quite clear, and it is almost impossible to make a mistake.
Important! If one unit is installed more than 5 m lower than the other, a loop must be made in the copper tubes to retain the oil contained in the freon. With a drop less, no loops need to be made.
In the installation of the drainage tube, it is important to prevent sagging, because a water plug forms in them. The drainage tube is taken as close to the ground as possible, fixing it on the wall with clips.
The most crucial moment in the self-installation of split systems is the connection of copper pipes. Make sure that there are no kinks or creases on them. First, the pipes are connected to the indoor unit, then to the outdoor unit. How to do it right - in this video.
The last stage of the installation is vacuuming. Its task is to remove air from the copper pipes connected to the compressor in order to prolong its life and increase efficiency. You can eliminate the air either with a vacuum pump, or, in its absence, by pumping freon from the outdoor unit. You will lose a small amount, but it does not matter.
For self-pumping with freon, the plugs are slightly unscrewed on the ports of the external unit. The hexagon needs to be unscrewed literally for a second, that's enough. After unscrewing, excess pressure is created in the route. Next, you also need to press the spool for a couple of seconds and release excess gases.
The most common mistakes when installing air conditioners
In principle, installing a split yourself is not such a difficult task, but there are common beginner mistakes that should be avoided:
- poor-quality rolling of copper tubes, which leads to the loss of freon. If you do not follow this, you will have to pump in new freon, and this is very expensive;
- creases on copper tubes may appear due to poor-quality installation. The movement of the refrigerant will be difficult, and this will affect the operation of the air conditioner;
- lack of evacuation - the air in the system quickly disables the compressor;
- and finally, you should never save on the choice of materials, replace them with analogues, especially copper pipes.
How did you install the air conditioner in your house? Share your experience in the comments!
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