Cleaning the air conditioner with your own hands

Split systems have become an integral part of the everyday life of modern housing and any premises. Air conditioners not only effectively cope with the summer heat, but also heat the room in the cold season, and most importantly - the split system purifies the air from bacteria, thanks to a special filter. The trouble-free and high-quality operation of any equipment depends on regular maintenance. Therefore, since it is important to know how to clean the air conditioner with your own hands in case you can not get a specialist for routine maintenance.

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Air Conditioner Contamination: Causes and Consequences

Unlike other home appliances, such as a TV or microwave oven, changes in the climate system are less noticeable, and all the incidents gradually accumulate. But once, reaching a critical level, all the accumulated problems, lead to the fact that the device simply ceases to cope with its cooling and heating functions in the room.

Main causes of pollution:

• Degree of air pollution.
• Indices of air humidity.
• The height of the placement of the split system.

Important! Service engineers say that air conditioners that are on the highest floors of the building absorb much less dust and pollutants that pollute the atmosphere than devices located on the lower floors. And the greatest concentration of dust is observed near highways, construction sites and industrial enterprises.

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When you need to clean the air conditioner yourself?

Immediate cleaning of the air conditioner is necessary in the following cases:

• A strong and unpleasant odor that appears immediately after the climate system is switched on.
• Condensation from the indoor unit during operation.
• Appearance of loud noise and cod, when the system is turned on.
• Decrease in the power of the operation of the climate system.
• Excessive energy consumption.

Important! If you carefully take care of the climate system, it will be able to develop its entire resource without additional repairs, and this is a lot - 7-12 years of quality work.

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What should I clean?

Cleaning the air conditioner by your own hands, of course, is possible, but for this it is necessary to have a clear idea of ​​the order of work.

Important! Air conditioning - the device is relatively simple, but with careless handling, it can be damaged. Do all work strictly according to the manufacturer's instructions and very carefully.

To clean up the climate system, it is necessary to clean:

• Internal unit filters. The clogged filter delays the air, forcing the unit to spend more energy, and such work at the "power limit" will lead to a breakdown of the compressor.
• Drain channel. A congestion in the condensate drainage system will lead to a breakdown of the air conditioner, as the interior of the device simply floods with water.
• Outdoor unit casings. External cleaning of the air conditioner at home is very important, since it is the outdoor unit that contacts the dust, small debris and insects every second. If you ignore the external cleaning, the compressor and the condenser located in the external unit will not live more than two or three seasons.

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How often should I clean the air conditioner?

Mentioned elements: the filter, drain and housing must be cleaned more than once. The frequency of this procedure depends on the location of the climate system and the functional purpose. For example:

• external cleaning of the split system located on the 1st to 4th floors is needed before each new launch season;
• located on the 7th-8th floors the system practically does not come into contact with dust and organic debris, therefore it is necessary to clean it with a periodicity of 2-3 years;
• installed at the level of 10-12 floors the air conditioner needs external cleaning with a periodicity of 3-4 years - that is why the external blocks of industrial climate systems are located on the roof of the building;
• deserves a separate mention of the "winter" cleaning of the outdoor unit from ice and icicles - if the climate system works in the cold season, then clean the outer shell periodically, so that the icicles do not damage the passer-by or parked car;
• internal cleaning of the split-system must be carried out before the start of the operational period;
• internal cleaning of filters should be carried out with a frequency of 2-3 times a month.

Important! Cleaning the drainage of the air conditioner is carried out as necessary, visually to monitor the patency of the drainage channels can be on wet spots on the foundation of the structure.

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Cleaning the indoor unit of the air conditioner

The most vulnerable part of the air conditioner is the indoor unit, which resembles a small mesh through which air enters the device. The internal filter is located under the front panel of the unit, it is it that catches the minute dust particles and mote, preventing them from getting into not only the room, but also into separate elements of the system, for example, in the radiator.

Important! The filter of the indoor unit must be cleaned regularly - under normal operating conditions once every two to three weeks, and in contaminated conditions even more often.

How important is it to clean the indoor unit in time?

Delayed cleaning of the indoor unit of the air conditioner can lead to the following problems:

• Reducing the intensity of the radiator fan.
• Significant reduction in the quality of air cooling.
• A malfunction of the refrigeration system of the device, as a result - ice on copper pipelines and thawed ice dripping onto the floor after the device is turned off.
• Contamination of the drainage system. The dust accumulated in the filter, after a certain time, will begin to accumulate in lumps that can block the drainage, and as a consequence - water on the floor and walls.

Important! To clean the air conditioner and all its units must be treated very carefully and delicately, because with rough handling and improper maintenance, the split system can fail. In addition, you can not use aggressive household detergents when cleaning, because all household chemicals will subsequently enter the room together with air. That's why only a special cleaning fluid for air conditioners should be used.

What to clean?

To the problem areas of the indoor unit can be attributed:

• Filter.
• Evaporator grille.
• The drainage system tray.
• Turbine.

Important! All of the above nodes of the system become clogged with varying intensity. Therefore, they must be cleaned with uneven periodicity.

Consider how to clean up each problematic node of the indoor unit.

Cleaning the air conditioning filter

A simple cleaning operation is performed as follows:

1. Open the top cover of the unit.
2. Remove the air filters.
3. Remove dust from the filters. For a dry cleaning of the dirt, use a vacuum cleaner.
4. Soak the filters in a warm, soapy solution for a few minutes to rid them of the remaining dust, dirt and grease.
5. Wash the filter cartridge under a large head of water, taking care not to damage the filter.
6. Allow the cassette to dry naturally.
7. Insert the filter into place.
8. Close the cover.

Agree, this simple work takes a minimum of time, and the benefits of it - a colossal one. Therefore, do not ignore such maintenance of the air conditioner yourself, do it in a timely manner.

Service of rotary turbine

Clean the rotary fan as necessary. If frequent cleaning of the filter is necessary, then the fan should be serviced only once a year - at the end of the operational season.

The rotary fan is a special roller that drives the flow of cold air into the room. To clean the rotor:

1. Open the indoor unit cover.
2. Remove the filter.
3. Apply a soap solution to the blades, turning the fan by hand. For this procedure, use a brush with a long pile.
4. Leave the solution for several minutes.
5. Cover the floor with a plastic film.
6. Start the air conditioner.
7. After a few minutes, turn off the device.
8. Finish cleaning the blades with a brush soaked in soapy water.
9. Clean the ventilation holes located in the top cover of the unit. These holes help the air flow to pass into the inner block of the system and they need a high-quality cleaning.
10. Clean the inside of the unit of dirt.
11. Insert the filter cassette back and close it with a grate and cover.

Important! Since the air conditioner filter works on a static effect, it must be cleaned at least once a week. Even a small amount of dust can disrupt the normal operation of the filters. It should be noted that maintenance of the filtration system is not included in the warranty repair of the device, so all work on cleaning the filters must be done independently.

How do I clean the heat exchanger in the indoor unit?

The heat exchanger also needs regular maintenance, which looks like a regular radiator. It is located either under the cover, or under the filters - depending on the model of the device.

Important! The latter option is found in the models of air conditioners with a dual air purification system.

Cleaning operations must be carried out very carefully so as not to damage the heat exchanger and not injure the hand. Service the evaporator grate once a year, before the first commissioning of the system.

Proceed as follows:

1. Open the air conditioner cover.
2. Carefully remove the front grille covering the heat exchanger.
3. Prepare a vacuum cleaner and a brush with a long handle.
4. Put a narrow nozzle on the hose of the vacuum cleaner.
5. Turn on the vacuum cleaner, and bring the nozzle tip to the evaporator.
6. Use a brush, with an elongated pile, to clean the dirt from the evaporator and assemble it with a vacuum cleaner nozzle.
7. Carefully complete the cleaning of the fins of the radiator.
8. Reinstall all removed components and close the air conditioner cover.

Important! If the heat exchanger is too dirty, use steam cleaning. Perform this work only qualified specialists, using special equipment for cleaning air conditioners.

Useful tips

Clean the indoor unit of the air conditioner with a special spray, which has not only a disinfectant, but also a disinfectant:

1. Spray the cleaning fluid on the radiator until the product begins to drip onto the floor surface.
2. Leave on for 2-3 minutes, then repeat the procedure.
3. After cleaning, remove the remnants of the drug from the tubes and body.
4. Do not wipe the heat exchanger so as not to deform the lamellae and not spoil the packing. Let the excess funds flow naturally.

Cleaning the drainage of the air conditioner

For the drainage, an antibacterial treatment of the air conditioner is necessary. This is a special event, which includes the maintenance of both internal and external nodes of the device.

If there is a steam generator, then this procedure will be even faster than cleaning the filters:

1. It is enough to "blow out" the steam in the body of the blocks and the antibacterial cleaning is completed.
2. Another approach would be to wash the entire system and treat it with an antibacterial compound based on alcohol or a means containing chlorine. In this case, the antibacterial preparation is better sprayed with an atomizer.

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Cleaning the external air conditioner unit

The external unit of the device is contaminated not less than the internal unit, therefore it also needs to be cleaned regularly, at least twice a year. It is possible to use a vacuum cleaner for the cleaning procedure of the external unit of the air conditioner, but it must be powerful enough to draw all the dust not only from the heat exchange radiators, but also from the outdoor filters.

Technology The procedure itself is quite simple:

1. Open the case of the external unit.
2. Remove large debris with a brush.
3. Use a vacuum cleaner to remove small debris.
4. Grate the filter grill with a soft pile brush.
5. Install the housing cover in place.

Precautions:

1. If the external unit of the system is at a level of 3-5 meters above the foundation, then you can use an ordinary ladder for work.
2. If the climate system is high above the ground, it is enough to unscrew the grill protecting the internal elements of the device and to work the parts with a vacuum cleaner, and then wipe it with a soft cloth.
3. If this process does not work, call qualified personnel who will remove the unit and clean it thoroughly.
4. If the external unit is within your reach, then use a compressed air cylinder or compressor to solve the problem of maintaining the air conditioner with your own hands. Push the hose with the union into the body of the outdoor unit and open the valve( turn on the compressor).Garbage and dust are removed from the grate of the unit.

Important! All maintenance work should be carried out only on the de-energized .

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Automatic cleaning of air conditioner

Modern models of climate systems are equipped with additional options that ensure the uninterrupted operation of the device. In addition, the automatic cleaning system is included in the additional functionality.

Here the options can be as follows:

1. The split system is cleaned according to the standard technology: the air flows are idle, passing through the system, the heat exchanger and other internal components of the device are dried.
2. Some modern models of the climate system use ionic air purification. Thanks to a special device, oxygen or nitrogen ions are able to bind dust particles, charging them. As a result, charged particles can be easily captured by a dust collector.
3. Another version of the device models uses ionized water dust, a multi-stage filtration system and ionization of air. This protection of air flow allows you to clean air thoroughly and eliminate all unpleasant odors.

Important! In the event that the climate system is equipped with an integrated sensor sensor, the device itself will control the air composition and, if necessary, run a self-cleaning system.

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Preparation of the climate system for the season

The maintenance of the split systems with our own hands includes a certain number of works in this or that season. To carry out this work correctly and not to perform unnecessary measures with additional waste of time, read the correct procedure for maintaining the air conditioner.

Prepare a split system for the summer season:

1. Clean the evaporator of the air conditioner.
2. Service the external unit heat exchanger.
3. Check the operation of the device in all modes.

Important! All the preparatory work must be done by yourself or by inviting the master for this purpose, since these measures are not included in the warranty service of the split systems.

Preservation for the winter:

1. Complete cleaning of all units of the device.
2. Antibacterial treatment.
3. Checking the pressure in the cooling system.
4. Disconnection.

Important! In the case of a lack of refrigerant in the system, it will need to be renewed or replaced, and this can only be done by specialized companies. If you are confronted with this situation, then it's best to delegate the entire conservation procedure to specialists.

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Useful advices and recommendations

Observe the following precautions when performing maintenance of the climate system.

Rule 1

Strictly observe the restrictions on the operation and maintenance of split systems by one's own hands:

• Do not clean system components with solvents or mineral spirits. Do not use acetone and other chemicals for this purpose.
• Never disassemble the equipment.
• Do not perform cleaning activities in the presence of children.
• Do not put metal objects and tools into the equipment.
• Always read the instructions and the equipment description before starting work.

Rule 2

Use the following household care products:

• Special silicone brush brushes for cleaning fine grids.
• Cleansing spray for air conditioners with antiseptic action. The product effectively removes any dirt and fat deposits.
• Sets of rags made of soft material that absorbs moisture well.

Rule 3

Since maintenance of the external block of the system requires special skills and access to the nodes can be difficult, then:

• After purchasing and installing the air conditioner, enter into a service contract. The employees of the company will conduct the following activities:
  1. Cleaning of the indoor unit of the air conditioner.
  2. Preventing the outdoor unit of the device.
  3. Examination of the drainage system.
  4. Elimination of breakdowns and malfunctions.
  5. Refilling the air conditioner with freon
• The first 2-3 cleansing of the device should be entrusted to specialists who will perform works using a steam generator and other special equipment. The obtained experience and knowledge is used in the future independently.

Important! If the first signs of unstable operation of the system occur, turn off the device and contact the service center.

Rule 4

Monitor the level of Freon in the system, since the normal operation of the device allows a refrigerant leakage of between 6-8%.

Important! Freon leakage can affect the operation of the climate system, but only experts can check the pressure of the refrigerant and determine the cause of its leakage.

Among the signs of refrigerant leakage, it is possible to single out:

• Icing of the choke joints, that is, the areas of connection of copper pipes.
• General decrease in the efficiency of the device, when air, even with prolonged operation of the system, does not cool.

Important! Evaporation of the coolant occurs naturally, due to a special method of connecting the tubes of the system. To avoid a critical drop in the refrigerant level, it is necessary to refuel the air conditioner once every 2 years with freon. This procedure requires specialized equipment and experience of masters of the appropriate profile.

Observe the rules of operation of the split system and it will serve you for many years, pleasing coolness on hot hot days, and warming in the cold season. Good luck!