Due to the change of office location or moving to a new place, it may be necessary to dismantle the split system. The process has some of its own characteristics regarding the season, the device, as well as the availability of necessary tools.
Air conditioner
The operating principle is known to few: the compressor of the outdoor unit pumps out refrigerant vapor from the indoor, then they condense, heat up well and give off heat to the environment, and evaporate through the radiator. Then it begins to absorb the room temperature air, thereby cooling the room. The entire cycle described above is constantly repeated.
In the device, you can immediately note one sensitive place, this is the air conditioning pump. Working in such difficult conditions, it should be a fairly massive unit. Indeed, it contains several rotors of complex configuration, enclosed in a sealed chamber. The necessary vacuum is carried out due to one-sided actions, which are formed solely due to the fixed precision of processing parts. Few designs can provide performance at such pressure and temperature differences.
Now you can understand why the pump is so vulnerable, because a small scratch from dust, a piece of oxide from pipes or ice and the air conditioner will spend energy on wasting the refrigerant for nothing, and not cooling the room.
The price of the work of the master
If you put together the cost of assembling and disassembling a split system in one report, you will get (on average) a fairly simple ratio: 1B - 1 rub. That is, the price of transferring a household air conditioner will cost about 2,500–4,000 rubles, and a large one, which is used for an office or a mansion, will cost 8,000–10,000 rubles. If you want to remove the cassette unit, which is mounted in a suspended ceiling, the price will increase by 15%.
DIY dismantling cost
Even a slightly technically equipped person intuitively understands that it is impossible to simply open the fittings, since inside the whole system is filled with freon. If this is nevertheless done, liquid will flow out of it, and refueling with a new one ranges from 800–1500 rubles. Therefore, certain measures are necessary to solve this problem.
Therefore, we need some kind of installation and tool. To dismantle the air conditioner, a pressure gauge manifold is needed first. The cost of the cheapest varies from 1,500 to 3,500 rubles. This is almost the cost of the entire dismantling. And also requires a set of hexagonal socket wrenches and a pipe cutter - about 250 p. So the amount that will cost the work. Well, if you take all the equipment for rent or at least partially, then the independent dismantling of the split system is quite justified.
Workplace preparation
In order for all actions to be carried out safely and conveniently, it is necessary:
- remove all furniture and other property from the working area that will interfere;
- when the external unit is located on a wall that opens onto a balcony or a loggia, it is necessary to provide full access to external equipment;
- tools and equipment are placed in an accessible and convenient place for the master;
- if the work is carried out in cold weather, you need to consider that the room will be cool enough, and this should not cause discomfort to residents and pets;
- Be sure to prepare safety material and think about the point of its location.
Instruments
When servicing and dismantling a split system, it is important to adhere to the basic safety rules, namely, use safety equipment and have an assistant. In order to remove the apartment air conditioner, you need to prepare the following tools:
- adjustable and open-end wrenches;
- PH2 screwdriver;
- side cutters;
- a set of different hexagons;
- knife for construction;
- socket wrenches with ratchet;
- pipe cutter;
- screwdriver;
- manometric manifold.
Dismantling split systems with Freon preservation
Before starting to remove the device, it is necessary to distill the refrigerant so that it does not leak. You must perform the following steps:
- The air conditioner switches to cooling mode and the remote temperature is set to the lowest.
- On the external unit, it is required to find several gates of different sizes and open the plugs using an adjustable wrench.
- After the compressor is started using the hexagon, the smaller valve closes. And for more, you immediately need to connect the collector.
- A pressure drop is monitored on the pressure gauge. After the arrow drops below zero, a large valve spins.
After all these actions are completed, the air conditioner turns off and all the refrigerant remains in the outdoor unit. The last step is to disconnect the wire from the external unit.
Why is preservation of freon important?
When the air conditioner runs out of its entire life, it is easy to dismantle the split system without preserving the refrigerant, and if not, it is better not to leak. According to scientists, the consequences of such actions are significant, as it is harmful to the environment.
It is, of course, easier to carry out dismantling without preserving the liquid, but after that you will have to throw the device into the trash. And the reason for this will be the practically ensured failure of the vacuum pump compressor. The tightness of its chambers is ensured not by piston rings and gaskets, but by high accuracy of processing, as well as precisely balanced parts. Even the smallest scratch on the surface of the camera will lead to a complete loss of performance after a second injection of freon and inclusion.
Disconnecting communications
Dismantling a split system is carried out in several stages. They are listed below:
- A smaller tube is unscrewed, most often this process does not cause serious difficulties.
- The larger diameter tube is twisted carefully with little effort so as not to damage the thread.
- After the freon conduit is turned off, all valves are closed with plugs. These actions will protect the external unit of the device from getting into the middle of debris and moisture. If the plugs are not available, then you can simply use the usual electrical tape.
- Disconnected electrical communications.
Removing the outdoor and indoor unit
The external unit will need to be unscrewed from the horizontal brackets. Most often, this part is screwed with bolts “M8”, “M6” or “M10”. After everything is disconnected, the case is removed and set aside. On the façade of the room, only a freon tap must remain untouched, which so far does not need to be removed.
The next step is the dismantling of the indoor unit split system. This process will seem quite simple to a beginner. But, in fact, in order to competently carry out all the work, it is necessary to observe a certain procedure:
- Determine the design of fasteners and latches. Different models of air conditioners are able to fix the housing to the mounting plate and most often differ from each other.
- Arrows are drawn at the bottom of the block, which indicate the place of disconnection of the body and plate. Depending on the models at the set point, you need to push / pull or unscrew the screws. The true information can be read in the instructions that come with the kit. Manufacturers form a special system of latches, since next to the mount is a block for evaporation. Various external vibrations of this part may cause a malfunction of the device. For their disclosure, experts recommend using a special device. If it is not available, since the dismantling of the split system is carried out independently, then you can take any improvised tool that will help to do this. All actions must be careful and consistent so as not to spoil the evaporator tubes.
- After opening the lower part of the housing, it is necessary to move it slightly away from the wall. Behind it is a freon line in the heat insulator, a drainage pipe and an interconnect cable.
- The electric wire is disconnected from the inside, for this you need to unscrew the cover and remove the cable from the terminals and remove the wire from the unit.
- The drainage tube is removed. A small container is prepared in advance for it, since a small amount of water may leak out.
- The manual dismantling of the split system with your own hands says that only then can you start disconnecting the freon conduit. To do this, you need to disconnect several tubes of different diameters. All these communications are located behind the thermal insulator. One tube is subsequently unscrewed, and then another. Then you need to drown everything or rewind with electrical tape.
- After the inter-unit communications are completely disconnected, the indoor unit rises slightly and is removed from the mounting plate. He sets aside, and only the mount remains on the wall.
- Further, screws are unscrewed from the plate and it is also necessary to set it aside.
- To ensure that the fastener is not lost, it is recommended to tighten it again to the block and transport it like that.
Only the freon highway remained on the facade of the building. For further proper dismantling of the split system, you will need to unscrew the nuts and remove the entire structure.
Winter time
Some difficulties arise if you carry out independent work in the cold period of time. The fact is that at a temperature that is lower than the permissible values of the device, it is not allowed to turn on, so it is impossible to pump the working fluid. In such cases, a manometric station is needed, which will allow you to collect all the freon. Further dismantling of split air conditioning systems is very similar to the standard scheme. All cranes are closed, the station is connected to them, freon is pumped. And you can begin to already familiar work.
Advice
Many household air conditioners have difficulty accessing the latches so as not to damage them. Therefore, you have to remove the evaporator cap. All fasteners are directed to the wall, but the most desperate "kulibins" get out of this position when using a Phillips screwdriver. They unscrew the fixing screws with it, holding them with pliers.
In order to do the installation and dismantling of the split system with your own hands, you need three people, since there is a risk that the block will fall down and break.
At the time of transportation, the inside of the air conditioner can be in any location, and the outdoor unit only in the way it is mounted on the brackets, that is, exclusively upside down and legs down.