Any electronic devices need maintenance and repair. For air conditioning systems this consists in timely cleaning, disinfection and refueling of the system with refrigerant. The article will help you figure out how to clean the air conditioner, and will tell you about the basic principles of the correct maintenance of climate control equipment.
Why do you need to service household split systems
During operation, appliances, which include fans, pass through a certain amount of internal air. It may contain various impurities that are unsafe for your health. In those concentrations in which they are in the air, they are harmless, but their accumulation in one place can be dangerous.
The air conditioner in its design has filters and heat exchangers that create resistance to the movement of the flow. Dust, dirt, allergens and microorganisms linger on them. Most of the harmful components settle on the filters and can spread throughout the room.
Depending on the amount and type of filter elements, allergens, particles of house dust, germs and viruses settle on them. Not in all cases it is necessary to call specialists, because about how to clean the air conditioner yourself, there is a lot of information in different sources.
Consequences of late service
As already mentioned, when using the air conditioner for its intended purpose, solid particles contained in the air, microorganisms and allergens accumulate in it. This leads to improper operation of the device, and the well-being of people in the room may also deteriorate.
Untimely maintenance is fraught with respiratory infections and colds, the appearance of an unpleasant odor that is difficult to get rid of, breakdowns and outages of system components. The operation of the device worsens, its performance decreases, it ceases to fulfill the functions assigned to it. All this can lead to a complete shutdown of the system. Repair of an air conditioner after failure due to improper and untimely maintenance is much more expensive than the cost of cleaning.
Best time for service
Pollution is best avoided, and if this happens, you should definitely think about how to clean the air conditioner. The need for service is determined by the following phenomena:
- the system cannot maintain the air temperature set by the user (sometimes the wrong power choice or unexpectedly high street temperature can lead to this);
- air flow even at maximum fan speeds is significantly less than usual;
- unpleasant odor;
- reduction in the amount of condensate flowing from the drainage hose;
- extraneous sounds during system operation;
- freezing of the heat exchanger;
- drips of water from the indoor unit.
If any of the above signs appears, you should think about how to clean the air conditioner. Even if the operation of the device does not cause any questions, there is a scheduled maintenance that helps to prevent the deterioration of the parameters.
Service Procedure
Workflow rules and recommended maintenance schedules are clearly defined by equipment manufacturers. They can be specified in the operating instructions or on the manufacturer's website. These documents will help you understand how to clean the air conditioner at home.
Service devices that are used for commercial purposes, as well as industrial and semi-industrial systems are best provided to specialists.
The procedure for servicing a household split system:
- The device must be de-energized. If the power does not come out through the plug, but directly from the electrical panel, it is necessary to turn off the circuit breaker.
- Open the cover on the front panel - this can be done using special tabs on both sides of the case.
- It is necessary to get the mesh and all additional filters, if any.
- Carefully remove the horizontal blinds from the mounting points.
- The next step is to disassemble the case. To do this, unscrew the screws located in the lower part of the case under the protective caps and near the display, then remove the front cover.
- Clean and install all components in place.
Cleaning and replacing the filter
If you ask a simple user of a split system about how to clean the filter in the air conditioner, in most cases you will hear the answer: "Remove and rinse." This is partly true. If the pollution is severe, then first of all you need to clean the filter from adhering dirt with a dry brush, then rinse thoroughly in warm soapy water or using some kind of detergent. After complete drying, it is treated with a disinfectant solution.
Some types of filters need to be replaced with new ones. These can be additional cleaning elements with a deodorizing and anti-allergenic effect. They are not adapted for maintenance, and you should not think about how to clean the air conditioner yourself. The device must be provided with such filters in advance.
How to clean the radiator and fan
The next important element is the heat exchanger. When it becomes clogged, the power of the system drops and its efficiency decreases. After removing the filter and the front of the housing, you can proceed to cleaning the radiator. To do this, use detergents and brushes. A steam generator will also be useful. The control unit must be covered with foil.
A degreasing solution that does not react with copper and aluminum is sprayed on the surface of the heat exchanger. After 15-20 minutes, the heat exchanger must be washed with clean water and brushed. If necessary, repeat the procedure several times. The steam generator greatly simplifies cleaning work.
We will explain the issues related to how to clean the drainage of the air conditioner. First of all, it is necessary to rinse the bath to collect condensate. If necessary, the drainage pipe is cleaned both from the side of the street, and inside. The radial fan is cleaned in the same ways as the heat exchanger - using a brush, washing liquid and a steam generator.
System assembly
When all surfaces are cleaned and dried, it is necessary to assemble a split system. This is done in the following order:
- the drainage bath returns to the stops under the radiator - you need to make sure that there is no gap between the heat exchanger and the tray;
- the front cover is installed in place; fixing screws are screwed;
- they are carefully inserted into the holes of the louvers of the air flow direction - it is necessary to check that they are in the right position;
- power is supplied, the system enters cooling mode, and the heat exchanger is treated with an antibacterial solution;
- the filter is replaced and the lid is closed.
We hope that these simple tips on how to clean your home air conditioner can help you get things right. It is important to comply with technology and safety measures.
External Unit Service
Those users who are thinking about how to clean their home air conditioner believe that only the indoor unit needs it. This is not so - the heat exchanger of the outdoor unit is also clogged. To clean it, you must provide access to the device, turn off the power and disassemble.
The heat exchanger is cleaned with a dry brush from street dust, poplar fluff, pollen and debris. Next, rinse it with water and a washing solution. Care must be taken to ensure that water does not get into the compartment with electrical communications. The washed and dried block is collected, and its operation is checked. For these operations, we strongly recommend inviting specialists.
Refrigerant charge
In some cases, you may need to add the missing amount of freon to the system. This may be indicated by poor cooling performance even after cleaning. In order to accurately determine the need for refueling, you need to use the instruments to check the parameters of the refrigeration circuit:
- system pressure
- temperature of heat exchangers and compressor;
- absence or presence of compressor oil leaks at service ports.
It is impossible to assess the need for this procedure without special devices, and it is impossible to make a conclusion about a freon leak on its own. Sometimes a complete refrigerant change may be required .
How to clean the air conditioning in the car
The specifics of servicing an automobile device differs markedly from a household one. Due to the special operating conditions of this type of equipment, cleaning is carried out according to a different principle. In a car, the air conditioner is subjected to a large vibrational load, which leads to frequent leaks even of correctly mounted systems. For their search and elimination use special solutions that are noticeable under ultraviolet light.
To clean, you need to perform a number of actions:
- purchase liquid for cleaning automotive air conditioners ;
- start the car engine, open all windows and turn on the air conditioning system at full power;
- spray liquid into the external air intakes of the climate system, turn it off and wait a while;
- switch the system to recirculation and repeat the procedure for internal grilles.
Refueling is carried out using a special rubber hose, which must be connected to the port of the refrigeration circuit. Then you should apply freon of the desired composition from the cylinder. In the absence of skills and components, it is better to do this in a car service.
Security measures
All work on the installation and maintenance of split systems must be carried out in strict accordance with the norms and rules of handling electrical appliances. Do not clean the air conditioner if it is connected to power. After servicing, it is necessary to wait until all surfaces and parts have completely dried before plugging it into a power outlet. Exactly following the recommendations of equipment manufacturers and generally accepted safety standards will help you figure out how to clean the air conditioner with maximum efficiency.