Cleaning air conditioners is a simple procedure, which boils down to disassembling the device and sequentially washing contaminated elements. Filter cleaning is required at least once a month, especially if there are children and allergies in the house. Complete cleaning of the split system is carried out once every six months.
Why clean the air conditioner
Air conditioning systems, constantly cooling and heating the air in the home, drive it through several filters. Suspended dust settles on the elements of the device and after a certain time prevents the free passage of air masses.
If you do not regularly clean the device, the following problems appear:
- Decrease in efficiency of the conditioner. The heat exchanger of a contaminated device is constantly overheating, which leads to rapid wear of the main parts.
- In dust deposited on filters, dust mites multiply. They feel great in high humidity.
- Spread of pathogenic microorganisms throughout the room. Among them, the most dangerous legionella, causing one of the varieties of pneumonia.
- Spores of mold and fungi spread throughout the dwelling during the operation of the untreated air conditioner. They easily provoke allergic reactions and cause dermatitis.
- One of the smallest problems of the residents is the unpleasant smell coming from a polluted air conditioner.
More than others, climate systems installed on the lower floors of multi-story buildings are subject to rapid clogging. More often it is necessary to clean the devices that are in houses near highways and industrial zones.
Preparatory operations
The air conditioner is a complex device with many details, so it is cleaned in a certain sequence. The main elements are the outdoor and indoor unit. The job of cleaning them is different.
Preparatory procedures consist of several actions:
- Wear gloves and a respirator. Remedies prevent skin irritation and the entry of pathogens into the respiratory tract.
- Unplug the air conditioner.
- Cover the floor under the air conditioner with polyethylene.
After preparation, you can start cleaning the split system.
Cleaning the indoor unit
To clean the air conditioner from the inside, you will need tools:
- screwdrivers - cruciform and flat;
- alkali-based detergent in a container with a manual sprayer;
- a polyethylene cover having a drain for water, made to fit the dimensions of a room module;
- latex gloves;
- manual sprayer needed to flush the cleaner.
The procedure for cleaning the indoor unit of the split system:
- Disconnect the power plug from the outlet. Remove plastic blinds.
- Unscrew the screws located on the front panel. They fix the cover of the electrical unit, the panel itself and the condensate bath. Part of the screws is located under the decorative elements.
- Pull out the front panel and swing it up. Without removing it, disconnect the connectors on the XK display.
- Mark the location of the servos and blinds with a construction marker, and then unscrew them.
- Release the condensate bath retainer and remove the drain pipe.
- Take out the temperature sensor.
Differences in the disassembly of air conditioners from different manufacturers may lie in the methods of fastening the panels and the number of blinds.
At the first analysis, the procedure takes 1.5-2 hours.After clearing the path to the fan turbine, you can proceed to cleaning the indoor unit:
- Apply detergent to the heat exchanger, the internal cavities of the unit and the fan drum. The turbine should be rotated with your free hand.
- After 10 minutes, take a water sprayer and rinse off the foam with dirt. Spray until clean water flows out of the unit.
- Remove the cover and allow the device to dry.
- Clean the removed panel, filters and bath from contamination, and then dry them. Foam seals should not be wet.
The steam generator allows you to eliminate pollution in hard-to-reach spots of the air conditioner, humidify the air and carry out antibacterial cleaning. The household appliance allows you to quickly wash the evaporator from residual dirt. The appliance generates steam and emits it in a thin stream. Professional devices are expensive, so they are used by employees of companies specializing in cleaning houses and apartments.
To simplify the work, you can buy a ready-made set of equipment designed to protect walls and floors during cleaning. It has a service bag and parts for mounting it. The package is made in the form of a funnel. A plastic nose is fixed in its lower part, which makes it convenient to fix the outlet hose.
To protect the walls, use a ready-made polyethylene apron. It is placed between the bottom of the air conditioner and the wall.
The ready-made kit for air conditioning service does not include a drain hose and stiffeners for the bag. The latter are easy to replace with wooden glazing beads. The drain hose must have a diameter corresponding to the size of the drain nozzle.
Evaporator grid cleaning
When cleaning the evaporator grate, do not use metal objects or a hard brush so as not to damage the heat exchanger and the freon line. The technology of work is as follows:
- disconnect the device from the outlet;
- clean the vents on the top cover;
- remove the cover and grill of the evaporator;
- remove dust from freon tubes and the heat exchanger with a vacuum cleaner, use a soft brush for hard-to-reach places;
- apply foam to the grate and wait 10 minutes, then rinse with clean water.
After cleaning the air conditioner evaporator, all the filters are put in place and the appliance is started for 30 minutes in heating mode.
Filter cleaning
Flushing the air conditioner involves working with coarse filters. In some cases, you can also clean the fine filter element, but most often it needs to be replaced with a new one. Cleaning the pre-filter includes the following:
- Brush the item with a long bristle brush or vacuum with a small nozzle.
- Place the part under running water, leaving it in this position for 5 minutes, and then rinse thoroughly.
- To process the filter with soapy water and leave for 20 minutes. Do not use standard detergents. They can damage both the grill itself and the internal parts of the device.
- Rinse the grate thoroughly under running water.
- Treat with antimicrobial agent.
- Dry the filter.
- Dry with a clean rag.
After complete drying, the filter is put in place.
Automatic cleaning system
Modern air conditioners are equipped with an automatic cleaning system. The principle of its operation is quite simple - at a certain time the device starts to work “idle”. In this case, the air that passes through the filter dries all the elements of the device.
In addition to conventional cleaning, some models are equipped with an ion air filtration system. Dust particles are ionized and fall more easily into the dust collector. Many modern devices are equipped with touch sensors that allow you to monitor the composition of the air. If necessary, they include an automatic cleaning system. Such functions provide a long service life of the split system.
Cleaning the external unit of the split system
It is only possible to clean the external air conditioner unit at home only when the climate equipment is installed in a private house, and working with a stepladder is safe. Another option is to clean the air conditioner from the balcony. Working at height without insurance and special equipment is prohibited.
To properly clean the external unit, you need to perform a number of simple steps:
- Switch off the air conditioner.
- Remove the front panel of the unit.
- Remove large debris from the housing. It is removed by hand.
- To remove a layer of dust from hard-to-reach places, a hand-held vacuum cleaner and brushes are used for this.
- Vacuum the fan blades.
- Carrying out wet cleaning, it is necessary to ensure that water does not get on electrical contacts.
- The panel is washed and dried well before installation.
Do not touch the electrical unit of the device. The outer part must be protected from rain and snow with a special visor.
Cleaning the air conditioning drainage system
When the air conditioner is in cooling mode, water condensate builds up on the heat exchanger. Moisture serves as a favorable environment for the development of various microorganisms, so the system of its diversion must also be cleaned.
The condensate formed in the indoor unit, through a special tube, is discharged into the external one, from where it flows down. If the drain wire is clogged, water may stagnate in the air conditioner or drain into the room.
Eliminate this situation will help timely cleaning of the sewage system. It is performed in three ways:
- Flushing the system with soap and water without disassembling.
- Flush disconnected drainage. The procedure is performed by a vacuum cleaner. Drainage must be purged with a powerful jet of air.
- Complete disassembly of the unit. This option is the most difficult, because the device will have to be disassembled into many parts. The drainage pipe is pulled out and washed along its entire length.
You can flush the drainage system for 2-3 hours with complete disassembly.
In most cases, cleaning the air conditioning in an apartment is possible only from the inside. Regular washing of the main elements and replacement of fine filters allows you to extend the life of the equipment.
