October 11, 2024
It is difficult to imagine existence without the possibility of air conditioning in the summer heat. But in order for the house to always have life-giving coolness, the split system requires regular preventive maintenance. It is easier to invite a specialist for this, but if you know how to clean the equipment yourself, you can save a significant amount of money.
Large volumes of air passing through the indoor and outdoor units of the air conditioner contain inclusions in the form of dust and small debris, which settle as dirt on the parts of the device. In the absence of regular cleaning of the equipment, this leads to the appearance of unpleasant odors and extraneous noises during its operation and affects the quality of cooling or heating of the air flow. In addition, uncleaned filters become a habitat for mites and various harmful microorganisms.
Cleaning the indoor unit of the split system
The split system should be cleaned at least 2 times a year. This is usually done in the spring, before the summer period begins, and after it ends — before winter. First of all, the air filters are removed from the device. To do this, open the top cover of the air conditioner and carefully remove them from the retaining fasteners. The filter meshes are washed under a powerful stream of water and, finally washed with warm soapy water, left to dry. After this, the ventilation holes located in the top cover, through which air enters the indoor unit, are thoroughly cleaned.
Then the rotary fan is cleaned. Before this action, you need to cover the floor with film or old newspapers. A soap solution is applied to the fan blades and the device is turned on for a few minutes. When most of the dirt has flown out of the device, cleaning the blades is completed with a brush soaked in the same soap solution. It is better to cover the electronic parts with cellophane before washing.
Cleaning the outdoor unit of a split system
To flush the outdoor unit, you will need a steam generator, and if you don’t have one, you can use a fairly powerful water pump with inlet and outlet hoses connected to it. A metal nozzle is put on the outgoing hose, the end of which should be flattened so that a gap of 0.3-0.5 mm is formed. The upper cover of the outdoor unit is removed by unscrewing the screws holding it. Dust and large debris are removed with a vacuum cleaner or a wide brush. Then the pump connected to the water tank is turned on, and the radiator is flushed. If the initial procedure did not produce the desired effect, for example, when the system is clogged with poplar fluff, the procedure is repeated. Before repeated cleaning, it will be necessary to move apart the layers of the heat exchanger by unscrewing the unit for more thorough flushing.
There are several cases when you need to clean your air conditioner. The air conditioner may emit a smell, and water may drip from its indoor unit. The equipment may also start to crack and make noise. And the filters will turn black over time if they are not cleaned regularly. These and other problems with the air conditioner usually occur precisely because the equipment may not be cleaned for years.
So, first, grab the grille with both hands and pull it towards you. Then lift the air conditioner cover up and pull out the filter, lifting it from below. Next, you need to thoroughly rinse the filter under running warm water. It is permissible to use cleaning agents.
If your air conditioner has started to emit an unpleasant odor, go to the pharmacy, buy a disinfectant solution there, leaving the filters to dry. These products should be made on an alcohol basis. Although this is not a mandatory condition. The optimal volume is 0.5 liters.
Open the unit cover, remove the dust screens, turn on the antiseptic solution spray so that the spray is drawn into the cooler radiator. This will only take a couple of minutes. Within 10 minutes, the unpleasant smell should almost completely disappear. When the filter dries, put it back in place. It is highly undesirable to operate the air conditioner without a filter, since it protects both your lungs and the heat exchanger of the indoor unit. If the heat exchanger gets dusty, the efficiency of the unit will decrease significantly.
Also, do not forget about the condition of the outdoor unit. A heat exchanger of this unit clogged with dirt, dust and fluff causes a decrease in the efficiency of the air conditioner and an increase in the load on it. The unit heats up and eventually fails if you continue to ignore its condition.
If water starts dripping from the indoor unit of your air conditioner, then most likely the drain pipe is clogged. Try (if possible) to get to the drain hole of the unit and blow hard into the drain pipe from which the water was dripping. The plug of dirt or something else should come out. In any case, call an air conditioner cleaner, even if the plug has fallen out. After all, you are unlikely to be able to do such a job yourself.