Cleaning the air conditioner do it yourself at home

Care of the conditioner in the apartment or office - an integral part of operation. The accumulation of lint, dust, fat or small debris reduces the resource of climate technology. Air conditioners or split systems are serviced by specialists, but part of the planned activities is by the users themselves. Before you clean the air conditioner with your own hands, you should familiarize yourself with the internal structure of the equipment. Most often, the manipulations do not imply any difficulties, it is enough to pay attention and follow the sequence of actions.

Main signs of heavy pollution

The first "symptoms" of unstable work may not be noticeable. Failure to follow the rules of the air conditioning or split-system entails four main signs of severe pollution:

• leakage from the internal module;
• pronounced unpleasant smell;
• the presence of extraneous noise during operation, unstable sound of the fan, crackling;
• poor cooling, arbitrary temperature drops.

The presence of one of the signs already indicates the need for urgent cleaning of the system. If we neglect the rules of use and do not timely clean the air conditioner units, various parts will certainly fail, which will require a visit by service staff. Serious, at first glance, problems in work can be solved quickly and with their own hands at home or in the office. All major cleaning works are available to everyone, and their implementation does not require special equipment.

Information on how often it is necessary to clean the air conditioner, how to take care of climate equipment, is written in the instructions. Typically, there is an internal / single block disassembly scheme, an algorithm,How to wash the air filtration system by yourself.

Internal unit maintenance

Cleaning the indoor unit air conditioner involves several steps:

• washing the filter mesh;
• washing the fan;
• cleaning of the radiator, evaporator;
• cleaning the air conditioner drainage system.

If climate equipment is new and used recently, it only needs ongoing cleaning every 2 to 3 weeks. The list contains such cleaning activities as dust removal from the housing internal module and cleaning of the most contaminated parts of the air conditioner or split system.

The accumulation of dust provokes air pollution, the presence of extraneous noise, overheating of the radiator, compressor or evaporator. Cleaning the air conditioner with your own hands at home is carried out in stages.

Air filter and fan cleaning

The removable strainer of the air conditioner is installed in the body of the internal panel, it can have any shape, it does not affect the cleaning procedure. To get to it, you need to unplug the device from the network, remove the front cover by unscrewing a few screws. The mesh is easily removed from the air conditioner, it is recommended not only to clean or wash the filter,and pre-soak it in water with laundry soap or a neutral household tool.

Then you need to wash the rotary fan, which disperses the cooled air. In the process of rotation, not only dust but also grease accumulates on its blades, garbage accumulates. Exist removable and fixed fansThe removable is simply removed, soaked in soapy water for a while. Fixed parts can be cleaned with a brush - this is not very convenient, it will take time, but high-quality cleaning eliminates the accumulation of dirt and grease.

If there is a foreign odor, it is a sign of the development of bacteria, fungi or mold. Air filters and air conditioner fan after cleaning should disinfect solution or a special antibacterial agent.

The frequency of cleaning the filter grids, fans is prescribed in the user manual. Based on practice, this should be done every four weeks or more.

Cleaning the heat exchanger and radiator

The radiator and heat exchanger are installed either in a single air conditioner module or in the internal unit of a split system.Specialists of the service center carry out a full cleaning of the air conditioning system, removing and disassembling the unit. This procedure is expensive, because it is more profitable to periodically carry out surface cleaning of the system at home or in the office.

How to clean the air conditioner radiator and the evaporator yourself? Here is the step by step algorithm:

• remove the front cover;
• remove the filter mesh;
• dry cleaning is carried out with a vacuum cleaner or a brush with long fibers, so as not to damage the evaporator plates, all movements must be strictly from top to bottom;
• mud films are removed with a conventional steam cleaner;
• put the device into recirculation mode at the lowest temperature;
• in the area of ​​suction of air masses spray antiseptic with a spray gun, excluding contact with the radiator itself.

In order not to collect a lot of dust on thin plates of the heat exchanger, and the cleaning process to be as fast as possible, you should carry out dry cleaning every month. It is optimal to combine these activities with the flushing of filter grids.

Cleansing and disinfecting the drainage system

The drainage system of the air conditioner is a small construction of two elements: a tray where water is collected, and a pipe that drains the liquid.The accumulation of dust in the presence of moisture provokes the development of fungi, bacteria and mold, as a result - odor.

When debris or dust enters the drainage system, the nipple and tube gradually become clogged, after which water begins to flow from the air conditioner.

Initially, you need to disconnect the tray from the board and the discharge pipe, after which it is easily removed and cleaned under running clean water. The drain tube can be cleaned with a compressor or a vacuum cleaner in blowing mode. Flush the canal with plain water with soapy water or any neutral detergent.

If fungus or mold has already begun to spread through the air conditioner system, it should be removed and surface anti-mold, antiseptic or similar antifungal agents. The unpleasant smell most often comes from the pallet, it will not be superfluous to periodically disinfect it.

External module maintenance

Cleaning the outdoor unit of the air conditioner or split system is carried out much less frequently, approximately one or two a year. In this area accumulates street dirt, dust, leaves, tree branches, poplar fluff.If you do not clean the air conditioner, debris will accumulate, causing the compressor and radiator to become very hot, causing these parts to fail.

Immediately it is worth noting that access to the module is often difficult. Despite the fact that the unit itself is installed next to a window or on the outside of a balcony, it is not always possible to rinse it without quality and without additional equipment.

If there is no possibility to completely secure your life, it is better not to take risks, but to entrust the matter to specialists.

When access to the external unit of the split-system is free, it is easy to do the cleaning yourself:

• disconnect the device from the network;
• remove all branches, leaves and wipe the garbage from the case;
• remove the protective cover and clean the unit from large debris inside;
• wash the fan blades with a damp sponge;
• Rinse the radiator under the pressure of water or a steam cleaner, excluding moisture in the electrical module.

There are many household cleaners that can clean the air conditioner at home or in the office. Alternatively often used regular laundry soap - it perfectly cleans any surface, even from ingrained fatty contaminants.

Why do you need to contact specialists

There are many organizations for the maintenance and repair of climate technology. Qualified specialists will clean the air conditioners and scheduled technical inspection of the systems, including diagnostics and repair work. A common practice among the population is to order a cleaning service as a good example. Despite the general rules, devices may differ structurally from each other.

It is possible to clean a split system or a monoblock on its own, but the maintenance of climate technology does not end there. In the process of work occurs annually refrigerant reduction, by about 7%. For the stable operation of the air conditioner, its volume must be replenished annually, for this you should contact the specialists.

In other cases, call service staff if the air conditioning system is unstable, and for no apparent reason. If the air conditioning system malfunctions in mechanical failure, cleaning will no longer help, repair or replacement of parts will be required here.

Preparing the system for the summer or winter period

Caring for an air conditioner or a split system in an apartment includes activities to prepare for a change of season.Regardless of whether the model is adapted for use in the winter or not, there are some temperature limits. Turning on the climatic equipment at a temperature below the permissible level threatens with liquid leakage with subsequent icing of the external unit.

Before the onset of cold weather, it is necessary to clean the home air conditioner, and dry the entire system. In modern models there is a special function “FAN” (the name may be different).

In preparation for the warm season, the internal module of the split system or air conditioner must be cleaned again. During idle time inside the case, fine household dust is certainly collected, therefore wash the air filters and fan, and if necessary, the evaporator.

Caring for climate equipment in an apartment or office increases its efficiency, increases the service life of the air conditioner. The technical design of air conditioning systems is simple, which is why many users prefer to carry out cleaning activities on their own.