How often should the air conditioner be cleaned?
Experts recommend cleaning the indoor and outdoor units of the air conditioner twice a year - before summer and after the end of the season. If you use a split system for heating, you will need to clean it before and after cold weather.
It is also worth cleaning the air conditioner if the following symptoms appear:
- The blowing speed has decreased;
- The air conditioner is noisy or there are extraneous sounds;
- There is a bad smell in the room;
- Water drips from the indoor unit;
- The device began to cool or heat worse.
If the outdoor unit of the air conditioner is at the level of 10 meters (4th floor) and below the ground, it must be cleaned once every 2-3 months during the season. At low altitude, it quickly becomes clogged with dust, insects, leaves.
Air conditioner cleaning price
| Maintenance of household air conditioners and split systems | up to 3 kW | 3-6 kW | from 6 kW |
| Cleaning the air conditioner | 2500 rbl | 3000 rbl | 4000 rbl |
| Maintenance of semi-industrial air conditioning systems | up to 3 kW | 3-6 kW | from 6 kW |
| Outdoor unit | 1300 rbl | 1600 rbl | 2100 rbl |
| Indoor block of wall type (price for 1 block) | 1300 rbl | 1500 rbl | 1800 rbl |
| Internal block of duct type (price for 1 block) | 1900 rbl | 2500 rbl | 2800 rbl |
| Indoor unit cassette, ceiling type (price for 1 unit) | 1500 rbl | 1900 rbl | 2100 rbl |
* All prices are individual. For details, as well as the final cost, taking into account the departure outside the Moscow Ring Road, check with the operator!
Information
In our Frequently Asked Questions section, you can find useful information on cleaning, disinfecting and operating air conditioners and get answers to frequently asked questions.
Step-by-step instructions for cleaning the indoor unit
In order to clean the indoor unit of the air conditioner you will need:
- A vacuum cleaner;
- A basin of water;
- Dish detergent;
- A container with clean water;
- Soft rags (preferably lint-free);
- Toothbrush (or any other);
- Soft brush (painting is suitable);
- Crosshead screwdriver;
- Thin rope, wire or easily bendable wire (40-50 cm).
We disassemble the indoor unit
Be sure to disconnect the air conditioner from the mains! Open the indoor unit of the air conditioner. To do this, click on the plastic clips that are on its side walls (see photo). Take out the mesh filter.
Indoor unit cover latches.
After that, unscrew the screws that secure the air conditioner case to its inner part and remove it. In some models, you need to pull it up to do this, but mostly it will feed itself.
Important!
The power supply cable and wires are connected to the display on the case. To avoid breaking them, tie the case to the inside of the air conditioner with rope or wire.
Cleaning the filter
- Thoroughly rinse the filter of the indoor unit of the air conditioner with running water to wash off the main dust and dirt.
- Then dilute the detergent in a bowl and put the filter in it. It should "sour" for 20-30 minutes to finally be cleansed of impurities.
- Rinse it again with running water.
- Leave the filter to dry - it must not be installed wet in the air conditioner.
Cleaning the radiator
Vacuum the radiator without the nozzle first. At the same time, be careful - the vacuum cleaner pipe should not touch the plates so as not to damage them. After that, go between the plates with a soft brush to remove any remaining dirt.
What parts of the air conditioner do we service
When repairing and cleaning air conditioners, we initially pay attention to filtration.The quality of the air that enters the room during operation depends on it. Only then do we work with other spare parts.
- Mobile units. Cleaning from pollution is carried out in several steps, which takes little time. To clean the air conditioner evaporator and filter elements, the air duct is disconnected. Then the lid is detached, the mesh is taken out and stripping is performed.
- Mounted blocks. The procedure is more complicated due to the need to de-energize and dismantle. Without these manipulations, it is not possible to remove the filters and clean them.
Self-cleaning of the outdoor unit of the air conditioner
If you have access to the external unit, it will be much easier to clean it than the internal one. For this you will need:
- Spray;
- Dish detergent;
- Capacity for water;
- Crosshead screwdriver;
- Soft paint brush;
- A vacuum cleaner.
The main elements of the outdoor unit of the air conditioner that need cleaning are the radiator and the impeller (fan). To access them, completely unscrew the screws securing the case and remove it from the bed.
Service maintenance
Cleaning of the external block of the split system is carried out during the service.
This is a set of works aimed at maintaining the efficient operation of HVAC equipment and preventing its breakdowns.
Service maintenance of air conditioners includes: equipment diagnostics, cleaning filters, cleaning the condenser grill, cleaning the drainage system, checking the tightness of the freon line, checking the refrigerant level, refueling with freon (if necessary).
Split-S company provides one-time and subscription service of air conditioners of various types and brands.
The key to your health is the disinfection of the air conditioner
Professional cleaning products can easily remove dirt from the interior and exterior of the air conditioner. But this does not mean that they will be able to kill microflora and microbes. Therefore, after all work, you need to disinfect all parts of the air conditioner.
Chlorhexidine is best for this. It is an inexpensive disinfectant that can be purchased at any pharmacy.
Chlorhexidine is a medicinal product, antiseptic, in finished dosage forms it is used in the form of bigluconate. Chlorhexidine has been successfully used as a skin antiseptic and disinfectant for over 60 years.
Wikipedia
They need to process all parts and assemblies of the indoor unit of the air conditioner, as well as the drainage system. To do this, you can use both a rag and a spray bottle. The only thing I want to warn against is to prevent the drug from getting on electronic circuits and in the places where wires and cables are connected.
How much does professional cleaning cost?
How to clean the air conditioner if the dirt is strong enough and firmly stuck in the most inaccessible places - invite masters with special equipment and professional cleaning agents.
How much the services will cost depends on the complex of necessary works, the parameters of the air conditioner and its capacity, as well as on the degree of pollution or the equipment used (for example, a steam generator). Professional services guarantee deep cleaning and disinfection of every detail. The price of services provided by one-stop service companies is lower than that of private craftsmen.
Cleaning the heat exchanger
Cleaning the air conditioner also includes cleaning the heat exchanger, which is responsible for both heating the air in the cool season and cooling it in the summer. After you have cleaned the vents on the top cover, proceed to clean the heat exchanger.
Opening the cover, gently brush dust off the fins of the heat exchanger with a brush.In the case of heavy contamination, wet cleaning is used, but special care is needed here so as not to deform thin plates. This cleaning should be done about once a year.
Preparing for the winter season
If the air conditioner is not equipped with an all-season unit, then it can be used up to a temperature of minus 3oC. If such a unit is installed, then no more than 0оС. Switching on the device at lower temperatures is dangerous for its drainage system freezing. If this happens, then most likely you will soon find out about it, since water will begin to flow from the indoor unit of the air conditioner. This is the condensate that should have flowed out through the drain pipe.
Adaptation of the air conditioner for winter may also include equipping it with a special crankcase heating device in the compressor, as well as a speed controller in the outdoor unit. And if you also install the so-called "warm drainage", then the air conditioner can be operated all year round at any temperature.
So, once again, we recall why we need to regularly clean the air conditioner:
- A dirty air conditioner is a health hazard;
- A dirty air conditioner wastes electricity;
- Contamination lowers the resource of the split system;
- Contamination increases the risk of breakage by up to 95%.
Thus, we see that in order to clean the air conditioner with our own hands, no special skills and means are required.
Cleaning the indoor and outdoor unit of the air conditioner: when is it better to call professionals
The desire to save money is commendable, but not always justified - and in this case especially. It is not difficult to get and wash the air filter in the indoor unit. This filter traps the smell of nicotine, dust, grease particles that appear during cooking, etc. But a deeper cleaning of the indoor unit, the drain hose already requires thoroughness and accuracy, because if you damage any parts, then you will lose the guarantee, and you will spend money on subsequent repairs.
Cleaning the outdoor unit of the air conditioner is much more difficult. The external block of your wall-mounted split system is located outside and lets a huge air flow through it. The outdoor unit traps dirt, exhaust soot, insects, pollen and other types of contaminants. The systems installed in apartment buildings near highways, factories and other sources of pollution are particularly stressed.
Due to the inaccessibility of the external unit, it is almost impossible to clean it yourself using available tools. And if you live on the upper floors, then it is also dangerous. Professional cleaning is necessary also when the heat exchanger radiator, fan and drainage system are dirty.
Cleaning of air conditioners for organizations
Certain organizations must meet increased requirements for sanitary conditions in the premises. These include:
- medical organizations;
- pharmaceutical companies;
- catering establishments, etc .;
The calculated air parameters in residential and industrial premises must comply with SNiP 33-75. The regulation of the mandatory installation of reinforced ventilation occurs when the heat flow of air on the employee exceeds 350 W / m2. At the same time, the terms of repeated disinfection procedures and cleaning of premises are provided.
The dates and descriptions of the work must be recorded in special journals. It is also necessary to take care of the submission of the following documents to the regulatory authorities:
- certificates for the means by which the disinfection procedure was carried out;
- documents confirming the conduct of prof. cleaning;
- acceptance certificates for services rendered.
Our company can submit all of the above documents.
Cleaning the drainage system
If the drainage systems are not cleaned for a long time, the air conditioner is likely to leak. The fact is that not only dust and dirt, but also fungi or mold accumulate in the drainage pipes in large quantities. All this can clog the pipes so much that the water outflow through them will stop and the water will go inside. The danger is also that mold from the pipes can spread to the radiator and to the walls of the housing.
There are three ways to clean the air conditioner drain:
- Rinse with water and detergents;
- Flushing of the disconnected drainage by blowing it with air;
- Flushing with complete disassembly of the block.
At home, routine cleaning is easiest. Use a fat-dissolving detergent such as dishwashing liquid. And don't forget to rinse the drain pan thoroughly, as dirt is the main cause of bad odor.
