How to Clean a Split Air Conditioner
The split air conditioner is so small and efficient that many homes on the market these days are preinstalled with them. Air conditioning is becoming a necessity and therefore, you need to be able to save money where you can because they are expensive and so is maintaining them. The following are steps outlining how you can clean these systems yourself and save a lot of money annually on maintenance.
Materials Required
Visit your local hardware store and purchase a good coil cleaner and an air conditioner wash bag. You can also buy the wash bag online where you can get one that's customized for the waste water that will be a result from cleaning. Avoid the coil cleaners that produce foam because it can be messy. Additionally, they may be unable to clean as well as their liquid solution counterparts. Be wary of the harsh coil cleaners because they may end up causing more harm than good. This especially affects newer split air conditioners. They destroy the blue layer on the cooling coils that keeps condensation flowing in order to improve efficiency.
Install the Wash Bag
Remove the lid on your unit and clean it separately; this will help keep the dirt from accumulating fast after cleaning. While the lid is still off, mount the air conditioner wash bag around your unit, otherwise referred to as a fan coil unit. This is to enable you to clean the unit without having to take it apart like a professional.
Spray the Coils and Rotary Blades
Use your liquid coil cleaner to spray over the coils. Ensure that the spray hits the cooling fins on the surface as well. Ensure that the cleaner reaches into the coils as far as it possibly can. Spray while the nozzle is as close to the fins as is possible. Spray the rotary blades the same way and be sure to coat all of them entirely. Use a nozzle that is far reaching in order to make sure that you get maximum results. Once you have sprayed both the coils and the blades to your satisfaction, let the liquid solution sit for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Spray with Water
After about 15 minutes, spray both the coils and the rotary blades with enough water to clean them out. The water containing all the dirt will flow into the air conditioner wash bag and some will flow down the drain pipe. Turn on the unit and allow the remaining water into the wash bag. The remove the wash bag and get rid of the waste before returning the lid back on.