How to clean the air conditioner at home

It is difficult to imagine the life of a modern person without such necessary household appliances as a refrigerator, TV, computer, washing machine and, of course, air conditioning. Air conditioning is an integral part of people's lives in almost all regions. It allows you to hide from the sultry heat, warm yourself in the cold, dry and clean the humid air in the apartment. But for the quality work of any equipment you need to follow the elementary rules of operation. One of the main rules is regular and timely cleaning of the air conditioner.

Air conditioning is a heating and cooling system that drives huge air masses through itself. Along with this, on the walls of the air duct, on the grate of the indoor unit, an enormous amount of dust, dirt, small specks accumulates. The external block can become clogged with twigs, dry leaves, poplar fluff, pollen. Mold or fungus may appear in the tubes of the air conditioner, which can grow and affect the technical unit itself. To avoid this, you need to do cleaning activities on time.

How to understand that the air conditioner needs to be cleaned

As a rule, cleaning the air conditioner should take place prophylactically, a couple of times a year. This is usually done during the changing seasons, before preparing for winter or summer. However, some signs may indicate that your device is in urgent need of technical inspection.

1. If the air conditioner began to perform its functions poorly. For example, if you set a cooling temperature of +20 degrees, but in fact the air conditioner does not cool the room to the desired mark. That is, it simply does not “pull.” This is because the contaminants block the flow of air currents and prevent the device from operating at full capacity.
2. The air conditioner needs to be cleaned if you notice that it has become very noisy. Contaminated grilles block the normal flow of air and the device tries to increase the power of its work. In comparison, you can bring a vacuum cleaner. If you partially close the tube through which the vacuum draws in air, it will start to hum. If the air conditioner began to work much louder, then it must be cleaned immediately. Further operation may result in damage.
3. Sometimes when you turn on the air conditioner, an unpleasant odor appears. This suggests that the drainage systems are clogged with fungus and mold. It can be very dangerous. Spores of the fungus are very harmful to health, especially if the house has asthmatics, allergies, children or the elderly. Sometimes when you turn on the appliance, you may smell burning. This is a clear sign that dust and dirt have fallen on the engine. If nothing burns out, you must definitely do a thorough cleaning of the air conditioner.
4. According to the technical specifications, condensate can only flow out of the external unit. If condensation leaks from the indoor unit, then this is a direct route to inspection and cleaning.
5. If the air conditioner is clogged, it increases power to cope with the set temperature. In this regard, the consumed electricity increases. If you suddenly noticed that the bills for light began to increase for no apparent reason, it is worth checking all household appliances, and air conditioning in the first place.

How to clean the indoor unit of the air conditioner yourself

Before you clean the air conditioner yourself at home, you need to find the instructions for the device and carefully study it. Consider how to remove the air conditioner cover, how the filters are removed. Only then can you start cleaning the air conditioner.

1. Pre-place newspaper or unnecessary paper under the appliance. If cleaning is done for the first time after prolonged use, there can be a lot of debris and dust. Litter will protect the floor or carpet from dirt. Do not forget to unplug the appliance.
2. First carefully remove the air conditioner cover. Depending on the model, it can be attached with bolts or just snaps.
3. Then gently pull out the filters. They are easily removable. Soak them in warm soapy water. When the dirt gets wet, the nets can be washed with a sponge. If during operation of the air conditioner you feel an unpleasant odor, most likely a fungus or mold has settled in the system. In this case, it is necessary to use antibacterial agents to wash the filters. Add some potassium permanganate, alcohol, furatsilina or a special antifungal agent to the water, which you can buy at the hardware store. So you protect your device from re-infection.
4. Strainers must not be dried near the battery or with a hairdryer. They are quite thin and can simply deform from the flow of hot air. In this case, they will be unsuitable for further service and you will have to buy new grids.
5. In most models, in addition to strainers, there are also pocket filters. They can not be washed. If the pocket filter is clogged, you just need to change it. A similar filter can be bought at any hardware store.
6. The rotary fan is also subject to cleaning. It should be carefully removed and wipe its blades with a damp cloth. After that, the component part is mounted in place.
7. The heat exchanger can be cleaned with a vacuum cleaner. Vacuum every corner of the appliance to clean it from dust. If you can’t clean any narrow areas, use a dry, thin brush.
8. During the procedure, pay attention to the heat exchanger housing. If rust is found on any of its parts, this indicates leakage of freon. In this case, contact a service center.
9. After cleaning all parts of the indoor unit, the components must be thoroughly dried and put in place.

How to clean the external unit of the air conditioner

The external air conditioning unit does not need to be cleaned as often as the inside. In addition, often the external unit is located on the wall and getting to it is very difficult. This requires a ladder or climbing equipment. Cleaning the outdoor unit involves cleaning large debris that is stuck in the fan blades. After removing the cover, the surface of the device must be wiped off with dust with a rag or vacuuming inaccessible areas. For this, it is most convenient to use special narrow nozzles on the vacuum cleaner tube. So that during wet cleaning water does not get on the electrical parts of the air conditioner, they should be covered with a film.

You can clean the radiator plates with a strong pressure of water. To do this, you can use a hose, shower or a special device for washing cars, which delivers water in a directed stream.

Remember that cleaning the outdoor unit is not so frequent, but much more important. If you leave the indoor unit dirty, this can lead to a deterioration in air quality, but if you do not clean the external (main) unit on time, it can lead to damage to the device. This is due to the fact that the motor overheats from increased power and eventually burns out.

How to clean the drainage system of the air conditioner

Cleaning the indoor and outdoor units is not a complete set of measures to clean the air conditioner from dust and dirt. Most dangerous pests can live in the drainage system.Mold, fungus, ticks, and many infections can live in the tubes through which condensation flows. If you do not clean the tubes for a long time, they may become clogged with dirt and clog. If this happens, the condensate will drain directly from the indoor unit into the apartment.

To clean the tubes, they must be removed. After that, a powerful stream of water is passed through them, which rinses all the impurities. To protect against bacteria, you need to add antibacterial protection to the water.

Remember that the complete assembly of the equipment occurs only after the complete drying of all its components. After cleaning, plug in the appliance and make sure it is working properly.

Legionnaire's disease

In a departure from the topic, I would like to tell you about the importance of timely cleaning of the air conditioner from dust, germs and infections. In 1977, at the Congress of American Legionnaires, one unpleasant pattern was discovered. After attending the event, some people fell ill with a strange disease, which, by symptoms, resembled pneumonia. People were coughing and dying. After a long study, it was discovered that the cause was air conditioning. The old appliance, which was never cleaned, became an ideal place for the life and reproduction of pathogenic bacteria.

Subsequently, an infectious microorganism was found and named legionella, in honor of the sad events to which it was guilty. Warm and dry air was an ideal environment for Legionella life. And when the air conditioner turned on, the bacterium circulated quietly in the air, entering the respiratory system and infecting organisms. People fell ill with legionellosis, which at that time was heavily treated. That is why it is so important to clean the appliances in a timely manner, to which you have entrusted the most important thing - ensuring indoor air quality.

Operation and seasonal preparation of the air conditioner

In order for the equipment to serve you for a long time and with high quality, you need to follow simple operating rules.

1. Clean the external unit of the air conditioner at least once a year. Internal filters should be cleaned more often, every 3-4 weeks.
2. If you use the device frequently, if the air in the room is dirty, then you should clean the filters at least every two weeks. The frequency of the procedure depends on the floor of the residence and the installation of the air conditioner. It is proved that the higher the floor, the less dust and litter in the air.
3. Self-cleaning is good, but do not forget about professional inspection. If necessary, the specialist will refill the air conditioner with freon, clean the hard-to-reach areas of the device, and examine the working condition of the equipment.
4. Be sure to prepare the air conditioner for the summer and winter seasons. Before the summer season, you need to clean, and before the winter season, you need to add insulation of drainage systems to the cleaning. If in your area the frost drops below 30 degrees, this means that the outer tubes may freeze. This should be considered.

A contaminated air conditioner is a high probability of damage to the appliance, a health risk, excessive energy consumption, as well as a deterioration in the operation of the equipment itself. Self-cleaning does not require special professional skills. This can be done at home without the help of professionals and without paying for their services.

Video: how to clean the air conditioner is better than the master