How to clean the air conditioner?

Step-by-step cleaning of the indoor unit

Although we will consider the disassembly of the air conditioner using the example of a mounted model, other types of cooling devices are disassembled according to a similar principle with some differences in construction. The steps for cleaning the indoor unit of the air conditioner are as follows:

• Unplug the device from the mains first to avoid electric shock.
• Next, lift the top cover and take out the mesh filters (maybe one or two), as shown in the figure below.

Removing filters

• Then we remove the deodorizing filter, which consists of tri-colour foam rubber and a narrow metal mesh insert, which makes the foam rubber stiff. By the way, to refresh the atmosphere in the room, after cleaning, you can spray the filter with an air freshener.

tricolor filter

• Remove the bottom cover. It is strong and bends well, so holding the middle, pull the shutter down, removing first one edge and then the other (shown in the figure).

Removing the damper

• Next, unscrew the cover that closes the electrical unit, as well as three bolts connecting the device case to the base.

Loosen four screws

• We take a flat screwdriver and gently pry off the cover at the latches (circled in red in the figure below). During manipulation, there will be a characteristic click sound.

Latch locations

• Raising the front of the case, disconnect the cable connecting it to the electrical unit. After that, it can be removed and sent to the bath for cleaning. In no case should you wash this part with hot water (let it be a little warm), as the plastic can be deformed.

We remove the train

• Remove the ionizer (if any). To do this, unscrew one fixing screw, and also disconnect the red and black cables. In different models, the wires are of different colours, but which one to which to connect is intuitively clear. We wash the ionizer under warm running water, as dust also accumulates on it.

Ionizer mount

• We remove the ozone sensor. With a slight movement of the fingers, we take out the ozone sensor from the radiator groove.

Ozone sensor

• Disconnect the drain pan to drain the condenser. To do this, unfasten the two legs and unscrew the fixing bolts located at both ends. Having slightly lifted, the tray is easily removed from the mechanism.

Bath fasteners

• Let's start cleaning the radiator. We take an ordinary brush, collect water in a basin (or use a special cleaning agent) and with a slight downward movement we clean the dirt from the radiator. It is worth noting that the radiator must be cleaned before we remove the inner shaft, since when the shaft is removed, the radiator will hang out and it will be inconvenient to wash it. Some users first sweep the surface with a vacuum cleaner before washing the radiator.

Cleaning the radiator with a brush from top to bottom

• We unscrew the two bolts on the side fixator of the radiator and remove it.

Radiator side retainer

• We scroll the shaft so that the lower mounting bolt is between the two blades. We unscrew this bolt, and slightly lifting the radiator (shown in the figure), remove the shaft from the device. Please note that the bolt is screwed in very tightly, so instead of the usual slotted screwdriver, we recommend using the hex bit, which is in all tool kits.

Shaft fixing bolt (bottom view)

We take out the shaft

• We clean the shaft. To do this, you can use a high pressure washer, as in a service station or a motorized sprayer. If there are no such devices, then we take a brush, as in the case of a radiator, and “peel off” our shaft — it will take more time, but the effect will be almost the same.

Shaft washing option

• After all the parts have been washed and dried, we assemble the device in the reverse order and leave it unplugged for a day so that all moisture is completely eroded. After that, you can start the air conditioner.

Cleaning the outdoor unit

Cleaning the external unit is much easier and faster than the internal one, and it consists in the following steps:

• First, remove the grille by unscrewing the four screws (on some models, metal latches) circled in red in the figure.

• Then unscrew the nut on the impeller with a socket wrench. Please note that the nut has a left-hand thread, so unscrew it clockwise.

Nut on the impeller

• After that, we begin cleaning the evaporator. It is best to use a pressure washer for this purpose, as it perfectly “beats off” dirt. But if it is not there, then, as for the shaft of the indoor unit, you can use a motorized sprayer or a cleaning agent. Try to direct the jets of water so that they do not fall on the engine (shown in the figure below.). To do this, you can close the engine with a plastic bag.

electric motor

• After cleaning the device, put the impeller back and screw the grate.

Conclusion

It takes approximately two hours to clean the entire air conditioner. Of course, you can always call a wizard who will audit without your participation. However, self-cleaning will save you a lot of money, especially if you live far from the city and calling a master makes logistics more difficult and more expensive.