room (window) air Conditioner cleaning

Routine maintenance of room air conditioners is easier to perform than that of central air conditioners. If you are reasonably skilled, you can perform the maintenance yourself.

Periodicity

Washing the filters regularly will prevent dust and other debris from accumulating in the indoor coil, reducing the cleaning needs, Cleaning periodicity depends largely on the amount of use of the unit and on the amount of dust in the outdoor and indoor air.

Removing the unit

If the outdoor coil is dirty, you have to remove the unit. It’s much easier to perform the cleaning with the portable air conditioner removed from the wall or window… Just inspect the coil from the outdoors, through the louvered openings, to see if the outdoor coils are dirty and need cleaning.

If the outdoor coil isn’t dirty, you may not have to remove the unit, and limit the cleaning to the indoor coil and/or to the filters.

Filters cleaning

Cleaning the filters - washing them - is crucial. If you wash them regularly, that will decrease the needs of indoor coils cleaning, and your unit will work better and with less electricity.

Indoor coils cleaning

Use a brush to remove the dirt. Take into account the direction of the fins: brushing should be done carefully enough, according to their direction, to avoid bending the fins. Use a comb to straighten any damaged fin.

Outdoor coil cleaning

You probably have to remove the room air conditioner from the wall or window, to access and to clean the outdoor coil. And you should also cover the electric elements near the coil with a plastic cover, well secured with appropriate bands, before beginning the cleaning task.

Spray a detergent or a coil cleaner over the coil, and wait some minutes, before washing lightly with water. Let the air conditioner dry in the sun. Make sure that the water or any liquid used to clean the coil runs into the pan and out the drain.