To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Mini split maintenance.

wirt

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 22, 2013
Messages
88
Location
Illinois
So yesterday I decided to get the mini maintenance done, first time I've done it and I gotta say what a massive pain in the ***. Lol

The outside unit is no big deal but the wall unit was actually a little bit of a challenge.

Flip up from to remove filters, wash filters and let them dry.
Remove louver
Remove two air deflectors
Remove hidden set screw
Remove four cover screws
Remove entire case to gain access to the internal blower wheel being careful to not pull out thermostat wire
Remove screws on blower wheel cage
Clean blower wheel, very tedious found a shop vac and tooth brush work best
Clean internals of all mold/debris
Clean all removed parts before reassembly
Put all the **** back together.

Hell of a lot more then it used to take to maintain the old window unit and I would be willing to bet 90% of the people that buy these units don't realize what's involved. I dread to think what a tech would charge to come out and do it.

Anyways, I wish I would have taken pics as I went as it may have helped someone down the line.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Kaizen

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 9, 2015
Messages
6,948
Location
New England
Was there a lot of dust on the blower wheel? Didn’t know I was supposed to do all that


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

justinjoyal

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 30, 2015
Messages
888
Location
Quebec
About a 1-hour job when you know what you’re doing.

149,99$+tx :)

Kaizen: mold builds up on the blower and surrounding parts. Once every 3-4-5 years (depending on environnements) is sufficient most of the time.
 
Last edited:

aunsafe2015

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 2, 2016
Messages
436
Location
Northern VA
So yesterday I decided to get the mini maintenance done, first time I've done it and I gotta say what a massive pain in the ***. Lol

The outside unit is no big deal but the wall unit was actually a little bit of a challenge.

Flip up from to remove filters, wash filters and let them dry.
Remove louver
Remove two air deflectors
Remove hidden set screw
Remove four cover screws
Remove entire case to gain access to the internal blower wheel being careful to not pull out thermostat wire
Remove screws on blower wheel cage
Clean blower wheel, very tedious found a shop vac and tooth brush work best
Clean internals of all mold/debris
Clean all removed parts before reassembly
Put all the **** back together.

Hell of a lot more then it used to take to maintain the old window unit and I would be willing to bet 90% of the people that buy these units don't realize what's involved. I dread to think what a tech would charge to come out and do it.

Anyways, I wish I would have taken pics as I went as it may have helped someone down the line.
What brand?
 

Git

Well-known member
Joined
May 18, 2008
Messages
6,894
Location
S Cal
The blower wheel can get pretty nasty and a lot of people probably don't even realize it. I clean mine every year also

This is a Mitsubishi Mr Slim
 

Attachments

  • SNAG-948.jpg
    SNAG-948.jpg
    70.7 KB · Views: 81
  • SNAG-949.jpg
    SNAG-949.jpg
    148 KB · Views: 76
OP
W

wirt

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 22, 2013
Messages
88
Location
Illinois
About a 1-hour job when you know what you’re doing.

149,99$+tx :)

Kaizen: mold builds up on the blower and surrounding parts. Once every 3-4-5 years (depending on environnements) is sufficient most of the time.

Took me about two hours to do the outside and wall unit but it's the first time I've ever done it.

3-4-5 years?!?!? Maybe in a house environment but no way I would go that long in a garage/shop. This is year TWO on mine and the blower wheel was almost all the way clogged. I will be doing this every spring and then once in the middl of summer.
 

PoorOwner

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 10, 2007
Messages
5,032
Location
CA
I don't run my unit constantly but when I am done I run it in fan mode for 4-5 hours, this help dries the fins and avoid mold. This obviously only applies to cooling.
If you just shut it off moisture sits inside the unit.
 

justinjoyal

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 30, 2015
Messages
888
Location
Quebec
The blower wheel can get pretty nasty and a lot of people probably don't even realize it. I clean mine every year also



This is a Mitsubishi Mr Slim


You think that’s nasty?

This is my latest mini-split cleaning job (and i’ve seen worse):

IMG_6806.jpg

IMG_6807.jpg

Took me about two hours to do the outside and wall unit but it's the first time I've ever done it.



3-4-5 years?!?!? Maybe in a house environment but no way I would go that long in a garage/shop. This is year TWO on mine and the blower wheel was almost all the way clogged. I will be doing this every spring and then once in the middl of summer.



In a regular (house) place yeah.
 
Last edited:
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Climatecreator

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
245
Location
CT
They ALL get nasty, regardless of brand.

Sometimes I need to clean them yearly, and THIS particular model the blower wheel CANNOT be removed so it's down to cleaning the blower ONE cup at a time using a brush like this https://amzn.to/2Md8Do9

You could use something like THIS https://amzn.to/2y0uqwj

Or do like I do and use a painters thin plastic sheeting to tuck around the unit where I don't want water or cleaner to go and I make a funnel into a 5 gallon bucket. Plastic like this one https://amzn.to/2MikW2K

This cleaner https://amzn.to/2JooN0a

Using a sprayer like this https://amzn.to/2LFW4AC

Then rinse into the bucket with water, being sure nothing clogs the condensate drain.

Use HOT water to clean the air filters.

If you DON'T need to go crazy and the coil and fan seem FAIRLY clean you can just use this
https://amzn.to/2sXcugn

Just figured I'd share in case anyone wants to do their own and use professional grade products to do so. If you can source locally go for it, but at least you'll know what to ask for.

CC20180610_223452.jpeg
 

LS6 Tommy

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 27, 2013
Messages
26,162
Location
Northern NJ
I'm due to perform this operation on my Fujitsu Halcyons. I've cleaned other brands, but never these. I guess they're probably all done pretty much the same way.

Tommy
 

chrispyny

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 7, 2013
Messages
467
Location
albany, ny
Christ, i didn’t know this even needed to be done! Im on year two with my fuji halcyon, and year one on my pioneer. I think i’ll wait at least another year!
 
OP
W

wirt

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 22, 2013
Messages
88
Location
Illinois
Christ, i didn’t know this even needed to be done! Im on year two with my fuji halcyon, and year one on my pioneer. I think i’ll wait at least another year!

Tell you what even though I wouldn't rank it on my top ten fun things to do I'm glad I did it, I can actually tell quite a bit that the unit is cooling better and even blowing much harder. Well worth the time to do.
 

Climatecreator

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
245
Location
CT
Tell you what even though I wouldn't rank it on my top ten fun things to do I'm glad I did it, I can actually tell quite a bit that the unit is cooling better and even blowing much harder. Well worth the time to do.
Not to mention the gym locker smell they can put out.....

CC
 

Fixin'Stuff

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 14, 2016
Messages
584
Location
HotterNHellHouston
Question: Would an occasional spray of the blower wheel with some coil cleaner work to keep things from getting that bad? I guess it depends on if you can even get to the blower without disassembly. I'd much rather squirt in some cleaner every 60 or 90 days than take the whole assembly apart every year or two. ;)
 

Climatecreator

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
245
Location
CT
Question: Would an occasional spray of the blower wheel with some coil cleaner work to keep things from getting that bad? I guess it depends on if you can even get to the blower without disassembly. I'd much rather squirt in some cleaner every 60 or 90 days than take the whole assembly apart every year or two. ;)
Try it.

It's a lot easier to do something like that when you live there as opposed to a once or twice a year visit.

CC
 

PoorOwner

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 10, 2007
Messages
5,032
Location
CA
Some people do use toothbrush or swab on tweeters to occasionally clean the blower fan. You still need to take the cover off for best results. Rotate a little at a time and brush / vacuum not just spray it.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
Top Bottom