In my experience with this Daikin yes.
Anyone clean their mini splits?
- Thread starter jjrbus
- Start date
In my experience with this Daikin yes.
All the fun is being taken out of this project. Let the unit dry overnight and now it has a vibration. Noticed only by putting hand on unit, is enough vibrating that I suspect would hurt motor after some time.
Suspect that gunk was forced inside of wheel and cannot escape. Getting frustrated with this now and wish I had done this during cool season. But did not notice it then.
Suspect that gunk was forced inside of wheel and cannot escape. Getting frustrated with this now and wish I had done this during cool season. But did not notice it then.
Still experimenting with this. My options are remove the blower or try to clean again. The Daikin blower is not something I want to remove as it entails loosening the coil left side and moving it up and out to remove blower wheel. Which must put a lot of strain on tubing.
Been experimenting with different cleaners. A bit of gunk in a cup and watch what happens. Vinegar, alcohol, Simple Green, ammonia, bathroom mold remover, hydrogen peroxide, water based coil cleaner, Oxyclean. Do nothing to break up the gunk. Also left one cup of gunk dry as a control.
Pure bleach eats it up, 50% bleach works and the recommended for cleaning 10% bleach solution does the job after about 20 minutes, also Kaboom cleaner does a good job on it.
The 2 cups on left and cup in front are the bleach results.
Been experimenting with different cleaners. A bit of gunk in a cup and watch what happens. Vinegar, alcohol, Simple Green, ammonia, bathroom mold remover, hydrogen peroxide, water based coil cleaner, Oxyclean. Do nothing to break up the gunk. Also left one cup of gunk dry as a control.
Pure bleach eats it up, 50% bleach works and the recommended for cleaning 10% bleach solution does the job after about 20 minutes, also Kaboom cleaner does a good job on it.
The 2 cups on left and cup in front are the bleach results.
Attachments
I could not find a service manual for my 15 SEER UNIT. Fortunately have a spare to tinker with.
I should add the Daikin is not built to be serviceable. The pros claim that it is cheaper to replace a head than to repair. I would guess this applies to most mini's.
I should add the Daikin is not built to be serviceable. The pros claim that it is cheaper to replace a head than to repair. I would guess this applies to most mini's.
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Well this has been a long drawn out pain of a job, seems to be ok now?
I was in a quandry as what to do with this and decided to remove the blower wheel and clean. Removing on the Daikin is simple but I felt like a bomb squad crew member moving the A coil up and out. Scared of breaking the tubing. Had on safety googles and a cloth covering my face. Part of the removing is giving it a good look to see if I had knocked off any of the balancing weights.
And of course while I am working on a ladder doing this the neighbor gets taken to the hospital by the rescue squad after falling off a ladder!
Simple remove outer cover, 2 screws on the free end of the blower. lift the coil up and out. A bit deceiving is the catch on the bearing block?? It needs to be released but need to pull out on the grey plastic casing and lift up on the block/fan. No fastener for the blower wheel it is magnetic. Area 51, alien tech kind of stuff.
As I am trying to do this the assembly is coming out of the wall mount, so I screwed it to the wall mount with a self tapping screw.
I opted for the Kaboom to clean with, it contains bleach and is foamy to help keep it in place while it soaks in, let it soak for about 20 min while respraying as areas dry. Then hosed off and cleaned up with dish soap and stiff brush. After what I though was a good mechanical cleaning I am surprised at the amount of crud that was still attached to the blower. Rinsed into sheet so I could see how much came out, a lot more is scattered around the sheet that does not show in picture.
Let the blower dry and will spray with Concrobium mold control. Then watch and try and figure why this happened. I know over-sizing is a bad thing but I am 99% sure this is properly sized.
Hope this helps somebody!
I was in a quandry as what to do with this and decided to remove the blower wheel and clean. Removing on the Daikin is simple but I felt like a bomb squad crew member moving the A coil up and out. Scared of breaking the tubing. Had on safety googles and a cloth covering my face. Part of the removing is giving it a good look to see if I had knocked off any of the balancing weights.
And of course while I am working on a ladder doing this the neighbor gets taken to the hospital by the rescue squad after falling off a ladder!
Simple remove outer cover, 2 screws on the free end of the blower. lift the coil up and out. A bit deceiving is the catch on the bearing block?? It needs to be released but need to pull out on the grey plastic casing and lift up on the block/fan. No fastener for the blower wheel it is magnetic. Area 51, alien tech kind of stuff.
As I am trying to do this the assembly is coming out of the wall mount, so I screwed it to the wall mount with a self tapping screw.
I opted for the Kaboom to clean with, it contains bleach and is foamy to help keep it in place while it soaks in, let it soak for about 20 min while respraying as areas dry. Then hosed off and cleaned up with dish soap and stiff brush. After what I though was a good mechanical cleaning I am surprised at the amount of crud that was still attached to the blower. Rinsed into sheet so I could see how much came out, a lot more is scattered around the sheet that does not show in picture.
Let the blower dry and will spray with Concrobium mold control. Then watch and try and figure why this happened. I know over-sizing is a bad thing but I am 99% sure this is properly sized.
Hope this helps somebody!
Attachments
This is what I found
The HD aerosol is no rinse and the condensate is supposed to rinse it.
https://www.nucalgon.com/assets/prodlit/19-S154_MiniSplit.pdf
I don’t think these cleaners would harm the coils ? It is shown being used on a mini split.
The HD aerosol is no rinse and the condensate is supposed to rinse it.
https://www.nucalgon.com/assets/prodlit/19-S154_MiniSplit.pdf
I don’t think these cleaners would harm the coils ? It is shown being used on a mini split.
Then why are some techs reporting they were told not to use them at manufactures classes? Of course there are others who say they have not been told not to use cleaners. Because my evaporator coils were extremely clean I opted not to use cleaners.
I am not trying to be argumentative I would really like to know!
Copy and paste here with link to thread.
Hi all,
Looking for some advise. I went to a Fujitsu FAST class a few weeks back. The drilled us not to use anything except water to clean them. I see nu-calgon has a mini split cleaning kit. I know not to use this on the Fujitsu systems. My question is has anyone used this kit? Has anyone used it on the Mitsubishis or other brands out there?
https://hvac-talk.com/vbb/showthread.php?1543721-Cleaning-mini-splits
SALIV8
Well-known member
Jjrbus, here's your service manual.
https://www.daikinac.com/content/assets/DOC/ServiceManuals/SiUS041501E-15-19-Series.pdf
https://www.daikinac.com/content/assets/DOC/ServiceManuals/SiUS041501E-15-19-Series.pdf
rlitman
Well-known member
I just cleaned my 12 year old Freidrich mini-split last week. In my case, the blower was making a whining noise, so I had to take it out.
I used the bib, and a 1 gallon tank sprayer with copious amounts of hot water and a bent toothbrush. That got out a lot of gunk, but still left the blower truly nasty.
I then sprayed it with foaming no-rinse coil cleaner. That's sodium meta-silicate based, and is stronger than bleach, yet not too harsh on the metal (vinegar and Simple Green shouldn't be used on the aluminum, and many of your other chemicals just won't work). That did an ok job breaking up the gunk given enough time and brushing, but I ended up going through 5 gallons of water, and broke my cleaning up across 3 days to get it dirt free.
As for the whining, it was the brushless blower motor. I took that out, and discovered that the motor was assembled by crimping the end on the plastic case. I grabbed the case in my vise and used a chisel and hammer to break the end cap off. Then I had to de-solder the board from the windings to get the rotor out. On the rotor, I found a pair of 608 bearings that were starting to go. I bought a quality pair online, re-packed them, fit them on the shaft hot with the rotor fresh out of the freezer, and then JBWelded the whole thing back together. After sitting clamped overnight I put the whole thing back together, and it now works without all the noise. That saved me a bundle.
Yes, getting the blower out is a royal pain. Yes, it involves lifting the coil. It needs to be loosened on both sides, because you need to get to the screw that bolts the wheel to the motor shaft.
3 days! ouch. Seems there are some differences between brands and models, I looked and looked for how to detach the blower wheel from the motor and could find nothing, only by accident did I find that is was only magnetically attached.
My big concern with moving the A coil is work hardening of the copper, unit is only a year + old now so no bit deal. Someday down the road it may not be so forgiving.
My big concern with moving the A coil is work hardening of the copper, unit is only a year + old now so no bit deal. Someday down the road it may not be so forgiving.
coyotehunter
Active member
I installed 3 Chigo mini splits about 14 years ago and I have cleaned mine once. I used the rectorseal mini split cleaning system. After I got past the cheap ”frame” to hold the plastic funnel bag it actually worked pretty well. I used 2 regular pump sprayers. One with hot water and the other with their citrus based cleaning fluid called “Desolv”. The kit is basically for one unit but the cleaner can be bought separately for multiple units as can the funnel bag. There are some youtube videos showing other brands of mini split cleaning systems in use and they are all about the same. I purchased mine through my local supply house and I’m pretty sure the first one too. If I can find the pics I can post them later if you are curious of the results
https://rectorseal.com/product/desolv-cleaning-kit/
https://rectorseal.com/product/desolv-cleaning-kit/
This thread made me examine my AC unit in the bedroom and wow does it need cleaning. I put one of those drain tablets in the little tray and its never clogged up, but holy hell it looks gunky.
I am thinking I should take the blower out and pressure wash it, but I doubt they make these LG mini-splits easy to do that to. I will see if I can find that rectorseal stuff on amazon and give it a shot after I deck out the room in Dexter fashion.
I am thinking I should take the blower out and pressure wash it, but I doubt they make these LG mini-splits easy to do that to. I will see if I can find that rectorseal stuff on amazon and give it a shot after I deck out the room in Dexter fashion.
SouthLake
Well-known member
There is so little room in the Mr.Slim drain channel I can't even get a drain tablet in there. Be careful what you rinse the fins with they are very delicate and you can't use ordinary cleaning stuff on them (supposedly).
I use this stuff then give a healthy rinse with water
Nu-Calgon 4171-75 Evap Foam No Rinse Evaporator Coil Cleaner
I use this stuff then give a healthy rinse with water
Nu-Calgon 4171-75 Evap Foam No Rinse Evaporator Coil Cleaner
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coyotehunter
Active member
SouthLake
Well-known member
LOL dude that was so gnarly
rattle_snake
Well-known member
I clean my 'filters' often but coils are filthy after 2 years. Pair of Daikin 18k in shop. I live in hot dry climate so it appears coils are not self cleaning. Drain pan has build up of dirt.
Since peak of summer is best time to mess with A/C (or not), I tied using a spray bottle with hot water (outdoor hose water is about 170*) to test clean a small area. Looks like I need some type of chemical cleaner also.
I did my own install and can get cover off, so plan to do a deep clean of one unit at a time. Yuck.
Since peak of summer is best time to mess with A/C (or not), I tied using a spray bottle with hot water (outdoor hose water is about 170*) to test clean a small area. Looks like I need some type of chemical cleaner also.
I did my own install and can get cover off, so plan to do a deep clean of one unit at a time. Yuck.
Couple years into the Daikins now and will be cleaning again in the fall. Only one of my 3 Daikins has has been really nasty and difficult to clean.
Two thought on this, the first time I cleaned there was some kind of nasty mold from China, it was tenacious and resisted everything but straight bleach, mold looks different this time, like the other 2 units. However this Blower wheel still has the most on it!!
2nd thought after much reading, 2% of mini splits seem to have a mold issue and my case it is not dirt it is mold. The best I can figure is the plastic the blower wheel is made from is porous allowing the mold to grow. I come to this conclusion as the coils are spotless. The drain tray is clean. There is no mold on the plastic housing around the blower wheel, except the small amount that is slung there by the blower wheel. My conclusion is it is the plastic the blower wheel is formed from!
From what I have read I will tape some plastic to the wall into a garbage can and spray the coil with warm water using a garden sprayer. Before disassembling this time I will try cleaning the blower wheel with vinegar if I can do so without getting any on the coils.
For something that needs to be serviced these things are horribly designed and built!
Two thought on this, the first time I cleaned there was some kind of nasty mold from China, it was tenacious and resisted everything but straight bleach, mold looks different this time, like the other 2 units. However this Blower wheel still has the most on it!!
2nd thought after much reading, 2% of mini splits seem to have a mold issue and my case it is not dirt it is mold. The best I can figure is the plastic the blower wheel is made from is porous allowing the mold to grow. I come to this conclusion as the coils are spotless. The drain tray is clean. There is no mold on the plastic housing around the blower wheel, except the small amount that is slung there by the blower wheel. My conclusion is it is the plastic the blower wheel is formed from!
From what I have read I will tape some plastic to the wall into a garbage can and spray the coil with warm water using a garden sprayer. Before disassembling this time I will try cleaning the blower wheel with vinegar if I can do so without getting any on the coils.
For something that needs to be serviced these things are horribly designed and built!
ncfireman1918
Well-known member
I know the OP was asking about Daiken, but several have chimed in with Mitsu Mr Slim input. I have a 10 year old 1st Gen Mr Slim in the bonus room above my garage. It was making noise after about 5 years of running constantly. I took a close look at it, and realized that the blower wheel was black and fuzzy. Apparently my HVAC contractor completely forgot that I had a mini split when they came out for my service contract, because I had so many issues with my geothermal for the main level of the house. I decided to clean it myself, and can attest that the 1st gen Mr Slim is a ***** to take apart. As I understand it, they have changed the design to make it easier. I ended up putting the blower wheel in a bathtub with some simple green. That made a dent, but I ended up finishing the job with bleach. It’s a pain in the ***, but doable. The worst part (as others have mentioned) is moving the coil out of the way without breaking the copper lines. Good luck with that job. It’s about $150 for my HVAC guys to do it, and I’m kind of thinking it might be worth the investment!
I read a lot and seems all the minis are somewhat similar. I am also very cynical about having any type of service work done. I was not born this way, it is based on my experience!
How can I trust someone to be as careful with the unit as I am? How to find the service people who do good work and can be trusted? Of the 3 recommended to me one was great, disappeared. Another is careless. The third one Bruno AC was recently indicted for fraud!
I would hope there are class action lawsuits against the manufacturers to produce units that are serviceable instead of as small as possible. This mold could very well be unhealthy.
How can I trust someone to be as careful with the unit as I am? How to find the service people who do good work and can be trusted? Of the 3 recommended to me one was great, disappeared. Another is careless. The third one Bruno AC was recently indicted for fraud!
I would hope there are class action lawsuits against the manufacturers to produce units that are serviceable instead of as small as possible. This mold could very well be unhealthy.