Well, its disappointing , there has been just one review in this category.it quite reflects how we have been using our air conditioners, but never bothered to look beyond the pre-filter, that too if you took the pain to ever clean it! Air conditioners are the best invention, but they also consume too much electricity if not looked after. I have had neighbors who had purchased acs the time I purchased my hitachi logicool I , i e, in 2003.
its been 8th running year, but the same people had to change their acs twice, even thrice .such a waste of money, on a thing which could last for at least a decade without problems, no matter whether its an lg or a daikin, hitachi or a misubishi electric.
believe me, all my acs produce the same chilling effect what they did when they were just purchased.but in order to make them perform , that too in Delhi, where a minor fault in ac could give you nightmares in may, june, I carry out a routine maintenance for all my acs in march every year, well before the acs are put to use, so that when you actually need them, they don’t fail you!!
i don’t need to call the local ac mechanics, because the far you stay from them , the better it is.i do it all by myself, with the help of a person , of course, cause its impossible for me to lift an ac all by myself.well if you think its a waste of time, at least you can direct your ac mechanic to do these things under your supervision.remember, get you ac serviced every year, at least once.
dont be proud in saying"oh, i have a ogeneral, never got it serviced, but stills it chills", cause that would be mere foolishness , considering the fact its eating into your power bills.many people complain of increase power bills, the ac consuming more amperes...etc..etc, its all because of not carrying out preventive maintenance.
so here are a few things you need to have before this tiresome, but a fruitful exercise-
1.a hose pipe, 2.a hard bristled brush, 3.a domestic detergent, 4. 2 pieces of cloth, 5.a screw driver
the basic cleaning( WET)-.
pull out the front panel and keep it aside .cover the pcb, the fan motor with a plastic, and then get the ac pulled out.carry it to a balcony, where you don’t mess up.nut put a brick under the front of the ac, so that its tilted backwards, and start by wetting the whole ac, except for the control panel.now take a bucket full of water and put 2 scoops of detergent and start with rinsing the coils, the drain pan, and the base plate.brush the coils gently, to avid damaging them, clean the fan and the ring around it.use more soap, if required.leave the ac for 10 minutes, and then begin washing with pipe again, starting with the front coils and the compressor. let the unit dry and wipe with a soft cloth.be sure to let it dry for at least an hour, so that in case , the circuits get wet, they have ample time to dry off.
now clean the cabinet as well, clearing away everything , including bird’s nest, if its there.now put back the ac, connect the terminals and its ready for usage.
these were some basics.now for some specifics-
1.inspect the coils of the ac, if you see any oiliness on the pipes, be rest assured, there is a refrigerant leak at that place.usually its on joints.it needs a professional help.
2.for a split, check at the flared joints for the same.also ensue that the drain is not blocked.
3.if the coils are choked, which usually happens with a 3 yr old ac, when you complain of lesser air flow.use caustic soda to clean the coils.believe me, i have tried it, and the dirt comes out in froth.take some hot water in a bucket and mix this caustic soda, start pouring on the coils, and see the wonders happening.i bet all you people would thank me for this!
4.cover the ac in winters, because exposure to strong cold winds cracks the rubber parts.
5.PLEASE, do clean the front coil every time you clean the filter, and don’t make cleaning filter a yearly exercise, it should be done weekly.
6.ensure that you see water dripping form your ac during humid months, or periods of prolonged usage.if you cant, then the drain is blocked.if your ac has an under-pan drainage, ensure that the rubber is removed, to allow the water to drain.hearing slushing sound is usual, cause here the water is thrown against the condenser coil by the fan, it also increases efficiency.
7.straighten the fins with a scale, or even a knife, because its through them the ac exchanges heat.
8.for splits, do give a wet cleaning to the outdoor unit as well.the same procedure is to be followed, what I mentioned.we often tend to ignore the outdoor units., which ironically, are of the most importance in a split.
9.also ensure that the insulation isint worn out, if so, get the pipes re-insulated, and cover them up with a duct tape.
10.now , for all of you, dont think that by putting the ac on 18, it cools more, as its not an inverter ac we have at homes.these acs have fixed sped compressors, which would render the same cooling irrespective of putting them at either 18 or 25.25 is ideal, if you arent convinced, make it 23.
these were the things I wanted to share.will add if anything comes up.
follow them and see your investment last for years.