Dismantling the indoor unit for cleaning

For effective and safe operation of the air conditioner, regular cleaning of the internal elements of the system is required, and in addition to the external, it is mandatory to disassemble and clean the indoor unit. Most often, in offices, apartments and private houses, wall-mounted SPLIT devices are installed, presented by different manufacturers and modifications. Given the relevance and popularity of climate technology, many people will probably be interested to know how to disassemble the indoor unit of a wall-mounted air conditioner in order to be able to do it yourself.

Structural Features of the Indoor Unit

Wall-mounted SPLIT systems of the LG brand and others, which include Daikin, Mitsubishi, Toshiba, Fujitsu, Ballu, Samsung and Hitachi, have a similar internal module design. Thanks to this, if you know the basic principles of disassembling the air conditioner, each owner can quite cope with such a task independently, only for this it is necessary to identify the main components and details that make up such a unit:

Standard wall-mounted air conditioner design

1. Front (front) panel
2. Coarse filter
3. Fine filter
4. Fan
5. Evaporator
6. Horizontal blinds
7. Indicator panel
8. Vertical blinds

You need to understand that proper disassembly consists in observing a certain sequence of actions that allow you to gradually get to those elements that need to be cleaned. Only careful dismantling can eliminate the risk of breakdown of internal components and modules, so you should act carefully without excessive physical effort. Of the tools, several curly (cross-shaped) and straight (flat) screwdrivers of different sizes are needed, as well as several hexagonal stars.

Before disassembling, make sure that the air conditioner is unplugged! This is very important in order to avoid electric shock.

Dismantling the indoor unit of the wall-mounted air conditioner

They begin to disassemble the air conditioner by removing the front plastic panel, which can be attached using clip-on elements (LG) or bolts (Toshiba), depending on the manufacturer. In the first case, you need to use a straight screwdriver and pry off the clips located above and below, and in the second - use the appropriate tool. The next step is the removal of the strainer (rough cleaning) and plastic shutters from the indoor unit, which are simply removed from the corresponding grooves.

Strainer that needs cleaning

Next, you should carefully dismantle the drainage system of the indoor unit of the air conditioner, which is usually performed in the form of a tray. In some models, it can be made together with the body and removed only with it. Before removing it, prepare a container or container in advance to remove condensation. To disconnect the tray on LG models, you need to unscrew one bolt and snap out the clips located at the bottom.

Drain tray (on the right side is disconnected from the blind motor)

Fan / impeller removal options

Next, you need to remove the fan of the indoor unit SPLIT system, made in the form of a shaft. It will require very careful and responsible work, since it is important not to damage the internal components and components of the air conditioner.

Strainer Removal

There are two ways to pull out the shaft:

1. A simplified version, in which you do not need to perform operations with an electric motor and a control unit (the shaft is pulled out from below). Usually it is he who is chosen when doing the work yourself, which requires less time and effort. Here the sequence of operations is as follows:

• We unscrew the bolts / screws and release the radiator on the left side of the main main body of the SPLIT system
• Gently weaken the fastening on the right, where you need to carefully unscrew the screw on the shaft itself (as a rule, it is tightened very tightly, so you need to act carefully and slowly so as not to twist the head of the fastener element)

• Carefully remove the shaft component from the housing, and from underneath, taking care not to damage the blades (holding the screw with a screwdriver)

Important! In the reverse sequence of assembly (installation), the fan fixing screw should be in the position where it was originally, since otherwise there is a big risk of contact between the fan blades and the walls of the indoor unit.

2. A more complicated option is when the shaft is dismantled on the right side, for which the control unit and electric motor are removed. To perform the operation, proceed as follows:

• Disconnect the wiring and electronic type sensors from the control unit, snap off the mounting clips (in some models, unscrew the mounting screws) and carefully remove the unit
• We unscrew the fastening elements of the electric motor, disconnect the shaft from the casing
• Very carefully and carefully, with slow movements we disconnect the shaft from the motor, and also bend the radiator tubes

When performing work, it is important to remember all the manipulations, so that everything is correctly assembled after performing service of the SPLIT installation.

What needs to be cleaned?

After performing these manipulations, you can begin to clean the internal components, and here it is mandatory to remove dirt deposits from the rotor and the evaporator, using antibacterial compositions (active foam), clean water and steam (steam generator tool). The condensate intake bath is also cleaned of dirt, after which all parts are thoroughly dried. In addition, it will not be amiss to lubricate all moving parts with silicone grease, which will extend their service.

To disassemble the indoor unit of the air conditioner, be patient, act carefully and without rushing. It is always important to remember that the SPLIT system has a complex device, where all internal components are very close to each other. This instruction gives a sequence of actions that are performed regardless of the structural features of the wall-mounted climate technology.