Everything breaks down over time. We all know this. Maintenance is one of the ugly necessities of life. I don’t enjoy getting my car serviced every six months, but I do it because I want to take care of my investment. Ductless air conditioners are no different. They, like other air conditioning solutions such as traditional split HVAC systems, have plenty of moving parts. These parts—the lifeblood of mini split systems—have different maintenance needs. Let’s take a look at what some ways to you extend the life of your air conditioner. They are:
- Keep it clean
- Replace air filters
- Check for ice or leaks
- Get professional service
Keeping the Unit Clean
There are numerous parts to keep clean so the mini split system runs at optimal performance. Clean dust and debris on the outside of both units, indoors and outdoors. An accumulation of debris and make its way into the unit and cause backups and stoppages. If left unchecked, it could cause a complete system failure.
Replace the Air Filters
What happens when you fail to replace an air filter in your car or furnace? It doesn’t work as it should! If the air filter gets caked with debris over time, the mini duct system won’t get enough air. At that point, there might be some type of system failure. Replacing air filters is one of the easiest and cost-effective ways to keep your system running healthy not to mention keeping the air flow quality!
Check for Ice or Leaks
It’s important, especially in the winter, to check for any ice buildups. Ice can cause a multitude of problems including covering where the air should be entering or exiting the system. Leaks are another hazard to watch out for. This is especially true when you look at the piping of the mini split system. A quick check of the pipes can potentially save the unit from future failure if any problems are spotted early on.
If you find that you have a leak please remember that the last thing that you want to do is dump more refrigerant into the system. Refrigerant is the lifeblood of your air conditioner and if it is leaking out then you have a problem. Simply ‘recharging,’ the unit without fixing the leak will not solve the problem. Instead, you’ll be back to where you were in only a few days or weeks depending on the size of the leak. The correct approach here is to identify where the leak is and then fix the leak. For help on identifying leaks and where to find them check out our ‘What’s the Best Way to Find a Refrigerant Leak,‘ guide.
Get Professional Service
If you aren’t familiar with maintaining a mini split system, you’re in luck. You don’t have to maintain it if you don’t want to! Well, the maintenance still needs to happen; however, but you can hire a local technician and they will come to your home to do the job. Most of the time this is your best option as you never want to guess your way through something like this as you have already invested a significant amount of money into the machine. It would be terrible if you did something to break the air conditioner accidentally because you didn’t know exactly what you were doing.
There are a number of reasons why hiring a professional technician is a good idea. First and foremost, the answer is in the word “professional”. They know exactly what they’re doing and probably have years of experience working on air conditioning systems. It’s their job! Another reason is that that might know tips and tricks that are in addition to what’s available in the instruction manual.
The HVAC technician industry exists for a reason: most people t either don’t want or know how to maintain their systems. Some people might be interested but just don’t have the time. At the end of the day, the important thing is that your ductless air conditioner gets the maintenance that it needs. If you’re going to pay money, and sometimes good money, for a major appliance or system, you might as well do everything you can to extend its lifespan as much as you can. And proper, regular maintenance is just the trick to doing that.
Conclusion
Well, there you have it, folks! I hope that I was able to answer your question and also shed a bit of light on ductless air conditioners in general. If you find yourself wanting to read and learn more about ductless air conditioners then I highly suggest you take the time and read our in-depth buyer’s guide which can be found by clicking here.
Remember though folks, that ductless units aren’t your only option. After reading this article if you find that you are leaning towards an alternative air conditioner such as a portable or window unit consider checking out our best of guides on these. Click here for our best window air conditioner article and click here for our best portable air conditioners. There are many ways to stay cool nowadays, the question is which one will you choose?
If you have any further questions about ductless air conditioners you can contact us. Also, if you want more guides and articles like this, make sure you subscribe to our email list. As always, thanks for reading! And make sure to return in a few days for a new article from RefrigerantHQ.