Home climate prevention

Springtime— it’s time to take care of the preparation of home climate equipment for the summer season. Otherwise, at the most inopportune moment, during the midday heat and stuffy nights, a sudden failure of the air conditioner can leave your home without saving coolness. How to avoid it?

What do we usually do when we bring home new appliances? We plug it into the outlet, and it works without requiring any special attention. Well, except that from time to time you have to dust off the TV or change a burned-out light bulb in a chandelier. FROMThe climate system is different. Here, rather, a parallel arises with a car, the operation of which requires regular oil changes, monitoring the coolant level, tire pressure, periodic visits to a service center for technical inspection, etc.e. Most of us begin to think about the service only after the breakdown of the air conditioner. BUTafter all, preventive maintenance of the “home air conditioner” allows not only to detect and prevent possible malfunctions in time, but also to extend the service life of the equipment, which means to reduce the cost of paying for expensive repairs.

DIY

The simplest, but absolutely necessary air conditioner maintenance operation, which you can carry out yourself, is to regularly clean the mesh filters of the indoor unit (hereinafter we are talking about the most common types of air conditioners currently— split systems with wall-mounted indoor unit). This must be done at least once aa month, preferably once every two weeks. You can’t imagine how intensively dust from carpet, clothes, pets is deposited on the filters of the indoor units of split systems. The layer of dirt on the filters sometimes reaches a centimeter thickness!

Naturally, inhaling air driven through a layer of dirt will not add health to the inhabitants of your house. In addition, oddly enough, when using an air conditioner with clogged filters, your wallet will unnecessarily quickly lose weight. As dust accumulates on the filter, the amount of air passing through the evaporator decreases and the cooling capacity of the air conditioner decreases. Severe pollution leads to a violation of the operating modes of the refrigeration system and even to clogging of the drainage system with whole lumps of dust. ATAs a result, the moisture released during the operation of the air conditioner can enter the room and spoil its finish. If the filters of the indoor unit are not cleaned for a long time, dirt from the evaporator plates will have to be removed using strong chemical compounds.

Clean the filters of the indoor unit with a brush, then wash with soap and warm water. At the same time, you can take with you into the bathroom and the front panel of the indoor unit (if it is wall-mounted). After the parts must be allowed to dry, if possible away from direct sunlight and heating devices (after all, the parts are made of plastic). The sequence of removal and installation of filters is indicated in the instruction manual, which remained with you after the workers who installed the air conditioner left.

In addition to mesh air filters, which are available in the indoor unit of each split system, others are often used in domestic air conditioners. For example, for fine air purification, an electrostatic filter is often installed that captures pollen and dust particles up to 0.01micrometer, and a carbon filter that deodorizes the air. A passive electrostatic filter (if it is not combined with a carbon filter) does not need special care. It works flawlessly 3year, after which it must not be forgotten to be replaced with a new one. The resource of carbon filters (worth $15-20) — about six months, but in the conditions of an extremely polluted metropolitan atmosphere, they serve no more than a month.

However, manufacturers are constantly improving the air filtration system. One of the most modern solutions in the field of cleaning and deodorizing the air in an apartment are zeolite filters. They are more efficient than simple carbon ones: the zeolite filter completely purifies the air in the room in just 30 minutes.min, while coal— peronehour. BUTmost importantly, zeolite filters retain their performance characteristics for 3-5 years (their «brothers» from activated carbon, as mentioned above, must be replaced every 6months). This durability is ensured by the filter’s ability to self-heal. Zeolite filters are very easy to clean— for this they are simply exposed to sunlight. Under the action of the sun’s rays, a catalytic process begins on the titanium oxide contained in the fibers, which restores the filtering properties of the zeolite. The new cleaning technology was adopted by many manufacturers of climate equipment, only each company has its own name: zeolite filters— atTOSHIBA Solar Regeneration— atPANASONIC.

The lot of professionals

Of course, air conditioner maintenance is not limited to washing filters or replacing batteries in the remote control. Air conditioner— the thing is quite complicated, in addition to filters, it has a lot of good stuff inside, sooner or later requiring close attention from service specialists. They control the condition of all the basic components of the freon air conditioner— compressor, condenser and evaporator connected by copper tubes; fans; automation systems, etc.n. The frequency of maintenance of the elements of a split system directly depends on the conditions of its operation. Typically, service intervals are determined based on a schedule or inspection of the instrument. So what do you have to pay for?

Look at the windows of your city apartment. Every spring they have to be washed, and you probably saw how much dirt accumulates on the windows, which means it gets into the condensers of the outdoor units, through which large volumes of air pass with all kinds of impurities and foreign inclusions. Radical measures will also be needed to clean the outdoor units from poplar fluff, burning and other street dirt. After all, a contaminated capacitorThis is a noticeable reduction in compressor efficiency. Since the outdoor unit, as a rule, is located outside the window, on the sheer wall of the building, access to it is difficult. Sometimes the services of an industrial climber may even be required. For cleaning, special brushes with not too hard bristles and a compressor are used, with which the dirt is blown out with compressed air.

Be careful. Do not let the service crew clean the outdoor unit with a portable pressure washer— similar to the one used when washing cars. Very often, this cleaning method leads to damage to the air conditioner (heat exchanger plates bend).

An important area of ​​work of the service department is also regular monitoring of the compressor operating modes and checking the tightness of the freon circuit. Freon leakage, as a rule, occurs quite slowly and therefore is imperceptible to the owner (by the way, the normalized loss of 6 to 8% of the refrigerant per year is generally inevitable— due to the presence in the circuit of threaded connections and service valves that do not have absolute tightness). With poor-quality installation, freon can imperceptibly leak out with almost no residue in a few days or months. At first, the loss of tightness of the refrigerant does not affect the operation of the air conditioner, but after a while the compressor may completely fail. To compensate for leaks, the air conditioner must be topped up every 1.5-2 years.

There are several methods for checking and correcting the charge of the refrigerant. A leak can be detected, say, using a special device— leak detector. But quite often, service specialists do not have to use any equipment. The first signs of a decrease in the amount of freon in the system— formation of frost and ice on the fitting connections of the outdoor unit in the area of ​​copper pipes, as well as insufficient cooling of the air in the room (the temperature difference between the flow temperature at the inlet and outlet of the air conditioner should be approximately 10FROM).

The list of services for which you pay money to service specialists also includes electrical testing. Tofor example, checking the performance of the compressor motor or the drives of the fans of the outdoor and indoor units. The decision on the need for urgent, preventive repair can be made based on the results of a rapid analysis of the compressor oil, as well as when moisture enters the refrigeration circuit or due to refrigerant leaks. Naturally, only service specialists will be able to maintain the plasma air purification system, the ionization system and other newfangled “bells and whistles” that are now in the elite climate technology supplied to the Russian market.

Contacting the service department will help you get an independent assessment of the quality of installation work and make sure that the climate system is working after finishing the premises. Often, at the same time, it is possible to identify errors and shortcomings of installers that are dangerous for the air conditioner (for example, for some brands of air conditioners, the absence of a stabilizer that protects the compressor and control automation from power surges in the supply network can be considered a mistake) and builders-finishers. The latter can damage the lines of the refrigeration circuit, electrical communications, clog the drainage hole and the air duct with debris and dust.

Most of us have a rather vague idea of ​​the rules for operating air conditioners, although they are described in detail in the instructions attached to the device. Therefore, do not be afraid to ask questions to representatives of the service company. They will surely tell you many instructive stories. For example, about using the air conditioner in winter. The fact is that it is possible to turn on an air conditioner that is not adapted to cold weather only at an outside air temperature of at least -7FROM. Operation at lower temperatures entails the most detrimental consequences for technology— from reduced service life to instant compressor failure. In addition, when the split system is operating in cooling mode (users whose apartments are hot in winter due to central heating, often turn on the air conditioner to cold out of habit), the drain drain hole may freeze and condensate may leak from the indoor unit onto the wallpaper and onto the floor. If the device is not adapted by the manufacturer for cold weather, the service department will help you to do this. They will equip the air conditioner with the so-called all-season unit, which will expand the boundaries of its performance in the area of ​​low temperatures. (up to -20..-22FROM).

Smart automation

The automation system is practically maintenance-free. However, it is certainly worth talking about its role in relation to the procedure for servicing a domestic air conditioner. The fact is that good microprocessor control often allows the user to save on service maintenance. For example, on split systems from MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC, Daikin and some other manufacturers often provide a self-diagnostic system that can report error codes or malfunctions in the operation of the air conditioner, the number of starts and restarts of the compressor, etc.p. Cwith its help, it is much easier for the service department to determine the nature of the malfunction even before opening the device. The self-diagnosis system is especially useful when the outdoor unit is installed on a steep wall and only a climber (andhis services cost about $100). So, the self-diagnosis system will allow you to refuse the services of a climber, if the problem is hidden in the indoor unit and there is no point in climbing the wall.

Many progressive manufacturers provide various mechanical or electronic protection units in air conditioners, the use of which can save the device from damage as a result of violation of the operating rules. Andnevertheless, it must be clearly understood that no wisdom of the manufacturer relieves the user of the need to contact the service department.

Among the technical highlights that allow you to delay the call to the service center are high and low pressure switches, which are standardly supplied, for example, with household air conditioners of the CARRIER model range. The high pressure switch turns off the operation of the device if it is outside +40FROM or if the heat exchanger of the outdoor unit is heavily clogged with dirt and poplar fluff. It is clear that only a specialist can competently clean the heat exchanger of the outdoor unit. The same must be said about eliminating the cause of the low pressure switch tripping.freon leaks.

Some companies such as CHOFU, HITACHI, Daikinsometimes they use an electronic compressor current protection system instead of a high and low pressure switch, which allows you to indirectly determine the refilling or leakage of freon, dirty filters, etc.and protect the air conditioner from damage. BUThere on the devices of the «budget» series, there are usually no relays or compressor current protection units. Therefore, the owner of such equipment must be especially attentive to the observance of the rules for its operation and without fail order regular service from a worthy company.

How to choose a service company

The problems associated with the microclimate in your home can only be qualitatively solved by companies that have at least two years of experience in the air conditioning service market. Such companies, as a rule, offer a full range of services (fromselection to installation and maintenance of devices), have a warehouse of spare parts, a service center, specialized equipment.

It is impossible to provide a high level of service at bargain prices. The service department needs to maintain its own fleet of cars, pay salaries to specialists, etc.e. You also need a professional tool. Note that the required kit is only for one service team. $1200-1300. Branded consumables are also expensive, the use of which will certainly prevent damage to the main equipment.

When concluding an agreement with a company for the maintenance of an air conditioner, make sure that the text of the document contains all the services agreed earlier, as well as the timing of the planned work.

It is best if the specialists of the service center have been trained in the training centers of the manufacturers of the equipment they service.

When choosing a service center, ask to familiarize yourself with a package of documents regulating the work of the organization. ATit should include the following papers:

• certificate of the manufacturer of the serviced equipment, confirming the right of the service center to work with a specific trademark (certificate of the Authorized Service Center);
• certificate of conformity for «Installation, repair and maintenance of air conditioners»;
• certificate of conformity for «Repair of household electric heaters and fan heaters», which is issued by the service certification body of the All-Russian Research Institute of Certification (VNIIS);
• a document on checking the accuracy of the readings of the instruments used by the service center specialists in the course of their daily work.

Types and approximate cost of quarterly work on the annual maintenance of wall-mounted split systems with a capacity of up to 5 kW (cold)

The editors would like to thank the RUSSIAN VENTILATION COMPANY for their help in filming and the VERTEX company for their help in preparing the material.

• Source: Ideas for Your Home magazine#62