Short #57 – Ductless Cleaning Guide

In this short podcast episode, Bryan covers ductless or mini-split cleaning. He collaborated with SpeedClean to map out this procedure and write a guide, which you can read HERE.

Cleaning is ultimately a maintenance procedure, so one of the main goals is to keep energy efficiency high (watts per BTU). You can test energy efficiency by using two psychrometers: one up top and one going into the vanes. You can check the delta T and fan charts to determine the performance. Overall, you clean ductless units to improve system performance, equipment longevity, and indoor air quality. Be clean; wear shoe covers and put down drop cloths in the customer's home.

First, you confirm the system operation and do a visual/auditory inspection. Then, make sure you have all of the PPE you need, especially goggles and gloves.

Usually, you will clean the evaporator, blower wheel, air filters, and condenser coil. Pay attention to the drain and condensate pump as well; they can clog and negatively affect your system.

We often use the bib kit indoors. When you use one of those bib kits, you can clean the evaporator (and sometimes the blower wheel) in place. The bib goes over the ductless unit, so cleaning is seamless and shouldn't make a mess as it runs off into a bucket. We recommend using a pump sprayer like the SpeedClean CoilJet; bringing a hose in can cause a mess and is impractical.

When you've finished cleaning, make sure you let everything dry completely. We like to keep plenty of rags on us so that we can wipe everything down. After you think everything has dried, you can test the system. (It's a good idea to keep the bib on at first to prevent the unit from splashing liquid everywhere.)

Learn more about SpeedClean HERE.

Learn more about Refrigeration Technologies HERE.

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