Clean Your Ductless Mini-Split! NOT Maintenance-Free!

[@weemeemoo]

Holy moly, I rented an apartment for 5 years with the Mitsubishi system, and it was never serviced. I developed a chronic cough and never knew why until now. Thank you for posting this video, and I only wish I'd known sooner!

[@HomePerformance]

Sorry to hear that- btw, it's not just this brand, they all do this to my knowledge.

[@weemeemoo]

@@HomePerformance thank you -- if it wasn't for your video, I was going to install these systems into my own rental units but don't think monthly or quarterly maintenance will be practical. I'll switch to forced air instead, despite the lower efficiency. Which system would you use?

[@HomePerformance]

Totally depends on the situation- you’re right in thinking there is no ‘perfect pill’ for every home!

[@weemeemoo]

@@HomePerformance true, thanks again!

[@adrian_sanchez]

I'm actually here because I'm getting a air quality test for my house in two days. My wife has had eczema and food allergies for over a year now and mold is suspect. We can't see it anywhere though. I'm going to tell the crew to check the mini-split

[@joyfulmama28]

9 months pregnant and I’ve been sleeping on the couch under our mini split, waking up with a wheeze. My husband just figured it out and found your video. Thank you!

[@HomePerformance]

Great to hear!

[@michaelray5826]

Same here had a stuffed nose and was waking up wheezy every day.

[@catherineromero1862]

I just realized this about mine. I’ve been have a terrible rash all over and finally traced it to the mini split. Having it cleaned today and tomorrow (2 units) I’ve been here 2 years and didn’t know this needed to be done.

[@JaguarPriest]

How are you doing now?

[@catherineromero1862]

@@JaguarPriest doing great!

[@delananicholson3444]

Ours is growing what looks like mushrooms inside it. I’m working on cleaning it now.

[@HomePerformance]

Holy crap, good work

[@leesunlung]

I guess that’s the reason when you haven’t run the unit for long time, the instructions manual says should run the heat first so it could take the moisture away. But you are right, you still need to clean it

[@srice3571]

I see many videos where the HVAC techs only hit the blower wheel with a pressure washer. This is not enough to remove mold! We just cleaned 2 of these neglected units in our home we rent. After blasting the dust off we sprayed with coil cleaner , rinsed and then soaked in the bathtub with dawn. It still looked like it had been rolled around in potting soil. I alternated a soft scrub brush/ rinse until it ran clean.

[@HomePerformance]

Good work, thanks for watching

[@kleineroteHex]

putting in a new system - got rid of heavy always moldy and hard to clean window units! So before we even put the new system to work I am looking into the cleaning!

[@HomePerformance]

Nice. Glad you found us. Check out Carrier’s new design, very easy to clean.

[@Tc-gt5vm]

My final pass of all the plastic behind the “doors” during a deep clean is with a heavy duty paper towel damp with evaporator coil cleaner. My preference is the Viper Brand by Refrigeration Technologies . I have a blower assembly that looks like I cleaned 4 years ago that I just serviced this past week. No further cleaning needed. I recommend the Viper Pan and Drain Treatment to help the system drain better. If the condensation does not sit in the pan as long, it can’t get slung around by the blower wheel. Perhaps you might find success with this as well. I know this sounds a bit like a commercial for Refrigeration Technologies but I am a service tech who uses this stuff because in my opinion it is the best and I like happy customers. Peace

[@HomePerformance]

Rock on, TC, thanks for sharing

[@abel5925]

I do mine at the start of the season and end of the season. I’m gonna learn how to replace the ducting myself so I can go through & replace the pieces I can’t reach when cleaning

[@HomePerformance]

Cool man

[@denisewarren4008]

How often should the mini splits be cleaned?

[@capitolrefrigerationheatin7501]

a lot of people steam the coils and there is a drop cloth tarp kit that collects the dirty water in a garbage can,the coils do get real gross looking

[@superspeeder]

So is it the always on nature of a mini split that leads to this disgusting mould situation? Standard AC coils in furnace air handler’s don’t seem to suffer from this situation. They do, however, have a good filtration of the incoming return air.

[@HomePerformance]

Only if you let your maintenance schedule go- with regular cleaning every 6 months, no problem

[@penelopepi]

I would imagine the mold/mildew buildup may happen more often/easier in a 200 ft unit versus your average sized home. I know there's lots to consider related to how many people are in that space and, as mentioned, maybe airflow.

[@kylemyers6813]

Can I please have the link for cleaning this unit I wanna see the fans come out so I don't mess mine up. Thanks

[@HomePerformance]

Ductless Minisplit: How to Take Apart & Clean DIY kzbin.info/www/bejne/aJaZk6xmqbtrnpY

[@b4804514]

Corbett I am of the opinion that we come into contact with much worse bacteria and air borne deseases than what was growing in the fan of this unit on a daily basis and that your immune system is adjusting to the environment to fight off disease all the time. I agree that this small environment concentrates the particles. Where I live the windows are open most days and the outdoor air exchange is fast and adequate but in an environment where the AC is on all the time like Florida it becomes more important to keep up with the cleaning of these HVAC items.

[@HomePerformance]

More concerned about my daughters than myself generally. In a high performance house, the windows tend not to be open for long stretches, because it messes with the equilibrium. If you like to have windows open a lot, we recommend not building high performance- keep it breezy.

[@cems70]

.....breezy = energy waste. A better solution for a tight house is an HRV or ERV for appropriate air exchanges WITH energy recovery to prevent the loss of conditioned air during the exchange.

[@WelshRabbit]

Corbett, are you, or have you ever been a professional audio book narrator? Just listening to your voice, I find it a delight and extremely easy on the ears. I could listen to you for hours on end and enjoy every minute. A "great set of pipes" like yours needs to be shared with others.

[@HomePerformance]

Hey, thanks! What a nice compliment!

[@stevepailet8258]

as hard to believe as it is.. I actually do clean my filter on my ac units. The big filter is super good at keeping my unit clean. The window unit.. I do check and the coils are pristine. Only takes a minute to do maintenance. Not sure how much it saves on energy.. but do know after years of use still have clean coils that do a great job of dehumidifying and cooling. Oh and just for grins .. My units are undersized so they dont continuously cycle on and off. Something I learned years ago working at a hvac supply house.

[@HomePerformance]

😎

[@hydroaegis6658]

The only thing I haven't seen mold/mildew grow on is polished granite.

[@HomePerformance]

Maybe you haven’t gotten it wet enough yet

[@nunyabusiness863]

Thanks for this. Self installed my splits 2 years ago and literally just figured this today. Thanks for this. Edit: by figured out i mean interior dripping. Thought I installed the drains wrong somehow but nope, just condensate due to the alien creature that had overtaken the surfaces. Smh.

[@GreenLittleRobot]

Can you elaborate on what your issue was and the fix? Maybe it's similar to my issue. I'm currently experiencing interior dripping and the drain pan and drain lines are draining water fine. Yet my split still leaking water inside. Sometimes it spits water out of the fan area.

[@HomePerformance]

Are you sure it’s perfectly level?

[@GreenLittleRobot]

@@HomePerformance I'm assuming so as it has never done this before. I've had it 2 years and a pro installed it. It is summer and high heat and humidity currently so there's more condensation than normal but still don't get why droplets fall from behind the fan.

[@HomePerformance]

Try turning your fan speed down.

[@naturalhealing9970]

Does it matter which part of the country you are in? Would this be worst in the southern states?

[@HomePerformance]

Anywhere humid, so Northwest would need this too.

[@frankgall6]

Almost every ductless unit I service looks like that, unfortunately most customers say oh maybe next season I’ll have you do it. It’s gross

[@HomePerformance]

Yeah buddy

[@whatheavensaid]

Thank you!!! You have the best demo videos I could find + the best music. 🙂

[@HomePerformance]

Aw thanks Alice!

[@ohmercy5924]

I don’t know if my unit is a “mini split” or not. It is a built in heat and air blowing system. There isn’t a round cylinder though, it’s a block. I live in a 26 floor senior citizen bldg. I clean the filter fairly regularly and have tried to get a vacuum crevice tool in with poor results. A few months ago i began wondering if my dogs allergies could be the result of unclean air- he never had issues til we moved into this bldg. anyway, through research I realized I could remove the whole front of the unit! OMG- disgusting! It took at least an hour to clean each unit- The grime and gunk was unbelievable. Maintenance cleans the filters once a year- whooped- I was able to actually clean the plastic air intake and output covers- the worst was around the duct - I reached in a bit. Now I’m realizing that the owners of the property never have the system serviced- (is that a thing?)and it’s freaking me out. There are over 350 people living here- how healthy is it- more importantly how UNHEALTHY is it? Thanks for the video.

[@HomePerformance]

Good for you, taking matters in hand. Yes, it can be unhealthy, yes never servicing the HVAC is a sad thing that happens more than you’d hope. Health effects vary person to person (or dog). You improved the situation.

[@billiamc1969]

No explanation on how to take the unit apart to clean

[@HomePerformance]

I refer to the instructionsl vid several times- link is in the notes

[@buzoff4642]

These systems are not designed to be taken apart, by homeowner, let alone on a regular basis. Thus, if this is HVAC pro necessary, they are not total-cost-of-ownership effective.

[@HomePerformance]

This one is, Buz! kzbin.info/www/bejne/bmLEYqGehs2Vr6c

[@buzoff4642]

@@HomePerformance Okay, 50% better, removal of blower wheel. Still need to take the face of it off, to clean coils, the other half of thorough cleaning of the indoor cassette. Did they address that?

[@MrSkyTown]

I don’t know how to open mine

[@brandonjohnson7851]

My units never get dirty filters barely get dusty

[@HomePerformance]

Ok man

[@brandonjohnson7851]

But why Is that

[@HomePerformance]

Maybe it’s not running as much as you imagine

[@brandonjohnson7851]

It runs 24/7

[@ebrewste]

I just had the same experience last week. I was absolutely horrified the caked up dust and mold on my minisplit blower. Here is the link to your cleaning video you mentioned in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aJaZk6xmqbtrnpY

[@HomePerformance]

High five

[@Foche_T._Schitt]

Not going to give a UV light a try?

[@HomePerformance]

I’ve heard it’s been developed for minisplits, but I’d want to know more- the choice between live bugs and dead bugs doesn’t seem black and white to me. I’d still think cleaning is 100% necessary.

[@Foche_T._Schitt]

@@HomePerformance Yeah, you'll have to clean the dust. But it should prevent mold growth between cleanings. I figured you could perform the most objective test with one.

[@sommasculpture]

you need to remediate your home not just clean the unit

[@beerye3750]

Good video, but couldn't hear the guy cleaning it much.

[@eezy3958]

But did you dieeee??? (Mr. Chow)

[@mikesaraceno4942]

💯👍🏼

[@Liu-ruyan]

He didn't do nothing he just keep talking about that he needed to clean his AC unit but then show it and constantly talked about it that he cleaned it and waited too long.

[@HomePerformance]

Dude, click the link for the original video. The one that flashed onscreen and is in the video description.

[@BOYSWILLBEBOYS2010]

Wow this was zero help. 👎🏼

[@HomePerformance]

Well if you simply click the link in the video or in the description, you’ll find the video I bet you were looking for. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aJaZk6xmqbtrnpY

[@coldfinger459sub0]

I show my customers before they purchased one from me all the photos and videos of all the different make and manufactures mildew problems and what kind of maintenance needs to be performed before you buy. If the customer can afford it I push the low static or medium static pressure ductless built into a soffit in the wall or ceiling and add a 20“ x 30“ or biggest practical Merv 16, 5 inch deep pleated filter for years of maintenance free performance.

[@TrogdorBurnin8or]

Do you mean a ducted mini-split? Got any more information on this option?

[@coldfinger459sub0]

Trogdor Burninator wall mount. The ducted you can add air filters to and because the way their blower wheel and coil is set up on the ducted they do not have such a tendency to mildew. If you’re installing ducted do yourself a favor and add 2 to 3 times the amount of surface area of filter media that is recommended.

[@TrogdorBurnin8or]

@@coldfinger459sub0 Are there any posts I could read or videos I could watch that elaborate on this difference in tendency to mildew?

[@ducharmehvactraining925]

ducted splits have the same issues there is no free lunch!

[@coldfinger459sub0]

@@ducharmehvactraining925 not nearly as much and not on my installs. Mine always come with oversize Merv 16 5 inch deep pleated filters nothing gets dirty inside.

[@gonnfishy2987]

Ít perplexes me that the filters are at the front of the unit however the coil is on top of the blower, wrapped around as such. A bit of “window dressing” going on…?? 🤌🏻 Edit: i have had to become master of minisplit cleaning, no way I’m paying for what i do for fun