Cleaning FUJITSU Mini-Split Condenser Coil

[@broadcovearts6633]

Great video. Clear directions. No excess verbiage. Good shots of all key parts and of what to do.

[@cfldriven]

Thank you so much for the kind feedback, much appreciated.

[@57Dalv]

Excellent video - we have (2) of these units and recently had one that was under performing cooling in this heat wave. I had a HVAC tech come out and check it over. Basically, it couldn't "breathe" so he gently rinsed the rear fins that were clogged with the white pollen that floats each spring. That made a remarkable difference and now working as it should. After seeing this I am going to do the same process you showed us and throughly clean both units. Thanks very much for the guidance!

[@cfldriven]

Dal, thank you for the kind words and for wanting to insure your units continue performing at peak performance.

[@vivienmeierkelley4140]

I just had my Fujitsu cleaned yesterday...they cleaned the outside unit AND the inside unit on the wall. They actually took the inside unit apart and cleaned it very carefully with a sprayer...don't forget to clean the filters ! The outside unit is important to clean... but so is the one in inside your dusty old house! Also, they did not take the sides off the outside unit--just the top. Taking the sides off is tricky and really not necessary.

[@cfldriven]

Thank you for sharing your story, curious as to what the cost was for both in and out side cleaning. In my area minimum of $150 for exterior.

[@KerfMan]

Great video! I just had the Fujitsu mini splits 36,000 BTU installed. I've already gave it a good waxing! LOL. I definitely will come back to this video in 3 years when it's time to clean the unit. Thanks!

[@cfldriven]

Congrats on the Fujitsu, we went from super expensive to run heating coils in the ceiling to a much lower power bill and AC in the summer. Did you have to wait long get it? One of the condensers went out in Nov and the replacement just showed up last week, but one of the work slipped with the drill and now I have to wait for another replacement. Fortunately the leak in the old coil is very slow.

[@KerfMan]

@@cfldriven No we didn't have to wait at all. The contractor gave us his price on a Monday and installed the system the following Thursday. It's been installed about a month now. Great investment!

[@cfldriven]

@@KerfMan In these logistic challenged days that is great news. I agree with you it was a great investment that keeps us comfortable year round. Make sure to stay on top of regularly cleaning the filters. Here is a playlist on cleaning the filters and other Fujitsu related items. kzbin.info/aero/PLoL8aT_nHnwTz9BP0T2pbHhTC7vbpmZW0

[@dennybrown4964]

Love the comment to start, “ I never tried it but based on cost (5) at $200 a pop, I’m going to try it myself.” Really well done and easy to follow.

[@cfldriven]

Denny, thank you for watching and taking the time to comment.

[@secretariat1703]

I have a Napoleon unit that looks just like your Fujitsu. Great video mate!

[@cfldriven]

Thank you for the feedback.

[@markmanning2451]

Thanks for the exact information I needed before I do mine.

[@cfldriven]

Glad to hear you found this video useful. Thank for the view and writing.

[@h.martin2910]

Very informative video, thanks for sharing. I have 3 three mini splits and will have to clean them eventually. They are not even a year old and when I checked they are still clean. I also built shelters over them so they should stay fairly clean. I now have a good idea how to take them apart thanks to your video. Keep up the good work ! I subscribed to your channel.

[@cfldriven]

Martin, thank you for the kind words and subscription. Always looking to share the things I have learned. Hopefully this video empowered you.

[@vigneag]

Great video! Very informative and to the point. I do have a question. In the video you mentioned that you clean the the evaporator coil inside and outside. The video shows cleaning the potion of the inside & outside corner but not the back. My question is do you also spray the inside & outside section of the coil at the back of the unit for cleaning?

[@cfldriven]

Germain, since air gets drawn in from the back I would spray both sides to loosen up all the debris.

[@Paul-w9r1r]

Thank you for you time and info. And if you want to get all the "fins" in order, I like to see then not touching each other, to maximise efficiency. Use an old credit card to separate and align, credit to others for this idea given to me. Indeed fan orientation can catch some out. Mine is an earlier model Fujitsu and getting the side cover + top cover re-installed is an ABSOLUTE pain in the ARSE. I sorted out rust areas and re sprayed them. BTW I'm in OZ and the EXACT paint match, condenser box over here is; Dulux - metalshield (multipurpose) - colour = DUNE. Yours looks the same colour, assume they will be WW..

[@cfldriven]

Paul, thank for the tip with the credit card and the matching paint color. It is now going on 3yrs so I just added this to my spring project list. I appreciate you watching and sharing.

[@Paul-w9r1r]

@@cfldriven apologies for my terse wordage in my comment. Was v.jealous of how your side panels and top fitted, easily and neatly. My unit ~ 15yr old with one integrated side panel with a v.small cut-out (on bottom) to clip into base and then a top cover with angled corners. Cleaning easy as, haha, putting covers back, ahhh, one side on other pops off etc, very difficult, hence comment words. All the best.....

[@cfldriven]

@@Paul-w9r1r Yet despite the hassle you continue with the cleaning. Congrats!

[@knightday1973]

Great video. Informative and good camera work. I took the outside one apart and just lightly used compressed air. It didn't seem that dirty after 2 years. I might do what you did in another 2 years. Thanks.

[@cfldriven]

The important thing is cleaning it and keeping the unit efficient. Thank you for the feed back.

[@rickm4038]

Great detail, thank you for doing this video! Curious to see how you do the inside units?

[@cfldriven]

Rick, thank you for the feedback. Removing the case to the indoor unit is tricky and actually getting access even worse. I watched a tech take one apart and the risk of damaging is high. Unlike the Mitsubishi this is not a user friendly box. I do recommend cleaning the air filters monthly. kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3nWYZptadeMgMk

[@rickm4038]

@@cfldriven I have already performed the inside units cleaning before I searched for a compressor outside coil cleaning video. And I did it inside unit cleaning based on what I did to the previous Dakin units that I replaced with Fujitsu. I have to say that the Fujitsu arrangement that I installed is superior to the Dakin product, simply because the Fujitsu product cut my energy bill in half !

[@cfldriven]

@@rickm4038 I agree they are crazy efficient systems, which keep us comfortable year round at minimum cost.

[@andremachadomonte]

Very good material here! Thank you very much for the video!!

[@cfldriven]

You are most welcome. Thanks for the view.

[@jamesderrico719]

Great video! Very thorough.

[@cfldriven]

Thank you for the kind feedback.

[@David-fk1fz]

Thank you. Excellent video

[@cfldriven]

It is a lot of work, but great sense of accomplishment and you save money over hiring a tech. Thanks for watching.

[@Browneye2566]

What about the inside head unit?

[@cfldriven]

The inside unit can be challenging to take apart, I would recommend HVAC person with experience as it can be easy to damage the unit. Something much easier to tackle every month is cleaning the filters. kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3nWYZptadeMgMk

[@RSingh316]

Very detailed. Thank you. Wonder if you have a similar for indoor unit.

[@cfldriven]

So far only the cleaning of the air filters kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3nWYZptadeMgMk Maybe next year when I look into the price of getting those indoor units cleaned. lol Thanks for watching.

[@buzoff4642]

@@cfldriven Price for indoor cleaning is just as bad. I have two and same thing, $250 per unit to clean. Outrageous. I did find instruction on how to take interior cover off, but the instructions are wrong, and the cover isn't coming off. Bad asthma, need to do this.

[@buzoff4642]

@@cfldriven ps, days to dig this up, how to take the cover off the interior. Cleaned the inside one today. This link "Click to see full answer", leads to Fujitsu site with instructions to take off the cover: askinglot.com/how-do-you-take-the-cover-off-a-fujitsu-halcyon I had to create an account on Fujitsu to see the doc, so I created an account and clicked again. I took my cover off, using the instructions on page 2 and 3 (I'm not taking the blower wheel off). My particular machine has 3 hook catches in the middle of the cover, so on top of removing the screws, I had to give it a compelling pull, and off it came.

[@cfldriven]

@@buzoff4642 I seen other units opened up but not the Fujitsu. My casual inspection leads to believe it will be trickier than most. I would say that is probably a big fail as they do need to be cleaned on a regular basis.

[@cfldriven]

@@buzoff4642 Thank you for sharing the link.

[@guthrie_1]

I just wanna point out the “evaporator coil cleaner” would be for the indoor unit, AKA “the evaporator”. You generally use condenser coil cleaner for the condenser, which is the outdoor unit, but I’m sure there’s very little difference in effectiveness between the two.

[@cfldriven]

Guthrie, you are correct on both counts. It is gentle enough for DIYer indoor use, but still gets the outdoor condenser clean. Thank you for sharing the info.

[@buzoff4642]

Especially outdoors, especially doing 5 of these, it'd be in your best interest to glue a magnet under your screw tray. Because if it is knocked, kicked, dropped, it'd be a big nuisance finding those screws in leaf litter.

[@cfldriven]

Good tip, plus you can use the magnet to help you find the screw after it decides to run away.

[@buzoff4642]

Another note for future use: Nu-Calgon Evap Foam No Rinse, stated on this page as "Can Stain", hvacbeginners.com/air-conditioners/coil-cleaner/ I used it on the inside unit of my Fujitsu split duct, and it did indeed stain it. I can't say if it'd stain the outside enamel painted unit.

[@cfldriven]

@@buzoff4642 Thanks for sharing the info.

[@infnity_in_trinity6034]

Do you have a video or reference for how to detach & clean the air handler inside the house?? Thanks for the effort! I have a Halcyon as well but no info on how to remove the shell to get into the fins and roller.

[@cfldriven]

Have not yet tackled the indoor unit. If you have the installation manual Part # 9320456030-02 (check online if you don't) page 7 takes you through the front panel removal. Best of luck.

[@infnity_in_trinity6034]

@@cfldriven thanks a million! You saved me hundreds of dollars. I bought the solution to clean the fins from Supply House so now it's time to save some $$$. I owe you!

[@cfldriven]

@@infnity_in_trinity6034 I'll accept 10% of the savings. LOL. Delighted to hear the video helped with your project. Much success and don't lose the screws.

[@Jeff_Crittendon]

Thank you! Very helpful, just cleaned mine

[@Richard-q3f1h]

very good video!

[@cfldriven]

Richard, thanks for taking the time to watch and support the channel.

[@francoisdanielo5765]

Great video. Where can I buy the OEM screws for the casing? Thanks

[@cfldriven]

I have yet to need additional OEM screws, but I would first check with your local Fujitsu dealer. I don't think these fasteners are unique to Fujitsu.

[@wfraser01]

Outstanding instruction

[@cfldriven]

Thank you for the feedback and for watching.

[@rosco2025]

MFGA (Make Fujitsu Great Again!) From 🗽 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 New Zealand 🗽 🗽 🇺🇸!

[@cfldriven]

Wanted a unit that has been around for a while, and like Mitsubishi it is a big seller outside US. In my area the Fujitsu was much cheaper and more flexible.

[@crowderglen]

Looks like a new unit!

[@cfldriven]

Applying car wax helps the look last longer. Thanks for watching.

[@crowderglen]

@@cfldriven I’m defiantly going to try that out.

[@robertburns2223]

Good job. Should of taken air temperature blowing across the coils before and after just to see what the temperatures were. Good job though

[@cfldriven]

Robert, thank you for watching and the feedback.

[@markmanning2451]

Does your wife and your family get annoyed with how thorough and exacting you are? 😂😂

[@limbalongislandmetrobusine8397]

Easy to follow, thanks

[@cfldriven]

Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment.

[@TerrenceLannon]

Could a dirty outside unit be causing my units inside to keep faulting??

[@cfldriven]

I would imagine if it was totally clogged up it would throw a fault, but prior to that you would have noticed the blower air being warmer and running longer. Take a look at the coil and see if it super dirty or if the problem is elsewhere.

[@jamesorellana9930]

what type of trunking is that on the wall ?

[@cfldriven]

I have no idea, it was something the installers put in. Its made of plastic and after several years has held up nicely.

[@userbosco9219]

Very helpful, thanks! This is what KZbin is all about! Stink bug @2:52 tho.... :-[

[@cfldriven]

Delighted to hear the video was helpful. Thank you for taking the time to watch. I hate bugs!

[@sandymartin9467]

Good video

[@cfldriven]

Thanks for the feedback and for taking the time to watch.

[@thanosetsitty1896]

Not bad for first time. Not bad at all.

[@cfldriven]

Well you get a lot of practice with five units. I was great on the last one.

[@tptm100]

I wonder if you're better off spraying the coil with a Teflon spray to protect the metal coil especially if you are near salt water .

[@cfldriven]

Purpose of the spray is to loosen and remove all the dirt caught in the fins off, Teflon won't help with that. If near coastal waters a product specially designed for such applications like, Coil Shield would stops salt air corrosion.

[@jamesduzan3345]

I watched up to the statement ' I've never done this before.'

[@cfldriven]

James, I get it I have watch to many YT video with people making stuff up, but I had actually researched on how to do this safely and correctly. We always have a first time and I was just being honest about it. Thank you for watching as much as you did.

[@markmanning2451]

Wow, you are fast!😂

[@cfldriven]

Five units take up a lot of time, but cheaper than having the HVAC guy do it.

[@MB-zk7pz]

Id just take a hose to the outside coils n rinse down every so often when i have the hose out. Simple.

[@cfldriven]

Simple and helpful, but like brushing your teeth you still need to get a deep cleaning from the hygienist, same with the coil as over time there will be build up. With my old one stage AC I could pull the top off and clean the inside, these mini-split don't allow for that.

[@sandymartin9467]

Did that work for you? Would caked up coils cause only 1 mini split to leak water on wall?

[@DesjardinsDanielle]

En français svp merci

[@cfldriven]

Et merci d'avoir pris le temps de regarder ma vidéo.

[@markmanning2451]

Lugs, not catches, maybe?!

[@jimmyjackson9090HVAC]

way over kill indoor filter, blower wheel and evap coil are what will kill the performance of you mini split if the pluged up. the blower wheel is always collecting dust and that will affect the airflow and performance. This guy is good at what he dose but if you take your unit apart like this and fuck somthing up say good by to your warranty

[@cfldriven]

Jimmy, unlike the blower which has two filters, there are no such filter on the outdoor condenser, meaning they will eventually clog up. A decrease in airflow will result in a decrease in efficiency. As can be seen in the video the procedure is straight forward and as I warn in the description "Improper handling can result in injury, death or damage to unit. Always hire a profession if beyond your skill level." The video does detail precautions and where not to spray water. Your warning about f*&^ing something up applies to any device under warranty. Thank you for sharing.

[@jimmyjackson9090HVAC]

@cfldriven Im just telling you what I've seen and what i know from installing and repairing mini slipts for the last 20 years. The blower wheel on the indoor unit attacks dust like a magnet no matter how often you clean the filters. And when the dirt/dust packs on each vain of that blower wheel, it will not move the Designed airflow and that will hurt the Efficiency/performance of the unit. The indoor coil and indoor blower wheel being dirty will cause a problem the homeowner will notice way befor a dirty condenser coil

[@cfldriven]

@@jimmyjackson9090HVAC A major fault with this Fujitsu air handler kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3nWYZptadeMgMk is the blower wheel is not user accessible, even with the entire cover off you still can not get to it. This actually requires a tech to tape apart or for professional cleaning. Thus the consumer is left with cleaning filters, and vacuuming some of the coils. Washing the external condenser on a regular bases is also prudent.

[@jimmyjackson9090HVAC]

They make a kit for cleaning indoor units its a big bib that gose around the unit and lets you wash it in place and it funnels the dirty water into a bucket below

[@jimmyjackson9090HVAC]

But yes the fujitsu is a pain to get the blower wheel out

[@markoplixo]

If the coil was very dirty, it would be advisable to split the coil.

[@cfldriven]

I would not risk damaging coils be trying to split them. This cleanser can easily penetrate from both sides to get them clean.

[@markoplixo]

@@cfldriven I agree that homeowners should never do something they don’t feel comfortable with, however that is the advisable technique for cleaning double layer coils to avoid pushing dirt in to the center.

[@cfldriven]

@@markoplixo Thank you for sharing, now knowing this if it got that dirty I would definitely call a pro to clean it.

[@thrivermedias1880]

Would be helpful if you say or link to a source for How to split the coil.

[@Squad44ICOhappened]

$1000 MB!?!?! WTF!?!?!

[@cfldriven]

Servicing any HVAC unit is not cheap.

[@Squad44ICOhappened]

@@cfldriven definitely, but my computer motherboard for $100 makes that mobo look like a joke. You can buy that outdoor unit for cheaper!!!

[@cfldriven]

@@Squad44ICOhappened True, but each is for a different purpose with different distribution and monetization criteria. As you point out most appliances are very costly to diagnose and repair with cost exceeding or coming close to replacement cost.

[@vmax673]

She’s a left but she’s also a tightly!!! Lol

[@rosco2025]

There are screws for Africa 🌍!

[@JAFO44]

"This looks like.." "Maybe this.." "If I try this..." You are WAY OUT OF YOUR DEPTH AND SHOLDNT BE NEAR A MINI SPLIT COMPRESSOR. And unless you are a licensed Fujitsu Mini Split dealer\ installer you just voided the owners warranty

[@cfldriven]

Sorry you didn't like my real world experience. I did my research and tackled each challenge as it occurred just like any homeowner should do. Thank you for watching and taking the time to share.

[@aleksandarn4859]

​@@cfldrivenHello friends. What do you recommend from Fujitsu inverter air conditioner, should I take LLCE or LMCE?

[@cfldriven]

@@aleksandarn4859 You really need to have Fujitsu HVAC dealers come out and determine what is best for your climate zone, home, lifestyle, amount of existing insulation.

[@aleksandarn4859]

@@cfldriven In Serbia, it's not exactly such a system, I think it can be, but it requires money, and I decided for these models myself, I know that the LMCE12 model is newer but also more expensive. I'm interested in whether it's worth buying an older Fujitsu LLCE model compared to other brands from LG, Vivax... of course I mean some middle budget segment (600-700eur), there are also LG air conditioners and more than 1000eur.

[@cfldriven]

@@aleksandarn4859 Sorry not familiar enough with products to offer assistance.

[@worlddemize]

take it to the junk yard thats how I clean them

[@cfldriven]

Mike, that an expensive fix to a dirty condenser coil. For the benefit of low cost heating and cooling, to me it worth the time to regularly clean them. Thank you for watching.

[@worlddemize]

fact is I didn't watch your video I seen a FuJunkSu sitting there and gave you the best advice all Year , You Are Welcome @@cfldriven

[@markmanning2451]

Mask!

[@cfldriven]

I did not see the need for a mask since I was spraying water and the cleaner didn't give off noxious odor. Maybe safety glasses would have been a wise choice to avoid getting the solution in the eyes. Thank you for bringing up the subject.

[@gyut56re3]

I watched until he said he never did this before.

[@cfldriven]

Sorry you missed out because I ended up cleaning five of those units that day. My prior experience was with plain AC condenser coil unit, thus this was my first mini-split. Still it was demonstration of the logical steps in figuring out how to expose the coil and safely cleaning it. Hopefully you'll watch the rest.

[@buzoff4642]

@@cfldriven Thanks for posting it. We can all learn together.

[@cfldriven]

@@buzoff4642 Indeed. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

[@bigmacdaddy1234]

Then make your own video about you doing this before.

[@gyut56re3]

@@bigmacdaddy1234 Are you a Mac daddy?? Cool!

[@michaelcostello6991]

video way too long. Just get on with it.

[@cfldriven]

Sorry you find it too long, was just trying to make sure all the info was conveyed. Will look for ways to trim down future videos. Thank you for the feedback.

[@bigmacdaddy1234]

He did 'get on with it'. It's not his fault you have attention deficit disorder. Go take medication.

[@thrivermedias1880]

Awesome you are open to adjusting. I haven’t time to listen specifically to your video in detail and off the top some tips are to quickly show the needed items which is awesome you put at the beginning of your video so many people don’t do that but rather than say out loud each item put a list down below and say the list is down below so you don’t have to point and say the garden hose and nozzle and all of that . Little things add up. also I didn’t check for yours but many videos have unnecessary filler words that if you look at the transcripts of your own videos which you can do easily on KZbin you can find words that are necessary if you’re planning to do a lot of videos. and fast forwarding sort through certain parts but I did I didn’t look if yours could benefit from that