How to Clean Mini Split Head Unit - This one is pretty gross! Also tips to keep it clean longer

[@wsmithpa1]

My installer told us we need a interior deep cleaning and want to do it every two years for $850. This is a suprise to us since we paid $20,000 for a super cost efficient system. 425$ a year on top of everything else does not sound cost efficient. I guess i will be doing it myself. Thank you for the great video.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

You are welcome. You can take some of the units apart farther than I did. Take out the blower wheel, etc. It is difficult on some units so I didn’t show it, that makes it a little more expensive. I was gearing this video more towards anyone doing it… and a way to clean any unit… Hope it helps save you some money 👍👍

[@fabriziodiniciacci5109]

are you doing yearly maintenance to your car and you don't want to do it the the system that is producing cold or hot air and it's getting unhealthy due to many factors ? Do you care more of your car or to your health ? It's seems you prefer to breathe unhealthy air full of chemical

[@suzannehynes235]

Appreciate seeing a way to do this without taking the unit apart. Thank you.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

@@suzannehynes235 you are welcome… that’s why I did it this way, help those who don’t want to disassemble the whole thing

[@kenji-xj2ft]

thanks this helped me out alot and my mini split is blowing way more efficient and gets cooler faster! definitely saved me $300 to 400$

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

@@kenji-xj2ft you are welcome, glad it helped 👍

[@Stefan_Kawalec]

Beautifully executed job. You can tell that's not your first rodeo. Mini-splits are always neglected, because people think that they so not require any maintenance. Video features are getting better and better. Do as much of this type of videos as you can, please.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

It always amazes me how many people don’t know their conventional units don’t have filters, but I think that is multiplied with Mini-Splits. They are becoming more and more popular here. This could be a full-time business for someone, I just hope it’s not me 😂. Will do on the videos. I prefer work orders/service work (the work and the videos) but it seems I have been project heavy here lately. Tried mounting my phone on my head with it extended out on this one. That way I could at least glance at the phone and see what I might be recording unlike the GoPro. One of these days I will find the sweet spot. As always, great to hear from you!

[@Stefan_Kawalec]

@@MORGANSMaintenance Here in Europe it's the most common in-house AC system. I do not service mini-splits. Usually while renovating/decorating/redecorating I do all the wall-chasing, cables, condensate pipes and a friend of mine does the installation (we always show our clients what should be done to keep the AC clean). And later on he does the service and cleaning. His stories about neglected units are both gross and funny. Whatever you're doing with filming gear each time the outcome is better and better.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

@@Stefan_Kawalec Gross and Funny is what makes the job interesting 😂

[@Stefan_Kawalec]

@@MORGANSMaintenance Gross is what makes my bills being paid and funny makes it interesting. It's astounding how eagerly people are willing to pay to clean their dirt.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

@@Stefan_Kawalec so very true… sewage issues is the best bang for the buck!

[@rodney9409]

Cleaning without removing the blower works for me like you did, but I do losen the drain pan and clean that as well.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

👍👍

[@stephenbrock1061]

What a great, thorough, informative video. Thank you so much. The links were a nice touch.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

You are welcome. Thanks for the feedback. I’m still learning how to film while working… one day I may get better at it 😂 Thanks for watching and taking the time to encourage 👍

[@charliehumber6383]

Very helpful video, thanks for the time filming & explaining this process.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Your welcome. I hope it helps 👍

[@jonowen2699]

What a great detailed, helpful video thank you so much.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

@@jonowen2699 you are welcome 👍👍

[@kittyexotica5635]

Just found this video today. I live in a tiny house with a Daikin system. I had noticed crap blowing from the heads so had someone out today to clean them. Imagine my surprise to see the blower wheels caked with dirt like the one in the video. My unit was new when installed 3 years ago and I clean my filters monthly when i change my whole house water filter. My question is how could it get so dirty in 3 years, especially with regular filter maintenance? Its just me and a cat so no kids trackkng in dirt. How often should they be deep cleaned? Would an air purifier help?

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

That’s what the units in the video were as well. They have been the “dirtiest” ones out of those I’ve serviced. So it may be partly design. The filters may not do that great of a job.

[@KoolinwithKrauss]

HIRED!! Right on man! Solid job,👍🏻 have u ever removed one of the blower wheels to clean them? Can be such a pain!

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

There are (3) of these and that is what needs to happen to them. I’ve not taken on that task before. I’ve only done this a few times, most people love the dirty air. Good to know this job COULD be worse 😂😂😂

[@KoolinwithKrauss]

@@MORGANSMaintenance you did a bang up job man 👍🏻 honestly most people don’t pay as much mine to their mini splits as they would a full split system. That’s exactly how it’s done man and as long as the routinely maintenance them like you said, than no issues!!

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

@@KoolinwithKrauss I appreciate it… I thought I may get slayed but some HVAC guys because I’ve never actually seen anyone do it to have something to go by.

[@Rockollecter]

Is this the reason why mold growth is so common? I would imagine that with even a little bit of that water drip behind the unit would cause mold on its own. But what about the water inside the coils? How do you know when it’s dry enough to turn it back on safely? 😱 My son and I are so allergic to mold. My husband does his best, but he’s not as paranoid as I am!

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

If you cover the electrical compartment so it doesn’t get wet, nothing else is really impacted by the water and it can be turned on not long after you are finished. (The drier it is, the less water the blower will blow out into the room…. Like a dog shaking off from getting wet) This one was covered in dust, then the condensate pipe was clogged which led to water overflowing into the unit getting that dust wet. Probably happened several times, with the pipe getting unclogged but no one checking the rest of the unit causing the mold. I wasn’t asked to look at it until the little black flakes were blowing out.

[@debbiemoorin1748]

I my self would not have taken on a job like that. With that dust would be mold in the dust there fore I would have run fast the other way from that type of job. Any ways another great Morgan's mantenance video. Keep up all the great videos.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

That’s why I made a video for them… so I won’t have to do the rest 😂😂. It’s not a fun job, price accordingly! Thanks for the encouragement!

[@USSWylie]

Thank you for this information. 8 of my 10 units are the kind that mount at the bottom of the wall, under the windows. How are those cleaned?

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

I’ve never cleaned one of those. All of them on the properties I take care of are up mid wall or higher. You could maybe find a cleaning bag that has an adapter for a hose and run it outside to lower ground. Maybe someone else will see this and be able to help you better.

[@USSWylie]

@@MORGANSMaintenance Thank you for the quick response! Now that I'm ready to face this problem (and the smell!) I know the answers will come. I really appreciate your work. : )

[@angusmac2037]

How much of that mold build up is from the unit being shut off when it’s in cooling mode and still wet/damp inside?

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

I couldn’t tell you, I don’t operate it to know how often someone turns it on/off besides the unit just doing it when it satisfies. I’d say the bulk is from wet/dampness mixing with dust

[@thefleaflop]

Well done sir... Where do we find the bag? Do they come in different sizes?

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Thanks so much! I buy mine at a local HVAC supply (Johnstone). They do have different sizes. They also have them on Amazon. I have a link for one in the description as an option…. But it’s not the one I used. Hope that helps 👍

[@mrmushiemichelle]

hi, would pulling out the disconnect near the condenser outside be sufficient enough to work on the coils the indoor part of the unit? thanks !

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Typically yes. Usually the indoor unit is powered by/through the outside unit.

[@mrmushiemichelle]

thank you! 😎👍

[@robertrodriguez9984]

How long do you think it would take for indoor unit to dry before reconnecting it? ⚠️

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

@@robertrodriguez9984 most everything you spray can be wet and run. The coil area condensates while running, so it stays wet, and the blower area will dry itself while running (it will blow water out into your room if not dry though) So it doesn’t have to be crazy dry, many you don’t want anything with an electrical connection to be wet

[@robertrodriguez9984]

@@MORGANSMaintenance ok got it. Thanks for responding

[@roberttjacobs4449]

Very good video. Easy to understand

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

appreciate it 👍👍

[@TechnicalEnglish101]

Pro job greatly done!!! You rock buddy.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Thanks my friend 👍👍

[@krisbunther300]

If you ever hear an aggressive growling sound and your Daikin split shuts off to pump out the condensation from the reservoir, your condensation pump is full of crud and the pump is cavitating . Sometimes it wont come back on for a while because there is a switch that shuts the unit off until the float goes back in place after pumping .Easy fix

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Thanks for the info… 👍👍

[@keithrenaud3380]

Good job. But you had the bag on backwards. The black drawstring should be against the wall and pulled tight around the unit.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

👍👍

[@garylawrence7547]

It will go down the condensate pipe provided the pipe is clear and flowing! Maybe clear that pipe first. You can remove the blower fan and clean it outside.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

True on clearing the pipe 👍

[@tommyjuanadiaz7]

Can i use degreaser quick on quick off ?

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

You would have to ask the manufacturer for a 100% answer… I’ve never used it. I wouldn’t on the coil, but the bottom half I don’t see where it would hurt. It’s mostly plastic. Maybe someone else will chime in who has used it.

[@judahisrael9456]

From some of the other videos i watched you can remove the black blower wheel and clean that separate outside the unit.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Yeah it is something you can choose to do if you want to. Some units it’s a big pain, and some it’s not too bad. It is easier to get “all” of the dirt off by removing it. Thanks for sharing so people know it’s an option 👍

[@BOB05733]

Nice job on the video

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Thank you 👍👍

[@sampk9229]

washing without taking out the drain pan will cause the blockage in drainage pipe . its always a good idea to not let the dirty water go to drain pipe if it blocked then you have a new headache , specially in apartment buildings if the drain pipe is blocked you have to spend lot more money to deal with that.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Yeah you should clean out the pan and flush the drain line when you are done cleaning the coil…. Thanks for the info 👍👍

[@chrismaxny4066]

This is why we went with a geothermal system! Of course we already had the forced air system ducts so one may not have a choice.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Geothermal is something I know nothing about, but some things are definitely more “maintenance free” than others. Everything has some maintenance to them… and it can vary by where you live, conditions, how well it was installed, etc. Most people neglect these type of mini split systems for some reason.

[@HobbyOrganist]

The black cruddy chunks looks more like mold than "dirt"

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

It may be, or a mix of the two

[@lucas956jolomcu]

hello very good job

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Appreciate it 👍

[@peaceWorker77]

Twice in a year? I stayed with my window ac its more easy to service I can dismantled with wetting my walls

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Yeah if you don’t need heat, or have another alternative it might be the way to go 👍

[@peaceWorker77]

@@MORGANSMaintenance the outside unit is easy to do. But in the inside I don't want to throw water inside the house I got carpets

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

@@peaceWorker77 I get that.. 👍👍

[@Rockollecter]

Omg. I’m NOT looking forward to this. Great video, great work! But wtf. This is the ONLY reason I can think of to have to use a hose INDOORS! 😱 Mr Cool just turned into Mr Pain in my Ass 😩

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

😂😂 Yeah, they can get pretty nasty. This one had a lot of construction work done in areas around it… The lack of preventive maintenance led to it being sooo bad. Thanks for watching.

[@landscapevision6553]

Why in the hell did th filter NOT prevent this …bad engineering and disclosure

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

@@landscapevision6553 I think that plays a big role in it, I also think the condensate had backed up on this a few times and the overflow when down into the unit

[@mikethompson3534]

Why not take the blower wheel out for more thorough cleaning?

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

That would be best. It’s a little more time consuming, so if you are a tech it just depends on if you think the customer will pay for the extra time… or if you are a homeowner if you are comfortable enough to disassemble your unit farther. Some of them are a bear to get out, some not so much. It would be best though. 👍

[@rodney9409]

​​@@MORGANSMaintenancei, I tried taking out the blower, it's too time consuming and nerve wracking, I did it like you here, the HVAC guys here do this but it's too expensive, so I prefer doing it myself, it took me about 11/2 hrs, I live in an area of South Africa that can get hot in summer, wet winters and dry summers like CA.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

@@rodney9409 yeah certain units are not fun.. and risky.