How to Clean a Portable Air Conditioner
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- čas přidán 7. 08. 2018
- My portable air conditioner was not as cold as I like so I decided to give it a good cleaning to see if it would help. What I found was a dusty gross mess. Definitely an air conditioner should be cleaned every few years. I've had this unit for 11 years so it was well over due for a deep cleaning.
This is how I cleaned my Danby AC unit.
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Thank You - Testimonial
Last spring I fired up my AC as per tradition and it didn't go as planned. First, I live in a small bachelor apartment on a ground floor in a crummy part of town. (for security reasons this is why I don't have a window AC). Right outside my unit is the buildings garbage area, and oh yes it does have a tendency to stink something fierce on the warmer days. Running my A/C tends to create a negative pressure in my space which has for years pulled that lovely garbage smell inside to I can appreciate it to the fullest. Last spring was different though. I returned home to find that my apartment smelled exceptionally bad on a scale that I had not previously imagined. It smelled like piss.
It didn't take me too many days to figure out that the source of that lovely smell was my portable A/C. I had always kept the filters clean and tried to keep the accessible fins as clean as I could but it was time to not kid myself. This unit had been used 6 months of the year for the last 10 years and had never had a servicing. O.k, lets hit CZcams and see if I can find a video that will be remotely close to my unit and give me the confidence to open mine up and try to give it a GOOD cleaning. Here is where I landed because you had what is basically the same exact unit with a different name. Everything about your vid was a great help for everything I found and did. I had mould in various parts of the unit and I didn't have the tools to really tackle it. I used bleach and a green general purpose cleaner with a brush I found to do what I could. (no, not mixed or at the same time). The bleach killed the mould and the cleaner just generally helped clean everything else. This cleaning got me through last summer and got me air that smelled... well.. not like urine. A year later and I am back to do it all again but this time I have commercial grade AC cleaner and the tools to do this correctly.
Thank you so much for the video. Without it I may have never been willing to take this job on.
i have a bauer one, i guess thats the only portable ac bauer made, bought it used yesterday. problem is no remote, no user manual, but came with hoses. now im worried about dirt and mold growing, i looked in, theres a bit of rust and dirt, too scared to open it, cuz idk. idk if im going mess up trying to assemble it again so sadly not
Thanks for this. Helped a great deal. Here's another helpful tip: wrap the outside of the exhaust hose with thick bubble wrap -- all the way from the unit to the window. Without insulating, that hose produces plenty of hear. Wrapping it helps the unit work even a little more efficiently. (By not drawing that extra heat from the hose into the back of the unit.) I wrapped ours, and it made a difference 💪
Thanks for the tip!
Or just buy an insulated hose. Doesn't cost much.
it will melt it
@@llwydanwyl I thought the same thing, but it doesn't melt it at all. Does a great job.
@@indygolfcart I just wrapped mine today and it is so cool now to touch...not hot at all. Used thin silver insulation.
Thanks for this most manufacturers only mention cleaning the filters but when this only covers 2 vent sections out of 4 then it still leaves 2 that get absolutely caked in dust, the only option is to take it apart.
THANK you for sharing this! I couldn’t find anybody explaining how to take it apart. I thought I was going crazy not being able to pop off the outer shell, so I’m glad you proved it’s best to just start unscrewing stuff. Thank you!
Is it safe to wash it out tho?
@@dellmaticz- NO! Electricity & water not a good combo. Follow Andrews video. You can also buy coil cleaner. Spray & walk away, just follow the directions on the can.Haven’t did it myself, but I’m 10 mins away from following Andrews vid.
So glad I ran across this video! I cleaned my portable AC on the hottest day of the year and it was so worth it. The dust wasn’t like cleaning a lint trap on a dryer it was so badly caked on it was more like a black furry sticker stuck to the metal fins. Also noticed way less heat around the unit it self now. Thanks 👍🏻
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@Solomon Ariel it worked and I finally got access to my account again. Im so happy!
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Ours looked much like yours... and we thought cleaning the filter was actually doing something. Uh... Not so much. LOL AC works much better now! Thanks for sharing!
This video was a great help. I will attempt this technique to rid my $600 unit of all this dust. Thanks so much!!!
Ya I think it works Better after removing 60 pounds of dust that was funny how bad it was the compressor was overheating relentless I think
Mine just keeps filling up so quick and I have a media so I'm definitely going to try I can see it needs to be cleaned and hopefully it solves my problem here thanks for the video
Thanks! I was afraid to take mine apart...now will!
So I just did this with my own Danby AC unit and was SHOOK at what came out of that thing. Mine is also running much colder now. Thank you.
Jesus, i guess I have to do this eventually as well, a paramount task as its cramed behind my desk
Thanks for the great vid, I’m on my way to try to it!
Thaaaannnnkkk you so much. Its really help and save cost
Inspired to look. Thanks for sharing!
Just did mine and I didn't think it could look worse but YOURS SHEESH
That works but you can also use ac foam cleaning for the coils. Then rinse of with a spray bottle filled with water a couple of times. Though it will drain out all over and need a place for that. I also use qtips to clean near drainage area because mold builds up.
Thank you...
I opened my AC (from another brand than your) shell and it was already visibly dusty after only one summer! This device consumes so much power that I can't let it overheat or overconsume, even a small amount. So I'll vacuum all that!
Luckily the newer style units have filters on the intake for the condenser. However not all units do. Good video!!!
Yes! I just had to clean out the filter
WOW..Im so shocked..taking mine apart tomorrow !!!
Wow! Good to know for whoever owns one of these!
Thanks for sharing your experiance! I'm going to try this😀
Yes this way does infact work and works well. If you want to make you unit work like it did when it was New You Do Infact Need to Take it Outside and Hose it Off. As the Coils and Condenser Cant be completely cleaned with just vacuuming alone and there are two sides to ever one so im wondering if the otherside was cleaned as well or just what we saw in the video. If you have gone this far you really should go all the way any completely clean 💯 percent as it not only will allow your unit to work better for longer but will save you on electricity used as well as it will work more efficiently with less effort as well. Im not saying that the person who published the video did anything wrong at all. Just saying from my experience is all as I did clean mine a few years back the exact same way and it has worked better then it did for the last few seasons. However last year it had gotten to the point of where it was before. I decided to go all the way and am glad I did cause that's how I found out what the difference was. I was a little apprehensive about taking further apart but am glad I did as im sure it will last for years to come and when that day comes again I have confidence that I now know what will need to be done at that time. It makes ya feel Good to Fix Something Rather than doing what's become the New Norm and Tossing it. It's Doing Our Part to STOP Being a Completely Throw Away Country!!!
Cheers!!!
That creature living in your ac scared me. Im afraid to see whats living in mine now.
just cleaned my LG air conditioner before finding this vid (it would shut down involuntarily)....it looks just like that big thick furry ball of crud like yours...mine had 2 coil locations though upper and lower...the lower was just like yours...great vid and thanks for sharing - my air is so cool like first when I bought 4-5 years ago
Thank you .Good work .
Guys you also need to apply compressed air, using just the vacuum cleaner is half the job, there is still like 20-30% crap left in there. Best take the unit outside and blast it with your air blow gun. You won't believe the amount of dust there is!
Thank you!!!!! I'm doing it now.
Great Video ..Thankyou
That's amazing that it ran that long
Thank you!
i knew i had to unscrew my portable air conditioner LOL a lotta work worth it
I just bought the same unit off craigslist. It also has the power button worn away. I will be cleaning mine the same way. Thanks!
Maybe you can ask somebody to saldering on a momentary switch
@@kayradiogeekned5415 No need to. The button still works, just some of the plastic cover is missing.
@@noslackyak How much did you pay for it, if you don't mind me asking?
Thank you so much for making this video. I have been wondering if I should unscrew the housing on my unit, there is literally only one clip fasten filter on mine and a further 4 that I can see but aren't easily accessible. Mine is working like new again 😂
Thanks , very helpful
Wowwwwww I never woulda thought it could get like that! Once the wife is home I know what I'm doin haha
This helped me a ton! A friend let me use their portable a/c for this summer and while it was blowing cold air, when the temp outside hit 90 and above it just wasn't cooling at all. I watched your video and the one I have is a different brand but made identical. I took it apart as you showed and the dirt and dust build up looks just like yours. It is so gross, I wish I had a respirator. I cleaned it the best I could without being able to hose it down and now it seems to be cooling much better. I'm no expert, but I just don't understand how an a/c can blow cool air but still not cool much because the inside is dirty?
Nonetheless, thank you soooo much! You may have saved me $250 because I was about to go ahead and buy a new a/c for the window instead of fooling with this portable one. The main thing I despise though is having to empty the water tray nearly every four hours. I hope cleaning it reduces the need to do this now. Thank you!
My husband and I had one that similar, probably; and we took a short sterilite bin that was dimensionally big enough that we set the unit into; but on top of something (inside the tote/bin) so it wasn't sitting inside a water bath. It starts filling pretty rapidly, but it no longer gets on the wood floors and we would dip it out accordingly. If I'd had a wet vac I'd have sacked it up with that. I hope I've explained this well enough to help.
Or I'd your drain line is in the middle area of the unit you can run a hose (right size, of course) direct out the window with the exhaust hose. That way the condensation drains freely without worry of forgetting.
If*
Nice video, sometimes if the filter accumulates too much dust it won't cool the room either
Good job bro👍🏽
OMG that is Crazy what you found in there MAn Wow
Tq for sharing
Thanks for sharing. But how can you tell if you need to put more refrigerant and how do we do that ? Thanks so much, I will start with the dust job.
At least close your closet doors! 🤣
Thanks for this video! 👍
great video, but do you clean the hose?
I am inspired...
great vid
dang and i thought mine was bad xD I was smelling mildew and i thought it might be my ac so i ripped it apart to clean it wasnt too bad small layer only have had it for maybe two years now but i tend to clean the upper filters every few months but couldnt ever get to the lower one till i figured out how to open it up I cleaned mine with a air compressor and then washed it out with water though im letting mine dry out before i plug it back in im sure i didnt get anything wet that would hurt it but better safe than sorry right.
i had to take mine apart due to mold and spray it good, even the blower assembly disassembled :D nothing cleans good like water spraying
ty
Any ideas on how to clean the tank that holds the water/condensation? I pulled the plug to empty ours and water came out, but so did some gunk! How do I get rid of that?
Thank you
Tried this with my 15 year old airconditioning but unfortunately there wasn't any dust inside. It still cools, but it used to be much more efficient.
Mine is nowhere near this filthy, but the bad odor started emerging slightly when the compressor turns off after the ac reached the desired temperature. due to the fan drying the coils. so I only have to steam clean the mold for odor to go away. and my ac is about 2 weeks old...
I opened my old one up and there was no dust at all. I felt kinda disappointed.
I found this mess on my moms ac this am. Holy crap. If it’s moist dust which hers was, a microfiber dry cloth first then vacuum
I'm trying to clean mine at the moment but the fins that you cleaned seem very flimsy I don't want to damage them and crease them you don't look like you were being very gentle did you have problems stopping the metal fins from bending in ?
I got same style but it's a Everstar
You're totally right idk why they don't make it easier to clean the consensus at the bottom. like I can't see the average person being down to remove all these screws and man handle the plastic clips with a flat head
How to get mold out ? And if chronically unwell should l do as l suffer maybe lyme
How long did it take for the dust to build up to that point? I've had mine for a few years now and wondering whether it's worth cleaning mine, even though the air still feels cool.
didn't vaccuming still leave mold spores around?
Thanks; you just saved me $300. I was trying to buy a new A/C unit during a heatwave but (luckily) everyone is sold out. So far, cleaning it is working great. I couldn't get the back off so took your advice and just took my time, and cleaned it with tweezers.
Did he say not the right way hmmm. Im concerned with what can get wet and what can't using a specific for ac foaming cleaner
So dangerous , I had a sore throat after using mine, since cleaned it wasnt like yours though just a bit dusty !
I hope mine comes apart as good as thi one but I don't think it will
Yeah they don’t make taking it apart and cleaning eazy at all
Why about mold though?
I have same model 10 years still runs like new every 2 years a take it apart and pressure wash the coils fins every year vacuum and use compressed air with cover on
i did that but now it wont turn on it flickers on then nothing any advice
How come there’s no mold on the fan wheel?
What about the reservoir tank even if drained it still builds mold !!!
Mine is different. I need a long ass like maybe 4 or 5 meter screw driver.
Was there a ton of condensation when it was still dirty? Mine has to be drained all the time. I finally hooked up a permanent drain hose to it with a 2.5 gallon bucket catching the water, and that has to be emptied 3 times a day! Even at 100% humidity that would seem excessive.
mines never needed emptying now 3rd year it requires it just like you! Did you find a fix?? It is supposed to be self evaporative :(
@@armandoragusaucy96z.71 not sure, I'm going to take it apart and try to clean it , see if that helps. I'll let ya know if it does
Good gravy. What a mess.
Can u wash it down with a hose
Thank God you cleaned it....that was intensely gross. Here's a cleaning hint for everyone: No matter what it is, if it's in your home, you need to clean it. ESPECIALLY anything with a motor. If you think the A/C in this video was gross, if you have a PC, open that up and see what's in there. PC's should be cleaned internally every 6 months or so. I cleaned my A/C filters a half dozen time this summer and will deep clean every year when I store for the winter.
Also clean fan of little IKEA hotplate with motor! Gross.
You never showed how to clean and disinfect the condensation purge or water drain system. The better portable AC units literally dehumidify the air. The cheap ones spray the condensate back into the exhaust pipe while better ones temporarily store the condensate in a small pump reservoir before peeing it out the drain bib. I have yet to check and clean that condensation water pump and reservoir. I really love my Sharp portable air conditioner.
How long did it take to accumulate this much dust 🤔
OMG!!!!
what - I think they need to be cleaned at least once per year .... WOW
How do u change from Fahrenheit to Celsius with this specific AC
Hold temp up and temp down button
I would not be doing that in my house. And even outside put newspaper down. Cool video though.
Shrink wrap mine every year and still looks like new 5 years on
what do you mean by you shrink wrap it.. what is that exact, and what does it do?
@@regal1452 they are saying they wrap it in plastic foil every year to keep the dust out, it's a joke haha
I cleaned my AC unit last night and it was 100 times harder to take apart then yours also you forgot to clean all the coils with cleaner go get rid of all the mold inside
And there's no drainage hose?
This only happens if you dont use a filter that it comes with.
What about draining it ?
try running your a.c. only on COOL mode.
it only produces water if you run it under the dry mode. your a.c. unit should come with a drain pipe. to drained out water just plug drain pipe and tilt your a.c.unit until water stops coming out.
@@brauliovillagrans3596 Thanks👍
@@brauliovillagrans3596 it will still produce water on cool mode just not as much as dry mode. Most ac units have an auto evaporative feature so the water dripping off the condenser will evaporate at the same rate it is being produced (mostly).
Why dont they make a filter for the condenser inlet?
So you go out and buy a new air-conditioner.
@@MelindaMc exactly, thats why I taped a filter to the outside of mine and clean it regularly.
real question is what if i don't have a respirator?
Where can I find a good vacuum ?
I love my Dyson ball pet
Note only every 2 years i remove cover and use pressure washing coils
And dry it thoroughly before turning it on again?
The design makes this AC a possible alternative to ductless DYI systems. It works great. The remote control could be more visual aid oriented like a backligh design. Is impossible to see the lcd at least for me. Easy install czcams.com/users/postUgkx_hHgTlzH3uk31Fe2RVS3xEbXHGaN_z5Tation. Came on time . Great comfort around the house 5 🌟 again. Follow mfg instructions for care and all and this should be the only AC you need for those of is that don't live in new homes with central AC
arnt you brave
Great job scrubbing the fins and bending them as you clean in the video, I watched your video and was amazed at how badly you damaged the unit as you "cleaned" it, good job!
Ack!
Strange, it did not look that dirty.
Dude do NOT go against the fins up and down only you will destroy your A/C unit. To the point a profesi0onal will have to come and comb them back straight again.
Hardly any dust or fur in mine but it ReEEKS of cheesy foot socks what next?
Bro is bending the condenser so bad you see where its bending its gunna loose its efficiency
You need to wash it out, the vacuum isn't going to remove the dirt from inside the fins...
I have an LG portable and will take it apart post haste! Thanks.
You don't need to refill gas or anything for this past 11 years ?
It’s electric no gas required
@@tmr8193 Shocker to you, people in the industry often call it gas.
@@BrotherJaysVids ikr?😩
Ewwww 😅