It is crucial to maintain your air conditioner on a regular basis to ensure that it works for years. Cleansing your air conditioner is a good way to keep it in better shape, but frequent maintenance may not be enough.
Regular maintenance, though it helps to clear away the dirt in your aircon, may not be that effective in getting rid of the gunk accumulated and stuck in your condenser, filer and evaporator coil of your aircon.
Further having improper cleaning techniques may cause severe damage to the internal components. This is when you need an aircon chemical wash or an overhaul.
What Is Aircon Chemical Wash?
If your air conditioning unit does not blow cold air or takes a long time to cool your room even after cleaning the air duct, your aircon technician might recommend a chemical wash on your air conditioning unit.
An aircon chemical wash is a process where you disassemble all the parts inside the air condition (compressor, filter, condenser, etc.) and soak them in a chemical solution. The internal pipes of the air conditioner are also flushed with a chemical solution. This helps to remove sticky debris and acids from the air conditioning parts. Find out about the cost of chemical washing and other aircon services here.
It is the process where the internal components of your air-con get washed down with chemicals. First, your unit would be taken apart, exposing the evaporator coils, condenser and air filters. The parts are then placed in a chemical solution which would help remove any dirt particles, and corrosive acid stuck onto the pieces.
The chemical wash could also be used to wash down the drainage pipes to ensure that any algae or gunk is wholly eroded and washed out.
Helpful read: HDB guidelines on aircon installation and servicing
Is Chemical Wash For Aircon Necessary?
Chemical cleaning of air conditioners is a necessary service. Cleaning on a regular basis may help to remove some unwanted particles. Even so, there is a lot of toxic gunk that has accumulated over time in the components.
Toxic gunk is hard to get rid of and could corrode and cause severe damage to the internal component of your unit, affecting the effectiveness and performance of your aircon. Thus, it is wise to give your aircon unit a chemical cleaning at least once every six months.
How Often Should You Engage In An Aircon Chemical Wash?
It is always advised to do aircon chemical cleanings, but the frequency of cleaning will depend on how often the unit is used. The recommended time period ranges from half-yearly, once per year to every two years.
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Is Aircon Chemical Wash harmful?
Engaging chemical wash cleaning is not only favourable for an aircon’s shelf life, but it does also bring about health benefits with the emission of clean, fresh air. It is essential to engage a professional as this process requires proper expertise and equipment. In contrary to some beliefs, the chemical wash is a very safe process that ensures a well-maintained aircon. This helps you to avoid hefty repair costs.
Why Should You Opt For Chemical Washing?
Better Air Quality
The most obvious benefit of a chemical wash is that your air conditioner parts are thoroughly cleaned. Hence, the quality of air coming from your air conditioning unit will be better than before.
This keeps the air fresh indoors and helps your family avoid respiratory or health problems arising from poor air quality in your home spaces.
Reduced Frequency Of Breakdowns
Frequent maintenance and chemical washing keep your air conditioning unit free from possible malfunctions caused by damaged parts or accumulated dirt in your air conditioner.
Condensation that causes water leakage from your air conditioner will also reduce after a chemical wash. This keeps your aircon system in good condition and saves thousands in costs from damage repairs.
Helpful read: How to calculate aircon BTU
Enhances Performance
Cleaning up the impurities from your air conditioning system parts unclogs the ventilation system, which improves the overall performance of your air conditioning unit.
Your aircon will cool your room quicker and perform more efficiently. This helps you save on the electrical bill and the cost of repairing your air conditioner.
With improved performance, due to the removal of any blockage or clogging, it allows for your aircon unit to run as effectively as possible, your room quicker and perform more efficiently. As such, chemical washes potentially helping you to save hundreds or thousands on those electricity bills over the next few years.
For more FAQ about air conditioning, you can check out our article on commonly ask a question about air-conditioning.
Basic Steps Of Chemical Wash Procedure
Aircon chemical wash involves an extensive overhaul of the air conditioning fan-coil unit. The chemical liquid is usually used when a general cleaning of the aircon unit does not improve the condition.
Professionals will take apart the aircon unit, such as fan coils, water trays, and air filters and wash those with a chemical-based solution.
This help washes away accumulated dust and dirt, eliminate mould, thereby increasing the cooling efficiency of your system.
During the chemical wash, these are the everyday things that will be done:
- Cleaning and inspecting the air filter, the front panel, and the cover
- Filter cleaning, deodorizing, and purification
- Indoor evaporator coil cleaning and inspection
- Indoor drainage tray cleaning and inspection
- Drainage system vacuuming
- Fan bearing and lubrication inspection (if necessary)
- Checking the suction and discharge pressures of the compressor
- Tightening of electrical contacts
- Use several chemical-based cleaners to remove dust, oil and dirt in various parts.
- Use unique, sanitizing mixture that has been concocted.
** Do note that different companies may cover various aspects, not all companies provide the same level of service.
How Do I Know If My Aircon Needs Chemical Washing?
1. No Cold Air
An air conditioner has two sections: a condenser and a fan coil. If these two are unclean, then the air conditioner will emit warm air and chemical cleaning will be required in order to ensure its proper functioning. Since air conditioners are operating daily, the accumulation of dust and grime will gradually reduce the performance of the system and result in the warm air produced.
2. Aircon Leaking
Aircon leaking could be a common nightmare for everyone. To ensure good hygiene and cleanliness in the aircon conditioner system, chemical cleaning is required. This always happens when we have a backflow when the drainage pipe has been clogged up and in this case, chemical.
3. Foul Smell Produced From Aircon
The humid weather in Singapore accelerates the growth of bacteria and mould within the aircon. When such a stench occurs, it serves as a highlight for you to engage in an aircon chemical wash.
Helpful read: How to calculate aircon BTU
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How much does an aircon chemical wash cost?
An aircon chemical wash that does not require the dismantling of the unit or only requires partial dismantling costs around $85 to $100. If the fan coil, electronic control and other parts of the aircon unit require dismantling for the chemical wash process, then the cost goes up to $150 to $200.
How much does an Aircon chemical cleaning cost in Singapore?
Simplistically, aircon chemical means the usage of a special detergent to clean your air conditioner and eliminate 99.999% of bacteria. On average, it costs about $150 per chemical cleaning session. You can further explore other costs and prices here.
What is an aircon overhaul?
In the event the chemical wash is insufficient to clean the system thoroughly, professionals may propose an aircon chemical overhaul for your air-conditioning system.
After the check-through of your unit will help the professional, then tell you if your aircon unit needs an overhaul or just a simple chemical cleaning procedure.
In general, professionals recommend you do a chemical wash or overhaul at least once a year to keep the aircon running at optimal efficiency.
What is done during an aircon overhaul is the dismantling and cleaning of the aircon parts. Certain parts are being either repaired or replaced (varying on the damaged of your aircon).
Helpful read: Why is my air-conditioning unit not cold
When do you need an overhaul?
Here are some instances where overhaul would be needed:
- When the vents are being clogged due to dust particles or gunk
- Clogging of drain pipes, resulting in water leakage
- Damage of evaporator coils
- Damage of fan bearings
- Faulty or damaged air filters
After getting a chemical overhaul, you can expect your unit to be as good as new!
The rough estimate of getting an overhaul for your aircon is about $130-$180 SGD for an aircon unit.
It is always a good idea to have your aircon clean and to maintain it regularly so that you can not only ensure that you would not be faced with costly aircon repair charges, but also that your unit will last you longer.
What is done for an aircon overhaul?
These are the everyday activities done for aircon chemical overhauls:
- Lubricating the bearing of a fan to reduce noise and increase efficiency
- Checking and monitoring thermostats and controls of the unit
- Cleaning pipes, blower wheel and drain pans with appropriate chemicals
- Cleans fan evaporator coil to remove dust and grime, increasing efficiency
- Replaces faulty bearings and eliminates operational noise
** Do note that different companies may cover various aspects, not all companies provide the same level of service.
What is the difference between a chemical wash and a chemical overhaul?
While both processes help in cleaning your aircon, a chemical wash and a chemical overhaul are actually different. An aircon chemical wash will ensure that the basic components of your aircon, such as the air filters and coils are cleaned properly. This helps to prevent the growth of substances such as mould, which would have detrimental effects on your health.
On the other hand, a chemical overhaul goes deeper than a chemical wash. It helps to ensure that the aircon pipes are clean, which will facilitate better airflow for your aircon and lead to better efficiency and performance.
While an aircon chemical wash is recommended once every six months, an aircon chemical overhaul should be done once every year. However, if your aircon is not functioning as well as you’d like, you can always consult a professional to check if you should increase the number of chemical overhauls.
In summary, an aircon chemical wash ensures that your aircon unit is free from substances like mould so that it can produce air with better quality. On the other hand, a chemical overhaul process leads to better aircon performance by ensuring that the worn-out components are replaced. To better ensure better maintenance and durability of your aircon unit, you should engage in both chemical wash and chemical overhaul.
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