DIY external air conditioner unit repair

There are situations when it is necessary to dismantle a split system or one of its blocks. For example, it may be necessary to remove blocks when renovating an apartment, moving an air conditioner to another place, moving, etc. It would seem that there is nothing easier than removing or disconnecting something. "To break is not to do." But in the case of air conditioning, this motto does not work. The reasons are as follows:

• in order for the air conditioner to work normally in the future, it is necessary to save freon. Otherwise, refueling it will not justify the money saved. In this case, you need to know how to overtake freon into an external unit. And it will take some tool;
• air conditioners removed "clumsily" few people undertake to install in the future. And when you install it yourself, even more difficulties arise.

Let's take a look at some of the features of this process, and then find out the sequence of actions. Considerations for air conditioners without winter options:

• At a positive temperature outside, it will be necessary to turn on the air conditioner for cooling and wait for the compressor to turn on and the cold comes from the indoor unit. It is necessary that the temperature in the room is sufficient to turn on the air conditioner. Read more here;
• If it is required to dismantle the air conditioner at a negative temperature, then we can do without turning it on (it is not allowed to use the air conditioner at low temperatures). In this case, we simply shut off the service taps, then bleed off the rest of the freon from the "track". At negative temperatures, the bulk of the freon condenses in the external block, and its loss will not be so significant.

To dismantle the air conditioner with your own hands, you will need: a gauge manifold, a set of hexagons, a Phillips screwdriver, an adjustable wrench, a knife.

1. We connect the pressure gauges to the service connector of the external unit (thick tube). We unscrew the cover (if installed) and the valve plugs (but not the tube nuts).

Attention! It is necessary to screw on the pressure gauges quickly and to endsince wherein will to leave freon under pressure! Be sure to keep this in mind and use gloves. Freon can get burned!

2. Then turn on the air conditioner for cooling. We are waiting for the compressor to turn on and the pressure in the circuit rises.

3. If the temperature outside is negative, just close the taps. At positive temperatures, follow these instructions. The actions must be carried out with the compressor running quickly and correctly (first study in detail).

• with a hexagon, we begin to close the valve of the liquid tube (thin) to the end. After that, the pressure begins to drop to 0 bar (it takes about 5-15 seconds) (look at the pressure gauge).

• as soon as the pressure has crossed the 0 bar mark on the pressure gauge, quickly (but carefully) close the valve of the gas tube (thick) to the end. And immediately (within 5 seconds) we turn off the air conditioner from the remote control (the help of a partner may be required). Everything is now freon in the external unit.

When tightening the taps, do not tighten too much.
4. Turn off the "power" of the air conditioner.

5. Remove the pressure gauges. We unscrew the tube nuts at the external block. In this case, the remainder of the freon from the indoor unit will be vented.


Important! we immediately glue the fittings and the ends of the tubes, in order to avoid the slightest dust.


6. Unscrew the top cover of the outdoor unit. We write down how the interconnect wires are connected to the external unit. Disconnect them.And also disconnect the "power" cable and other additional wires (if any).


7. Next, we can unscrew the external unit from the brackets and remove it. If required, remove the brackets.


8. Carefully straighten the track and free the hole. Here, you may have to cut the ends of the tubes to remove the nuts (do not forget to glue right away). Thermoflex and drainage can also be cut off. We tape the "track" together. Outside, everything is ready!


9. Next, snap off the inner block from the lower clips. There are various designs. Read how to do this in the next article.


10. Remove (up) the indoor unit from the plate. And we take out the block along with the track. This will require the help of a partner.


11. Unscrew the plate. We can foam the hole.


12. We attach the remote control and the plate to the indoor unit so as not to lose it later.

The indoor unit is removed separately when it interferes with the repair. Reinstall after repair. It can be removed separately if the air conditioner is installed correctly. There are times when the nuts of the indoor unit are hidden in the wall, which is unacceptable. Then the removal of the air conditioner will have to be done together with the "track".
First, we do the operations of points 1 to 4. Next, we do the following:

• snap off the lower clips of the indoor unit. We put some kind of support under the block;
• open flex under the block. We unscrew the nuts with two wrenches, while the rest of the gas is released (a little oil may leak out). We glue all the ends of the tubes;
• open the cover for connecting the interconnect wires of the indoor unit. We sign how the wires are connected. Then turn them off;
• disconnect the drainage hose (water may flow);
• disconnect the "power" cable if it goes to the indoor unit. We check if there are any other additional wires;
• remove the support and remove the indoor unit (up) from the plate;
• then remove the plate of the indoor unit.

And don't forget to attach the plate and the remote control to the indoor unit so as not to get lost. For the subsequent installation of the indoor unit in place, it will be necessary to evacuate the system.

If you notice a malfunction in the operation of your air conditioner, or it does not turn on at all, you need to think about whether it needs repair, and you can try to do it yourself, since the warranty period has long expired. Of course, you will not always be able to repair the air conditioner yourself. But still, there are such breakdowns that you can fix it yourself, even if you are far from being able to repair household appliances. By doing this, you will save money in your budget.

The term "air conditioner" is represented by two English words, these are "air" - "air" and "condition", which today is understood as a device that maintains a given temperature in a room. This name has been known for a very long time. The most interesting thing is that this word was first mentioned in 1815.

As history is glossing over, it was in this year that the French inventor Jeanne Chabannes was solemnly awarded an English patent for the invention of a method for "regulating the temperature in residential buildings and other buildings, that is, the method of air conditioning." And the first air conditioner was made not to maintain a certain temperature, but to establish a certain humidity.

For a very long time, US companies held the lead in production and in new developments, but in the middle of the last century, the leadership passed to Japanese specialists. Maintenance of an air conditioner nowadays requires a long wait for a master who has studied the manual for repairing an air conditioner, it is an expensive undertaking, so you can take certain independent steps before contacting the repair service

Before using the services of a workshop, you can try DIY repairs.You need to understand that self-repair of an air conditioner is not an easy task, but a complex and responsible procedure, which is limited by opportunities, lack of certain knowledge and the necessary equipment. But some breakdowns can be dealt with on their own without using the services of a service company.

First you need to find out if the faulty air conditioner is really a faulty one. Almost all modern models are equipped with special indicators that automatically notify major breakdowns. To find out which system failed, and how much it costs to repair the air conditioner, you can find out by the blinking and color of the failure indication light. The entire automatic diagnostic system for the blinking and color of the lights should be described in the instructions, so there should be no problems with troubleshooting.

When an air conditioner malfunctions, the light blinks a certain number of times, according to the detected error. Common standard error codes for air conditioners with specific flashing light colors are shown below.

1 time - One of the thermistors of the indoor unit, which controls the incoming air temperature through the gas pipe, is out of order. It is worth checking the operation of the thermistors of the indoor unit of the air conditioner.

2 times - The outdoor unit thermistor is out of order, it is the temperature sensor of the incoming air or the gas pipe. To repair an air conditioner with your own hands, you need to check the performance of such thermistors.

3 times - The air conditioner works for cooling and heating the air, therefore it is so important to correctly set the operating modes of the air conditioner. Check that the cooling and heating control systems are working properly.

4 times - The compressor overload protection system is turned off. It is necessary to check the correct operation of the compressor protection against large overloads.

5 times - Errors in the exchange of information between outdoor and indoor units. Check the serviceability of the cable and the communication circuit of both units.

6 times - The power consumption of the executive devices of the external unit was briefly higher than the set rate. It is necessary to check the operability of the executive devices of the external unit and the main power transistors.

7 times - The total electrical voltage of the outdoor unit was above normal. You need to learn how to repair the air conditioner, check the refrigerant pressure in this system and the performance of the elements of the outdoor unit.