Sometimes there is a need to dismantle the split system installed in the apartment. The inside of the air conditioner may interfere repair work in room. Sometimes, when moving, it is a pity to leave a well-proven device, for which, moreover, a lot of money was paid. There is an idea to dismantle it and install it in a new apartment. Is it possible to dismantle the split system with your own hands, or is it better not to take risks and not waste your time, but immediately turn to professionals?
Is it worth dismantling the air conditioner on your own?
Before you start removing the air conditioner yourself, you should carefully weigh the pros and cons. First of all, it is worth finding out how much the services of professionals in dismantling a split system will cost. On average, prices can be calculated using a simple formula: each watt of air conditioner power will cost one ruble. Thus, for the dismantling of a split system in an apartment, specialists will have to pay from 2,500 to 4,000 rubles.
Professionals, among other things, have all the necessary tools. It will have to be purchased or rented if you dismantle the air conditioner yourself. The gauge manifold required for the dismantling operation will cost no less than 1,500 rubles, possibly two to three times more. Plus a set of hexagons and a pipe cutter. It is impossible not to take into account the possible malfunctions that the air conditioner can receive during dismantling. The cost of repairing a split system will also be expensive.
Risks when dismantling the air conditioner yourself
If you are going to dismantle the split system yourself, be prepared for possible unpleasant consequences.
- A refrigerant leak from a split system is the least of the troubles that can happen if you remove the air conditioner incorrectly yourself. To fill the liquid, you will have to call the master and pay not only for his work, but also for quite expensive freon.
- The vacuum pump is the most delicate part of the air conditioner. For the safety of the split system during the sale, it is filled with inert gas, which is bled off during installation. The slightest scratch from a speck of dust or ice of condensate that has fallen into the tube will lead to its breakdown. Replacing the pump, which costs a lot of money, also involves adjusting the entire system, for which you will also have to pay.
- It is strictly forbidden to transport air conditioners filled with freon. The fact is that the dismantling process, which will be described below, involves the transfer of all refrigerant from the split system to the external unit. In this case, a pressure of several atmospheres is created there. During transportation, the design of the device may not withstand the load, for example, if the car is shaken in a pit. Then, at best, the tightness of the air conditioner will be broken, and at worst, an explosion will occur.
In apartments located on the upper floors, climbing skills are required to remove the outer part of the air conditioner. Without them, risking your life to save a few thousand rubles is simply stupid.
In general, it’s worth trying to remove the air conditioner in the apartment on your own only if it needs to be removed for the duration of the event. repair. And when dismantling, you need to do everything according to the instructions and very carefully. If you are not confident in your abilities or are going to completely remove the split system, then it is better to call professionals.
How is the air conditioner removed?
The first step is to ensure the safety of freon for the split system. To do this, two fittings should be found on the outside of the air conditioner. The thinner one pumps liquid freon into the indoor unit, the thicker one serves to remove the gaseous refrigerant.Remove the protective caps from them, and insert hex socket wrenches into the slots.
Further it is necessary to strictly follow the instructions.
- The air conditioner turns on at full power in cooling mode. In this case, it is necessary to set the lowest temperature that is provided for this model.
- A pressure gauge is connected to the nipple located on the inlet pipeline.
- After the split system has worked for ten minutes, a thin valve is closed, through which liquid freon is supplied.
- As soon as the pressure gauge shows that a technical vacuum has formed in the system - pressure minus one atmosphere - the thick fitting is blocked, and the air conditioner is immediately disconnected from the network.
If there is no pressure gauge, then you will have to act "by eye". The steam fitting nut is tightened a minute after the supply of liquid freon is shut off. Naturally, in this case, the risk of damage to the vacuum pump of the air conditioner increases significantly. He might not be able to take it if he lingered a little. If the steam nipple is closed too early, refrigerant will leak.
- Unscrew all the pipes that connect the inner and outer parts of the air conditioner. And immediately hermetically sealed. This can be done with the help of plugs, adhesive tape or electrical tape. The main thing is to prevent dust from getting inside the split system, so as not to get in trouble with the vacuum pump described above.
All tubes and electrical wires that are disconnected during the removal of the split system must be marked, and for reliability, also carefully sketched. This will help to connect everything back and not confuse anything.
- If you plan to move the air conditioner to another place, then it is easier to cut the pipes with a pipe cutter from the inside and outside of the split system at a distance of at least 15–20 cm from the fittings. Their ends must be caulked, you can use a small bench vise for this, or you can use a special rolling press.
- All electrical wires and terminals are disconnected from the air conditioner.
- If necessary, the fastening nuts are unscrewed and the outer part of the split system is removed from the brackets. Such work may require special equipment if the apartment is located high and it is not easy to get close to the air conditioner.
- Remove the protective cover from the indoor unit. It is important to correctly understand which system the latches that hold this part of the air conditioner work on. Usually it is enough to pull the block a little up and towards you. Most often, in order to get to the latches, you have to remove the evaporator cover. In this case, one must be extremely careful: thin tubes that are located in the immediate vicinity of the latches can be damaged.
Often the heads of the fixing screws of the air conditioner face the wall. In this case, you can unscrew them using a piece of Phillips screwdriver, turned with pliers. It is clear that with such an attempt to unscrew the bolts almost blindly, the risk of damaging something in the split system increases many times over.
- In addition, this work cannot be done alone: someone must hold the entire split system unit so that it does not collapse to the floor after being released from the mounts.
- At the last stage, the mounting plate is removed from the wall, and the entire air conditioner is packed for storage or transportation.
Thus, it is possible to rent an air conditioner in the apartment on your own. But because of the high risks, it is wiser to entrust this work to specialists. When moving to a new place, it is easier to leave the split system to new owners for the appropriate fee than to risk its possible breakdown when moving to a new apartment. Moreover, the service life of such systems rarely exceeds 6-10 years.
